Written Android App Review
Tetris has been a long-loved and well known game since 1984. Anyone alive then who owned any type of electronic device or who visited an arcade knew this game. Since then the game has been reproduced numerous times, but nothing has ever truly rivaled the antiquated awesomeness of the original Tetris. Yet here we have another contender trying to steal the spotlight from class Tetris.
Tetris Deluxe
Graphics
I must say, the creates did a fantastic job with the graphics of this Android app. Using a glossed up 3D theme with shiny gold and purple graphics, they have reformed the blocky 2D graphics we are all so accustomed to. Each piece glimmers once placed on the board. The board has a semi-transparent background complete with a grid, through which the variable stunning backgrounds can be seen. The menus all look amazing as do the buttons. It would seem they spent the majority of their time on graphics and they did indeed do an awesome job. For graphic design, I award Tetris Deluxe five stars.
Gameplay
Despite their amazing graphics, gameplay of this Android app could be better. Unlike the classic Tetris, which increased the speed quickly and dramatically, Tetris Deluxe seems to take its dear sweet time. And remember how that one special piece would show up just when you needed it most? (Usually the long piece) Well don’t expect that here. You can pretty much expect a random conglomeration of pieces that do you absolutely no good at all times. This of course increases the amount of time it takes to level and increase the speed of the pieces exponentially.
Another famous feature which wasn’t included was the frantic music. Who could ever forget the Tetris music – especially the way it added to the excitement and panic once the player got near the top. I know I certainly remember it, so imagine my dismay when I opened this app and heard…. elevator music!!! This calls for one HUGE W.T.F…. Honestly, besides the pieces being the right shape, being rotatable and movable, and falling down the board, how can anyone screw up Tetris so badly? The music is at the heart and soul of Tetris – if you want a good Tetris makeover, the music MUST cause excitement and panic, not put the player to sleep! Having been involved in music on a serious level in the past, this is an extreme disappointment and, frankly, straight pisses me off.
*Takes a deep breath* …
Tetris Deluxe Level Up
Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, let’s move on to some added features which are actually quite nice. By hitting the ‘Pause’ button, the player is taken to a screen which offers Resume (which is spelled wrong), Options, Menu, and Retry as well as mute. Ahhhh, the blessed mute button! From the options menu, the user has the ability to turn on or off the game music (yay!), the sound effects, vibration, forecast, gesture and change the rotation direction. Worth noting here is the forecast and gesture options. The forecast option shows a semi-transparent overlay of where the piece will end up ultimately once it reaches its final destination. For those who do not visualize well, this could be invaluable. However, for those who prefer a little more challenge or who are well versed with the classic Tetris, I would highly recommend setting this to off. However, the gesture option is fantastic. Instead of controlling the pieces with buttons, you simply drag the piece where you want it, tapping if you need to turn it. This enhanced the gameplay for me tremendously and it became more enjoyable once I started playing with gestures (and after hitting mute). Also, after each game, the user can choose to share their scores via Facebook and Twitter.
Overall, the gameplay isn’t horrible except for the music. I award Tetris Deluxe three stars for gameplay due to poor music choice and slow advancement.
Value
While the Android game is free, until the music is changed and advancement improved, I can only give value a ranking of four stars. The graphics are outstanding and the gesture ability makes this a unique version of Tetris. But there is room for improvement and for that, they lose one star.
Android Apps Review Details: Tetris Deluxe Android app is free. This app requires Android 1.6 and up. You may download Tetris Deluxe from the Android Market.
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