Tetris Forever attempts to capture the legacy of one of the most iconic games ever created. As a long-time Tetris enthusiast—hooked since watching Ecstasy of Order: The Tetris Masters back in 2013—I approached this game with both excitement and curiosity. While it delivers in some areas, the game also misses a few key opportunities to fully encompass the game’s impact on players and its broader cultural significance.
Experience: A Thoughtful Touch of Nostalgia
As someone who sometimes spends too much time trying to recreate the authentic experience of the games I play—down to using period-accurate stools for my arcade cabinet—I appreciated the care taken in Tetris Forever. The featured games aren’t simply scaled up with black borders; instead, they’re framed with monitor bezels and filters that evoke the feel of playing on vintage hardware. These thoughtful design choices enhance the nostalgia and immersion. Of course, you can disable these features if you don't want them.
What's missing: A player-centric perspective
One of the most captivating aspects of Ecstasy of Order was its focus on the players. While ostensibly about the inaugural Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC), the documentary became a heartfelt exploration of the community, their stories, and their passion for the game. Unfortunately, Tetris Forever shifts this focus to the creators, licensors, and publishers. While these are undoubtedly important figures in the Tetris story, the absence of the players’ narratives leaves the game feeling incomplete.
Every game tells a story, and that story isn’t whole without the relationship between the game and its players. A few fleeting moments in the game nod to this dynamic, but they are the exception rather than the rule.
A jumbled timeline
One notable flaw is the occasional lack of chronological flow. The timeline occasionally jumps forward or backward in time, which can be disorienting. While this only happens a few times, it disrupts the otherwise cohesive narrative.
The games: A narrow view
With a title like Tetris Forever, you might expect a curated, comprehensive selection of Tetris games that showcase the franchise's evolution. Instead, likely due to licensing constraints, the game primarily focuses on early titles from a handful of publishers. While these games are essential to Tetris history, the broader legacy feels underrepresented.
For example, while the game touches on Alexey Pajitnov’s creations beyond Tetris, this exploration feels superficial. There’s little depth about the period between him relinquishing the Tetris license and founding The Tetris Company. Games like El-Fish—while perhaps not vital to include—adds to the story of Alexey's game design journey. Instead, Alexey’s role often feels like an afterthought.
The omission of later titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s is another glaring oversight. The New Tetris introduced pivotal mechanics like the “hold” function and the “bag” system, which are instead credited to Tetris Worlds. Shockwave Tetris gets a mention as the first free Tetris game, but the game overlooks Tetris Jr. (a shareware Windows app designed to resemble a keychain game which is talked about by Henk), which holds that title.
While it’s fun to dive into the included repeated games, such as all the Bombliss and Hatris versions, the selection feels unbalanced. The absence of key milestones diminishes the narrative’s depth.
Community: The heart of Tetris
Tetris is more than just a game; it’s a global phenomenon with a rich community. The game briefly touches on pivotal moments, such as the early competitions run by BPS, the Nintendo World Championships (NWC), and Classic Tetris World Championships (CTWC). It also mentions Blue Scuti, who made international news in early 2024.
However, it overlooks significant milestones like Tetris DS, the first game to enable players worldwide to compete online via Wi-Fi. This was a landmark moment in the evolution of multiplayer Tetris, yet it’s left unacknowledged.
The first few chapters do a good job of keeping a focused narrative, but I think the last chapter could've included many of these kinds of milestones (like Tetris DS or CTWC) instead of how many games they ended up selling. We already know that, it was a lot.
Tetris Time Warp: Fun but limited
Tetris Time Warp is a novel addition, allowing players to experience a mix of old and new in one game. However, the challenges quickly grow repetitive, limiting their long-term appeal. For example, warping back to the early eras always prompts you with the same challenges, which can get boring after a while. It's still fun and worth playing. I'm excited to try some couch multiplayer next time I have a chance.
The end of Forever
Despite its flaws, Tetris Forever is an enjoyable experience for both newcomers and seasoned fans. While it misses some key opportunities to delve deeper into the player community and broader history, it provides an engaging look at the game's origins and cultural impact. For anyone interested in Tetris—whether as a casual player or a devoted aficionado—this game is worth playing.
More
I've written my own Tetris timeline that you can read here. It's a different experience, but I tend to keep it updated.
Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol.28 Tetris Collection is another collection of Tetris games, focusing on the early ones published by Sega. It has media you can browse like old flyers and ads, and allows you to play on a CRT at 240p. Included is a new game called Tetris New Century, which, like Time Warp, mixes old and new.