The PS Vita may not be getting too many releases (not counting weeaboo crap from Japan) but at least it’s still getting something. Something is always better than nothing, right?

Well, yeah, so long as that something is a game that’s enjoyable, fairly priced, and has a purpose. Thankfully Super Blackout just about fits the criteria.

It’s a simple game, granted, but if you go into it with the right mindset you may forget that you’re playing something that you can probably find a clone of on your mobile phone.

Super Blackout is a puzzle game that requires you to turn the lights off. You’re presented with a six-by-six grid and your task is to tap the tiles in such a way that the entire grid is left in the dark. It sounds simple and for the first 25-30 levels it is, but once you progress onto the ‘medium’ and ‘hard’ levels you’ll soon be scratching your head.

I’ve been playing Super Blackout almost daily during my commute to work. I travel by train or bus and I usually have around 20-25 minutes of sitting around with nothing to do, so I take my Vita along with me and give whatever is easiest to manage on a moving vehicle a bit of attention during my trip to and from work.

Super Blackout is the perfect game for these short bursts. It’s been just over a week since I started playing the full release and I’m still no nearer to finishing the harder levels, but due to my incessant need to complete things, I keep trudging on.

There’s not a great deal to say in regards to gameplay as it really does speak for itself. The presentation is clean and easy enough to navigate, though don’t go expecting the fanciest graphics in the world. It’s a game made by one man, after all.

That said, what’s on-screen is all you need. There’s even some nice mellow music thrown in. Bonus!

If you’re a fan of brain-teasing puzzle games and you really need something to put on your PS Vita, you can’t do much wrong with Super Blackout. It’s simple, addictive and there’s more than enough to keep you occupied for a few hours. Well, unless you’re a bloody genius and have no problem with puzzles.

One minor niggle I did have is that the game allows you to create your own levels, but there’s no way to share them with other players. It’s a bit of a missed opportunity to be honest, but it’s not really detrimental to the overall package.

Summary

Brain-teasing gameplay, clean graphics, nice music. Enough levels to keep players of average intelligence (author included) occupied for years – idiots, even longer. Not recommended for people who just want pew-pew action or animated school girls dressed perversely. Fans of puzzle games will be happy enough, though. There’s a lot of replay value for the game’s asking price.

[Correction] Due to a silly error made by a silly human, the review was previously scored 7/100. This was an error that should have been avoided, but it has since been rectified. The game ain’t that bad…

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Disclaimer: Review conducted using a code provided by the game’s publisher, Fordesoft.