How to play Block Jam
- Press Start. Level 1 points at the first block to move.
- Drag a block. It follows your finger one cell at a time and slides around other blocks where it can.
- Push a block against a gate in the frame that has the same color and symbol, and is at least as wide as the block. It slides out of the board.
- Clear every block before you run out of moves. One drag per block is the best possible score.
- Look for blocks with a clear path to their gate first; moving them opens the way for the rest.
- Later levels add grooved blocks that slide only one way, paint tiles that change a block's color, and frozen blocks that thaw after others leave.
About Block Jam
Block Jam is a sliding block puzzle played on a dark, crowded board. Colored blocks of different shapes, from single squares to bars, corners and T-pieces, fill most of the grid. Around the edge runs a frame with colored gates set into it. Drag a block and it follows your finger cell by cell, gliding around anything in its way; push it against a gate of its own color that is at least as wide as the block and it slides out of the board for good. The puzzle is the order. Blocks crowd each other's paths, so the red bar may only reach its gate once the blue corner beside it has gone, and the blue corner needs the green square out of its lane first. Every block can leave in a single drag if you take them in the right order, which is how you earn three stars; each extra drag spent shuffling a block out of the way costs a little. A move counter keeps the pressure honest without a clock. Later chapters add blocks with grooves that only slide along one direction, paint tiles that recolor a block that slides onto them, and frozen blocks that thaw only after a number of others have left. Every board is built backwards from an empty one, so there is always a way to clear it, and the daily board is the same for every player that day.
Controls
| Input | What it does |
|---|---|
| Drag a block | Slide it around the board, or out through a matching gate |
| Tab | Pick the next block |
| Arrow keys | Slide the picked block one cell (a run of presses counts as one move) |
| U or the undo button | Take back the last move |
| H or the bulb | Show a block to move next (3 per level) |
| P and R | Pause and restart |
Tips and strategy
- Read the frame before you touch anything. Each gate shows a color, a symbol and a width; a three-cell bar cannot leave through a two-cell gate, whatever its color.
- Start with the blocks that can already reach their gate. Every block that leaves frees cells, and an empty lane is what the crowded blocks are waiting for.
- Think one block deeper. If the amber corner is stuck behind the blue bar, ask what is stuck behind the amber corner, and clear that chain from the far end.
- Do not park a block in front of a gate. A block resting across someone else's exit costs you a move to shift it again later.
- Use the grooves. A grooved block can only slide one way, so plan its exit first: it cannot dodge around anything.
- Paint tiles are a second chance. A block with no matching gate in reach may only need to cross a paint tile on its way to become the right color.
Questions and answers
Can every level be cleared?
Yes. Each board is built backwards from an empty board by sliding blocks in through their gates, so playing those steps forward always clears it. Most boards can be cleared with one drag per block.
What counts as a move?
One drag of one block, however far it travels and however many corners it turns. On a keyboard, a run of arrow presses on the same block counts as one move.
Why will a block not go through its gate?
The gate must match the block's color and be at least as wide as the side of the block that faces it, and every cell between the block and the gate must be empty.
How many levels are there?
One hundred, in five chapters: First moves, Rails, Paint shop, Deep freeze and Grand jam. Boards grow from four by four to eight by nine with more than twenty blocks.
How do I get three stars?
Clear the board in the best possible number of moves, one per block, without using a hint. A few extra moves earn two stars; any clear earns at least one.
Do I need to sign up or download anything?
No. Block Jam runs in your browser on phones, tablets and computers, and your stars are saved on your device.
