A parodic disaster
Here comes another example of someone who thinks that they can make it big by affectionately ripping off someone else's work and adding next to nothing to a classic original. There's probably at least a little respect for the inspiration here but quite what the developer thought they were adding to the formula is not exactly obvious. Instead, the game comes across as more of an insult than the respectful homage that was presumably intended. In this case, the inspiration is of course Tetris, the superb blockbusting puzzler that remains a true legend in the industry. Here though, the clever bit is that there's a bit of story to the gameplay, which relates how some random guy has fallen asleep while playing Tetris (maybe not so respectful after all) and now seems to find himself actually in the game. Here comes the twist, and instead of just forming lines to rack up points, you have to actually create steps to lead the guy to the exit. However, you have to be careful, as falling blocks will kill the guy (if he dies in the dream, does he die in real life?), while you can also trap him if you position your blocks willy nilly. Tetriller could have been an interesting addition to the genre, thanks to its surprisingly inventive approach. However, take away the gimmicky setup and actually start playing the game and you'll find a pale imitation of a classic. Forgetting the less than stellar graphics (this kind of game doesn't need them anyway), you quickly see that Tetriller crawls along at a snail's pace and is practically killed stone dead by its controls and general lack of fun. Stick to the original and avoid this unamusing parody.
