Tai Chi Game

Tai Chi Game is a shareware, single player, keyboard controlled, falling block puzzle.

The game takes its inspiration from the Tai Chi philosophy which is extensively described in the game’s documentation and all the blocks that fall are Tai Chi symbols. In terms of gameplay however the objective of the game is to score points by matching three identical symbols horizontally, vertically or diagonally – the matched symbols disappear and those above them drop down. To clear a level the player must remove all the ‘emptiness’ symbols from the screen, they are the grey squares in the screenshots, all levels are timed.

What makes this game different to most falling block puzzles is that falling icons can be changed as they descend so the player can cycle through the Tai Chi symbols thus making matching symbols easier. The player also has Tai Chi energy can be used to turn the falling block into a Tai Chi symbol, this crashes through the symbols on the bottom of the game area clearing a patch for future matches. The is can be done three times before the Tai Chi energy runs out however the player can generate more by aligning five category symbols in a horizontal line.

There are two modes of play, the standard mode as described above and an ‘advanced’ mode in which the falling icon interacts with the block it hits. The shareware game is limited to five levels.