Tetris Forever

Everyone and their mum know of Tetris. My mum has loved Tetris since it arrived in the UK in 1989. The game is iconic, with its hypnotising, rhythmic theme, falling colourful blocks, and simple yet enigmatic and engaging gameplay which ties in with the fall of the USSR. We have the likes of Resident Evil, Final Fantasy, and Call of Duty, but only very few games are truly so timeless that they can live on in any gaming generation. And yep, that’s Tetris.


What is Tetris Forever?


Tetris has an incredible origin story, which has been made into a film, along with a fruitful history over the last 40 years that makes it one of the most endearing franchises in gaming. It’s utterly amazing, involving the Cold War, Nintendo, and a dude who couldn’t stop thinking about falling blocks.

Developed by Digital Eclipse, who have been making games and ports of classics for quite some time, decided to embark on their Gold Master Series which covers influential games and their impact. Previous installments were “The Making of Karateka” and “Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story” with Tetris Forever following the same formula.

What we have is a celebration of the iconic franchise, giving us a compelling deep dive into the creation and history with interviews, archived material, and docu-style snippets covering the last 40 years. But this is not only an interactive museum crammed pack full of gaming history, but also a haven featuring 18 playable Tetris games, including a recreation of the prototype/alpha version of Tetris on the Electronika 60. There are multiple incarnations of Tetris from the 1988 Famicon release, Hatris for the NES, and the brand new Tetris Time Wrap developed by Digital Eclipse.

Here is a glorious collection of gaming treats and an accompaniment of vast knowledge on one of gaming’s giants. And while that sounds kind of silly considering we have series like Resident Evil and Call of Duty, Tetris has been around for quite some time, and this collection lets us understand why both through learning and gameplay. And this is simply brilliant.


Cold War, gaming, and blocks that need dismantling


The cold war was ending, with the fall of the Berlin Wall. It’s fascinating looking at Tetris now as a game that is charming and straightforward but looked upon in another way, symbolising the fall of tyranny and separation. I can understand it sounding quite naff to think of Tetris as a symbol of freedom, and dismantling oppression, the timing was perfect, and this game being born in a Russian computer lab gives notes of a bittersweet irony.

The history of Tetris is utterly amazing, and the impact has been felt far and wide, from its conception to the introduction of Tetris to the Western World with its inclusion to the Game Boy in 1989, and where it has inspired other developers to go forth and make bigger, bolder games.

All of this history is right here, brought to you in nice snippets across a timeline of ups, downs, and ultimately, to a point where creator Alexey Pajitnov and the guy who brought it to the rest of the world Henk Rogers, can realise their massive accomplishment not only to gaming, but geek, lateral, and pop culture. And we see everything from the critical licence battle, and the famous meeting between Nintendo’s president Hiroshi Yamauchi, and Alexey Pajitnov, all thanks to Henk Rogers. But you can also gain an insight into why and how Tetris came to be, the troubles the Tetris brand suffered due to saturation, how it reimagined and redefined itself, and the glorious continuation of new forms and visions of Tetris in the 2010s, with the likes of Tetris Effect.

But most importantly, Tetris Forever is a grand symbol of friendship, and dedication, between Alexey Pajitnov and Henk Rogers. Again, a symbol of how the East and the West settled down barriers and became more open. In a time of writing this where war ravages in Ukraine and Russia is possibly on the brink of collapse, it’s time we again settle and lower the barriers to bring peace.

Again, I get it, this sounds all a bit w***y but Tetris came at a perfect time, brought about so many people, and made non-gamers into gamers. We have people like Hillary Clinton playing Tetris on her Game Boy on Air Force One. That photo and vibe are incredible, and this masterful collection of stories which create the big picture of how, why and when Tetris came to be is even more incredible and worth checking out for anyone, be they game or not.

And I love the format of how everything is shown and delivered, with tons of short videos documenting the rise of Tetris, but also plenty of side notes including images involving development, advertising, and even links to pop culture, like that bit in The Simpsons where Homer arranges the car full of items like a game of Tetris. It’s simply perfect … well it is, but for those looking for a long documentary, that isn’t the point. Since there is so much wealth of history revolving around this game.


*Tetris theme intensifies*


This interactive museum is even better with the likes of 18 playable Tetris games. As for the games in question, Tetris Forever focuses on the purity of the franchise, including only games before the 2000s. I can understand as this was when the brand was getting lost with the likes of games coming from EA and THQ …

Instead, we get the prime variants from the 1980s, and 1990’s including Hatris, a couple of neat ports and the sequels that didn’t leave their mark on gamers as much as the original did at the time (something mentioned in the documentary). Quite possibly the best bits to this are the recreated of the original incarnation of Tetris on the Electronika 60 which has Russian and English text, multiple colour difference green and a super nice visual HUD themed on the Electronika 60. Nice work Digital Eclipse, you didn’t have to, but you did go the extra mile.

Tetris Forever showcases the cream of the crop for the golden age of the game, with versions on the Apple II, Famicom, NES, but featuring the weirder, and wilder incarnation with Hatris, Tetris 2 + Bombliss, along with Tetris Battle Gaiden (not Ninja Gaiden) a Japan-exclusive, and Super Tetris 3 and Super Bombbliss. All amounting to a rather fine collection of rather excellent games.

However, it must be noted that many of these 18 games are pretty much the same game but different versions, like Super Bombbliss for the Gameboy and Super Famicon, or three versions of Hatris for three platforms. While it might seem a little repetitive to see the same game three times, it is three versions, and these do tend to have some notable differences. Not major, but enough to warrant their inclusion. Plus, it’s part of history to see how they evolved each game and see each variant in its original condition. I will admit, I would have loved to have seen a couple more from the 2000s era included, be it Tetrisphere from the Nintendo 64, or one of the most famous versions the NES 1989 version which is the one everyone knows. But I guess it’s all about licencing and legal stuff …. Hilarious considering the backstory of Tetris!

All the games are pretty great nonetheless, and we do get a wholly new Tetris game from Digital Eclipse known as Tetris Time Wrap. This new game follows the same rules as the original (if you don’t know what the gameplay of Tetris is … oh) but has nice crisp visuals and a mechanic where randomly you will be teleported to an older version of the game. So instantly you’ll be playing the 1988 version, where you need to perform a double line clear to earn some extra points and all. If you manage to complete this task, then you’ll be zapped to another, and another until you fail, but then will be taken back to the main game. This is a cool, zazzy way to spice things up, gets you to see the other games briefly and rack up lots of points in the process.

With a multiplayer mode featuring a mechanic that allows you to send your opponent into different time zones and an endless mode for good measure. Truly Digital Eclipse has done its best with such a simple formula to create a fun, new version of Tetris that can proudly sit with the other best Tetris games in the last 20 years … and there are only a handful to be fair. But this is truly a fantastic addition. 

And if you were a little worried about how to play these games (actually, one game called Igo benefits massively from a guide), then there are handy guides, original instruction manuals in digital form, and quality-of-life features such as saving and rewinding your game. All incredibly helpful to get you into the swing of things.


Overall?


Tetris Forever is more than a love letter to the franchise, but a perfect embodiment of why video games are so important, and their impact on pop culture, on society, and their craft and culture as a whole can be just as bewildering and memorable as that of films and literature.

This is a wonderful, and highly respectful act of preservation, for one of the most important gaming franchises ever, with an amazing in-depth look at its history, the people behind it, how it evolved, and reinvented itself over 40 years, and gives players of all ages to explore the most important games, be it through a limited period.

Tetris Forever is still a master class of preservation, and gaming history and a chance for all to experience Tetris in its purest forms, with a great documentary as an accompaniment. Highly recommend it for all fans of the franchise, and just for all gamers and non-gamers.

++ Wonderfully in-depth docu-series full of nice side content
++ Great collection of the most refined and important Tetris games
+ Plus a new Tetris game
+ Nice quality-of-life features

- Some of the most important, and quirky Tetris games are missing …
- The documentary stuff is broken up a little too much


The publisher kindly provided Tetris Forever for this review.