You know Tetris, right? I'm sure you do.*Just in case you don't. Since the 45-or-so years since its inception, it's been ported far, far too many times. (For reference, the Tetris wiki lists over a hundred different versions.) Since each version was meant to improve over the last, it's no surprise that each port is unique; some add new gamemodes, some add new visuals, but the overall key is that they're all similar enough to the original version; you stack blocks and fill lines until you stack to the ceiling.

This article is about the versions that aren't like that.

Overview

I've thought long and hard about the best way to approach this, and I feel like I can't do enough justice unless I present this like an iceberg. The versions I'll talk about will be ordered roughly in terms of how bizarre they are, plus some grouping of games that are bizarre for the same reason.

Without further ado...

The Skies, as in the Games That Make Sense

You've probably heard of these ones before. These ones are the more popular versions, likely due to them being actually good games*Don't worry. We'll get to the other ones in due time..

Tetris DS (2006, DS)

It's the one with Mario in it!

Tetris DS is a version of Tetris for the DS*[citation needed], particularly notable for being one of the first games to fully implement the Tetris Guideline, which was made in 2001 in an attempt to roughly standardize all future Tetris games (more on this later). Being released in 2006, this game worked out all the kinks in the Guideline's initial implementation, but was experimental enough to have over six entire gamemodes.

Outside of Marathon (the classic play-until-you-lose type), the game features:

• Push, a VS mode where your opponent plays upside-down on the bottom of your own board
• Mission, where you have to race to perform specific clears under specific restrictions
• Catch, which involves zero stacking and instead has you catch a multitude of falling pieces to form large squares
• Puzzle, where you pick the pieces to fully clear a pre-made stack
• and Touch, where you clear a tower bottom-up by sliding pieces around with the stylus

I don't really have a lot to say on this game -- it's mostly what you'd expect, with a lot of visual bells and whistles. I bought a secondhand copy of this one and I've enjoyed it a lot; this is the one I'd recommend the most.

the Tetris: The Grand Master series (1998/2000/2005, Arcade)

Ever thought Tetris was too easy?