Tetris-S (Saturn) review "Monkey See, Monkey Do"

Even as early as 1996, the concept of Tetris had been cloned, copied, and modified a million times over. Some companies would even use the Tetris name to help push unrelated games in other countries, such as Tetris Attack. So when Bullet-Proof Software decided to release the falling block game on the Sega Saturn, did they go for a gimmick? On its surface, Tetris S appears to be a straightforward interpretation of the original tetromino-stacking classic, with the biggest "update" being a visual one with background images of real-life locations. However, certain gamers with a keen eye and good ears will immediately recognize what's happening seconds after starting a solo session.

A spiritual successor to Sega's 1988 version, Tetris S' single-player mode features the comeback of a mascot: the monkey. In that older arcade depiction, the pixelated creature only appears briefly, basically in the how-to-play demo and at game over to show its disappointment. Making a return, looking purpler and CGI-animated, the monkey now has a more visible presence in this Saturn exclusive. The animal typically reacts to your current performance, whether being supportive, surprised, or concerned. But then again, could this just be an incredible coincidence? One might come to that conclusion... if it wasn't for the fact that the game also uses a remixed rendition of the former's chill in-game music.

So other than the nod to Sega's Japanese classic, what other "interesting" things are there in S? Nothing really. What you get is a pretty normal take on Alexey Pajitnov's game with some "Sega" sprinkled about: you must prevent the tetromino pile from reaching the top as blocks continuously fall from the ceiling, and failure to do so will conclude the session. In order to prevent this from happening, you need to vanquish the pile into thin air, and this is done by creating solid horizontal lines with the falling blocks. Rotate and fit them into spaces for survival; i.e., classic Tetris.

Now, there is a progress system in place, one in which you must clear a number of lines to reach the next stage. Each new stage reached is celebrated visually with a new backdrop image, and the speed of the falling blocks briefly hasten from time to time. That is, until you reach a much higher stage, in which case the speed-up stays permanently. Eventually, the backdrops stop changing, sticking to a grandiose-looking "gold" ceiling, which could have been an indicator that you've reached the top. But this occurs at stage 15... out of 99.

Then how is it possible to reach the colossally-distant 99th stage on a single run? Unless you're a grand master, you simply use the game's unusually lax continue system. It kinda-sorta picks up from where you lost, with the catch being that it begins in the previously-completed stage; so in order to make legit progress when abusing your unlimited continues, you have to fully complete the next stage as well. Perhaps the most bizarre thing of all is the fact that your high-score stays intact after every continue, meaning you can resume a bijillion times and you'll look like a grand master with a huge number, a grand master of piecemeal.

In addition, S supplements gamers with competitive two-player modes against either a computer or a flesh player. The objective, which is the case with many a similar game, is to survive longer than your opponent; while you usually accomplish this with crafty arrangement skills, there's also an element that allows you to sabotage the other competitor. In this game's case, for something to happen, you must clear two or more lines at once, with four being the max. When this happens, the falling blocks for your opponent's side, or vice versa, fall much faster, with the time limit on this being based on how many lines were cleared. Rather basic stuff for the era, but it works as a form of decent engagement.



As a final note, all of this is done with the game's specific rotation system, another feature carried over from the 1988 title. There are varying nooks that differentiate it from something like the NES or Game Boy renditions, like having a slightly different way blocks rotate, not to mention rotating blocks at the ceiling is prohibited, and then there's delays in play for certain situations. Such an example for the latter is being able to adjust a block for a few frames after it locks onto a surface; when blocks are falling at demonic speeds, this comes in very handy.

Tetris S is a tricky one: it's normal Tetris, but not really. It's easy to say normal Tetris is still good enough, but everyone has a different interpretation of what that entails. For some, that might mean NES Tetris, while others prefer Atari Tetris or even Grand Master as their normal. This specific version is good for a few afternoons in either solo or competitive, with the game presenting a rather basic follow-up to Sega's original, and that's the game's biggest fumble. As a home follow-up to the arcade title, it's lacking in terms of doing anything significant; it's nothing less... but at the same time nothing much more. Now if the devs really wanted to go full tribute, then they could have gone the distance by adding modes inspired by Flash Point and Bloxeed. But oh well.

If you need some tetrosterone action on your 32-bit console, then this is serviceable at best. If you want what's best on the system in terms of puzzles, there are much better to choose from.

Community review by dementedhut (September 15, 2025) Monke.