[b]november 2021 edit:[/b] new game mode and recipe book added, so re-wrote the review a bit (again).
tetris is almost as old as man himself, yet it never ceases to entertain, especially when it mixes things up a little, the way [b]3x64[/b] does.
the game plays on a 9x9 board where single colored blocks keep falling. the next one can be seen at the top as well, and you have to match 3 or more of the same color to make them disappear.
the first novelty is the [b]rotating game board[/b]. the line at the bottom of the screen shows how long you have, and when time runs out, the board turns by 90 degrees and gravity does its thing, most likely ruining all your plans, unless you prepared for it in advance by placing blocks in favorable positions, in which case you might even get a gravity bonus if matches get created as the board turns.
the other cool thing is [b]power-ups[/b]. there are 6 basic ones, like remove line, tnt or change direction, these can be gotten by matching blocks of the currently active color, as seen at the bottom of the screen. what's even better is, you can [b]combine power-ups to create better ones[/b], such as stop time, bigger tnt, or even arkanoid, which temporarily turns the game into breakout. there are 9 of these altogether and they can be as helpful as they're fun. the 1.4 update added a recipe book, so you can easily look up combinations you've discovered.
there are also 2 types of [b]blocks that work against you[/b]. iron falls faster and can only be destroyed by power-ups, and usually needs two 'hits', while threat blocks need to be matched within a few seconds, otherwise they cause all sorts of annoyances, like turning every block gray for a few seconds so you can't tell what's what, dropping a few random blocks on the level, etc.
it came out with one game mode, which is called [b]classic mode[/b] now, after [b]simple mode[/b] got introduced with only colored and iron blocks, no hazards or power-ups, but it speeds up really fast. [b]gravity mode[/b] was another addition, where points are only awarded for blocks destroyed by gravity change, which happens after every 10 blocks. it's really tough.
[b]quests[/b] were another fun post-release addition, like do x of this, do x of that, reach a certain amount of points, etc. there are two regular ones active at a time, completed ones get replaced after the game is over, and there's a third, more difficult one that serves as a daily challenge and it's the same for everybody. xp is rewarded for completing quests, which is used to increase your rank that can be shown off on the leaderboards, next to your name. unfortunately, non-daily quests can't be skipped or re-rolled, but ranks are only for show, so it's not a big deal.
[b]controls are fine.[/b] both the arrows and wasd work for moving left, right and increasing falling speed, you can press 1-5 to use basic and crafted power-ups, and the keyboard can be used in the menus too. power-ups can also be activated by clicking, not sure why that'd be of any help, but more options never hurt. gamepads are also supported.
separate volume settings, resolution options and windowed mode, colorblind options are available, achievements and leaderboards show up in-game, not lazily via the steam overlay, there's even a stats screen with all sorts of information (time played, highest level, destroyed blocks, etc.), plus [b]replays[/b]. each game is recorded and you can share them with your high score on the leaderboards (or in my case just watch other people and feel bad about my lack of skills).
it's a [b]hectic, immensely enjoyable game with good graphics and even better music[/b], highly recommended if you enjoy tetris and its variants. the price is budget-friendly as well and there are limited-time events every now and then for even more variety. make sure to grab the free retro minigame dlc too.
