There is a myth about Tetris that claims it was invented by a Russian fellow named Alexey Pajitnov in 1985, and was involved in an eleven year legal battle as nearly every video game publisher scrabbled to get a piece of the profit pie. This is a lie. Tetris actually landed on Earth in prehistoric times, and its off-worldly voodoo magic influenced prehistoric man and sparked their evolutionary process. It is a binding force on which all creation is based, and it is the shadow god, lurking behind true figureheads and political powers to run the world in secret.
Yes, it’s a pretty powerful thing, and direct exposure to it can kill a man and melt his eyes. However, when diluted enough and contained in the correct protective casing, its addictive qualities can be restrained and a taste of Tetris can be presented to the general public. The latest chunk of Tetris to hit the stores is Tetris DS, an ambitious attempt by Nintendo to resurrect its Game Boy classic with a new, glossy sheen and a fancy retro look.
What is Tetris? It’s based on the lives of the Tetrominoes (various shapes composed of four blocks), which fall from the heavens onto the playing area. The player moves and rotates these tetrominoes so they can create horizontal lines across the playing area. Once made, these lines disappear, with the blocks above them falling down to fill in. The game continues until the top of the playing area is reached, and no more tetromino blocks can fit in. The player is then rated on how many lines he made and his score.
You could release a version of the original Tetris on its own and the average punter would be more than happy with it. It’s a top game. Heck, I maintain that the smartest purchase any Gameboy Advance owner could make is a second-hand £2 copy of the first Tetris cartridge. But this new release offers a stonking six modes, all of them twisting the Tetris theme in very odd ways.
Standard Mode is pretty much the same game as presented on the Gameboy all those years ago, except it looks a lot more colourful and has a ‘classic Nintendo’ theme. The game plays out on the bottom screen, while the top screen shows Mario progressing through levels from his older games. There are 20 levels, each increasing in speed, and the retro game depicted on the top screen changes periodically, ranging from Donkey Kong to Balloon Fight. The gameplay is just as fun as it always has, except the shenanigans on the top screen are really distracting and this hampers the experience somewhat.
Mission Mode is next. Nintendo sure do love their mission modes. Here, you will be presented with a string of objectives to hit – use a certain type of tetrimino to clear three lines, for example, or clear five lines by only using the same type of shape. These are all strictly timed and increasingly maddening. This mode is themed on the classic Zelda adventures, but that doesn’t stop it from being strictly for sadists and perfectionists only.
Push Mode is an odd multiplayer variant in which the target is to force blocks onto your opponent’s screen until they drown in their own tetriminoes – basically it’s the most competitive version of Tetris here. Touch Mode was crafted deliberately for the DS’ touchscreen – the player uses the stylus to drag pieces around to make lines. Not a bad idea, a lot more logical and interactive than the other versions, and with a few tweaks could possibly stand up as a unique title on its own.
Catch Mode sees the player control a central block as it flies through a Metroid-based world. You use your block to catch tetriminoes and make a 4x4 grid. This grid will explode, hopefully taking your enemies with it. A rather strange game, that neither starts off as fun nor becomes it. Finally, Puzzle Mode sets you up with an already set up playing field and a limited selection of tetrimino pieces. Your job is to clear the screen with those blocks. One of the least enjoyable modes, unless you’re especially puzzle-minded and enjoy repeated failure.
Phew. That’s all the modes covered. Now, what were we doing again?
Let’s be honest, none of these modes are going to keep you up all night, bar the Standard mode. I commend them for trying, but there really is nothing more Nintendo could do to improve the Tetris formula – anything they add alongside it is just a gimmick or training for the real thing, and anything they add to the core game itself may indeed ruin it. It’s a delicately-balanced game, perfect but vulnerable, and any extreme changes could kill its spirit. Luckily, Nintendo have recognised this – focusing on aesthetic improvements more than tweaks to the gameplay – and while this makes for a solid gaming experience, it doesn’t make the whole thing much more worthwhile than Tetris DX for the Gameboy Color. That is, of course, unless you like having an extra handful of half-hearted puzzle games.
To speak fondly of the gameplay differences though, we musn’t forget the saving grace of this little title: Multiplayer. An unprecedented ten players can link up and play Tetris competitively in Standard Mode, with other multiplayer modes available. Ten players! It leads to some exciting Tetris, especially with the optional addition of Mario Kart-style weapons to unleash on your opponents. The longevity can’t be knocked either. Each of the modes has countless settings for difficulty, and there are variants on each of the variations – the Touch Mode has an in-built puzzle mode, and Standard Mode has a couple of different versions too.
The point here is that there’s nothing brilliant about this rehash, apart from the basic fact that it is Tetris, and Tetris rocks. Unless multiplayer (or Nintendo retro) is a massive selling point for you, I suggest you think about going for an earlier, cheaper imagining of this puzzle legend.