![]() ![]() ![]() The game has always hummed around me: I played as a kid on the Game Boy (when my mom wasn’t hoarding the system) I enjoyed the Nintendo-published “Tetris DS” for its cheeky use of familiar characters my wife bought “Tetris Party Deluxe” and we battled across handhelds. I didn’t even realize I was nostalgic for “Tetris” at all. I did not realize how smitten I would be at this blatant nostalgic ploy. Those who logged in found themselves in the middle of a very crowded intersection of industry trends–Battle Royale meets timed event meets classic puzzler meets subscription service meets platform nostalgia. All games during the event took place on this reskinned version. In a nod to its past, “Tetris 99” held a timed event over the past weekend for players of the Nintendo Switch Online exclusive: Players who accumulated 100 points unlocked a new theme that reskins the game in homage to the beloved Game Boy version. ![]() This past year has seen two versions of the Russian block-dropper emerge from its dressing room wearing the trendy threads of the day: VR in “Tetris Effect” and Battle Royale in “ Tetris 99.” And here’s the crazy part: each elevates the classic perfection of the original into something else, something modern… something better. Indeed, the move pushes back against decades-long habits that have become so ingrained as to be dogma, rules that may one day threaten to stagnate our fastest growing entertainment industry. Such decisions will become increasingly necessary for any classic IP that wishes to remain relevant in our quickly shifting industry. But with two key releases in the past six months, they have. The developers know they don’t have to change what works so well. Over the decades, the game’s core competency–spin blocks, destroy lines, stay alive–has barely wavered. Jumping on the flagpole is not the “Mario ” sniping an alien headshot is not the “Halo ” completing your block house before dark is not a “Minecraft.” And yet as I drop the slender slab into its waiting valley, the word “TETRIS” flashes on screen accompanied by that tell-tale bell ring diphthong and I feel like I’m home again. That this action is called a TETRIS is a clue to the game’s self-confidence: No other game would be so boastful as to name its finest moment after itself. Even now, thirty-five years after the first time, it still feels good to drop a long block into a narrow shaft and erase four lines at once. “ Tetris” might be the perfect video game. ![]()
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