'Tris' Brings Tetris to iPhone… for Free
posted by arn on August 15th, 2008 1:03 AM EDT in Free, Puzzle, Retro, Reviews, iPhone games, iPod touch games
Noah Witherspoon has released Tris [App Store], a free version of Tetris, for the iPhone.
The game is a port of a Jailbreak version by the same name. This free game offers a no-frills Tetris experience for those who don't want to spend $9.99 for the official version [App Store].
Touch controls move pieces left, right, down and even up, while tapping allows you to rotate your piece. The actual game is nicely implemented with attractive graphics and smooth animation. Tris also offers a global high-score system so you can compare your play with others. A lack of sound effects or music, however, makes the gameplay a little unsatisfying. Fortunately, you can play your own music in the background.
Still, it's hard to complain about free. Witherspoon's game has already hit the #1 spot in the App Store. Download it in the App Store.
Since I still cannot fathom paying $9.99 for Tetris ($10! for TETRIS?!!!) I'm glad this old JB favorite is back. The controls are OK, but I wish the pieces wouldn't 'stick' as soon as they touch the ground.
yeah, I wish there was a hard-drop.
arn
The official Tetris game really is extremely polished though. It diffidently one of the best Tetris experiences I've ever had.
@ mavis:
It's tough to pull off, especially in the later levels, but you can manipulate the pieces once they've hit the ground. You have to allow the piece to fall on its own, and then swipe the finger the moment it hits the ground or another piece.
A lack of sound effects or music, especially with a game such as Tetris, doesn't bother me in the slightest.
For most games I set the options to have no sound or music anyway. Those bleeps, boinks and endless loops can quickly become tiresome.
Oh no, this isn't it. Tetris needs total control of the pieces. That's something not many Tetris-games, even on consoles, don't deliver due to a wack directional pad, but it plays even worse with touchscreen. I never happened to be bad at Tetris, but this just sucks.
I like the game, however, the controlling could have been made a bit better.
Notice, that we europeans don't have any other choice, since the EA Tetris hasn't been announced by us… Pity!
Nice game, especially, that it's free.
This sure sounds like piracy to me. I'm sure that someone owns the IP for Tetris and this may get pulled off soon, like the LightSaber did.
My biggest complaint about it is that it starts too fast and ramps up too fast. The curve should be a lot lower than it is.
i agree about the control an the piece sticking. the pieces shouldn't stick immediately..there should be some play in there that allows you to shift it over for a brief moment.
it's still a great game for free though.
@nattylux: Tetris has been pirated so many times since its invention, and the guy who invented it doesn't get a dime. He tried to form his own firm to control the marketing and sale of his game and it failed. I don't even know if the EA version is technically licensing it from him.
you can actually lift up the pieces by swiping up
@Dan: EA's version is licensed and Alexey Pajitnov never had the license. (In Soviet Russia… Tetris is a state property.) They have targeted "unauthorized" versions in recent memory: http://www.chillingeffects.org/dmca512/notice.cgi?NoticeID=15384
@Dan: Oh, I had forgotten about the Pajitnov's Tetris Company and Blue Planet Software. Wikipedia says that EA eventually ended up with the Blue Planet Software.
@D Wo:
I honestly didn't know "diffidently" was a word…
Live and learn, I guess