Tetris DX

"Tetris, the RPG."

Saying that Tetris is a phenomenal game may well be a grotesque understatement. I can’t name any game that I’ve played so much for as long as I have Tetris, in its many iterations from the NES to the present: to Tetris DX. Tetris DX is an excellent follow-up to the NES and GB games, which defined Tetris for me as a child. It’s still Tetris™, the game of blocks; there’s not much to see here if the game hasn’t already won your affection. But it does offer something new to the table, something very important, something that many may think is stupidly obvious and a long time in coming… Tetris DX saves your scores via battery pack! Excellent, Nintendo, you’ve finally earned my respect.

If you’ve played the latest batches of Tetris games, you may be aware that multiplayer matches are one of their primary draws. Tetris DX is not about slapping garbage blocks on your poor casual gaming friends; it’s primarily a one-man show. It has versus modes via the link-up cable, that you may have forgotten about since Pokémon, but not many will experience that, unless planets align in your favor, meaning you know someone who has both a Game Boy Color and Tetris DX. I’ll break it down for you real simple like: Tetris DX is about the marathon mode.

The “marathon mode” is truly that, as it can last for hours and hours if you and the batteries don’t keel over (that’s a ''joke,'' the battery life is exceptional). This is in contrast with the original Nintendo versions that increased in speed in larger doses and got harder and harder with each level, or 10 lines, invariably forcing you out. These games also had a more sluggish block speed, which Tetris DX thankfully doesn’t have. In Tetris DX, it is very possible to get to level 30, where the game plateaus, and stay there for hundreds of additional lines. Since the speed inclines are much less steep, acclimating yourself is much less of a challenge. If you have any degree of skill with the game of Tetris, this just may turn you off of the game. As an experienced Tetris player myself, I don’t have a problem with it.

Maintaining your position after the wall is reached is what marathon is all about, and don’t let anyone fool you, unless you’re an absolute Tetris wizard it’s no easy task. Obviously, this can take the whole of many hours, marathon gaming sessions, but they don’t have to be because the score isn’t the only thing the game saves for you. If you turn the power off amidst a game, it picks up right where you left off like an auto-bookmarker, so don’t fret about losing a good game to time constraints. Theoretically, you could carry on the same game for days, thirty minutes here and there, tackling the marathon mode whenever you need to pass the time. The battery pack is also used for neat little features like tracking total lines and percentages of each type of line (single, double, triple and the ultimate: Tetris).

In addition to marathon, there are always the shorter modes for quickies: Ultra, 40 Lines and a versus mode (computer or friend via link-up). These modes last a few short minutes apiece, generally getting the most points and lines in limited amounts of time, often dealing with obstacles like height. They are good if you yearn for something shorter than marathon, but marathon is the main course for me and what I automatically turn to with the power switched on.

Tetris DX could've been perfect, had it been closed out with Nintendo finish like seen in the original NES Tetris, but this is where it hits a minor impediment. The original had glowing, fluorescent colored blocks and a subdued gray and black boundary/background, which balanced it all out. This one goes for a more colorful approach overall, with a sliding green brick border and spaced out alterations of background color depending on line level. And the blocks don’t change with the levels, which in addition to the less eye-popping choice in colors (a good thing), was also a disappointment.

Similarly, I was expecting Nintendo’s previous Tetris tracks to accompany this game, but I got some forgettable 8-bit scores that won’t do anything but weasel in your brain until you it becomes a definite distraction. And in a game where concentration is important, you’ll not want the constant background music disturbing you like a pestering sibling. The bashing of the blocks isn’t any more soothing, that which would promote enjoyable playing sessions, so I switch the sound completely off and play in silence. I have no qualms with playing Tetris without an orchestra trumpeting behind me, but the lack of the classics is still a flaw within this game.

Finally, it must be said that I was let down with the presentation, or lack thereof. While overall a solid looking game, there are no Nintendo characters, like in ''B mode'' of the original, and no hard to get celebratory animations to strive for (who can forget the city launching off in the original?). The many animations in the original are replaced by a mere few, uninteresting and underwhelming. I could look past the music and the graphics that weren't carbon copies of the original, but this is something that's hard to forgive; I want my gaggle of geese, I want my Russian city flying into space! They get pity points for sticking with the launch pad setup, but they could’ve and should’ve done more to reward the player for getting higher scores.

All hyper analysis aside, the fact remains: this game has a saving feature. Sometimes you've just got to make sacrifices, and if geese have to go in favor of a battery back-up: so be it. This game is about quick thought and reflex, not low-tech animations of the Statue of Liberty blasting into space. With the dead-on controls and perfect execution of the tried and true Tetris formula, let it be said again that keeping scores adds life to this game like you wouldn’t believe. I had to write down my scores in the NES days, which made it a chore, but now I just pick up the GBC, switch the power on and have at it. I’ve found myself picking it up consistently for the few years I’ve now owned it. Bottom line: This is what the Game Boy was made for.

Current high score: 2,847,309.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/13/02, Updated 02/13/02