As a child of the ’80s who grew up with a Game Boy and a penchant for portable gaming, I was overjoyed to get my hands on Tetris Forever at New York Comic Con. You see, my cousin gave me his old Game Boy with a worn-out Tetris cartridge, no case or instructions, and that’s all the introduction I needed. The Game Boy version of Tetris was my gateway drug to countless hours of puzzle-solving bliss.
Everyone has experienced playing Tetris at some point. As for me, I initially encountered it through the Game Boy version my cousin gifted me. It came without a case or instructions, only the cartridge itself. Yet, I was able to figure it out easily because Tetris is timeless. It’s almost unbelievable that it didn’t exist forever, that we didn’t just conjure it up collectively, an idea brought to life and given shape.
Indeed, video games aren’t just self-generated; they’re created by people. For instance, Tetris isn’t a solitary creation but rather the culmination of numerous games, countless developers, and a rich history. Tetris Forever aims to preserve this history, not as an exhaustive, standalone encyclopedia, but more like other works in Digital Eclipse’s Gold Master series, such as Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story. It aspires to be a blend of documentary, game compilation, and historical artifact.
This collection includes archival materials, interviews, and other resources. After briefly exploring what Digital Eclipse has compiled, I must say I was quite impressed. To be honest, while I’m not a Tetris expert (I’d consider myself average at best), I don’t know much about the game’s history. However, going through this material sparked my curiosity and made me eager to learn more.
Beyond serving as a historical journey, Tetris Forever also functions significantly as a crucial element of video game conservation. Not only does Digital Eclipse collect an array of fascinating content, but it also includes fifteen games, many of which were previously exclusive to Japan. To add to this, Digital Eclipse has painstakingly recreated the Game Boy version of Tetris, featuring an extended theme that, if you’re familiar, is nothing short of amazing. As I composed this, I couldn’t help but revisit the YouTube video, and it was like stepping back in time – quite a remarkable experience, similar to the food critic in Ratatouille savoring Remy’s ratatouille. In summary, Tetris Forever offers a captivating blend of history, preservation, and nostalgia.
Upon the recommendation of our lead designer, Jason Cirillo, I had a wonderful time playing Super Bombliss. This game has an intriguing twist on the traditional Tetris concept, as certain blocks contain bombs. By strategically placing these bombs, you can trigger huge explosions. It’s a delightful spin-off, and incredibly enjoyable to play. Notably, Tetris Forever is packed with underrated games like this one, each with unique gameplay mechanics.
But the real standout here might be Tetris Time Warp, a completely new take on Tetris designed by Cirillo and developed by Digital Eclipse for Tetris Forever. Time Warp plays like modern Tetris, with one big twist. Every time you clear ten lines, you’ll get a time warp tetromino, which cycles through several different looks, each representing a different era of Tetris, until you place it. Once you clear a line with a time warp piece in it, you’ll go back in time to a different era of Tetris, and face a special challenge (such as clearing four lines) that you’ll have to complete in twenty seconds.
Each era of Tetris presents its unique appearance, sensation, and gameplay dynamics. For instance, the Electronica 60 version from 1984 lacks soft drops, whereas the handheld version from 1989 incorporates them but omits hard drops. The 1993 version, a spin-off known as Bombliss, demands clearing a line with a large, 2×2 bomb. Contrary to popular belief, simply clearing lines doesn’t lead to progress in this game; it’s essentially an entirely new Tetris experience that’s thrilling to play. Although I’m not particularly skilled at Tetris, I found myself enjoying Tetris Time Warp immensely. With each time-traveling session, my skills improved slightly.
Notably, the time travel feature is also applicable for multiplayer sessions. Once you traverse back in time, you won’t be able to return to the present until you complete that particular era’s task. This ensures a fair gameplay environment where players cannot attack one another during their own time travels. Although I haven’t had a chance to experience Time Warp multiplayer yet, I am eagerly looking forward to giving it a try.
Despite having no specific expectations for Tetris Forever, I found myself eager to delve deeper into Tetris after my playtime, and I’m optimistic about future additions from Digital Eclipse. In the interim, it seems prudent to dust off my Game Boy version of Tetris as there’s room for improvement on my part.
This preview is based on a behind-closed-doors demo shown by the developer at New York Comic Con.
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2024-10-25 17:58