presents a series of static puzzles to players, puzzles that never change and never react
to the players’ actions. They argue that a game must provide a reaction to the players’
actions and an opponent for players to compete against. Hence, the critics would say,
these so-called “puzzle games” are not really games at all, but just puzzles. Further-
more, often the puzzles found in these games have only one solution, further limiting
the players’ interactive experience. Examples would include most all adventure games,
such asZork,Myst, or evenGrim Fandango, games that, though they provide players
with a world to explore and challenging puzzles to complete, do nothing to create a
unique experience for players.
ButTetrisis never criticized for this shortcoming because it so brilliantly combines
the mechanics of a puzzle game with the mechanics of an action game in order to create
a truly compelling gameplay experience. Thus everyone who playsTetris, each time
they play it, has a unique experience. One action game mechanicTetrisuses is the
sense of an ever-approaching threat that players have to address in a limited amount of
time. Just as most fiction revolves around dramatic tension, so do games, andTetrisis
no exception. InCentipedethis threat is the arthropod winding its way down from the
top of the screen. InTetrisit is the block dropping from above. If players do not move
and rotate as well as determine an optimal placement for the piece before it reaches the
bottom of the screen, it may get stuck in a location that blocks off lower rows from being
completed, and players get one or more lines closer to ending their game. As gameplay
progresses, the speed at which these blocks fall from the top of the screen increases,
thus increasing the challenge for players and ramping up the difficulty over the course
of the game.
Another similarity betweenTetrisand action games that further distinguishes it
from other puzzle games is the variety of gameplay situationsTetriscan create: each
game played is unique. The play mechanics set up an infinitely large number of unique
games, with each move players decide to make influencing the rest of their game. The
way a piece is positioned into the blocks already at the bottom of the screen directly
impacts where the next piece can be placed. Should players fill up the four-block-long
Chapter 8: Game Analysis:Tetris 143
Tetriscarefully balances
action and puzzle
elements to create a
unique gameplay
experience. Pictured
here, and throughout
this chapter: classic
mode inThe Next Tetris.