Of the many quotable lines of dialogue you may pick out, it’s fitting that the opening quote upon boot up of Tetris Forever may well be its most powerful: “Tetris is the one game that’s still going to be around when all the other games are gone.” As uttered by none other than Henk Rogers himself – the man who, as the game itself so comically refers to: a Dutch-born, Japan-native, English-speaking extrovert somehow winding up in the Soviet Union – it’s a statement of immense boldness but undeniable fact as to the cultural, commercial and mechanical genius that this series has long succeeded on. A game dreamed up in the bowels of a soon-to-be-crumbling Soviet Union on technology that hadn’t the means to even visualize the very falling blocks we all know as its most critical piece of iconography.
Indeed, the history of Tetris in so far as its creation and eventual exporting to the wider world is as absurd as it is fascinating. A hectic tussle between individuals and companies from America, Europe, Japan and even the UK to attain the rights to a single, solitary game built on an Elektronia 60. At which point the likes of Atari, Nintendo and even Sega were locked horns on scooping up the largest slice of the ludicrously-profitable pie as the battle over licensing rights on computers, arcade machines, home consoles and in Nintendo’s very specific case, handheld devices. And at the heart of it all, the tale of two individuals in particular – Henk Rogers, the man responsible for sealing the crucial licensing rights, and the creator of Tetris himself, Alexey Pajitnov – bonding over their love of puzzles and video games.
A Story as Old as Time
It’s no wonder that such a crazily-convoluted series of events – events that to the uninitiated sounds stranger than fiction – would be told many a time over various forms of retrospective discussions and media alike. Let alone find its tale getting a full-blown, cinematic (albeit partially-fictitious) equivalent. But if anything, the release ofTetris Forevercoming afterlast year’s biopiconly strengthens the case for Tetris as one of gaming’s most cherished and timeless lessons on the power of creativity and innovation. Creativity, even in the midst of tyranny and oppression that before long – asTetris Forevereventually details – is played on planes, across the side of office buildings and even in outer space. Amid its very many iterations, spin-offs, would-be successors; a sampling of which comprises the second part toForever’sdefining pull.
That being a look back on not just the game’s inception, but on that dreaded “what next?” conundrum over what a hypothetical sequel/successor of sorts would look like. As with Digital Eclipse’s prior outings,Tetris Foreverstill allows players to jump straight into the playable catalog if the historical aspect doesn’t interest you. With a tap of the button, Forever provides immediate access to its dozen-plus selection of Tetris iterations beyond the game’s own exclusive mode/take. And it’s here where the package’s unfortunate limitations may come into view.
The Elephant in the Room
The first of which, arguably the most obvious absentee, is anything affiliated with Nintendo – namely Tetris for the Game Boy, or indeed Nintendo’s own iteration of the game for the NES. Developer Bullet-Proof Software’s take is present sure, but the lack of any real Nintendo representation (beyond a brief imitation in theTime Warpmode) is a disappointment, obvious it may be to most to find Nintendo refusing to play ball in allowing emulations of their past software on other platforms. For as popular the Game Boy entrant remains to this day, it does hinderForever’s claim to standing as the definitive or comprehensive anthology to Tetris' legacy.
Had it simply stopped at Nintendo’s present-but-not-quite status here, these shortcomings may well have been relegated to that of personal nitpicks, but when you find mentions of games likeWelltris– an interesting attempt to bring Tetris into the 3D world – and even Wordtris uttered during documentary footage, only to be strangely absent amid the playable selection, the omissions become more glaring. A decision that thankfully is made up in part by the likes of Hatris –Forever’s nominated representative for “worthy spiritual successor” – and better still, more mechanically-interesting takes likeBomblissandTetris Battle Gaiden(two more fan-favorite iterations) whose placement also serve as the moment Tetris entering the 16-bit era. But it doesn’t take long for the repetition and questionable choices to pop up – Bombliss for example repeated one too unnecessarily-many times.
Review: Tetris Effect
Tetris Effect Remains a welcome surprise to those appreciative to the series' longevity and versatility of content.
A Tale of Two Halves
It’s just a strange exclusion to mention, via the in-game chronicling, entries like developer Jaleco’sTetris Plusfor the original PlayStation – a personal favorite, albeit one emboldened as much by nostalgia as its genuine uniqueness in gameplay) – yet not make them playable.Forever’sgeneral picks seemingly prioritizing, through dictated biases behind-the-scenes or otherwise, the series' history throughout the 20th century while relegating the latter 21st century occurrences to the game’s documentary aspects. Again, impossible it might’ve been to have something likeTetris DSor a full-blown version of the base 2018 (but still, utterly brilliant)Tetris Effect in full form in this package, that Tetris' past ventures into the online space, onto mobile platforms and beyond have no presence/emulated representation here is easy to spot.
HadTetris Forever’s other key component – its historical documenting of the series through the years – not been as surprisingly-insightful to browse, these complaints may well have hindered Digital Eclipse’s attempt to land on a high note. But it’s the five-part, five-chapter journey throughout history where a lot ofForever’s value is wonderfully placed. Value not just in the extent to which details are covered, but of the factors and benefactors that helped Tetris cultivate its immediate appeal. Starting not even at the beginning of its creation, but at Alexey Pajitnov’s own interests in mathematics and puzzles. The realization that the original concept of Tetris dabbled with the idea of five-piece shapes, but was later reduced to four, hence its name. It’s these added pieces of significant context that greatly imbueForever’s appeal beyond just a celebratory (and glaringly-curated) look back on the series' key moments.
As much as the interview space is still dominated by Rogers' and Pajitnov’s personal recollections – and there’s value in seeing Henk’s gleeful optimism be felt as much Alexey’s [even after all these years] reserved disbelief at the creative titan he’s responsible for, subtly come across – that individuals like Spectrum HoloByte’s Gilman Louie and even Tetsuya Mitzuguchi, Producer ofTetris Effect, talk of their own relationships with Tetris, is hugely beneficial. Even if, again, these avenues are defined as much by what’s not present as much as what is. Personally, having the likes of Koichi Nakamura ofDragon Quest fame for example, speak on his time creating Bombliss, would’ve elevated this content more so.
More Than Just Blocks
But in short,Tetris Foreverprovides as much novelty on its historical material, as it does importance. Watching Rogers' filming his days amid the wintry streets of Soviet-era Moscow, as much his trip to [then] Nintendo of America’s offices, shows a man unyielding to the challenge (and in some cases, political tension) of nailing down Tetris' licensing rights. And even if some may roll their eyes at its inclusion, the way later chapters in Forever delve into the IP’s inevitable grander commercialization and expansion as a license to further expand on via non-video game products. Rogers' daughter and current CEO of The Tetris Company, Maya Rogers, speaking on the cultural iconography and significance that something as simple as a group of Tetromino’s can muster.
Whether it’s recorded interviews, archival footage, still images and in some cases, recreated 3D models of the box art/packaging to certain releases,Tetris Foreverdoesn’t shy away from the legacy of the behind-the-scenes ridiculousness as much the series' own genuine creativity.
Likewise,Forever’s humbler acknowledgments; the way its in-game rendering of 3D box art comes complete with tiny scuff marks at their edges. Better still, albeit in an ironic fashion, to refer back to the game selection: that the Apple II port of Tetris is present. One of the least-enjoyable versions of Tetris isn’t ignored at all, but acknowledged as the flawed, oddly-designed version that it is. A means perhaps to better articulate why the original Elektronica-60 version, funny enough, plays better by contrast. Arguably the only real major knock againstTetris Forever, in so far as what it offers, is in Digital Eclipse’s own wholly-original mode,Tetris Time Warp.Promoted as distilling the series' history in one singular mode – a mode that finds you at certain points, flung into the mechanical and visual version of one of three past entries, as you aim to rack up as high a score as possible via line clears and clearing objectives alike.
An interesting take, but sadly one that here feels anything but long-lasting or even remotely finished as a concept. Interesting the shift fromForever’s clean (if a little too ordinary and aestheticlaly-sterile) take on Tetris, to one of three past iterations – that of the very first Elektronika 60 build, Bombliss and the aforementioned imitation of Tetris on the Game Boy – might be, the lack of differing objectives (each shift will always have you complete the same requirement) as much the fact it’s literally confined to these three other forms, is disappointing. A rare moment inForever’s package that comes off, accidental or otherwise, to undersell the visual and mechanical allure of Tetris as a franchise.Tetris Effect, this is not.
Closing Comments:
While notable absentees and a glaring lack of 21st century representation are hard to miss, Digital Eclipse’s third entry in the Gold Master Series withTetris Foreverstill stands as a welcome, at times eye-opening, look-back on the legacy of one of gaming’s greatest IPs. A staunch reminder as to the simplicity, addiction and clever, mechanical wit at the heart of the falling-block premise. A premise whose game selection, while flawed, still carries with it an interesting look back on the many ways, good and bad, Tetris aimed to evolve and refine itself over the many years. Though it may retread old ground in parts, it’s the wealth of material as much the care for the smaller details, where Digital Eclipse’s reverence is most strongly felt. Not as complete or as comprehensive as one might’ve liked,Tetris Foreveris still nonetheless a pleasant, worthwhile look back on one of gaming’s and indeed all of culture’s most-prized creations.
Tetris Forever
Version Reviewed: PlayStation 5
The third entry in Digital Eclipse’s Gold Master Series, Tetris Forever chronicles the birth and subsequent rise of one of gaming’s most iconic IPs. Combining interviews with the people involved, archival footage and marketing material for many of the series' past entrants and releases, alongside emulations of those same games to try out and revisit.
