Overview – developed by Yume Game Studio and published by Eastasiasoft, Moe Waifu H BlockBlast is the latest in the cutesy anime girl puzzle series, this time with a break out theme. Play through 15 whole stages, with 5 girls to “woo” with your brick breaking prowess as you make it through the game. This title is available for the PlayStation Worldwide and exclusively in Japan for the Nintendo Switch, with a link to each version of the game at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank Eastasiasoft for providing the copy of Moe Waifu H BlockBlast that was used for this piece. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review. There is no story for this release, so I will be going straight intro discussing the gameplay. There is also no sexual material aside from some suggestive swim suits, contrary to what the title may imply.
Gameplay – this is a rather simple puzzle game, taking the traditional Breakout or Arkanoid style of gameplay and applying anime girls to it. The gameplay loop consists of using a paddle at the bottom of the screen, to bounce a ball and break the blocks on screen without it touching the bottom. When all on screen blocks have been cleared, the stage will be completed. After clearing a stage, players will be awarded points and the next level will open up.
There are 5 girls that appear in the game, with each of them having three stages to challenge. The game progresses in a linear way, where each girl must be cleared in order to unlock the next. As the player makes their way through each girls challenge, they will appear in skimpier outfits, with the last one being what appears to be a swimsuit. All of the outfits that have been unlocked can be viewed in the gallery, letting players see the full image of the girl.
The moment to moment action of the brick breaking is rather cumbersome, bordering on frustrating as the game fails at having any real momentum during play. Where the games that came before this had fast movement, straight lines and predictable ball patterns, this title has none of that. The ball momentum is slow and it moves in an arc, with any speed that is build up being lost almost immediately. This grinds the standard gameplay to a halt.
In what seems to be an attempt to remedy this situation, there are power-ups that make the game function closer to what players would expect. These include a fire power, which immediately goes through any block clearing them away immediately, as well as a lightning bolt, that speeds the ball up considerably. The items make the action flow better, but due to the inconsistent ball physics, this can lead to the ball getting lost in seconds.
Sadly there are some power-ups that feel rather redundant, give the inconsistent way that the game plays. There is a multi-ball that lets an additional ball be launched, along with a rocket blaster that sends out automated shots. These don’t really do much for the gameplay, aside from multi-ball being useful as an extra life. Speaking of extra lives, the player is limited to 3 when starting each level, but more can be collected during a stage as all items are random.
This game seems to lack the polish that other games in the brick breaker genre have, which makes it feel tedious to play. The paddle only has one speed, which is neither slow nor fast and adding nothing to the experience. There is also a timer that ticks down during each stage, adding unnecessary challenge to the game and further frustration. This is made worse by the stage layouts, as there are unbreakable bricks which can only be broken by fire or lightning balls.
In general, this game doesn’t appear to have any of the quality or replay value of other games out there. Lacking any leaderboards for score, coins that aren’t used for anything and with only 15 stages it can be done in an hour. There are trophies in the PlayStation version, but they can all be collected by just playing the game once, with the platinum for clearing all of them. There is a gallery and jukebox, but they don’t give any further depth to the shallow experience.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to cover the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – there is not much that can be said about the controls for this game, they are incredibly simple with the D-pad or thumbstick moving the paddle and the x button launching the ball. It works, but while you are playing with one hand, you can eat a sandwich, smoke a cigarette and answer a phone call. The menus require more buttons, but that doesn’t really make for an engaging use of the Dual Shock 4 controller during the gameplay experience.
Difficulty – the game is frustrating more than difficult, as the inconsistencies of the ball mechanics, the lack of real momentum and the baffling inclusion of a timer just make it a bore to play. The real challenge of the game is wanting to keep going, as there is no real incentive for players to get to the end of the short 15 stages, aside from the platinum trophy. It feels more like luck rather than skill when a stage is cleared, due to the ridiculous layouts in later stages.
Presentation – visually the game looks pleasant with the 5 different girls, their outfits and their backgrounds all being fairly nice to look at. But there isn’t much substance for all that style, as it has the presentation of a flash game just with sharper visuals. Thankfully, there is no issue with lag or frame drops which is good. The music is okay but it feels generic, which is understandable for a budget game, but other sounds are cheap and become irritating very quickly.
Final Thoughts – I am an enjoyer of the brick breaker, with my favorites being Arkanoid and Alleyway, so I went into this excited for more brick breaker goodness. Sadly, I was disappointed for the vast majority of my time playing, due to the short length, inconsistent gameplay and lack of replay value. The game feels like a chore to play, with the frustrations of what feels like luck determining if I am successful or not, along with the annoying sound effects.
I did not have a great experience with this game as it doesn’t feel right at all, the ball physics feel wrong, the lack of adjustable speed for the paddle is bad and it just isn’t fun. There isn’t any real engagement with the game, not even a giggle or sigh from the girls when playing. Due to being able to play this with one hand, you could probably scroll TikTok as you play so you don’t fall asleep. I can’t really recommend this game unless you are desperate for another platinum trophy.
In the end, I give Moe Waifu H BlockBlast a final score of 2/5. This is a disappointing and fairly boring brick breaker, with a lack of any real depth, challenge or fun to be had. The short length of only 15 stages could have been a benefit, if there was any reason to replay the stages. If you want to check this game out for yourself, a link to each version of the game is below.
Link to PlayStation version (HERE)
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE) – Japan only
W.Kohaku Media 