Ever wonder what Tetris would be like without structure? You should try Not Tetris 2. This fan-made version of Tetris features full 360 degree rotation and all the potential messes that come with that. Created in Soviet Russia during the final years of the USSR, the original Tetris is nothing if not structured. Every piece is made of four squares, and ninety degrees is the only possible angle in the game. Put pieces into the right place and you can keep the board clear.
Not so in Tetris 2. This fan remake is truly chaotic, a post-modern spin on a structured classic. It's Tetris under anarchy. Pieces can be rotated freely instead of on a grid, making it fiendishly difficult to fit pieces together perfectly. There's even a physics engine added to the game, meaning your piece might rebound off another and end up out of place.
Prepare For Frustration!
Start up Not Tetris and nothing looks that weird. In fact, it's almost a perfect recreation of the Nintendo Game Boy version of Tetris:
The title screen is familiar, and the menus look about right. Even the music is a nostalgia-inducing Gameboy replica. The chaos begins when you start playing:
Like I said, pieces are not rotated on a grid, as in most versions of Tetris, Instead, they can rotate freely 360 degrees. The result is almost always a chaotic mess, which makes for an interesting spin on a classic video game.
Are you certain you won't be able to get a complete row of squares with such chaos? The game designers were too. As such, lines disappear whenever a certain line is mostly full of substance. This will leave pieces of squares behind, of course, adding to the chaos.
Not sure what I mean? Check out this video:
Play this variation of Tetris and your goal quickly becomes apparent. You need to exert pressure on your mess of pieces in order to cause a collapse and (hopefully) make some sort of row happen down below. All the while, you must try to keep the pieces on top more or less aligned (in my case, mostly less). If this all sounds overwhelming to you, give it a shot. It's worth it for the novelty alone, but is also actually a pretty fun game.
Oh, and there are some options you can configure in the game:
The color screen is superfluous, but depending on your computer's resolution you're going to want to adjust the scale - it can make a tiny window into a reasonably sized one.
Download Not Tetris 2
Ready to play? Go ahead and download Not Tetris 2. You'll find downloads for Mac, Linux and Windows. Linux users, you'll need to install a package in order to open the game "love". Search your package manager for the program, then open the file you download with it.
Conclusion & Coming Attractions
I love it when fans do twists on classic games. Super Mario Crossover brings Link, Samus and Megaman into Super Mario Bros, and is a whole lot of fun. The company behind Not Tetris 2 is working on something like this: a crossover between Portal and Super Mario Bros. Check it out:
Like Not Tetris 2, this game makes something new out of something old. I cannot wait for it to be released, and will be watching for it and other ideas like it.
Do you know of any other twists on classic games? Share them in the comments below, along with any thoughts about Not Tetris 2.