Puzzles were always a popular way to help pass the time and keep the brain busy but as modern technology has advanced, there has been an explosion of games brought to us through our smartphones.
With an ever-increasing assortment to choose from at the touch of a button, all with addictive animations and flashing buttons, it can be hard to know which one to play next.
Well don’t you worry about that as we’ve got you covered here at TBM Gamezone!
The world of puzzle gaming is slowly but surely getting a much-needed upgrade after all these years. Too long have these games just taken away your time, data and oftentimes money, particularly with the various options for microtransactions!
We now have plenty of better options as Bitcoin gaming companies are concocting more ways to allow players to win small amounts of that orange goodness in their games!
Yes, our beloved Bitcoin Games list is growing at a rate of knots and why not? There’s plenty of them out there from all genres of developers who want to give you sats (fractions of a Bitcoin) for playing games that have been upgraded due to this wonderful orange inclusion.
In today’s post, we’ll be covering a game that will challenge your logical thinking skills and reward you with sats in the process so get those brains warmed up for Bitcoin Blocks from THNDR Games!
TBM have had the honour of testing out the pre-release this week, here’s what we make of it.
THNDR Games
If you have been following TBM for a while, you will have seen us cover the suite of mobile gaming delights from THNDR Games and may seen their name about the place.
The company was founded in 2019 and they are quickly establishing themselves in the mobile gaming world, bringing their unique brand of addictive games and cool designs in all their offerings.
Their previous game upgraded a vintage card game that we are all familiar with by adding a Bitcoin prize pool in to the mix with Club Bitcoin: Solitaire. This reached number 21 in the App Store, which is fitting given the significance of that number with Bitcoin!
League Play
Since we last covered THNDR, there have been some big changes with their in-game experiences via the launch of their daily League Play across all games. This has added a competitive element for players looking to get bragging rights in the community.
Every day is split up into 3 rounds of 8 hours where you get 3 attempts in each round to register your best score.
The best 3 scores across the day are added together, along with your best “regular playing” score and this gives you your final points tally, determining whether you get promoted, stay, or get relegated to a different league.
Gaming Graph
With the recent launch of NOSTR, a new social, open, global decentralised protocol, THNDR are experimenting with a badges and reputation system where players will earn badges as they make their way through leagues and achieve gaming milestones.
These badges will then appear on the player’s NOSTR profile, allowing gamers to take their virtual reputation with them across other ecosystems.
With all these new features and enhancements planned throughout the year, THNDR Games’ mission is to orange pill everyone with a smart phone via mobile gaming.
The release of their 6th game, called Bitcoin Blocks, marries Tetris and Sudoku so let’s see what happens at this wonderful wedding!
What is Bitcoin Blocks?
Bitcoin Blocks is a puzzle game where players need to strategically lay down 25 rounds of 3 blocks with varying patterns on to a 9×9 board.
Points are earned by laying down blocks, completing a line or completing a 3×3 square, with bonus points available by building up multipliers and putting blocks down on a bonus points square.
There’s no way to know what the next round of 3 blocks will be so you need to plan for the worst case scenario! The game ends when there’s no room left on the board or you manage to reach level 25.
Tickets for the prize draw are earned every 100 points so it definitely pays off developing a strategy to increase your multipliers and building up bonuses.
Your chances of winning sats depends on how many tickets you are able to collect in the game.
Gameplay
As always with THNDR Games graphics, everything is smooth and I’d say that the design of the blocks and game buttons are even better than in previous games.
There were no instructions on how to play the game but it was pretty self-explanatory as you started moving blocks around and the simple interface allows you to focus on the game in hand.
The frog animation at the end of each attempt changes depending on how well you did, with a pep talk if you did well, or some strong advice if you did badly – a very cheeky chappy!
How Can THNDR Games Reward Players?
There are adverts that appear sporadically in the game after every couple of attempts, which help with funding their games and there are also in-app purchases from the store to remove them if you want to play unobstructed.
I didn’t find these adverts too invasive and if it helps fund the development of future games, you’re supporting THNDR by watching them!
Plus there are some really cool skins that you can try out and add to your experience which also contributes to the continuous development of THNDR Games.
How To Withdraw Sats From Bitcoin Blocks?
If you’ve been lucky enough to win some sats from the prize draw, you have 5 days to claim them, otherwise it will go back to the prize pool – further information on the terms and conditions can be found in the app.
So don’t wait around if you have won!
Here’s how you claim them:
- Tap your sats in the top right corner of the screen
- Then tap “My Prizes”
- Tap “Claim” next to the lightning wallet you’ll use to receive the sats
- Ker-ching!
My Thoughts On The Game
I think this is going to be another one of those games that I can’t put down – it plays right into my puzzle gaming bug’s hands as I am a sucker for a logical thinking game!
The animations are smooth as always from the THNDR Games team and with the added features of the Leagues, plus the lairy frog at the end of each game, there’s plenty to get stuck in to here.
With the integrations on NOSTR and earning badges for milestones, THNDR are really upping the ante with community and competitive gaming, keeping everyone interested.
Of course, the sats are always welcome! You aren’t going to get rich playing this but every sat helps and as their fleet of games increases, there’s more ways to add to your stack for a bit of pocket money later on in the next bull run!
If you do find yourself in the enviable position of killing some free time, why not hone your puzzle skills and possibly earn some sats for your troubles!
To download Bitcoin Blocks, head over to THNDR Games website and join the community on their Discord/Telegram via the links below:
