Block N Load

I place the last caltrops at the bottom and climb out of the hole, cover it with fake blocks of dirt that give way when enemies attempt to sneak past us on the way to the first of three cubes we need to protect.

Block ‘N Load is a hectic, fast-paced crossover between {Minecraft} and Team Fortress that you can sink countless hours into and gameplay-wise there's little to criticise. Here's just a sample of what to expect, taken from one particular match experience.

Each battle in {Block N Load} begins with a several minute-long {Minecraft}-like build phase where each team must place turrets, build traps and hide caches of ammunition and health packs to stay alive and protect the cubes. There are five playable characters and each have a unique brick that only they can use. The disadvantage of this is that if you get an inexperienced player on your team - or several players pick the same characters - you may have to make do without health packs, fake blocks or respawn pads that can be hidden behind enemy lines.

At the end of the build phase a countdown begins and the mood changes: the team stop placing traps and take up position by the bridge. I, meanwhile, dig a tunnel through a dirt hill to get some pot shots off from a safe position before I head for the first enemy base.

A voice counts down from 3, and the barrier that has kept our teams separate falls away: within seconds a rocket-propelled grenade blows away part of the dirt hill I hide in and over by the bridge, chaos erupts.

Only now I see that the enemy team has built a massive brick wall in front of their side of the map, which prevents us from spotting their other defences. But the wall provides little protection in itself and the four other members of my team have already broken through. I snipe a turret that is barely visible behind the wall and get off a few shots on a nearby soldier. But as the enemy team begins to respawn it's time to move before the rockets that rain upon our base hit me.

By the time I leave the dirt hill and dash towards a side of their base that seems undefended, the landscape looks completely different: there are holes in the grass where rockets have landed, a corner of our first cube is exposed and parts of the bridge has been blown away. Time for a new strategy.

There are only a few maps in Block ‘N Load, but the unpredictable nature of each game gives them longevity. Before the barrier goes down there is no way to predict whether the enemy will build near impenetrable defences. Or if they will forsake them altogether and instead make a tunnel that goes half-way to our base to catch us by surprise in the first moments of the match.

I hear explosions and gunfire as I begin to dig through the stone and dirt beneath their base in an attempt to reach the rear of their first cube, where they are less likely to spot me. I get closer and closer without hearing any signs of them coming. Perhaps they forgot to put up a radar. I scan my surroundings - this is the sniper's special ability - and find none, only a few mines and traps that are easily avoided as I dig to the surface.

The last dirt brick dissolves as I strike it and daylight streams in. I wait a moment to listen for nearby footsteps and then get out of the hole, cover it with a fake brick that looks like dirt (perhaps I can attack from the same position again) and head to their first cube. They've covered their cube with at least two layers of brick: a mistake given that they don't have a radar and that I took out the turret on this side.

I run to the cube, smash the brick to get through and put up a fake brick behind me so they won't know where to find me: now they'll have to break through their own defences to stop me damaging their cube. I begin to stab it with my dagger.

It takes them several seconds to reach the cube. I hear their footsteps as they circle around it, but when they cannot spot me and begin to undo their defensive layers, they start on the opposite side of the cube. The seconds tick away and the cube weakens as a second enemy starts to make a tunnel closer to me. But retreating from the front lines to defend the cube has left them unable to hold their ground: explosions on the other side of the cube breaks the last of their defences and when the other members of my team joins in, the cube breaks in seconds.

Someone puts up a second spawn near their broken first cube as we begin to push toward their second cube. But when we get a message that someone has snuck past us, dodged our traps and are chipping away at our first cube while we're far away, there's little we can do: it's now a base race.

The game does have some infuriating flaws, the worst of which is that at the end of a match, you cannot continue to play with the same people: you must return to the main menu. This became particularly annoying in the days after launch, when players are mostly unschooled, forcing you to sit through several mediocre half-hour matches before you ended up in a competent and well-matched team. Fortunately, this problem is already receding, as players are now more adept; you can also add decent players as friends and the upcoming ranked matches (which are only available for those at level 20 and up) will pit you against tougher opponents.

There are only a few maps and characters to choose from here, but they are well-balanced and it seems the developer has plans to include more of both over time. Despite minor flaws Block N Load is a blast to play. The strategic Minecraftian elements makes this team-based battler feel different in a crowded market. The ranked game mode is only a few days away, but there's no need to wait: you'll want some practice before you attempt to climb the ranks.