I just realized that I reviewed these Tetris games in reverse order. Tetrisphere was released on the N64 in 1997. Much like The New Tetris, Nintendo published this game, which is an interesting twist. It is an exclusive game for the console and wasn’t released in Japan.
There is a little more to this game than meets the eye. It was originally titled Phear, and was intended to be released on the Atari Jaguar. There are quite a few games that were planned for that system, but had to turn elsewhere. I’m sure that I’ll find more as I keep looking into these older games.
I have played this game before, but I don’t remember much. What I do know is that I didn’t play it for long, and I wasn’t sure what I needed to do. It looks like a fun game, and I do like the idea of it.
Tetrisphere isn’t the first game to feel like the Tetris name was slapped onto an unrelated game. Sometimes this is the death knell for an otherwise decent puzzle game. Since I don’t remember much, I’ll be happy if this is just a fun game.
TLDR: A cool idea that isn’t as good as other Tetris games.
Narrative
Tetrisphere doesn’t have a story in it. With how long this game was in development, I think they could’ve come up with something. I found the story of this game’s development to be way more interesting than the game itself.
Not every puzzle game needs to have a story. Several of them are all about the gameplay, like Tetris. With a game like this, having something that adds a little adventure to the game can elevate it. Similar to how a story can make some arcade games better than they are.
Gameplay
This doesn’t play like a regular game of Tetris. It helps Tetrisphere stand out, but also makes it a little harder to jump right in. The controls are a little confusing at first, and I don’t like that there are only a few game modes.
Just like other versions of Tetris, your goal is to create combos and remove lines from the playfield. What is different here, aside from it being a sphere, is that there are already pieces on the playfield. What you really want is to set up several combos as you break down the sphere.
By getting bigger combos, you unlock “magic” rewards that help you break down the sphere. Here is a list of them:
- Firecracker – Removes a small section
- Dynamite – Removes several sections
- Magnet – Pulls several pieces off the sphere.
- Atom – Removes the top layer of the sphere
- Bomb – Explodes twice. It acts like two firecrackers.
- Raygun – Similar to the Magnet, but is more effective.
To go along with the “magic” and the regular dropping pieces, you can grab and move sections to set up more combos. This is where the game gives you some visual cues to let you know when you can move things. It is a nice idea.
Tetrisphere has a few gimmicks. These are goals for the player to achieve while breaking down the sphere. Here are the game modes:
- Rescue – You have to save a robot from the center of the sphere
- Hide and Seek
- Puzzle
- Vs Mode
- Time-Trial
While this all sounds good, in reality you’re going to be doing the same thing. I’m glad all this is here, but they are just different versions of the same thing. You’re still breaking down the sphere and fighting with the controls.
Tetrisphere sounds like a good idea. I applaud the developers for trying something different; I just don’t think this game is for me. I wasn’t a fan of the controls, and, at the end of the day, this isn’t the Tetris game I want to play.
Visuals
Tetrisphere is a 3D puzzle game where you rotate a sphere. The graphics probably looked good back in 1997, but I don’t find them all that great. This is a bright and colorful game at times, but it also has the same muddy filter that I’ve seen in other N64 games.
The animations on the sphere and the “magic” items look pretty good for the time. It is easy to see the shapes, and the game does have some visual cues for you to follow. There isn’t all that much going on with this game from a visual standpoint.
It does have some muted colors. A lot of this has to do with the N64 itself, and it isn’t like everything in the game is like this. The graphics aren’t the biggest issue with this game.
I do like the colors. This is something that I’ve always liked in the Tetris games. Each shape has a color, and they look good on the sphere. What I keep coming back to in my mind is that this really didn’t need to be on a sphere to be a good game.
Tetris works better in 2D as far as I’m concerned. I get why they tried this, and I’m glad that they abandoned it in favor of how most of the games in the series look. The 3D looks okay for the time, it just doesn’t result in something I want to look at.
Reviews for Tetrisphere at the Time
Tetrisphere received great reviews when it was released. The scores were between 6 and 9.5/10. This was pretty surprising at first, but this was still early in the N64’s lifecycle, which means there wasn’t a ton of competition.
Game Informer had four people review the game, and they gave it a 7.5/10. From reading this, it sounds like they didn’t like the game that much. They use words like “boring” to describe the gameplay, but praise the graphics.
GameSpot gave the game a 9.5/10. Sometimes a review paints a picture of how a game came to be. They do that here by explaining that Nintendo stole the game away from Atari. If you just read this review, you would think that Tetrisphere was the second coming. Needless to say, the reviewer loved everything about it.
IGN gave the game an 8/10. I’m a little confused as to when this review came out because it sounds like a retrospective in the introduction. The reviewer liked the gameplay and the graphics. It’s a confusing review, and I think it is targeted at a very specific audience of puzzle game fans.
Nintendo Power gave the game a 7.8/10. If I’m reading this right, they had ten people review this game, which says more about how few N64 games there were for them to look at. They criticized the game’s complexity and praised the graphics.
Tetrisphere definitely benefited from some early obsession with 3D graphics. Even if a reviewer didn’t like the gameplay or found it too difficult, they liked the graphics. At times, it felt like the reviewers wanted to trash this game, but didn’t have much to compare it to because of a lack of puzzle games on the N64.
6/10. I might be a little low with this game’s score. Tetrisphere might’ve been good back in 1997, but it isn’t the puzzle game I would want to revisit. There are some cool features in this game, but they don’t result in anything I want to play. I would rather play Magical Tetris Challenge, or go back to play Tetris Attack or Kirby’s Avalanche.
Pros
- Graphics are good
- Interesting reward system
Cons
- No story mode
- Just two game modes
- A little confusing at first
- Boring at times
Conclusion
I wasn’t impressed with this game when I came back to play it. Tetrisphere is terrible, but it isn’t all that good either. Even with everything the developers tried to do with the game, it still feels too complex for its own good.
When I think of the puzzle games I enjoy, I think about Tetris Attack, Kirby’s Avalanche, and Wario’s Woods. Those games all have something that Tetrisphere is missing. Those games have a narrative to them that makes them feel fun. This felt like a generic 3D puzzle game that had Tetris slapped onto it.
Going back to read the reviews for any game made between 1996 and 2000 is a wild experience. The reviewers get really hung up on graphics and how games needed to be 3D. It feels weird to me that gameplay took a back seat to graphics when it comes to a few publications.
Tetrisphere isn’t a game that I’m planning on ever playing again. It is notable for being one of the first puzzle games on the N64, and for having an interesting origin story, but that is about it. I would rather play Magical Tetris Challenge again instead of dealing with this game.
If you liked this post, check out some of my other posts about Tetris games. Such as The New Tetris or Magical Tetris Challenge.