A Forgotten Gem: Tetris Reversed Resurfaces After Ten Years of Obscurity
Tetris, the legendary computer game created by Alexey Pajitnov, has captivated gamers for decades. But little did anyone know that there was a lost game in the Tetris canon, until it resurfaced at the Game Developers Conference. Tetris Reversed, a prototype that was considered lost, was brought back to life by engineer Vedran Klanac.
The story behind Tetris Reversed is a fascinating one. Pajitnov, the creator of Tetris, had worked with Henk Rogers to license the game and bring it out of the Soviet Union. They shared their journey at the GamesBeat Next 2023 event, where they discussed the Tetris movie that chronicled their efforts. However, the tale didn’t end there.
In 2011, Klanac attended the NLGD Festival of Games and listened to a talk by Martin de Ronde, who mentioned his agreement with Pajitnov to create a new prototype for a Tetris game. Klanac jumped at the opportunity and started working on Tetris Reversed. The project was separate from Guerrilla Games, where de Ronde worked, and was intended to be a charitable effort with most of the proceeds going to charity.
The communication between Pajitnov and Klanac was facilitated by de Ronde. Pajitnov provided design instructions, which Klanac then translated into code. The two never met in person, and communication became sporadic as other commitments took priority. Eventually, the project was put on hold and deemed dead in the water.
However, the story took an unexpected turn when Vlad Micu, a business development professional, discovered that Klanac still had the prototype of Tetris Reversed in his personal archives. Micu brought up the topic with Pajitnov during a conversation and suggested that Klanac should do a talk about it at the Game Developers Conference. The GDC approved the session, and the video of the prototype was shown for the first time to the public.
Tetris Reversed introduces a new mechanic to the classic game. Klanac noticed that in Tetris, players focus on maintaining a specific profile of the playfield, trying to avoid bumps and create deep narrow holes. He wanted to create a game that utilized the entire playfield, allowing players to find appropriate spots for their pieces everywhere. The main new feature is the “embedment” action, where a piece is placed in the playfield and the cells underneath are cleared. If there are no empty cells under the piece, the move fails. Klanac also added a “Reverse” action that can be performed by the player to keep playing if there is no space for piece placement.
The panel at the Game Developers Conference showcased the gameplay video of Tetris Reversed and discussed the design decisions and development process. Pajitnov described it as Tetris for “300 IQ people,” highlighting its complexity and strategic depth.
While it’s unclear if Tetris Reversed will ever be officially published, Pajitnov is glad that the prototype will be preserved for history. He believes that there will be enormous interest in the game, as it offers a new version of Tetris that people know nothing about.
Overall, Tetris Reversed is a forgotten gem that has resurfaced after ten years of obscurity. It sheds light on the creative process behind one of the most iconic games of all time and introduces a fresh take on the classic gameplay. Whether or not Tetris Reversed will make its way into the hands of players remains to be seen, but its revival has certainly sparked excitement among gaming enthusiasts.