Tetris DX (Video Game Review)

Video Game Review
Tetris DX
Game Boy Color
1998
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo

Tetris is probably the most famous electronic puzzle game in the world. The pride of Soviet Russia, Tetris has swept the world by storm. Even though The Tetris Company has strict guidelines as to what can be done in any iteration of a Tetris game, hardcore Tetris fanatics have argued that the newer games make things easier which dilutes the game. Back before you could hold items and other gimmicks, you had basic Tetris which allowed only for the player to view the next block and that’s about it. The Game Boy made its name because Nintendo was smart enough to give a version of Tetris away with the system as a pack-in title. Years after the initial release, Nintendo re-released Tetris for the Game Boy Color. Nintendo’s Tetris DX’s refinements were small in number but big in importance. This is the best version of Tetris outside of an actual arcade cabinet.

The idea to Tetris is simple. Blocks of multiple shapes drop from the top of the screen and the player has to fit the blocks along the bottom of the screen so that they fill up an entire line without any gaps. Block distribution is random and it’s up to the player to make the blocks fit. Points are scored by making lines. Multiple lines in one shot nets more points. In this version as well, you get points for forcing the block to fall manually rather than letting gravity take its course. After making ten lines, the level increases which causes the speed of the falling blocks to increase.

The game has three modes: free play or Marathon which is basically you keep playing until you go bust, Ultra Mode which is where you try to see how high you can get your score within a three minute time limit, and 40 Lines which is where you have to see how fast you can clear 40 lines. Ultra and 40 Lines are fun, but the only mode that anyone will care about is Marathon. In Marathon, you can select the starting level if you find the starting level too slow and easy. The higher the level, the faster the speed of the falling blocks. It’s simple at the beginning but once even once the levels go into double digits, it will take split second thinking to place the blocks correctly.

Tetris DX offers some things that improved things from the previous version. Colour is the most visually noticeable. While it may not seem like a big thing now, colour was a very welcome addition. The colour set and the detailing of the blocks are better than some versions that are released today; surprising because of the hardware limitations of the Game Boy Color compared to today’s systems. The contrast is perfect so there is no blending between blocks and the background. Another amazing feature is the battery backup feature that allows for high score keeping. Unfortunately the game was created before the Internet was in every video game system and refrigerators but it’s still satisfying to beat personal scores that have stood for weeks and months.

This is the best version of Tetris released outside of the arcade. It plays well and looks good. Tetris isn’t about graphics. It’s about functionality. Tetris DX does everything right and it’s portable. Nothing kills time better than Tetris. The only problem is that it’s too easy to get caught up in the game.

☆☆☆☆☆