Tetris Plus

"A Tetris game with a truly unique twist."

Being one of the first games to truly catch on when videogames were still in their infancy, Tetris has since spawned countless remakes. A lot of these remakes have been the same old dish with revamped music and graphics, while some have added an actual gimmick to their credit, Tetris Plus is one of those games.

Story (?/10)
Being a puzzle game, a story was un-needed, however the game dose contain a brief story to introduce its two protagonists, a chubby little professor seeking riches, and of-course his busty assistant to milk him for all its worth. The two venture out to various ruins to nab treasure, or grim death from the ever perusing spinning wheel of death.

Music/Graphics (6/10)
Being a port to the PS1, the graphics would have been improved from the arcade version, but for what they are they suit the game just fine. While extremely repetitive, the animations are lovable enough to enjoy, especially if you're playing with a group of friends and are looking to humiliate. The music is not exactly as addicting as other Tetris games, but it dose provide something to listen to for a while. All in all though, the graphics and music can get repetitive if it bothers you, but considering they were once just black pixels, I'll give it an average pass.

Game Play (9/10)
This is where the game shines, while in most Tetris games the goal is always to destroy rows of bricks, this game changes that. So how do you have a Tetris game where that inst the finite goal? The answer is simple, spinning wheel of death from above! In Tetris Plus you take control of the professor through how you build your Tetris onto the field. If you build a block over the professor the guy will climb up, you can also box the little guy in so he doesn't wander off, or leave an area open for him to jump into. Above is a spinning wheel of death that lowers as time passes, if the professor climbs up to the point where he meets it, the player looses. To win the area, the player must clear at least a 2 block wide hole to the bottom for the professor to jump into. What lies at the bottom? Why bling of-course!

Multiplayer (10/10)
One of the best times I've had playing games with the family was this Tetris Plus, the point of the game is still similar to the single player mode, but this time you can send over lines to your opponent bringing them closer to the wheel of death. Even more satisfying is to see your self being boxed in with no real way to get out, and looking over only to see your opponent is in even worse shape. At that point you can simply sit back and watch your opponent squirm without even trying. This is definitely a game that takes on a whole new life if you can find a group to play with.

Replay ability (10/10)
Another high score, but this one is easy to justify – the game comes with its own level editor which can be saved into a whole round and used in 2 player move or alone. This basically expands the game to infinite possibilities as long as you find enough people to keep the gaming fire going.

Final Score (9/10)
Overall one of my most favorite Tetris clones, it takes the idea in a different direction, and it's a true shame more Tetris clones don't try the same. If you find the game today, it will be extremely cheap and is well worth the money if you're a Tetris fan looking for something different. If your still not sold, youtube some game play footage and see if it interests you, but fare warning in that you'll need a group of friends to really see the joy this game brings.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/26/09

Game Release: Tetris Plus (Greatest Hits) (US, 1998)