PUNKCAKE Delicieux, the studio behind the chess-inflected roguelike Shotgun King, has unveiled Hot Wax, a new puzzle game that reimagines the classic Tetris formula. Emerging from a 2024 Ludum Dare game jam, Hot Wax tasks players with burning magical candles shaped like tetrominoes from top to bottom, rather than clearing lines horizontally.
In Hot Wax, players descend into a dungeon-like setting where they must ignite magical candles. Unlike Tetris, completed horizontal lines do not disappear. Instead, players must burn the wax from the top down. The game introduces a small ball of fire that travels along the path of the candle, igniting any exposed twine it touches. However, unburned wax blocks will tumble down when separated, similar to mechanics in Mr. Driller, and the ember can be extinguished if smothered, leaving players with unusable blocks.
The game demands a rewiring of traditional Tetris strategies. While neat arrangement might seem efficient, the core gameplay encourages creating paths for the ember to maximize arson. The rules vary across different modes. In the standard ritual mode, the flame progresses one block per turn, with opportunities to acquire power-ups. Other modes feature fire that scorches through immediately, offering a real-time visual aid for understanding game logic.
Hot Wax is described as a playful deconstruction of Tetris, akin to how Shotgun King approached chess. PUNKCAKE Delicieux is also developing another word puzzle game, If Letters Had Pants, Would They Wear Them Like This? What About Numbers? What If They Had Small Shovels and They Dug Stuff Up To Put In A Museum?