Tetris: An Immortal Masterpiece

If there’s one title that deserves special reverence in the video games industry, it’s Tetris. For over 30 years, Tetris has remained a household name, solidifying its status as an iconic symbol. Moreover, the relevance of Tetris can perhaps be better understood, by examining its worldwide popularity.

 

Available on almost every platform and system on the market, Tetris maintains mass-appeal despite the bare-bones simplicity of its mechanics. At its core, Tetris is block-based brilliance. A perplexing puzzler which, sees the player match geometric shapes, and align them accordingly.

 

Admittedly, nostalgia may play a part in the Tetris fame and facade. By that I mean, it doesn’t have showstopping graphics, deep RPG mechanics or even cinematic cutscenes. Conversely, its strengths lie in the solidity and balance of gameplay. Growing up, Tetris stole many years of my childhood, and I wouldn’t want them back for all the money in the world. On that note, I consider it time well spent, in every sense.

 

Tetris is the brainchild of Alexey Pajitnov, a Soviet game designer. Moreover, the first finished version came to fruition in 1984, on June 6.  The Greek prefix: Tetra inspires the name Tetris. Hence, each piece in the game possesses four segments. Additionally, Pajitnov had a penchant for tennis, and so the name was born.

 

As you rotate the blocks, and slot pieces together while tetrominoes rain down from a vertical shaft, a sense of satisfaction kicks in as you clear lines and progress to the next stage. Finally, the game elevates the difficulty, dropping Tetrominoes at an accelerated rate, forcing the player to work speedily and with pinpoint precision. There’s no space for error at this stage. All in all, Tetris will be known for its accessibility, to both casual gamers and experienced pros.

 

Tetris may appear outdated by today’s standards, but it continues to sell across the globe. Many games have come and gone. Some of them, with more complex systems and mechanics. Perhaps even better graphics on top. Though that may be true, the beauty of Tetris lies in its simplicity, its ease of use and the perfect equilibrium of challenge and reward that keeps the game as relevant today, as it was when it graced the scene, a lifetime ago.

Is Tetris one of the greatest games of all time? We want to hear of your fondest Tetris triumphs. Perhaps, you are playing this classic today and want to share your experiences? Let us know. As always, we value your views, so please do get in touch.

 

If you have got a burning desire to seek out more classics, why not check out our exclusive retro chamber, for your fix of nostalgia. Dont forget those rose tinted glasses!