By: Nick Gambino

Mobile games are a great way to pass the time and have a little fun, but sometimes a well-thought-out mobile game can do so much more. Peruse the App Store and you’ll find a plethora of apps that one can explore. There’s a world of puzzle apps to discover that were designed for more than just fun and games, but as a way to train your brain.

Take, for example, Block Slide. This puzzle game was designed to improve and train the user’s cognitive, problem-solving and critical thinking skills through an endless barrage of brain-bending puzzles. Serving as a mental exercise, Block Slide is surprisingly easy to play, offering a soothing and relaxing experience while also challenging your ability to think through problems.

The objective of the game is simple – use the red block to slide the grey blocks to form five in a row vertically or horizontally. Once the blocks line up in a row of five, you get awarded points.

The more block formations you make, the more points you get. Simple enough.

Of course, there are obstacles, otherwise, it wouldn’t be a challenging game. You’ll see a number of darker blocks amidst red and grey. These dark blocks can’t be moved, posing as a barrier to solving the puzzle.

One of the things most appealing about the app is that you seemingly never run out of gameplay, with endless puzzles available to test your problem-solving abilities, keeping you busy for hours (or days if you’re one of those types).

The developer and designer behind this game, Sebastian Jolly, keep things interesting by allowing you to slide your way through varying levels of difficulty as you work to solve each puzzle. Though, not every puzzle is going to be a walk in the park. After all, you’ll never improve your mental prowess if the game was a piece of cake.

While some of the puzzles might prove difficult, the relaxing music and sound effects in the background keep the experience chill. It’s best to think of it as a relaxing timewaster that subtly works on improving your mental acuity.

Now, playing games is so much better if you’re playing for bragging rights and this sharp developer made sure to appeal to the competitive nature of mobile gamers. Block Slide includes a feature that allows you to challenge and compete against friends for the #1 spot on the leaderboard.

You can download the popular puzzle app for free by searching for “Block Slide – Puzzle Game” on the App Store or Google Play Store.