Tetris Forever
PC/PS/XBOX/SWITCH
11/12/24
Digital Eclipse
Can you believe that Tetris is turning 40 years old? The legendary puzzle gaming series has been around just as long as I have, ported to so many different devices that it holds a Guinness Book world record. Originally created by Alexey Pajitnov, a brilliant software engineer from the soviet, Tetris captivated audiences from the get-go with its addictive gameplay loop. The goal of the game was simple, to fit together a variety of different shapes known as Tetrominoes and complete as many successful lines as possible to increase your score before reaching the top of the screen. There have been countless iterations of Tetris, many of which switch up the rules, but the core gameplay still mostly remains the same regardless of which version of Tetris you are playing. I could go on and on about the history of Tetris, but it might be easier for you to play Tetris Forever instead. So, does Tetris Forever set a new high score? Or do the pieces not quite come together? Let’s find out in our full review!
Tetris is undoubtedly one of the greatest videogames of all time. Even people that don’t normally play games are likely to at the very least know of its existence. This is a franchise that has sold over 200 million copies throughout its storied history and is easy enough for just about anyone to pick up and play. Naturally, when celebrating its 40th anniversary, you would hope that the series is given the proper respect that it deserves. Thankfully, Tetris Forever is not only a loving tribute to Tetris as a whole, but is a great game in its own right, making this one celebration that you won’t want to miss.
First and foremost, Tetris Forever should be viewed as more of an interactive documentary than a collection of the greatest Tetris games of all time. That said, it does include 14 releases from the series alongside a brand-new title called Tetris Time Warp. If that weren’t enough, this package features an entire timeline of events that occurred throughout Tetris history. This includes interviews starring the influential figures behind the series, such as the original creator himself. Essentially, there is a full-on documentary here with over an hour and a half of footage split between different chapters.
Let’s first discuss the games included in this package. Not only will you be able to play the very first iteration of Tetris that was originally released in 1984, but Digital Eclipse has also included a few releases that were previously only available in Japan. There’s everything from Tetris Battle Gaiden, which almost has a Puyo Puyo feel to it and is excellent, to Super Tetris 3. The Japanese games are not translated in-game, unless I missed something, but aren’t exactly text heavy either. At the least, there are manuals built into the game that not only include scans of the original booklets, but also English instructions on how to play each release.
Each game is presented through the view of a monitor, and they all perform as you would expect. Selecting and quitting out of games is a breeze too as the menus are very well designed. Controls can be customized if certain titles feel too archaic for you, and there are also filters available if you want to achieve a true retro vibe. While not every game is a winner, I'd say that the vast majority of selections were just as fun to play today as they were when they were released. While I will never be a fan of bombs in my Tetris games, it's nice to have options, and so many different styles of Tetris in one package. And with many of these titles featuring multiplayer, hours of fun await. It’s also fascinating to go through the evolution of Tetris one game at a time and see how much it changed. Even deeper cuts such as Hatris are included, which will delight gaming historians. That said, some players may scoff at certain omissions, perhaps most notably the original Gameboy version of Tetris not being included. While your favorite version of Tetris may not have made the cut, it is again important to remember that Tetris Forever is attempting to tell the story of Tetris, and this is not intended to be a full-on collection.
While the classic Tetris games are wonderful, the new release that has been included, Tetris Time Warp, steals the show. Time Warp can be enjoyed single player or with up to 3 others and will have you warping through the different eras of the series as you play. What causes players to be transported is a time warp Tetromino. These shapes will constantly flash between different eras, and whichever era it lands on is the one that you will be transported to once you clear the line that the Tetromino rests on. Warping means being put against a time-based challenge, where you might need to clear a set number of lines before time expires, or even explode a bomb depending which era you land in. Successfully completing eras will further add to your score, with players being transported back to the main screen should they fail. It’s a very fun mechanic that can throw your brain for a loop considering that warping back in time also means dealing with that specific era's gameplay mechanics. If you are fortunate enough to land a gold Tetromino it will destroy an insane number of lines potentially putting your opponent in a bad situation.
Single player in Tetris Time Warp includes a decent variety of modes. There is score attack, marathon, 3-minute time attack, and 1989 marathon. Each mode has its own set of rules, but they all offer up plenty of fun. If playing in multiplayer you can of course dump garbage on your opponents and even watch them haplessly be warped through different eras. Overall Tetris Time Warp is worth the price of admission alone. Me and SilentSigns had a blast going for high scores in single player and battling against each other. I can hardly wait to get 2 other players in on the action.
And then there is the documentary footage. With this being part of Digital Eclipse’s Gold Master Series, players who are familiar with previous releases that covered Karateka and Jeff Minter will feel comfortable with both the format and menu design used in Tetris Forever. You are allowed to scroll freely across a timeline and watch videos at your leisure. There are also historical photos covering much of the history of the Tetris series. As someone who loves gaming history, each interview had me on the edge of my seat. Some of the footage is from years ago and is incredible to view today. If you have even the slightest of passion for video games, watching each and every video featured in Tetris Forever feels essential.
In fact, essential is the perfect word to describe Tetris Forever. This is more than just a celebration of Tetris, it's a celebration of the medium that we all love so much. For everyone that has even the slightest appreciation for gaming, I implore you to add Tetris Forever to your gaming collection. Not only does it feature various iterations of one of the most important games ever conceived, but it also casts a bright light on an industry that is often more complex than it seems. Tetris Time Warp is just the cherry on top of this outstanding release. Yes, it is a bit of a bummer that some of the best Tetris games weren’t included, and I do feel like leaderboards would have been nice, but again, I think Digital Eclipse were creating more of an interactive documentary here rather than a full collection of Tetris games. Regardless, do yourself a favor and grab Tetris Forever sooner rather than later and learn one of the greatest gaming stories ever told.
GREAT
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