Review: Tetris Forever (Switch) – The Best Breakdown Of A Legendary Franchise

How many times do you think we can say the word ‘Tetris’ in a single review? Well, since Tetris Forever contains a total of 18 games based on the original 1985 title, you’d best strap yourselves in, because we’re going to be saying it a lot. Well, okay, we might mix things up a bit with the odd sprinkling of ‘tetromino’, just to be nice.

Anyway, Tetris. It’s often been described as one of, if not the greatest game of all time thanks to its unrivalled approachability and remarkable staying power. Yet we wouldn’t be surprised if you perhaps weren’t overly familiar with the game’s origin, release, and subsequent proliferation across the video game industry.

That’s where Tetris Forever comes in. Developed by Digital Eclipse, this marks the studio’s third entry in its Gold Master Series and takes a comprehensive dive into the creation of one of gaming’s most iconic franchises. If you’re familiar with the previous Gold Master releases (The Making of Karateka and Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story), then you’ll know what to expect with this one. It’s jam packed with interviews, images, documents, and archival material spread across five distinct timelines.

Not only that, but as we mentioned earlier, Tetris Forever contains 18 playable games, from a recreation of the earliest version of Tetris on the Electronika 60 right up to Tetris Time Warp, a new spin on the classic gameplay that takes you on a journey throughout the franchise’s history, built by Digital Eclipse specifically for this package. It’s a generous release, and although the selection of games on offer is merely a fraction of the total catalogue of Tetris titles, the timelines more than make up for this with references to most major releases.

Speaking of which, the timelines will prove particularly interesting for Nintendo fans. If you’re even vaguely familiar with the history of Tetris, then you’ll know that a big part of its success can be attributed to the pack-in version included with the Game Boy’s Western release. Tetris Forever delves into this story in surprising depth, showcasing the crucial back-and-forth battle to obtain the relevant rights to the game, the visits and tours held within NCL’s headquarters, and of course, a momentous meeting between Nintendo’s president Hiroshi Yamauchi, Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov, and licensing extraordinaire Henk Rogers.

Pajitnov and Rogers are really the heart of Tetris Forever. It’s their collaboration, friendship, and stewardship of the Tetris brand that drive the narrative featured within the five timelines. Pajitnov’s original creation of the game is of particular interest, beginning with his love for pentomino toys in which you try to fit a selection of trominoes, tetrominoes, and pentominoes into a box. By taking this concept, focusing on the tetrominoes specifically, and applying it to a video game, Tetris was eventually born.

We’re then taken on a journey that covers the initial release of Tetris, publisher Tengen’s failed attempt at re-engineering Nintendo’s NES version, the many, many sequels and spin-offs that would follow, and the eventual formation of Tetris Inc. and its work with the recent Tetris movie. It’s comprehensive stuff, and if you’re a particular fan of the videos contained within Digital Eclipse’s Gold Master Series, you’ll be in heaven with this one; there are loads of ‘em, and it’s a joy to watch Pajitnov and Rogers deliver such incredible passion for their work on the franchise.

As for the playable games, Tetris Forever understandably shies away from titles released in the 2000s and beyond, which is largely when firms like Ubisoft, Sega, THQ, and EA began to dip their toes into the series. Instead, it focuses mainly on the various early variants of the main game alongside some of the lesser known direct sequels. Remarkably, to start with, Digital Eclipse has recreated the original Electronika 60 version of Tetris from Pajitnov, which boasts both Russian and English versions, green and white colour palettes, and an awesome Electronika 60-themed border.

We’ve then got versions of the game from the MS-DOS, Apple II, and Famicom before launching into sequels such as Hatris, Tetris 2 + Bombliss, the Japan-exclusive Tetris Battle Gaiden, and Super Bombliss DX. Granted, the differences between many of these versions are negligible at times, but it’s great to see how original publisher Bullet-Proof Software looked to evolve Tetris and introduce variety for players as the years went by.

Some minor issues do crop up, however. The first is that the control guides for some of the games are incorrect. For example, in the original Electronika 60 version, the controls state that ‘A’ is used to rotate the tetrominoes, but it’s actually ‘B’. It’s a small mistake, and one that we’re certain will be fixed in a patch, but it’s worth highlighting. The other issue (and this is a minor, temporary gripe) is that the controls aren’t standardised by default across the games. So if you jump from one to another, you’ll just need to make sure to either adapt to the new controls, or configure the button functionality for each title for the most seamless experience.

In contrast, one of the highlights of the entire collection is the new, bespoke title Tetris Time Warp. This provides a great way to experience different variations on the classic Tetris gameplay, while also mixing up the visuals. The premise is pretty straightforward: you clear lines of blocks as per the norm, but occasionally a special tetromino will drop down. Once you clear this, you’ll be warped back to another version of Tetris for a limited amount of time.

For instance, it might transport you to the ‘1989 version’ (which is essentially the Game Boy release minus the official branding), in which you’re tasked with clearing a double line within mere seconds. Or you’ll be sent to a Bombliss level where you’ll have to detonate a large bomb. Successfully completing one of these challenges sends you straight through to another time period, allowing you to quickly bump up your score if you successfully complete several in one go.

There are also some neat variations on Time Warp if you’re after a more traditional experience. You can set it to marathon mode where you simply play a standard game of Tetris without any time warp features, or ‘1989 marathon’, which is the same but with those sweet Game Boy aesthetics. Finally, multiplayer is also available, and it takes the basic gameplay from Time Warp but allows each player to effectively weaponise different time periods, forcing opponents to take on new challenges while you continue to clear lines from the main screen. It’s great fun.

Conclusion

Tetris Forever might not be the final word on the complete history of Tetris, but it’s certainly the best breakdown of the franchise’s creation and evolution so far. Digital Eclipse has truly mastered the art of the interactive documentary, and this one is absolutely filled to the brim with interesting videos, interviews, and archival material. The playable games don’t necessarily represent the most varied selection across the Tetris franchise, but it’s a comprehensive bunch of titles, nonetheless, and newcomer Tetris Time Warp is a fantastic new addition to a back catalogue that seemingly just won’t stop growing.