Pullblox World marks the return of Mallo and friends after the original 3DS outing became the poster child of the eShop. The original Pullblox was a mind-melting innovative puzzler from Intelligent Systems and due to its core premise being so solid, the Pullblox World concept feels right at home on Wii U.

Thankfully this isn't just a simple HD update as Nintendo have given Pullblox World extra content to entice players back into the world of Mallo and chums, with new puzzles and a range of Wii U focused additions. And yet none of these aspects are apparent when you make your way through the initial in-depth tutorial which recycles a lot of those early 3DS puzzles. Furthermore, the Wii U features such as Miiverse integration and the Pullblox studio where you can draw your own puzzles on the GamePad are initially locked. We can see why Nintendo have drip-fed the opening content though, as initial play requires players study and learn the unique puzzle mechanics.

Pullblox World is a critical thinking puzzler that takes place on a single flat stage setup. From here 'blox' can be pulled outwards in four stages. This may sound simple but the player must consider lateral, creative solutions to pulling and pulling in order to create a path to the top of ever-developing, ever-growing puzzles. In the main single player mode a trapped child sits at the top of each puzzle, giving Pullblox World a story element that is cute but entirely peripheral and non-evasive to the core puzzle experience.

And this is important as it is in the puzzles where Pullblox World grabs you, slowly pitting you against structures that become ever more complex, resulting in a finely-tuned challenge of player against Nintendo's expert craftsmen. Just like the very best puzzle games, the sense of accomplishment is palatable and addictive and when you think you have mastered it, new mechanics are added such as switches, ladders and a new addition to the world of Pullblox: the pushback switch which, unsurprisingly, pushes blox backwards.

Thankfully there is enough content here to keep any addict fed as the Wii U version also adds additional modes to the world of a Pullblox, such as the Corin character's Mysterious Pullblox area. Here the mechanics advance beyond what was offered in the 3DS version as when you move a coloured block, all blocks of that same colour move. It's a definite departure from the normal setup offering further head-scratching moments with that same addictive quality that is found in the main mode.

And it doesn't end there. With the Pullblox Studio making a return with added Miiverse functionality, players can easily draw their own Pullblox creations, try them out and then upload them into a world of user-created content (unfortunately unavailable at the time of review). Because of this the amount of content found in Pullblox World is potentially limitless. Pullblox World is also backwards compatible with 3DS QR codes thanks to the Wii U's GamePad camera. This means that from day one a wealth of fantastic pixel-art inspired community puzzles are accessible from the original Pullblox title.

In regards to control, Mallo is responsive and easy to manoeuvre. A jumps, B grabs and L rewinds time, allowing players to un-do any mistakes. The analogue moves Mallo effectively and the GamePad screen is primarily for menu selection and off-TV gameplay. Due to this there is no support for any other means of control which is a shame as Wii pointer or Pro Controller support would have been nice.

As a whole, Pullblox World fits together as a slick package not feeling like a small, digital release in any way. The graphics have a solid HD sheen with Mallow and the extra characters coming alive on screen - although you won't find anything too ambitious here with twee sounds and simple animations. The backgrounds to puzzles are merely functional without being off-putting and with virtually no load times and a catchy up-beat soundtrack, Pullblox World keeps you happily focused on what matters: working on devious puzzles.

Infact, Pullblox World exists as a perfect title to experience the Wii U's off-TV functionality and the newly added quick start function of the system due to the addictive, short-burst nature of the game. It is here that the title shows how well it was suited to a handheld system.

But make no mistake, this is a great puzzler no matter what system it is on. The added functions augment what was already an excellent puzzler on the 3DS and the world of Pullblox feels right at home on the Wii U. If you are a puzzle fan or a 3DS owner who wants more Pullblox, you can't go wrong with Pullblox World.