San Jose, California – Bitroots today is pleased to announce TumbleBlocks!, an innovative gravity puzzle game for iPhone and iPod touch devices. The object of the game is to remove as many blocks as possible, which is done by touching a group of 3 or more blocks causing all connected blocks of the same color to be removed. When they are gone, the blocks above them slide down, changing the puzzle. Players progress by leaving 3 or fewer blocks when no further moves are possible.

TumbleBlocks! is a deceptively challenging game, and it incorporates a pair of innovations that make it stand out. The first is that the entire screen is used for the board – there are no buttons, counters, or stats. This permits a fairly large grid of colored TumbleBlocks to be displayed, 10 x 15. A two-finger tap interrupts gameplay to pause, start over, change settings, etc. The game‘s second innovation is that it is constantly sensing the pull of gravity, and this becomes an integral part of gameplay as the player rotates the board. By re-orienting the board at any time, players can use the effects of gravity in their strategy.

There are two modes of play, Easy and Advanced, with 20 levels in each. Puzzles may include blocks of 2, 3, or 4 different colors, depending on difficulty. Also, a number of “steel” blocks, which never move and serve as barriers, may be located within the grid at the start of a game. Only through mastery of proper sequencing of board re-orientations can the necessary moves be achieved to score points at higher levels of play.

Feature Highlights:
* TumbleBlocks! gravity puzzle game has 2 modes, Easy & Advanced, and 20 levels each
* Match-3 game with a twist
* Large, full-screen grid of 150 blocks, 10 blocks wide x 15 blocks high
* Blocks slide downward when supporting blocks are removed
* Downward direction can be altered by re-orienting the board
* Leave only 3 or fewer blocks to progress

TumbleBlocks! awards the player 100 points when 3 blocks are left at the end of a game, and between 200 and 1,000 points for 2 or fewer blocks, depending on difficulty. The game remembers the last level reached, so play can continue or be reset to the beginning. Scores, levels, and times are permanently recorded in a game Summary.

“The difficulty of play ramps up slowly, so players are often surprised when they reach a puzzle they can’t solve,” commented company owner and lead developer, Fabio Costa. “The consequences of removing a set of blocks, or rotating the board are difficult to foresee, making TumbleBlocks! a game of logic and intuition.”

Device Requirements:
* iPhone or iPod touch
* iPhone OS 2.2.1 or later
* Application Size 1.2 MB
* Optimized for low battery usage

Pricing and Availability:
TumbleBlocks! 1.01 is only $0.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games category. Review copies are available upon request.

TumbleBlocks! 1.01
Purchase and Download
YouTube Video
Screenshot 1
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Application Icon

Located in San Jose, California, Bitroots is an independent game studio owned by Fabio Costa. Mr. Costa, a former Apple employee, has stated as his goal to produce “a portfolio of handcrafted games each of which is designed to work on as many different mobile devices as possible.” TumbleBlocks! is the company’s first product, with another in development, and a “ground-breaking multiplayer challenge” for later in the year. Copyright (C) 2010 Bitroots. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone and iPod are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.