This month I will be shedding light upon what is quite possibly THE quintessential game for a casual gamer: Tetris. Armed with my trusty Game Boy Advance (color: glacier blue), a serious case of senioritis (prognosis: terminal), and a borrowed Tetris cartridge (props: Allec), I made it my business to rediscover the virtues of this timeless classic in every class possible.
This “Game Pak” is for original Game Boys — I am sure you recall the gargantuan systems of our days long past. The gray game protruded from my newer system like an obscenely flat beer belly, hindering ease of surreptitious playing. This phased me not, though, and throughout my school day I had no trouble seeing why this game is so timeless. It is entertainment, pure and simple. Mindless enough to be able to conduct a conversation while playing, yet complex enough to maintain interest, it is the perfect arcade-type casual game.
I found the graphics to be simple, but perfectly so. It’s Tetris, nothing new and high tech, so blocks in shades of yellows and reds suffice. The game’s background music is decent as well, although a bit intense and maybe a bit more suited for marathon running than for maneuvering simulated blocks. After a few periods of playing the traditional drop-blocks-make-lines version, I was pleased to discover a new-to-me type of game that can be selected at the main screen. One must make 25 lines, and scores are tallied at the end based on instances of how many lines were created at a time.
So if you are bored, seeking an old favorite, I would definitely recommend Tetris. Most will find it to be simple fun. For those of you who dwell within a realm of superlatives, it is the most classically casual game on the market, and most definitely worth your time. Thanks again to Allec for loaning it to me!
