Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo Release: 11/89 Genre: Puzzle
Tetris is in the pantheon alongside titles like Super Mario Brothers and the Legend of Zelda as perfect. Everyone has played Tetris in one form or another. While newer versions add new modes and the occasional feature the core never changes. That is because it does not have to. It is rare to see a game nail its fundamental premise so well on the first try which is why Tetris is one of the greatest games of all time. Next to its Gameboy counterpart the NES version of Tetris is one of the most popular and an excellent introduction to this series.
It should be noted that Nintendo’s Tetris is a different game from Tengen Tetяis. That game is based on the arcade version of Tetris from Atari. Aside from the slightly different rules it also has a number of game modes and a more pedestrian look. It sounds quaint to mention the presentation in a Tetris game but you have to give credit to Nintendo’s version it is a far more pleasant game to look at and listen to.
The jist of Tetris is simple. Using a series of seven falling blocks you must arrange them to create rows and cause them to disappear. The Tetris pieces you receive are random but the game lets you see the next piece coming up to plan ahead. Completing multiple rows simultaneously earns more points and is incredibly satisfying. The Tetris in the title refers to removing four rows at once, simple in theory but oh so elusive in practice. Compounding your progress the game speeds up every ten lines as the overall level increases. These start off gradual but soon become so fast you have a second at most to make your move.
The beauty of Tetris is that it is immediately intuitive; anyone can pick up the “rules” within seconds and play. Completing lines is like solving a math problem except the numbers are blocks. The game taps into the part of the brain that desires order from chaos. Seeing a board full of holes creates a desire to fill them in as soon as possible. But you are at the game’s mercy as to how fast you can complete your goal. Even though it is a fruitless endeavor as the pieces never stop that momentary feeling that you have accomplished something keeps you going.
Everyone approaches Tetris differently. Some take the slow and steady approach, clearing lines as soon as possible. For them it is not really about the high score, it is a challenge to see how many lines they can complete before it becomes too overwhelming. Others prefer the long setup where you stack pieces to try and complete multiple rows at once repeatedly. I fall in to the second category fully knowing that it all too often backfires. Every Tetris player knows that fear as you wait for the line block to drop. But the game delights in screwing you over. Common sense says not to do it but it is oh so worth it when successful.
Tetris has two modes. Mode A is a potentially infinite marathon. Apparently it has an end but I will be damned if I’ll ever see it. My highest is 154 lines and I am content with that. For a little added variety Mode B fills the field with random junk and challenges you to try and complete twenty-five lines. You can set the starting height and the starting from (0-5) and the speed (0-5). This mode is fun in short bursts but because it is finite the fun does not last long.
I have two complaints, if you can even call them that. As much as I like the game the fact that it only has two modes is still a bummer. The endless marathon of Mode A never gets old. But sometimes you want more. This leads to my other gripe. The one feature that would truly have put this version of Tetris over the top is multiplayer. The gameplay loop of Tetris is timeless, true. But the fun of competing for high scores against a friend is untouchable. The absence of a competitive is notably egregious in light of the fact that Tengen Tetяis has it. The fact that Nintendo made that version near impossible to find (with good reason of course) makes it that much worse. Shipping the game without multiplayer is one of the biggest missed opportunities of all time.
In Closing
Do not be fooled however. Even without a two-player mode Tetris is still legendary. I have played dozens of versions of Tetris yet still come back to the Nintendo game often because it is so well put together. Whether you want a marathon or to challenge yourself to complete a set number of lines as fast as possible you cannot go wrong with this classic.
