Tetris Forever has about 15 different variants of the classic Puzzle game, but oddly enough, not all the games in the series are included. The biggest disappointment for me was the NES version is missing. I grew up playing the NES version as a kid and remember it fondly. Tetris has a serious issue with licensing which is why a lot of the well known games aren't in this collection. However, later in the year, Nintendo plan to add the NES version of Tetris to Nintendo Switch Online, which has been long overdue. We do have a Famicom version of the game in Tetris Forever, but it's got unusual controls, as it uses the D pad to move the blocks instead of the button. It does get a bit confusing.
However, I did discover some new favourite Tetris games in this collection. Some I hadn't played before. Such as Tetris Bombliss, which I discovered I was very good at, and Super Tetris 2 + Bombliss, for the Super Famicom. There are also a few very early Tetris prototypes including a replica of the very first Tetris that was originally released on the Electronika 60 (A console I had not heard of before this collection, so you learn something new every day). There is a good amount of deep cuts in this series, a lot of the games were never released outside of Japan. It also includes the highly addictive spin off Hatris and Hatris 2, where you have to match up falling hats while being guided by a Tim Allen Home-Improvement look alike.
It's just that there is so many other great Tetris games missing here. Where is the NES version ? Where is the Game Boy Colour version? There's no The New Tetris or Tetris Plus either, where is Faces....tris III? Alexey Pajitnov's fourth and final game in the "Tris" series?
There is a brand new game mode in this collection called Tetris Time Warp, where you just play an updated Tetris map that occasionally goes back in time to several limited different versions of Tetris modes. Although it's somewhat fun, the changes aren't consistent enough, and sometimes you are on the regular Tetris map for quite some time until it changes, and when it changes it's only for about 10 - 20 seconds and then it takes you back to the original map on Tetris Time Warp. These changes are fun for about 10 seconds, until you realize they are just going through the games that are already included in this compilation anyway.
Tetris Forever also includes brand new documentary footage about the history of the famous game. It's a nice addition although I would have preferred it on DVD or something. The 90 minute film is split up in separate parts to fill in content. It's a nice bonus addition to this collection, but doesn't make up for the missing titles. However, the ones that are included in Forever sure are interesting.
Tetris Forever isn't the perfect way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the series, but it is nice to have a bunch of these games in 1 collection. Even though it's oddly incomplete, there will be some that players would have never encountered before. It's an interesting history that's aimed at more casual players of the game.
Complete list of Tetris games included:
1. Tetris (Electronika 60 1984)
2. Tetris (48K Version, Spectrum Holobyte 1988 Apple II)
3. Tetris (1988 Famicom)
4. Hatris (1990 Famicom)
5. Tetris 2 Bombliss (1990 Famicom)
6. Hatris (1992 NES)
7. Hatris (1991 Game Boy)
8. Super Bombliss (1995 Game Boy)
9. Super Bombliss DX (1998 Game Boy)
10. Super Tetris 2 + Bombliss (1992 Super Famicom)
11. Tetris Battle Gaiden (1993 Super Famicom)
12. Super Tetris 2 + Bombliss Genteiban (1993 Super Famicom)
13. Super Tetris 3 (1994 Super Famicom)
14. Super Bombliss (1995 Super Famicom)
15. Tetris Time Warp (2024 New Game)
Pros:
- A bunch of Tetris games all in 1
- The new Documentary footage adds nice detailed history
- Discover rare versions of the game some that weren't released outside of Japan until now
Cons:
- Questionable control choices on some early emulated versions
- Although Tetris Time Warp is new, the changes are not consistent enough to be exciting
- A lot of Tetris games are missing from this collection which has too many similar variants
Final Score: 5/10
Tetris Forever is out now on Switch, Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X.
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