GN Expansion Pak: Is Tetris gaming’s greatest achievement?

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Tetris was created and released by Alexey Pajitnov back in 1985. The title would slowly, but surely make its way around the world, with the North American release coming in 1988. With each subsequent release the title would grow in popularity, but there’s no doubt it was the iconic duo of the NES and Game Boy versions of Tetris that truly propelled the puzzle game to new heights. Ever since the success of those versions, Tetris has been climbing higher and higher into the stratosphere.

Tetris is one of the very few games that you can say to just about anyone and they’ll know what you’re talking about. Non-gamers may know the names Mario or Pokemon, but could they tell you what those titles are about? Could they instinctively pick up and play one of those games? The jury’s out on that to some degree, but Tetris is a completely different story. It’s legitimately hard to find someone who not only doesn’t know what Tetris is, but hasn’t played it in some form. Tetris is also self-explanatory, as pretty much everyone can figure out what the goal is after spending 5 minutes with the game.

Following that initial release in 1985, Tetris has been a mainstay in the game industry. It’s honestly hard to find a gaming platform that doesn’t have some form of Tetris on it, be it a mainline entry or a spin-off. Hell, Tetris holds the Guiness World Record for the most ported game! That accolade is only possible due to Tetris being a creation that has captured the attention of millions of players, and it’s never let go.

The beauty of Tetris lies in two key areas: simplicity and satisfaction. To be perfectly blunt, playing a standard game of Tetris is stupid easy. All players have to do is create a solid line by rotating Tetrominoes into the playing field. Make a line all the way across the field, watch it clear and do it all over again. You see the entire gameplay loop of Tetris in all of 30 seconds, but there’s real magic in that simplistic approach. The desire to slot the randomly-dropping Tetrominoes into a perfect space is nearly insatiable, and the great feeling that comes from clearing a line is practically palpable. Simplicity and satisfaction is a dangerous combination that Tetris has absolutely perfected.

There’s also a lot to be said for the allure of Tetris. More so than any other game, it can fit into any role you need. Looking for a game to give you a high score fix? Tetris can do that. Need something to just zone out with? Tetris is the perfect choice. Feeling absolutely stressed out and need to relax? Tetris fits the bill perfectly. Plenty of games can be the answer to a number of feelings and problems in life, but Tetris is the master key for all of them. There’s very little a few rounds of Tetris can’t cure.

The fact that Tetris exists and offers all it does is staggering. Countless developers have attempted to create puzzle titles that keep people coming back, and to varying degrees of success. Games like Candy Crush and Wordle are undoubtedly incredible achievements for gaming and are enjoyed by millions around the world, but they still haven’t reached the level of recognition or tenure that Tetris has. Will people still be doing their daily Wordle puzzles 5 or 10 years from now? Will Candy Crush players continue matching sweets for decades to come? Some will certainly stick around, but it’s unbelievably hard to imagine them ever matching what Tetris has pulled off.

We’re at a place in gaming where a new piece of hardware just doesn’t feel right without some form of Tetris. Be it Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S or what have you, people will inevitably clamor for some version of Tetris to release. Need more proof that people will never, ever get enough of Tetris? There are literally 7 different Tetris titles on the Switch right now, and an 8th is on the way in a week’s time! The only reason there are so many different versions of Tetris on modern platforms is because people keep coming back and asking for more.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about Tetris is how the core gameplay is pretty much the same today as it was in the first version. Yes, there have been plenty of spin-offs that add new mechanics alongside a handful of quality-of-life additions over the years, but what you did in 1985 Tetris you’re still doing in 2024. Grab Tetrominoes, spin them around, slot them into a playing field and clear them out. The fact that this straightforward gameplay mechanic is still fueling the latest entries in the franchise 40 years later goes to show how truly special Tetris was from the start.

Tetris is undeniably one of a kind. Gaming has produced plenty of big-name characters, long-running franchises, multi-million selling entries and all that, but none of them have remained as pure and simple as Tetris. The ease of which it is understood, the downright addictive nature of its gameplay, the multitude of feelings it can elicit…its existence is practically impossible. That’s probably why we haven’t seen anything else quite like Tetris to this day, and the chances are extremely slim that we ever will.

Count yourself immeasurably lucky that you exist in a timeline alongside Tetris. I know I do.