The Next Tetris

The Next Tetris is a puzzle video game in the Tetris series developed by Blue Planet Software. The game was originally released for the PlayStation by Hasbro Interactive on June 16, 1999.[1] In 2000 a version for the Dreamcast which included online multiplayer called The Next Tetris: On-Line Edition was published by Crave Entertainment in the United States.[2] The Dreamcast version was released in Europe the following year with online functionality removed.[3] A version was also included with Toshiba-manufactured DVD players using the interactive Nuon technology.

The Next Tetris
European cover art for the Dreamcast version
Developer(s)Blue Planet Software
Animatek
Publisher(s)Hasbro (PlayStation, Nuon)
Bullet-Proof Software (Japanese Version)
Crave Entertainment (Dreamcast)
Platform(s)PlayStation, PC, Dreamcast, Nuon
Release
  • NA: June 16, 1999
(PlayStation)
  • NA: December 19, 2000
  • EU: May 4, 2001
(Dreamcast)
  • WW: 2001
(Nuon)
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer

Gameplay

The game features two modes. "Classic Tetris" has gameplay fundamentally unchanged from the earliest in the series, and is only playable in single-player.[4]

In "The Next Tetris" mode the familiar tetromino pieces consist of different colored blocks called "multiminoes". If a block is multi-colored and placed with a gap below the piece, then the colored squares will separate and drop into the space below. This "cascading" feature allows players to drop blocks down after initially making a horizontal line disappear, allowing for larger combos.[5] The Next Tetris mode is playable in single-player, two-player, and online in the North American Dreamcast release only.[6]

Reception

The Next Tetris received a score of 6.5/10 in IGN,[7] while the Dreamcast version scored 8/10. Reviewing the latter, IGN's Anthony Chau described the new cascading gameplay as "an interesting play mechanic" and praised the "industrial-like menu presentation" and "trancy, dreamy melodies" of the soundtrack.[5] Official Dreamcast Magazine's Alex Huhtala dismissed the game as "a poorly conceived and executed version of a classic", pointing to "sluggish controls" and "gameplay tweaks [compared to the original Tetris] that make it too easy".[3] The Next Tetris mode was described as a "novel idea" by Ryan Davis of GameSpot but he argued that "instead of making players take on new strategies, it tends to encourage a barrage of sloppy bricklaying".[6]

References
  1. Lopez, Vincent (October 29, 1999). "The Next Tetris". IGN. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  2. "The Next Tetris: On-line Edition". GameSpot. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  3. Huhtala, Alex (June 2001). "Review: The Next Tetris". Official Dreamcast Magazine (UK). Dennis Publishing (20): 60–61.
  4. Sewart, Greg (January 2001). "Review: The Next Tetris: On-Line Edition". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 138. Ziff Davis. p. 198.
  5. Chau, Anthony (January 26, 2001). "The Next Tetris: On-Line Edition". IGN. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  6. Davis, Ryan. "The Next Tetris: On-Line Edition Review". GameSpot. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  7. "The Next Tetris". IGN. October 29, 1999. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
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