TETRACHROMA

Countless attempts have been made to achieve a proper follow up to the mechanics pioneered by Tetris, and while most of them go their own way to create their own thing (Dr. Mario, Puyo Puyo, etc.), TETRACHROMA is the closest thing I've personally ever seen to a proper follow-up. The infusion of color matching on top of line making is challenging, disorienting, and outright genius, as if it were made by a madman who also plays some complicated form of chess with rules that make your head spin. You can barely manage two colors starting out but then they add a total of 4, and if and when you can manage that, you'll feel like a gaming god who is thinking 1-2 steps ahead of the game. There's also different modes and customizable aspects of the game, so replay value is through the roof. Aesthetics and music are uncanny, and almost give a liminal feel, except everything is running off the chipset for a Gameboy Advance. For some reason, the backgrounds and songs reminded me of something that would be in a terminally ill patient's hospital room or in a nursing home for people with dementia. Not sure if that's what was intended but it's definitely a distinct vibe that can be unsettling for me. (This is neither a positive or negative thing) The game runs perfect on the Deck because of its GBA potato graphics, it's a perfect on-the-go fidget to play at my in-laws during Sunday dinner. Bottom line, this game is revolutionary to Tetris and if you're a fan of the game, you should buy it.