A look at six different handheld Tetris titles

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A look at six different handheld Tetris titles

Tetris is an iconic series famously created in Russia, behind the Iron Curtain, by the humble Alexey Pajitnov. The game initially had problems with distribution and publication due to the USSR’s ********** system. Nowadays, most people know the story of the game’s origins, so I won’t go in-depth on that tale. Basically, there were disputes over who could publish Tetris and on what platforms. The story was so interesting that a movie has recently been released based on the struggle for the IP rights.

The movie is simply called Tetris and stars Taron Egerton (you might know him from the Elton John biopic, Rocketman). Tetris (the game) was a big factor in the success of the original Game Boy and has sold over 520 million copies on all platforms, making it one of the highest-selling video game series of all time. However, among all those sales, there are some real dud versions. You would think Tetris is Tetris; how can they mess it up? Well, it has been messed up, and more than once. This article looks closely at a few Tetris games. It includes ones that miss the mark and ones that really get it right. So, relax, maybe have a cup of tea, and let’s explore the Tetris gameography.

The DS was the start of Nintendo’s “Blue Ocean” philosophy of expanding the market by introducing new ways to play. Tetris, although from a past generation, fit in well with Nintendo’s new philosophy, and the game went on to sell millions of copies, making it a huge success. However, is Tetris DS actually a good Tetris game? Well, for one, the game has a high score leaderboard that saves when you turn off the system, so that is a good feature for the title. The game is Nintendo-themed, with Mario, Zelda, and Metroid soundtracks (or remixes of soundtracks) playing as you play Tetris. This kind of put me off, as I don’t think that these series are really compatible with Tetris, and I’d rather have a tune like the main one we know from Tetris on the Game Boy, rather than a Mario tune.

The themes that are introduced to the player while the player is carefully thinking about where to place each block, this just really doesn’t match with the Tetris activity and it can be distracting to see an 8-bit Mario running around when you’re on level 9, trying to solve the error you made when you accidentally placed a L block in the wrong place. The game does Tetris quite well and has a wealth of gameplay options. It’s a good version of Tetris. There’s a block predictor, which the earlier games lack, and the scoring system seems similar to the old games.

Speaking of the old games, the original Tetris game on Game Boy is the one that most people, especially non-gamers, think of when you mention Tetris. Released in 1989 with the launch of the Game Boy (or 1990 if you were unlucky enough to be a *********), Tetris retained the Russian branding of the earliest versions. This branding was designed to create the image of Tetris as a foreign product from the mysterious USSR. Included in this is the soundtrack, which is a musical recreation of a Russian folksong that is itself based on a poem by Russian poet Nikolay Nekrasov. The soundtrack is synonymous with Tetris, and I still hear it in my head sometimes and don’t even remember that it’s from Tetris. That’s how catchy a tune it is.

Unfortunately, not everything is perfect about Tetris on the Game Boy. Despite the presence of leaderboards, there is no save feature in the game, which means that your score isn’t recorded between play sessions.

Not many people know, but there was a second Tetris game on the Game Boy. Simply titled Tetris 2, this game tried to mix up the formula. It changed the mechanics of the game by using different kinds of blocks and different game rules, the whole game was changed. I’ve played this game and can report that it has two modes: normal and puzzle.

The “‘”normal” mode has alterations in the gameplay as I’ve described, and to be honest, it didn’t draw my attention long enough for me to understand how it plays. What I know is that it’s different enough to not warrant being called Tetris. The puzzle mode seems to be an iteration of the normal mode with pre-set layouts. Again, it’s not really Tetris. As far as I can tell, the game doesn’t have a save feature, although there are leaderboards that display when you get a game over. Overall, Tetris 2 is a letdown if you are expecting a solid Tetris experience. It deserves credit for trying to be innovative, and I’m sure some people love the game, but in essence, it’s just not.

The Game Boy ****** was released in 1998 and extended the life of the Game Boy (and so did the phenomenon of Pokemon, which first hit at roughly the same time). With this updated Game Boy, graphics were now in ****** (but there was still no backlight). There was also a small increase in processing power. Because the Game Boy (and Game Boy Pocket) and Game Boy ****** were so similar, there are some games that were released with the GBC in mind, but can still be played on the first couple of iterations of the GB. A good example of this is Pokemon Gold and Silver, which display in full ****** on the ****** but are limited to shades of ****** and grey on the DMG GB and the GBP. 

Tetris DX is a title similar to Gold and Silver in that it plays in ****** on the GBC and is more limited in terms of ****** on the older systems. Games like this usually have a

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(as did Tetris DX). The point is that it still works on older systems, and I think the developers of the games that do this deserve credit for allowing players who maybe can’t afford every new piece of technology to be able to experience their creations. So, Tetris DX is a Tetris in full ****** on the Game Boy (******). It doesn’t mess with the formula, and its biggest asset is the leaderboard system with saves. This meant that finally, on Game Boy, people could compare their high scores to what the game saved when you turned it off. For this reason, Tetris DX is up there as one of the best retro-Tetris experiences.

Tetris Worlds is the version of the series that people in the West associate with the Game Boy Advance. To be honest, it is Tetris — it plays just like the original, has a space/multiple worlds theme, and does what it says on the tin. It’s colorful, and finally, with the release of the Game Boy Advance SP, players can play Tetris with a backlight (technically a front light, but that’s splitting hairs at the moment).

Although if you want to play Tetris in the dark, you may as well just play the original or Tetris DX, as the GBA SP is compatible with these games. However, there’s one massive problem with this release. That is, there is no leaderboard or save feature to be seen. In the 2000s, how could a publisher release a Tetris game with no leaderboard or save feature? The task of making a game in the seires is simple, yet ******** Entertainment and THQ managed to somehow mess it up. 

In my opinion, this is the best of the games on this list (closely followed by Tetris DX). This game was never officially released outside of Japan. The game has a nice style and aesthetic. It uses dark colors and has an angular, clear look in terms of menu presentation. In terms of gameplay, everything is how it should be for a Tetris game. There are multi-******** blocks with defined segments (unlike in Tetris Worlds, where the blocks aren’t segmented), a prediction mechanic for where the block will land, and a few different gameplay options (none of which mess with the formula too much).

The music is great and appropriate. It suits Tetris more than the Nintendo-themed music used in Tetris DS (in my opinion). Most importantly, the game has leaderboards and a battery save. Overall, Tetris Advance feels like a premium version of Tetris, and it’s a crying shame that it was never released in the West. 

All the games on this list have been handheld entries. That is how I have primarily experienced Tetris. Puzzle games have long been popular on handheld devices, including mobile phones. Now that smart phones largely monopolize handheld gaming, it’s the end of the era of gaming handhelds that use physical media. If you still own any Tetris cartridges, my advice would be to hold on to them. Not only for the symbolic value that they hold to you, but also because the prices of physical games are rising, and soon, they will become even rarer as fewer are being produced.

Tetris is a seminal puzzle game with interesting origins. It helped to show that handheld gaming wasn’t just for kids, but that adults could also enjoy video games. I still use devices to play Tetris when traveling, and I think I will always have Tetris with me in some way, shape, or form. Happy gaming!

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