Tetris Forever (Switch) Review

Everyone has their own Tetris story, whether it’s from playing one of the original versions on a computer, the Game Boy game, or something more modern like Tetris DS, or even something offbeat like Tetrisphere. The first Tetris game you play usually sticks with you, becoming something you can slip back into any time and enjoy, no matter what else is going on.

My Tetris story involves the Game Boy game, but not on my own Game Boy. I didn’t have an original Game Boy, but my cousins did — and like most kids at the time, AA batteries were a hot commodity. So, when I visited my cousins and played their Game Boy, I squeezed in as much Tetris as I could before the batteries cacked it. 

My Tetris story, however, pales in comparison to the story of Tetris itself. Tetris Forever, aside from being a fun way to play through the history of Tetris, also tells the story of how the game came to be: how Alexey Pajitnov created the game, how it was shared, and how it eventually broke out of the Soviet Union to become the worldwide phenomenon it was—and still is. The documentary features original interviews with both Pajitnov and Henk Rogers, recounting their story from the building block toys that inspired Pajitnov to create the game, to Henk’s involvement in bringing it to the world. There’s also footage recorded in Russia by Rogers during his quest to secure the rights to the game for the rest of the world.

You can play through the documentary in Digital Eclipse’s Gold Master style, where the video footage is interspersed with photos and anecdotes, following a timeline from the original game all the way to where Tetris is now. Along the way, you can play various versions of Tetris or jump straight into the games if you prefer. The only disappointing aspect, considering the access they’ve had to the creators, is the lack of behind-the-scenes documentation and more programming-related information. Perhaps this is due to the age of the events, as those details either don’t exist or were never documented.

The games, or recreations of games, are the real stars of the package. The original Electronika 60 version of the game is recreated and can be played in either Russian or English. There are options for that game, as well as all the other games in the package, allowing you to adjust their presentation to suit your preferences. Given my age, I haven’t played many of these versions of Tetris before, so I may not feel the same nostalgia for certain pre-90s versions of the game, but they are included nonetheless. Unfortunately, the collection of Tetris games only extends to the 90s, with Bombliss making up the numbers. Any licensed Tetris games or those made by Nintendo are omitted and almost glossed over—though the Pokémon Mini version of Tetris does get a mention.

Despite the omission of any official Nintendo version of Tetris, there is a legally distinct version included in the package, hidden within the only new title, Tetris Time Warp. This new game can be played solo or with up to three other people. You start with a modern version of Tetris, and every ten lines a retro block appears. Clear it, and you’ll warp back in time—along with your co-players—to face a challenge from that time period before returning to the present. You might be sent back to the original Electronika 60 game, Bombliss, or “1989”.

The great thing is that if you don’t want to play Tetris Time Warp and prefer to play Tetris 1989—which looks and sounds like Nintendo’s version of Tetris, but for legal reasons isn’t—you can choose it directly from the menu. Digital Eclipse knew people would be looking for that game, so they included it as a separate mode.

Tetris Forever tells the story of the game’s creation through the 80s and 90s with in-depth and engaging interviews with Alexey Pajitnov and Henk Rogers. It’s heartening to see that their friendship has endured since those early days. The emulation and recreation of these classic Tetris games are spot on, with plenty of options available. However, the selection of games isn’t very diverse and stops before things got weird with Tetris. Without Time Warp included, the game selection would feel a bit average. Don’t think of Tetris Forever as a place to get a fresh Tetris fix, but rather as a walk-through time, and you’ll do alright. 

Rating: 4/5