Stacks On Stacks (On Stacks) (on Switch) Review

Stacking blocks – it’s a simple thing, you do it from when you’re a toddler, and even when you’re older, there’s something fun about making stacking things to try and outwit gravity.

Stacks On Stacks (On Stacks) takes the simple idea of building a massive tower, but does it in such an obscure and off-the-wall way that you’ll be asking yourself what the heck is going on. There’s a story here, presented in the style of a children’s TV show: you’re Rockit, a master block stacker who uses her stacking abilities to solve problems all over town after the blocks break a rainbow. Her village is filled with colourful characters including an Avacado with a beret, a Banana man with a 6-pack of abs, and other odd creatures. If this all sounds very silly, it’s because it is, and it’s not just the story that’s silly; it’s all the things you’ll use and have to avoid to stack those blocks and fix the town.

So everything aside, what do you have to do? As the name suggests, construct a tower as blocks fall from the sky to reach a specific height. Once you build to the target height, you’ll have to hold it for a couple of seconds, and then you move on. Simple right? But these aren’t your boring rectangles and squares that drop. Shapes with curves, cones, pyramids, and more can fall as you play.

There’s also a mystery block that can drop and cause all sorts of chaos. Depending on what side of the mystery block lands up, you might be required to do a quiz and then use the answer to help build your stack. Another side of the block sees a baby throw a tantrum and put your stack at risk, famous works of art, and even fish tanks – even the Illuminati can also get involved. 

It’s not just building a stack to be as high as required, either. There are other missions, including keeping a stack low under a certain height, one that’s got a balancing spring gadget, and the size of the stack’s base can change as well—all of these mix up the action over the game’s 36 stages. 

You can rotate the camera to make sure your stack is built as best as possible. The game also gives a visual cue if you’re dropping something too close or have the shadow behind what’s viewable. There will be times where you swear you placed a block in the right place, but it doesn’t happen. When the levels get a bit faster, it’s also tricky – but there are many accessibility options if you’re having trouble.

If any blocks fall or get loose and bring your entire tower down, don’t panic. You’ll have three strikes to get it right. There are three difficulty levels to check out if you think your stacking is too awesome for the computer. You can also play the game entirely with someone else. You’ll have to communicate and make sure your stack is built correctly and not just rely on yourself. When you complete a level, you unlock stars to move onto the next level on the map. Complete the level faster, and you’ll also get more coins to deck out Rockit in different costumes.

Stacks On Stacks (On Stacks) is a simple concept that’s made even more fun with silly and fun presentation — and being able to play it with someone else at the same time. Stacks never lets itself get stuck on one idea for too long, which is good, but you’ll blast through the entire game, possibly in a lazy weekend. Stacks of fun while it lasts. 

Rating: 3.5/5