Is it really any secret that Tetris is one of the most popular and widely-dispersed titles ever to have graced the gaming community? No. How is it that a game which contains absolutely no story elements, isn’t at the zenith of graphical prowess, and is over 25 years old is still being played today? Because of one word: fun. That’s right, the game is a ton of fun and doesn’t require you to allocate skill points to your character or choose between a variety of abilities, or platform from rooftop to rooftop and assassinate your targets, or go to war in Afghanistan and obliterate enemy forces, and….well, you get the point. It’s a simple concept but so addictive that my high school Psychology teacher admitted to being an addict to the point where when credits rolled at the end of a movie, she would see them as Tetris pieces.

Enough about Tetris though, because I’m here to talk about Granny Coder’s Gelex. The title is a match-3 game that follows in the same vain as Tetris, but is physics-based. What this means is that the little pieces known as “Gelex” are just that, gel-like and bounce and slip off of one-another. I felt like I knew exactly what to expect from the game, and I was met with pleasant familiarity with an appreciation for the twists derived from this awesome title. Here are all of my thoughts.

Gameplay

Gelex’s gameplay is pretty much a mix of Tetris and match-3 elements. There are blocks falling down from above and you must allocate them to the correct areas in order to match 3 (or more) and extinguish the annoying Gelex molecules, who make faces and noises to test your nerves (it’s not really all that bothersome). By doing so, you accumulate points and move up levels. If you are unable to make the blocks disappear effectively, and if one of those blocks is above the predetermined line at the top of the playing field before another block is released, you will lose the game.

Overall, the game is addictive. The reason I went on my Tetris rant is because I was into this almost as I am with Tetris. The mechanics are easy-to-follow and simplicity is key in an experience such as this. The bounciness and gel-like physics are not bothersome but rather provide for a hefty challenge. Plus points to Granny Coder for making this work and not making them too jumpy!

Style

The style of the game totally works. It’s kind of a crazy, kookie take what with the molecules making faces and noises at you, but I truly did appreciate the look and feel of the game. It certainly wasn’t retro and feels way more 3D than anything else, that feeling is aided by the blocks’ bounciness. Nothing revolutionary and not exactly out of the ordinary, but certainly not boring. It is what it is, and what it is works.

Story

The only background story to any of this is that the professor you will see at the main screen has accidentally created the Gelex molecules and you must exterminate them. Not much of a story though so I’ll have to skip this aspect.

Everything Else

The music is kind of a smooth jazz/funk tune that’s borderline cheesy. Fortunately, I enjoy cheesiness. Combined with the sounds of the “gelex” molecules themselves, there’s nothing to complain about. Bottom line is, the gameplay is addictive and to prove it to you, I’ll tell you that as I wrote this, I snuck a couple rounds of Gelex in. 78-year-old Granny Coder proves that it’s never too late to follow your true passion.

If you want the title for free, don’t forget to post “I want Gelex for free” anywhere on the internet and Handjoy will abide. They will search Google and depending on the amount of results, they will reward us with varying degrees of awesomeness. For more information, check out Granny Coder’s blog.