The recent porting of the popular puzzle game Bloxorz to the Vectrex by Frank Buss, as part of the Retro Challenge, has been generating quite a buzz. The game, originally developed by Damien Clarke in 2007 as a Flash application, is a challenging yet engaging puzzle game where the player must roll a rectangular block around a field and place it in a marked square. With 33 levels that feature a mix of bridges, teleporters, and switches, the game poses a formidable challenge to players.
Frank Buss, a well-known figure for his CrazyCartridge hardware, has created quite a name for himself by programming a Vectrex port of Bloxorz in just two weeks. Utilizing a combination of Inkscape SVG illustrations, Python programming, and C programming for the Vectrex, he was able to accomplish this feat with much ingenuity. Additionally, he precalculated a 3D rotation using a small Java program, which proved to be instrumental in helping him develop the game quickly.
In his blog, Frank Buss goes into great detail about his work on the project, sharing his successes and failures along the way. Interested parties can access the source code and the trial program (binary) provided by him. The current trial version of the game includes three levels where players have to roll the block, but with the help of Damien Clarke, the game is slated to be expanded to include a total of 34 levels.
In conclusion, Frank Buss’s work on porting Bloxorz to the Vectrex has been nothing short of impressive, and the documentation of his efforts will serve as an excellent resource for those seeking to learn from his work. We express our gratitude to him for his successful “finger exercise” and eagerly anticipate more exciting projects from him in the future.
