Tetris has one of the more interesting stories behind it. The development of the game is much better than the game itself. Once the game’s creator got the rights to the series back, they started making more games. There were several exclusives, and we’re going to be looking at one of them here.
The New Tetris was released on the N64 in 1999. It does have a few game modes and has a four player mode. There is a lot more than what is offered in the first two games in the series. None of these games are really connected, aside from being named Tetris.
I’m not really hoping for a forgotten classic or hidden gem. The New Tetris doesn’t really fall into either category. It is just a simple puzzle game that can be fun. Stuff like this can be a nice change of pace from the games that you’re normally drawn to.
TLDR: The New Tetris is a solid entry in the series.
Narrative
There is no story in this game. Most of the Tetris games, unless there is a crossover with another franchise, don’t have stories. They’re simple puzzle games. A few have a gimmick, but that isn’t really the case here with The New Tetris. I was expecting to see something in the manual, but there wasn’t anything there (Link).
Gameplay
The New Tetris is much better as a multiplayer game. It has a bunch of game modes, and the gameplay is solid. At the end of the day, it is just the first game in the series. I don’t have a big problem with this because it is a Tetris game.
There are a few game modes. Here is a list:
- Marathon
- Sprint
- Ultra
- Multiplayer
- Wonders
I like that the developer tried to add some things to this game to add value. It is much better than the first few games in the series, which didn’t have much to them. Having different ways to play the game makes this much better than just a simple game.
The controls are very good. There isn’t too much to it, but everything works well. Most of what you’re doing is playing Tetris. You can rotate the pieces and can see which ones are coming up next. The difficulty does ramp up over time.
The New Tetris has good gameplay. Sure, if you’ve played the first game, then you’ll already know what to do. The controls are good, and I like how the game slowly gets harder as the game goes on. I liked the first game, and many of the puzzle games based on it.
Visuals
There isn’t too much to go over here. The New Tetris looks good for what it is. It isn’t all that flashy, and it doesn’t have to be.
Things are pretty easy to see, and you can think ahead to what you want to do. The blocks all look different, and you can see how they rotate to fit in place. Things can get a little crazy as the game goes on, but that has more to do with the gameplay.
This isn’t as bright and colorful as the NES games, or some of the other puzzle games made in the early and mid 1990s. The New Tetris has the same muddy look that many other N64 games have. There is nothing wrong with this, as the game still looks good.
Overall, the game looks good. It isn’t really impressive, but it doesn’t have to be. The New Tetris has solid graphics that probably looked better in 1999 than it does today.
The New Tetris Reviews at the Time
The New Tetris received positive reviews at the time. Most of them were between a 7 and a 9/10. I looked at three publications for this.
Game Informer gave this game a 7/10. This isn’t a very useful review. It is a short paragraph, and the reviewer doesn’t really go into much detail about anything.
GameSpot gave the game a 7.9/10. The reviewer called this a “great version of Tetris.” They went on to praise the multiplayer options in this game. That is what they point to as being the only reason to pick this up.
IGN gave the game an 8.8/10. The reviewer praises the multiplayer and calls it the reason that The New Tetris is “so fun and exciting.” They bring up that this is better than importing Tetris 64, which I’m not too sure how many people knew about back in 1999.
I feel like the reviewers were spot on with this game. The New Tetris is a solid game, but it is a rehash of the same thing you’ve played before. It’s Tetris, but you have the option to play with more than one person.
7.5/10. The New Tetris is what it is. The controls are good, the graphics are decent, and it would’ve been a fun puzzle game back in the day. It’s probably more fun with a group of people. There are other puzzle games that I would rather play.
Pros
- Good Controls
- Decent Graphics
- Fun Gameplay
Cons
- Not as much fun in single player
- No Story mode
Conclusion
When I think about the puzzle games I want to revisit, this one doesn’t come to mind. There is nothing wrong with The New Tetris; it just doesn’t have much going for it. This game wouldn’t have pulled me away from any other game.
Now that I’ve played this, I would rather play Dr. Mario 64. While this is the more challenging puzzle game, I enjoy what Dr Mario 64 brings to the table. If there were a story to this, then it would be much more fun. It is probably a solid party game.
There are a few more Tetris games on the N64 and other consoles. You can also find a few knock offs which jammed part of the word Tetris into their title. Games like Watrix and Hatris come to mind. At some point, I’ll get to those.
The N64 has a fairly small library of games, and I haven’t really played too many of them. I figured that I should start with some of the easier ones. Eventually, I’ll get to some of the better known games.
If you liked this post, check out some of my others. Such as Dr. Mario 64 or Dr. Mario.