Is Goble playable?

I cannot seem to make the first jump in Goble, no matter how hard I try.  Am I doing something wrong, or is it impossible to advance beyond the first screen?

There is more to the game.  Much like in The Turtle Philosopher (which uses the same graphics and elements), you can press Down on the up arrow block to be shot up.

I was confused in this game at first, too; I tried this game before TTP.

Am I correct in assuming the save blocks do nothing?

Correct.