At first, I thought it was a joke. “If I play long enough, will a scary face pop-up and scream at me? Maybe a message will fade in, mocking and degrading me for spending so much time playing.” These were just a couple of thoughts that stacked up in my head as I sat playing this game for the first time. But after a couple of hours and a quick phone call, I found out that in fact this is a real game. Allow me, with almost a sense of cruelty, to introduce you to Tetris HD.

 

In what I can only describe as the most terrifyingly mind-frying version of Tetris ever created, Tetris HD (also known as Tetoris) has managed to take the classic Russian line-building game and blew up the challenge to an unparalleled level that may even frighten the most hardcore of Tetris fans. I can only equivocate the experience to that of dropping thousands of sewing needles into a 50-gallon oil barrel.

 

But to that same effect, with each “thunk” of a brick finally hitting bottom, I couldn’t help but wonder, “How long will it take to cover the bottom, just to make one line?” The timer said seventeen minutes, forty-one seconds. 

 

Did I really try to complete a game? No. Heck no. Just completing the one line was taxing enough, let alone trying to lose. But it did give me ideas on other ways to “play” the game.

 

“How fast could I lose?” “Could I spell my name?” “How long would it take to let the game kill itself?” “Could I make an upside-down pyramid?” All of these were ideas that were anything other than actually playing the game in the fashion that it was intended. Which is apparently how many people have been playing it. Speed runs for one line, design challenges, or simple capturing screen shots of a game fields left unattended for many hours. Many, many, many hours.

 

So for those of you with a sadistic side, click here to play Tetris HD (see below for directions). And after you complete one line, post it below. Let’s see who can get the best time!

 

 But for those of who would prefer to stick with the far more playable classic version, click here and regain some sanity.

 

(And thanks to Nick for the recommendation…a very mean recommendation.)

 

Enjoy!

 

~James B. LaPoint

 

 

Tetris HD directions: left/right arrow keys – move piece, up/down arrow key – rotate piece, spacebar – double drop speed, enter key – quadruple drop speed

 

Standard Tetris directions: left/right arrow keys – move piece, up arrow key – rotate piece, down arrow key – drop piece

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