''TiQal'' is a

Mayan Mayan most commonly refers to: * Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Mayan languages, language family spoken ...

-themed downloadable ''Tetris'' variant created by American studio Slapdash Games for

Xbox Live Arcade Xbox Live Arcade (or XBLA) was a video game Digital distribution in video games, digital distribution service that was available for the Xbox (console), Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles. It focused on smaller downloadable games from both major publisher ...

and Windows-based PCs. The title was released on

Marketplace A marketplace, market place, or just market, is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a ''souk'' (from ...

on March 26, 2008.

Gameplay

''TiQal'' is a rising block

puzzle game A puzzle is a game, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together ( or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to find the solution of the puzzle. There are different ...

set in the

pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, or as the pre-Cabraline era specifically in Brazil, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European col ...

Yucatán Peninsula The Yucatán Peninsula ( , ; ) is a large peninsula in southeast Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north and west of the peninsula from the C ...

in which the player shoots rotatable ''

Tetris ''Tetris'' () is a puzzle video game created in 1985 by Alexey Pajitnov, a Soviet software engineer. In ''Tetris'', falling tetromino shapes must be neatly sorted into a pile; once a horizontal line of the game board is filled in, it disa ...

''-like block formations from the top of the screen to form 2x2 square blocks. The blocks glow for a few seconds before collapsing, allowing the player to create larger combination forms, which creates larger bonuses and occasionally releases one or more ''Ix Chel Hearts''. Quickly creating block matches creates chains, which increases the power-up meter. The larger the chain, the more powerful the release of

power-ups In video games, a power-up is an object that adds temporary benefits or extra abilities to the player character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a permanent benefit that can be used at any time chose ...

that affect the game board. The player loses a life when the bricks reach the top of the board, and the game ends when the player loses with no lives available. When a player loses a life, the bricks retreat, rather than restart the level. During the bonus round, which appears after the ninth level of a region, the player can try to build the largest block of a single color before it collapses. The game acts as an

educational game Educational games are games explicitly designed with educational purposes, or which have incidental or secondary educational value. All types of games may be used in an educational environment, however educational games are games that are design ...

as well in that it tours the Yucatán Peninsula, and between levels, gives short lessons about

Mayan culture The Maya civilization () was a Mesoamerican civilization that existed from antiquity to the early modern period. It is known by its ancient temples and glyphs (script). The Maya script is the most sophisticated and highly developed writing ...

and

Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area that begins in the southern part of North America and extends to the Pacific coast of Central America, thus comprising the lands of central and southern Mexico, all of Belize, Guatemala, El S ...

Reception

''TiQal'' received mixed reviews upon release.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tiqal 2008 video games Mesoamerica in fiction Multiplayer and single-player video games Tetris clones Video games developed in the United States Video games set in Mexico Windows games Xbox 360 Live Arcade games

Gameplay

Reception

See also

References