Wood Block Journey

Wood Block Journey borrows its board from sudoku. The grid is 9x9, and it fills up as you drag wooden shapes into it. Complete a row, a column or one of the squares and those tiles clear away, which frees room for the pieces that follow.

There are two ways to play. Endless mode has no finish line: you keep placing shapes until the board has no space left, and the aim is a higher score than last time. Level mode uses the same rules but gives each stage a mission to complete, and the developer lists more than 60 puzzles. Wooden tiles are the whole theme, and the developer describes the pace as calm, with no time limit pushing you along. Clearing several lines or squares in one go earns combo points on top of the usual score.

Pick up one of the offered shapes and drag it onto the 9x9 board. When a row, a column or a square is completely filled, its blocks are cleared. Clearing more than one at once counts as a combo and adds extra points. In Endless mode the run ends once nothing else fits; in Level mode, finish the mission set for that stage.

Squares count as clears like lines do, so a square that is nearly full is as useful as a row that is nearly done. Since combos pay for clearing several areas together, it can be worth holding off on one clear until a second is ready beside it. With no clock running, each placement can be thought through.

A sudoku-style block placement game on a 9x9 grid, shown in a tall portrait frame. Two modes: Endless, scored against your best, and Level, with missions and more than 60 puzzles according to the developer. No sign-up is needed.

Wood Block Puzzle - Brain Game uses a 10x10 board with pieces that cannot be rotated, and Ocean Blast: Block Puzzle shrinks things to 8x8 with an endless mode beside a 100-level adventure.