PICO-8 Tetris Games Compilation Screenshot.
Since my initial post about PICO-8, I wanted to come back to it in some form. Thankfully, I already had a topic in mind that's the most experience I had with the games for this fantasy console. Even though there're a lot of many great and truly spectacular titles made for it that some would deem impossible to pull off within console's technical limitations. Despite all of this, the only type of game I revisit on somewhat regular basis is Tetris.
Of all the games that were created for PICO-8, I focus my attention primarily on classic Soviet puzzle game... or rather games like it, to be more accurate. All thanks to good old simplicity of its gameplay and the ability to grab your attention for at least 10 minutes. Just quickly open the page to play one session until you hit your "dead end" in order to refresh your head. I often get distracted by two titles in particular for a little break.
Tera: Mind Over Matter.
If you're looking for simple & straightforward Tetris-like game, Tera: Mind Over Matter is probably the best choice that's out there by far. Although there're a few other titles that play around with the concept in various ways, they didn't really interest me as much as standard experience. Not that those aren't great: I'm sure that Pullfrog would be great to look into at some point. It's just that I'm all-in for more traditional gameplay at the moment.
All of a few titles I did try out, Tera shared the first place with another game due to how solid and complete it feels in comparison to other similar titles. As those feel more like a prototype or miss a thing or two, Tera is the one title that feels different. From the visuals to nice music and controls, everything just feels solid and polished. My only real "complaint" about this game is the lack of alternative modes with one specific example, which I would talk more about with my other favorite...
Pico Tetris.
Don't let a basic name fool you as Pico Tetris is one of the more content-full titles in this genre out there. Perhaps its not as visually rich as Tera, but this title makes up for it by offering more game modes for players to choose from. While I usually revisit Tera for true classic Tetris-like experience, I grew to admire Pico Tetris' "Garbage" mode where you have to clear the screen full of various blocks. This one just seemed more creative than "it's faster" or "we add one line randomly throughout the game".
There's one issue that doesn't let me to lower Tera to the second place. Sadly, it's just kind of buggy as you technically can't finish the game in modes that allow it. Both "Marathon" and "Garbage" just crash with a specific error once you reach its ending conditions. Perhaps this is an intended experience, but surely this happens even if you launch the game separately and not through Pico Arcade, which is what I usually do. If not for this, Pico Tetris would defiinitely be the Tetris game on PICO-8 for me. I mean, that's its name.
Honorable Mentions.
I don't want this "article" end up being too short, so I think its best if I highlight a few more similar titles in order to showcase how much creators tried their hands at this formula. I've already mentioned Pullfrog, and I definitely should spend more time on it. Basically it's pretty much your typical Tetris-like experience, but more limited control over blocks as you can move them only by pulling them with frog's tongue. He also should be careful around these falling cactus blocks, where platformer elements comes in as you would need to move over and jump on dried blocks.
Another unique take is presented in sirTet. As game's name suggested, it's an inversed version of Tetris: you need to clear screen by using familiar blocks. This one was even more confusing to me at first, but its an interesting concept for sure. I mean, its kind of similar to previously mentioned "Garbage" mode from Pico Tetris, so that could be why I still manage to appreciate it even if so far I had a somewhat hard time with it.
However, there's another Tetris clone I would like to mention. Before sticking primarily to Tera & Pico Tetris, I dedicated some of my free time to Tetyis. That's actually another more complete iteration of Tetris, but at the end it didn't stuck with me as much as the other two. However it does have a fine remix of that classic theme instead and I'm sure that would be a deal breaker for many players out there.
That's where I would've ended it, but I've actually managed to find another game that has all the chances to become my new favorite. Cotris' is presented as the local multiplayer version of Tetris with the support for up to 4 players (if you have gamepads for them; two players can get away with sticking to keyboard), but you can play it solo just fine and it's pretty near. Due to its main feature, this game's scale is much smaller in comparison to previously mentioned titles, which is completely justified. I'm kind of digging this look honestly and I'll probably spend some time with it. Not sure if I "move over" to it from Tera, but I guess there's only one way to find out.
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