#Cubelands games software
#Cubelands games download

It was looking for a home outside the shackles of the Soviet Union, and westerners were looking for a new pasttime to feed their growing hunger for all things videogames. But Alexey drew from his experience as a board and card gaming enthusiast, and instinctively knew the characteristics of what makes a remarkable game.

With very little reference to how the western world operated, and the mentality of the burgeoning game industry market, it's amazing that such a captivating game would come out of one of the most closed countries in a world that was defined by the 1980s. Alexey was a computer scientist who had access to computers, something completely unavailable to nearly every soviet citizen. Its technology roots go back to the Soviet era where the game was developed on computers being utilized for cold war operations. In fact, it can be played on the most basic calculators, mobile phones, and monochrome devices, yet it is as comfortably at home on the latest high tech mobile devices, and computers, than it is on legacy platforms. This ubiquitous title has been called 'perfect' by many designers for its simplicity, approachability, and addictive nature without relying on graphical performance or the most sophisticated processors.

And that is what we present here, as Alexey would have wanted it. Our stance at this website is simple: Go with the original, canonical version of the classic. From vociferous online communities such as HardDrop (comprised of 'hardcore' fans), to the brand overseers (some would say 'overlords') itself, the rules have been argued as to which version of the game is closest to the original vision of Alexey. The screen layout in multiplayer versions with the player's matrix appearing most prominently on the screen and the opponent's matrixes appearing smaller than the player's matrix and to the side of the player's matrix.ĭebate over the purest form of the rules have persisted for years. The display of garbage lines with at least one missing block in random order.ġ4. The appearance of individual blocks automatically filling in the playfield from the bottom to the top when the game is over.ġ3. When a horizontal line fills across the playfield with blocks, the line disappears, and the remaining pieces appear to consolidate downward.ġ2. The color change when the Tetriminos enter lock-down mode.ġ1. The display of a shadow piece beneath the Tetriminos as they fall.ġ0. The particular starting orientation of the Tetriminos, both at the top of the screen and as shown in the next piece display.ĩ. The small display near the playfield that shows the next playing piece to appear in the playfield.Ĩ. The way the Tetrimino pieces appear to move and rotate in the playfield.ħ. The appearance of Tetriminos moving from the top of the playfield to its bottom.Ħ. A tall, rectangular playfield (or matrix), 10 blocks wide and 20 blocks tall.ĥ. The bright, distinct colors used for each of the Tetrimino pieces.Ĥ. The visual delineation of individual blocks that comprise each Tetrimino piece and the display of their borders.ģ. Seven Tetrimino playing pieces made up of four equally-sized square joined at their sides.Ģ. To wit, here are the 14 essential rules of the game as defined by the organization that has monopolized the brand:ġ. But none come close to the original game that has won numerous game industry awards over the decades. Since its release, it has inspired countless thousands of clones (and quite a few lawsuits to boot).

#Cubelands games software

His subsequent friendship with game designer, Henk Rogers, now Blue Planet Software Chairman and Managing Director, brought it out of the Soviet Union to become one of the most widely played electronic games of all time. After giving the game to his colleagues, it became an instant, hugely addictive hit, and shortly thereafter spread like wildfire throughout the Soviet Bloc computer literate. He called it Tetris, after tetra, the Greek word for four, and tennis, his favorite sport. Pajitnov designed the game using seven distinctive playing pieces made from four squares. Pajitnov had a vision to create an electronic game where players arranged puzzle pieces in real time by having them “fall” faster and faster from the top of the screen. The version was developed by fans and is closer to the original vision of Russian scientist Alexey Pajitnov, the game's creator.

#Cubelands games download

This website provides a free no download Tetris tribute to the original game, and is inspired by the classic design from over 30 years ago. Tetris online® is the most famous classic puzzle video game and has inspired countless thousands of clones and variations.