I downloaded the demo for TETRACHROMA based on a tweet, and 70 minutes of my life disappeared. I am going to be blunt: The demo is very, very good. If you like Tetris, Panel de Pon, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, Lumines, or really any block-based puzzle game, you should just download it as soon as you are finished reading this blog, because it is one of the most beguiling twists on the genre I have seen for a very long time.
TETRACHROMA by developer sparsevector is functionally Tetris but with one small caveat – block color matters and lines can only be cleared when they are uniform in color. You are given a series of blocks of two colors, usually red and blue, and tasked with playing an otherwise normal Tetris game. If you drop a Tetrimo on a column or adjacent to the row, the block will transfer that color to the adjacent row and/or columns. This process, indicated by arrows, is interrupted only by gaps and blocks that match the color of the Tetrimo you are dropping.
This may seem like a minor change, but in practice it can be maddening. By adding a tiny bit of friction, one other detail to account for, it disrupts the usual flow of Tetris play. By adding the variable of color, the way that you work your way through clearing blocks is totally altered. Often you are forced to choose between color uniformity and filling the row, which can quickly create sub-optimal situations. Sometimes, playing Tetris the way you normally would works out. Other times, it leads to an increasingly untenable mess. This complexity also further emphasizes the importance of the Hold Queue, as an errant block of the wrong color can be pocketed for future use. The color-changing mechanic also makes huge swings possible, and fighting your way out of a corner can feel intoxicating when you finally do it.
If this is in any way confusing, I can assure you that it all makes sense in play. I should also mention the idiosyncratic soundtrack, which plausibly feels like it belongs in an obscure puzzle game for the Sega Saturn or NeoGeo. (I was not expecting a track that sounds like The Entertainer on a player piano but with a really sick beat behind it). If this does not sound like your cup of tea, give it a shot. If you are a puzzle sicko already, you’re in for a treat. Personally, I can’t wait to see what the final game looks like.
The demo for TETRACHROMA is available on Steam, where it can also be wishlisted. It is slated for release some time in 2024.
