Pushmo, known as Pullblox in Europe and Australia and as in Japan, is a downloadable puzzle game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for its Nintendo 3DS handheld system, available on the Nintendo eShop. In the game, players must shift around puzzle blocks in order to create steps and platforms, ultimately to reach children who have been trapped within the giant structures. A sequel, Crashmo, was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2012. A third game, Pushmo World, was released for Wii U on June 19, 2014. A fourth game, Stretchmo, was released for Nintendo 3DS in May 2015.
Gameplay
In the game, a Pushmo is a large, climbable playground structure made of blocks that can slide forwards and backwards. The player controls Mallo, a red, round sumo wrestling creature visiting Pushmo Park, home to dozens of Pushmo. While speaking with Papa Blox, the park's caretaker and the creator of the Pushmo, Mallo learns that a number of children have become trapped within the Pushmo structures. In order to rescue the children, Mallo must move the sliding blocks of the Pushmo in such a way to create a path to reach the child. Mallo can push and pull blocks a maximum of three steps forward, and can only do so while standing in front of the block or by standing to the side, provided Mallo has a platform on which to step while moving. If Mallo becomes stuck, the player can either reset the Pushmo or use a rewind feature similar to games such as Braid and Catrap. Also, difficult levels can be skipped and re-visited later, if desired. Later levels add manholes that allow Mallo to travel within the Pushmo to reach other parts of the structure. Along with the game's included 250-plus levels, Pushmo also includes the Pushmo Studio, where players can create and share their own Pushmo puzzles. In order to share puzzles, Pushmo generates a QR code that can be read by the 3DS' on-board cameras; the QR images can be posted on the Internet, printed or photographed from the 3DS's screen.
Reception
Pushmo has received critical acclaim, particularly for its presentation and originality. Lucas Thomas of IGN called the game "a beautifully original, absolutely charming and oftentimes devious little portable puzzler", "the 3DS eShop's killer app" and "this may very well be the best downloadable game Nintendo's ever offered in any format". Jeremy Parish of 1UP.com said Pushmo was "one of the 3DS's most outstanding offerings to date". Patrick Barnett of Nintendo World Report said the game was "an ingenious puzzler that will consume the free time of anyone who gives it a whirl".
Sequels
A sequel to Pushmo called Crashmo was announced on October 4, 2012 by Nintendo in both North America and Europe. It was released in Japan on October 31, 2012, November 22, 2012 for the North American Nintendo eShop and November 15, 2012 for the European and Australian eShop. Using Mallo, players save birds rather than children and Mallo will be able to take on 140 new levels by pulling the blocks in any direction, causing some to fall. A third game, Pushmo World, known in Europe and Australia as Pullblox World and in Japan as Hikuosu World, has been released for the Wii U in Japan, North America, Europe and Australia on June 19, 2014. A fourth game, Stretchmo, was released for the 3DS in Japan on May 12, 2015, and in Europe, Australia, and North America on May 14, 2015.
