I grew up playing Tetris Plus and I think about it a lot. I feel like it's puzzle mode was such a unique twist on how you can play and think about Tetris that I'm surprised it wasn't covered here. You have a little man walking around the board with tetris blocks already in place, clear the blocks in such a way that allows him to get to the bottom before the ceiling comes down and kills him. It's unique, it's fresh and it's fun. I'm surprised it's not a concept that's come back.
All of the multiplayer versions of Tetris look like so much fun! Changing the mechanics of such a simple game is always a gamble, but changing the meta-game by adding other people and the effects of your interactions with them looks like the better way to upgrade tetris, imo.
Not surprised that “Child of Eden” wasn’t mentioned as part of the Mizuguchi works before Tetris Effect. Such a really forgotten 2011 game that tried to replicate Rez (and other rail-shooters) with motion controls and the rhythm from Space Channel 5.
@@hotcyder Don't blame yourself for that: The game still varies according to your mileage. It's not GOTY material for sure, but at least it does what Mitzuguchi intended: Make someone happy.
"Perhaps we should ask why they named it Tetris Attack?" I'm pretty sure it was for marketing... the same reason they rereleased Super Bombliss in the US originally as Tetris Blast.
Great retrospective! I think the New Tetris (on N64) is also worth discussing because it added a hold feature, something that transforms the player's relationship with their pieces. That, in addition to more balanced randomizers, is what makes modern Tetris so much more appealing imo.
The hold-action THE NEW TETRIS introduced is now a standard must-have Tetris feature! After 15 long years of oldschool og Tetris and sequels with unsubstantial and even bad gimmicks, Tetris finally got a gameplay improvement with staying power! I rarely go back to Tetris games that were made before THE NEW TETRIS because of that new staple. And that's not even the end of it. THE NEW TETRIS, like many other N64 games, benefitted from being the first 4-player game of its kind. Having a bunch of friends over for countless 4-player sessions in Mario Kart 64, GoldenEye 007, Super Smash Bros., and THE NEW TETRIS, you knew no other console or computer could top it. The third drastic improvement were the 4x4 block squares you could build. And that's still unique to this Tetris game as far as I know. For me that makes THE NEW TETRIS desirable and valuable as one of the best in the series, just like the other Tetris game H20 Entertainment produced two years earlier: TETRISPHERE. But that one is an absolute classic for a different set of reasons.
What I've been looking for is a Tetris RPG. Sure, there have been RPG elements in other puzzle games like Puzzle Quest and Puzzle & Dragons, but not to Tetris as far as I'm aware. Imagine your standard turn-based combat system where your character has a Tetris playing field instead of a command menu. Every piece you drop into the field advances time, based on your character's Speed stat. Your character will attack the enemy every time you clear a line. Clear more lines to deal more damage. The enemy will also attack you at certain intervals. They might reduce your health, or they might mess with your playing field in various ways. You can equip armor to reduce the amount of damage you take, but wearing heavier armor could cause your pieces to fall faster. You could learn magic spells to supplement your attacks, remove status effects from the playing field, clear the playing field if you're getting too close to failing out, or change all of your next few pieces to I-blocks, for instance. Maybe you could have multiple party members, each with their own playing field, and swap between them each time interval. There's probably a lot more you could do with this premise, honestly.
I remember playing a flash game that was an almost exact copy of of Block-Out. The two difference were the presence of music (even if it was so bad I preferred to cut it) and the color being by block rather than depth, making the playing field less easily read. (Even with its better 3D.) I played a second of such flash game. No music that time, but still the same problem with color being by block rather than depth. As for my favorite version of Tetris, there is two that share that spot in my heart. The first is a mod/hack of the GameBoy one, which add some features from more modern iteration, (like the ability to stock a lone tetromino, or the instant drop) and the second is Tetris DX for the GameBoy Color. (But it also work on the original GameBoy, and thanks God for that, because the color-changing background can make things hard if you play it with an unmodified GBC or GBA.)
I was the only person in my house back in the day that actually got the black hexic star and unlocked the achievement. Safe to say i loved the game to pieces and more, for many of the same reasons i adored tetris.
Tetris Friends has always been my favourite version. It wasn't as chaotic as Tetris 99 and not as calm as regular multiplayer Tetris and it had quite a few different game modes to keep things even more interesting.
Some of these looked really interesting! I quite liked the coop one versus the bosses and then combining play areas. Just seemed like a neat take on it and I've generally enjoyed cooperative more than competitive. And even I (who never got into Tetris much) am tempted by the visuals of some of the later ones. Just seems relaxing seeing the world like that as you play
This is an amazing video James. Well done. My first Tetris experience was with the NES version (never had a Game Boy myself). It was the ONLY video game my dad would play. Good work and can't wait to see what comes next!
oh man, giving me some good memories of Tetris Blitz. I think it was the first big deal tetris to hit iphones/ipod-touch, and I was working on it as a game tester at the time. I remember having so much fun with it, blasting through stages with all the powerups. Can’t wait till facetris hits ios 🤞😎
While virtually all video games have some sort of connection with their music, puzzle games have a particular relationship with music that could probably be a video unto itself.
The way I remember playing Tetris the most was on a couple of 90s handheld tetris consoles I inherited from my brothers. Tetris was the only game on them but they had several modes. Just one of them had a total of 18 different modes I think, 9 of two main variants - basic tetris with tetrominoes and tetris with blocks consisting of anywhere between 1 and 5 tiles. I can't remember all eight different rule variations, I think in one, certain blocks were able to phase through already placed blocks in order to fill missing gaps (although I think this was standard behaviour for the 1-tile pieces in all modes), one probably started the field with garbage blocks. But the one that I remember most distinctly replaced the rotate button for a change shape button, so you could cycle through different shapes but couldn't rotate them.
The next step in the evolution of Tetris is setting up a series of pulleys and cherry pickers and cement mixers and building your own home out of a real life Tetris board and then having to live in it. Great video as always James, I don’t even like Tetris but you kept me engaged for nearly an hour, 10/10
Awesome overview of Tetris stuffs! The various points brought up to go past observations at face value were interesting, the transitions from section to section were nice, and I enjoyed some of the pauses for comedic/dramatic effect. :) Also happy to have seen Hexic mentioned, it was pretty neat to realize that the same person who created Tetris also made Hexic and Mozaki Blocks, two casual puzzle games I enjoyed a ton when I was younger!
It’s always interesting to see all of the weird old games with the Tetris name attached to them. IMO the only gimmicks that felt right were the ones in Tetris Effect. And multiplayer adds so much more depth to the game, it’s crazy how much strategy there is that goes unnoticed by newer players
Nice video there, but too little was said 'bout Tetris Plus arcade game (it was showed only in the segment about "playing tetris in Egypt") that has very interesting departure from the original Tetris.
that 3D genesis tetris game actually looks REALLY fun. ive always had interest in 3D Tetris for the VB but the horrible framerate and monochromatic display put me off, so i've definitely gotta give block out a try
Kind of was sad you didn't cover the Next Tetris/ Sticky Tetris, as it introduced the concept of chain reactions to the special block clear aspect of Tetris 2, in alot of ways it took what I liked best about Tetris 2 and married it to a more traditional Tetirs (chain reactions via different color parts of the tetrinominos breaking off and droping) I wish they had taken some of the inspiration from earlier alt modes released in other games like the C mode of Tetris 2 + Bombliss so it could of had an endless mode with a well that would continue filling with blocks, allowing for more chains.
My favorite and most played to this day is the Gameboy Teris mostly because it's perfect with controls, Speed, graphics, and sound. And you can emulate it on anything like my Pixel 3 phone and Funkey a mini Gameboy SP like open source handheld so you can play it anywhere. Edit: Still might try Tetris effect, Tricky towers, and Block out they look really good.
I've developed a greater appreciation for Tetris after playing the first Grand Master on Switch and getting semi-hooked on it. I wonder how the TGM series stacks up (heh) to the other games in this video.
What about Puyo Puyo Tetris? But I guess that would be more of a crossover then a sequel. On the topic of 3D Tetris; Tetris Axis, for the 3DS, had a mode called Tower Climber, which was technically introduced in Tetris Party for the Wii and DS, but the 3DS version is a 3D cylinder. The goal is to use tetriminos to build a staircase to help a tiny man reach the top
I personally liked Bombliss (played the "Tetris 2 + Bombliss" version), specially the puzzle mode. Worth to mention tetris game is "Tetris: The Grand Master" series, it doesn't change the core gameplay much but it's tetris game in its most hardcore form. Stupidly fast and ridiculous gimmicks like end game of credits scene where bottom pieces are invisible and you need to survive the credits to get grand master title (and added evil for the mix is that credit scene length is random at least in later versions). You have to see the gameplay videos of the best players, it's really jawdropping to see.
I debated mentioning Tetris TGM, tho decided not to for what you said above. It’s not really changing much, and instead just focuses on being the most faithful version of Tetris for expert players. I love watching speed runs of it
" It’s not really changing much" Yes and no, and ultimately "it depends". There's some a variety of different and interesting thoughts I try to hold in my mind, I think it's good if share it. Of course, being a long-time TGM player, my judgment is surely entirely biaised, but please bear with me: • Yes, most of the appeal of TGM are aimed towards expert players • However, the mechanics TGM introduced and/or refined opened up a whole new area of Tetris (instant-gravity game) that I think is a worthwile addition to Tetris. The invisible challenge is just a gimmick, what's interesting is the way you progressed through the 999 level that came before it. It recontextualize what you learned while playing normally in the same fashion Tetris 99 is "it's like normal Tetris, but in a battle royale context". Or how Devil May Cry 3 is "it's Devil May Cry, but you can switch weapons" (and in 4 or 3Se "and styles too!"). Those new elements raised the skill ceiling to incredibly high levels while still relying on active thinking. So it's not rote memorization and execution like Kaizo Mario or an any% speedrun, but more high level, dynamic game like a live fighting game. • Ultimately wheter or not TGM should be added to a list of "Sequel to Tetris" depends on your game inclusion criteria. So far what we have seen is : "it's made by the same guy", "it's made by the rights holder by the time", "it has a Tetris name in it", "it's pretty and in VR", and "it's multiplayer". I find the last case the most interesting one because of the recontextualization I mentionned earlier. • About Tetris Effect: there's some interesting tidbits about it: 1) The final part of the connected mode is very reminiscent of the Double mode featured in TGM2 2) I don't think the main mode of Tetris Effect is innovative at all. Ok sure the zone gimmick is neat, but the core gameplay hasn't changed since 2001. I don't mean this as a figure of speech: all Tetris game since 2001 has to follow a very strict game design document that freezes fundamental parts of the Tetris gameplay (TGM3 (2005) got around this by having effectively two game style available to choose at the start). And in that regard it's another argument toward the inclusion of TGM in your list, because it encapsulate some sort of alternate universe where the Sega version of Tetris prevailed instead of the Nintendo version (TGM owes a lot to the Sega arcade version of Tetris), in a similar way Doom and Halo are both wholly different beasts despite both being first person shooter where you play space marines fighting against monsters. (I do like Tetris Effect for its eye candy and I am a Mizuguchi fan; one of my motivation to buying a VR headset was to play Rez !) Would be happy to expand on the subject if you are interested.
(9:53) Actually, with Wordtris's ? tiles, I think you can use the L and R buttons to cycle them to whatever letter you want. (Good luck doing that for letters not near the start or end of the alphabet at high speed levels, though.)
@@hotcyder Okay, I just tested this myself, and I was slightly mistaken. It's actually the ABXY buttons that are used to cycle the ? tile letter. (L and R just move the letter left and right, same as with the + pad left and right directions.)
I really wish Tetris Axis hadn't gotten the treatment it got. That game was amazing and had plenty of unique gamemodes. Now the only way to get it is to buy a used physical copy, since it's no longer on the 3DS eShop.
@@hotcyder Tetris Blast is basically Bombliss, which you did cover in this video. However, the Game Boy version has a "Fight" mode where you try to blow up enemy bosses that wander around the playfield and cause mischief.
This is a great video! I watched it so hard that I realized the author has a lot of misconceptions about what processing power enables. (Did he really claim that easier AI takes more computing power than what was available in the 80s?) Anyways I hope he doesn't read this because I don't want to hurt his feelings. I just felt compelled to comment. Also, this will help engagement.
You know, i never liked Tetris. I always found it somewhat boring and unengaging. I had a Brick Game device (everyone just called it tetris) and it had Tetris itself among other classic simple games such as Frogger, that two tracks racing game and arcanoid (that i called badminton for some reason). And that last one was the game i played the most. I also played many other arcanoid games on my pc (though by title i only remember Magic Ball with its numerous sequels) and this genre is way more versatile and therefore varied than tetris. It can allow for multiple block types stacked on top of each other, any number of balls and power-ups that enhance the gameplay instead of deterring it. And i guess breaking stuff is fun, which is probably the main reason why i enjoyed this genre as much as i did. If you think about it, it's a direct evolution of the last first game ever made, Pong. Really, all the multiplayer modes of arcanoid are basiaclly Pong with extra steps. So i'd be interested to see a deep dive into the genre in a video similar to this.
Hatris did have quite a significant impact on the FPS genre, being the major inspiration for Valve's Team Fortress 2.
I grew up playing Tetris Plus and I think about it a lot. I feel like it's puzzle mode was such a unique twist on how you can play and think about Tetris that I'm surprised it wasn't covered here. You have a little man walking around the board with tetris blocks already in place, clear the blocks in such a way that allows him to get to the bottom before the ceiling comes down and kills him. It's unique, it's fresh and it's fun. I'm surprised it's not a concept that's come back.
18:53 Panel De Pon, re-themed with Yoshi, and renamed as Tetris. Simple as could be!
All of the multiplayer versions of Tetris look like so much fun! Changing the mechanics of such a simple game is always a gamble, but changing the meta-game by adding other people and the effects of your interactions with them looks like the better way to upgrade tetris, imo.
Yep! I’d say it’s the best way to make a multiplayer version of any Arcade game. Roll on Space Invaders 99 👾
Not surprised that “Child of Eden” wasn’t mentioned as part of the Mizuguchi works before Tetris Effect. Such a really forgotten 2011 game that tried to replicate Rez (and other rail-shooters) with motion controls and the rhythm from Space Channel 5.
I went with the better known stuff :(
@@hotcyder Don't blame yourself for that: The game still varies according to your mileage. It's not GOTY material for sure, but at least it does what Mitzuguchi intended: Make someone happy.
"Perhaps we should ask why they named it Tetris Attack?" I'm pretty sure it was for marketing... the same reason they rereleased Super Bombliss in the US originally as Tetris Blast.
They had similar success with adding a known franchise name to Wario Land and Yoshi’s Island, so not surprising they would do that again.
Great retrospective!
I think the New Tetris (on N64) is also worth discussing because it added a hold feature, something that transforms the player's relationship with their pieces. That, in addition to more balanced randomizers, is what makes modern Tetris so much more appealing imo.
The hold-action THE NEW TETRIS introduced is now a standard must-have Tetris feature! After 15 long years of oldschool og Tetris and sequels with unsubstantial and even bad gimmicks, Tetris finally got a gameplay improvement with staying power! I rarely go back to Tetris games that were made before THE NEW TETRIS because of that new staple.
And that's not even the end of it. THE NEW TETRIS, like many other N64 games, benefitted from being the first 4-player game of its kind.
Having a bunch of friends over for countless 4-player sessions in Mario Kart 64, GoldenEye 007, Super Smash Bros., and THE NEW TETRIS, you knew no other console or computer could top it.
The third drastic improvement were the 4x4 block squares you could build. And that's still unique to this Tetris game as far as I know. For me that makes THE NEW TETRIS desirable and valuable as one of the best in the series, just like the other Tetris game H20 Entertainment produced two years earlier: TETRISPHERE. But that one is an absolute classic for a different set of reasons.
What I've been looking for is a Tetris RPG. Sure, there have been RPG elements in other puzzle games like Puzzle Quest and Puzzle & Dragons, but not to Tetris as far as I'm aware.
Imagine your standard turn-based combat system where your character has a Tetris playing field instead of a command menu.
Every piece you drop into the field advances time, based on your character's Speed stat.
Your character will attack the enemy every time you clear a line. Clear more lines to deal more damage.
The enemy will also attack you at certain intervals. They might reduce your health, or they might mess with your playing field in various ways.
You can equip armor to reduce the amount of damage you take, but wearing heavier armor could cause your pieces to fall faster.
You could learn magic spells to supplement your attacks, remove status effects from the playing field, clear the playing field if you're getting too close to failing out, or change all of your next few pieces to I-blocks, for instance.
Maybe you could have multiple party members, each with their own playing field, and swap between them each time interval.
There's probably a lot more you could do with this premise, honestly.
Those magic spells you mentioned are GENIUS. Such a great twist and simple improvement on the core gameplay loop
I remember playing a flash game that was an almost exact copy of of Block-Out. The two difference were the presence of music (even if it was so bad I preferred to cut it) and the color being by block rather than depth, making the playing field less easily read. (Even with its better 3D.)
I played a second of such flash game. No music that time, but still the same problem with color being by block rather than depth.
As for my favorite version of Tetris, there is two that share that spot in my heart. The first is a mod/hack of the GameBoy one, which add some features from more modern iteration, (like the ability to stock a lone tetromino, or the instant drop) and the second is Tetris DX for the GameBoy Color. (But it also work on the original GameBoy, and thanks God for that, because the color-changing background can make things hard if you play it with an unmodified GBC or GBA.)
I was the only person in my house back in the day that actually got the black hexic star and unlocked the achievement. Safe to say i loved the game to pieces and more, for many of the same reasons i adored tetris.
37:17 whoa I didn't know this got an English patch! This was my jam back when I was first discovering emulation.
Available over at CDRomance!
cdromance.com/snes-rom/tetris-battle-gaiden-japan/
i love an overly extensive video on a simple topic ♡
not at all throwing shade! its just so great to see people get super into something they love
None taken! Glad you enjoyed it
Tetris Friends has always been my favourite version. It wasn't as chaotic as Tetris 99 and not as calm as regular multiplayer Tetris and it had quite a few different game modes to keep things even more interesting.
Some of these looked really interesting! I quite liked the coop one versus the bosses and then combining play areas. Just seemed like a neat take on it and I've generally enjoyed cooperative more than competitive.
And even I (who never got into Tetris much) am tempted by the visuals of some of the later ones. Just seems relaxing seeing the world like that as you play
This is an amazing video James. Well done. My first Tetris experience was with the NES version (never had a Game Boy myself). It was the ONLY video game my dad would play. Good work and can't wait to see what comes next!
Glad you enjoyed it! This was actually the first time I had played the NES version - it's pretty good!
using flags from constituent republics of the ussr as drm for welltris is so incredibly 1989. love it
massively underrated channel
oh man, giving me some good memories of Tetris Blitz. I think it was the first big deal tetris to hit iphones/ipod-touch, and I was working on it as a game tester at the time. I remember having so much fun with it, blasting through stages with all the powerups. Can’t wait till facetris hits ios 🤞😎
12:43 You mean like Bejewled Twist?
Panel de Pon is my favourite puzzle game, had Pokemon Puzzle League on the GB and Puzzle League DS. The DS one has amazing music, as well.
While virtually all video games have some sort of connection with their music, puzzle games have a particular relationship with music that could probably be a video unto itself.
I sank so many hours into Tetris Friends growing up, it had such a good and interesting set of multiplayer variations
The way I remember playing Tetris the most was on a couple of 90s handheld tetris consoles I inherited from my brothers. Tetris was the only game on them but they had several modes. Just one of them had a total of 18 different modes I think, 9 of two main variants - basic tetris with tetrominoes and tetris with blocks consisting of anywhere between 1 and 5 tiles. I can't remember all eight different rule variations, I think in one, certain blocks were able to phase through already placed blocks in order to fill missing gaps (although I think this was standard behaviour for the 1-tile pieces in all modes), one probably started the field with garbage blocks. But the one that I remember most distinctly replaced the rotate button for a change shape button, so you could cycle through different shapes but couldn't rotate them.
Tricky tower is a super fun trist on the genre. Great video 😁
The next step in the evolution of Tetris is setting up a series of pulleys and cherry pickers and cement mixers and building your own home out of a real life Tetris board and then having to live in it.
Great video as always James, I don’t even like Tetris but you kept me engaged for nearly an hour, 10/10
Awesome overview of Tetris stuffs! The various points brought up to go past observations at face value were interesting, the transitions from section to section were nice, and I enjoyed some of the pauses for comedic/dramatic effect. :)
Also happy to have seen Hexic mentioned, it was pretty neat to realize that the same person who created Tetris also made Hexic and Mozaki Blocks, two casual puzzle games I enjoyed a ton when I was younger!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I always thought of the idea of using pentominoes to make the game even harder haha
Magical Tetris Challenge does this! A few other Tetris games I think do too. On the flip side, some even throw in Triomios for easy pieces.
@@hotcyder I used to play that game a ton with friends in college. One of my favorite Tetris games.
It’s always interesting to see all of the weird old games with the Tetris name attached to them. IMO the only gimmicks that felt right were the ones in Tetris Effect. And multiplayer adds so much more depth to the game, it’s crazy how much strategy there is that goes unnoticed by newer players
This channel is severely underrated
🙏
Nice video there, but too little was said 'bout Tetris Plus arcade game (it was showed only in the segment about "playing tetris in Egypt") that has very interesting departure from the original Tetris.
I couldn't get a version working! I may touch on it some day cause I've heard it has a cool puzzle mode
Damn, this is insanely well made. Can't believe it only has 2.5k views!
Thank you!
that 3D genesis tetris game actually looks REALLY fun. ive always had interest in 3D Tetris for the VB but the horrible framerate and monochromatic display put me off, so i've definitely gotta give block out a try
Just found u my man and this is a wonderful video essay
U got a new fan
Hope I'll see u in my subscriber feed every now and then
Thank you!
watching a bunch of your videos right now. Wanted to say you have often had some really cool piano music (fitting too) in the background.
during the intro for instance is what I mean... kinda impressionistic reminds me of BOTW or Debussy
Thank you! That's taken from the Tetris Effect OST (The Downtown Jazz Stage).
Kind of was sad you didn't cover the Next Tetris/ Sticky Tetris, as it introduced the concept of chain reactions to the special block clear aspect of Tetris 2, in alot of ways it took what I liked best about Tetris 2 and married it to a more traditional Tetirs (chain reactions via different color parts of the tetrinominos breaking off and droping) I wish they had taken some of the inspiration from earlier alt modes released in other games like the C mode of Tetris 2 + Bombliss so it could of had an endless mode with a well that would continue filling with blocks, allowing for more chains.
its nice to see some of theese wierd games are being included in the upcoming "tetris forever"
Just saying, a rotation system similar to Hexic's was used in Bejeweled Twist, but that game came out years after Hexic.
I really thought you would talk about srs, still a great video
17:39 I think this make for a great extra game mode, so I’ve no clue why it was never brought back in future Tetris games.
My favorite and most played to this day is the Gameboy Teris mostly because it's perfect with controls, Speed, graphics, and sound. And you can emulate it on anything like my Pixel 3 phone and Funkey a mini Gameboy SP like open source handheld so you can play it anywhere. Edit: Still might try Tetris effect, Tricky towers, and Block out they look really good.
I've developed a greater appreciation for Tetris after playing the first Grand Master on Switch and getting semi-hooked on it. I wonder how the TGM series stacks up (heh) to the other games in this video.
I love Tetris particularly Tetris 99 so this was a really cozy and interesting watch on how while you can't improve on perfection you can alter it.
Thank you!
Amazing video!
Thanks!
4:01 the character and mannequins looks like Pajinov, lol.
What about Puyo Puyo Tetris? But I guess that would be more of a crossover then a sequel.
On the topic of 3D Tetris; Tetris Axis, for the 3DS, had a mode called Tower Climber, which was technically introduced in Tetris Party for the Wii and DS, but the 3DS version is a 3D cylinder. The goal is to use tetriminos to build a staircase to help a tiny man reach the top
puyo puyo tetris is third party its by compile
If you talk crossovers then you need to mention "TETRIS & Dr. Mario" (SNES) as well.
You forgot to mention Mozaki Blocks Deluxe & Dwice (not to mention Pandora's Box) in which those Puzzle Games are also Made by Alexey Pajitnov.
My favorite is Twintris (1990) Commodore Amiga.
How many times did you say Tetris in this video?
At least 200 times
I personally liked Bombliss (played the "Tetris 2 + Bombliss" version), specially the puzzle mode. Worth to mention tetris game is "Tetris: The Grand Master" series, it doesn't change the core gameplay much but it's tetris game in its most hardcore form. Stupidly fast and ridiculous gimmicks like end game of credits scene where bottom pieces are invisible and you need to survive the credits to get grand master title (and added evil for the mix is that credit scene length is random at least in later versions). You have to see the gameplay videos of the best players, it's really jawdropping to see.
I debated mentioning Tetris TGM, tho decided not to for what you said above. It’s not really changing much, and instead just focuses on being the most faithful version of Tetris for expert players. I love watching speed runs of it
" It’s not really changing much"
Yes and no, and ultimately "it depends". There's some a variety of different and interesting thoughts I try to hold in my mind, I think it's good if share it. Of course, being a long-time TGM player, my judgment is surely entirely biaised, but please bear with me:
• Yes, most of the appeal of TGM are aimed towards expert players
• However, the mechanics TGM introduced and/or refined opened up a whole new area of Tetris (instant-gravity game) that I think is a worthwile addition to Tetris. The invisible challenge is just a gimmick, what's interesting is the way you progressed through the 999 level that came before it. It recontextualize what you learned while playing normally in the same fashion Tetris 99 is "it's like normal Tetris, but in a battle royale context". Or how Devil May Cry 3 is "it's Devil May Cry, but you can switch weapons" (and in 4 or 3Se "and styles too!"). Those new elements raised the skill ceiling to incredibly high levels while still relying on active thinking. So it's not rote memorization and execution like Kaizo Mario or an any% speedrun, but more high level, dynamic game like a live fighting game.
• Ultimately wheter or not TGM should be added to a list of "Sequel to Tetris" depends on your game inclusion criteria. So far what we have seen is : "it's made by the same guy", "it's made by the rights holder by the time", "it has a Tetris name in it", "it's pretty and in VR", and "it's multiplayer". I find the last case the most interesting one because of the recontextualization I mentionned earlier.
• About Tetris Effect: there's some interesting tidbits about it: 1) The final part of the connected mode is very reminiscent of the Double mode featured in TGM2 2) I don't think the main mode of Tetris Effect is innovative at all. Ok sure the zone gimmick is neat, but the core gameplay hasn't changed since 2001.
I don't mean this as a figure of speech: all Tetris game since 2001 has to follow a very strict game design document that freezes fundamental parts of the Tetris gameplay (TGM3 (2005) got around this by having effectively two game style available to choose at the start). And in that regard it's another argument toward the inclusion of TGM in your list, because it encapsulate some sort of alternate universe where the Sega version of Tetris prevailed instead of the Nintendo version (TGM owes a lot to the Sega arcade version of Tetris), in a similar way Doom and Halo are both wholly different beasts despite both being first person shooter where you play space marines fighting against monsters.
(I do like Tetris Effect for its eye candy and I am a Mizuguchi fan; one of my motivation to buying a VR headset was to play Rez !)
Would be happy to expand on the subject if you are interested.
16:13 convenient timing for “ballsy”
Tetris is like chess: one of those quintessential perfect games!
(9:53) Actually, with Wordtris's ? tiles, I think you can use the L and R buttons to cycle them to whatever letter you want. (Good luck doing that for letters not near the start or end of the alphabet at high speed levels, though.)
Huh, I couldn't get that working in the version I played. I will double check 👀
@@hotcyder
Okay, I just tested this myself, and I was slightly mistaken. It's actually the ABXY buttons that are used to cycle the ? tile letter. (L and R just move the letter left and right, same as with the + pad left and right directions.)
Tetris 2: “this is more Dr. Mario than Tetris”
Panel de Pon: “this is more Tetris than you think guys”
Yes
I really wish Tetris Axis hadn't gotten the treatment it got. That game was amazing and had plenty of unique gamemodes. Now the only way to get it is to buy a used physical copy, since it's no longer on the 3DS eShop.
I didn't think to check it out! The AR mode seems very cool
37:22 that’s literally what it means, though.
I know but it’s funny
Hey, what's the song playing at 44:34? I'm guessing it's from Tetris Effect, but I can't find it :(
Tetris Effect Connected - Area 2 Music
I’m surprised there was no mention of Tetris: The Grandmaster 1-3
I've always enjoyed Tetris Blast on the gameboy
One I didn't get round to, but I'll try and seek it out 😚
@@hotcyder
Tetris Blast is basically Bombliss, which you did cover in this video. However, the Game Boy version has a "Fight" mode where you try to blow up enemy bosses that wander around the playfield and cause mischief.
I think you could do a similar analysis of games like Lemmings and Street Fighter II. Also heavily ported and very near ideal.
Man really not enough Lemmings content out there
25:25 those aren’t tetreminos though. They vary in size.
1:29 what happened to those pieces to make them disappear? Is this a different game mode?
36:09 what are these giant brick tetreminos?
What is the clip that begins at 22:49?
This is a great video! I watched it so hard that I realized the author has a lot of misconceptions about what processing power enables. (Did he really claim that easier AI takes more computing power than what was available in the 80s?) Anyways I hope he doesn't read this because I don't want to hurt his feelings. I just felt compelled to comment. Also, this will help engagement.
Have you played poyo poyo tetris? It's easily my favourite take on tetris in recent memory especially for local multiplayer.
I haven't but i've been meaning to!
22:50 you’re skipping virtual boy 3D tetris?
no mention of TGM?
maybe in the DLC
hatris is exactly like the game "yoshi" on the nes
Not really as you could only swap tiles/towers that already hit the ground. And the tiles in Yoshi didn't have awkward shapes.
37:18 how is it less exciting when it’s an entirely literal translation?
Which sequel invented the versus mode with garbage lines?
No mention of Puyo-Puyo Tetris?
Too good for the list
I think tetris worlds on the gba shoulda been here
You know, i never liked Tetris. I always found it somewhat boring and unengaging. I had a Brick Game device (everyone just called it tetris) and it had Tetris itself among other classic simple games such as Frogger, that two tracks racing game and arcanoid (that i called badminton for some reason). And that last one was the game i played the most.
I also played many other arcanoid games on my pc (though by title i only remember Magic Ball with its numerous sequels) and this genre is way more versatile and therefore varied than tetris. It can allow for multiple block types stacked on top of each other, any number of balls and power-ups that enhance the gameplay instead of deterring it. And i guess breaking stuff is fun, which is probably the main reason why i enjoyed this genre as much as i did. If you think about it, it's a direct evolution of the last first game ever made, Pong. Really, all the multiplayer modes of arcanoid are basiaclly Pong with extra steps.
So i'd be interested to see a deep dive into the genre in a video similar to this.
Here at 7,122 views.
subliminal programming
great video but as a virtual boy lover u made me mad saying u wanted a 3d vr tetris and then skipping over my girl 3D Tetris (1996) >:-[
Sorry!
No mention of Eggo Mania. Poor form.
This is likely going to be another Wario-Likes vid where I can look forward to the comments mentioning a bunch of good Tetris games
Well unless trump wins the. Who knows tetris 99 might be yesterday's history. We might be more divided than ever.