Tetris Worlds (GBA) (Tetris Worlds (GBA))

Member Name: thole09

Product:	Tetris Worlds (GBA)
Date:	05/06/09 (15 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some graphics, Audio

Disadvantages: Gameplay bug

"Tetris Worlds" is a video game released for the Gameboy Advance console in 2001 by THQ. It is a puzzle game based on the stacking of different objects. In the United States, the game received a rating of "E" by the ESRB panel which deemed it suitable for all ages.

Tetris has been a long standing classic in terms of puzzle games. In it, players are presented a large "bin" in the centre of the display and oddly shaped bricks fall from the top of the screen into this bin for sorting into full lines. Creating a full line of blocks will remove it from play and the objective of the game is to play infinitely until the bin has been filled with bricks and no further input can be accommodated. Tetris Worlds retains its "Tetriness" by providing the classic puzzle game which so many, including myself, have grown to love but it also sports one distinct flaw which renders the process too simple. There is a noticeable space of time in between the object making contact with either another brick in the bin or the bottom which allows players to rotate, move and otherwise alter the brick's position. This bug is makes the normally difficult Tetris game horrendously easy as the player may be given an indefinite space of time to decide what position the block should be in and where it should lie in the puzzle. This bug is present in all of Worlds' new gameplay modes including Cascade, Square, Fusion and Sticky. They are each effectively the same Tetris game with bonus points for completing a certain task, such as creating a 4x4 square shape in "Square Tetris". Multiplayer connectivity is also achieved by use of an optional game link cable.

The graphics are presented from an overhead view which focuses on the playing field below. There have been few updates from the title's original appearance in the 1980s but one noticeable feature is its animated backgrounds. Here, in almost a screensaver effect, backgrounds will sport a distinct scene such as arctic polar bears which walk or schools of fish swimming underwater. The game otherwise retains its original allure by presenting simply coloured objects against one another. The soundtrack also takes popular theme tunes from earlier titles and inserts them well into this title.

Overall, Tetris Worlds is not a game I would recommend to prospective buyers. The obvious gameplay bug made the experience too simple for my personal preference and left me desiring an earlier Tetris release.

Summary: Thumbs down