When you are my age, Tetris was one of those original Nintendo games that you played a lot. I am not sure I really enjoyed playing it all that much, but it is iconic. IGN – one of the best video game sites on the web – lists Tetris as the best-selling video game of all-time, and that is impressive!
So, when I saw that there is actually a Tetris board game (or maybe you would rather call it a strategy game) – I thought that it might be a really good way for my wife and I to introduce Tetris to our kids. They love board games, they love video games – so if I told them this board game was based on a video game, they would have to like it right?
If you are in the market for a unique board game or strategy game, check out this Tetris Board Game/Strategy Game Review we did to see if it would be a good fit for your household and to see how much fun we have had with it!
Quick Tetris Board Game Review
This Tetris Board Game we are reviewing is from Buffalo Games and is for 2 – 4 players. The recommended age is 8+, but I will tell you, the person that loves this game the most in my household is 7! The average game should take about 20 minutes or so to complete.
Included in the game is four plastic towers with their plastic bases, you get 16-pieces of each of the seven iconic shapes featured in the game, there are 24 single black square pieces, 28 Tetris cards and 8 player tokens, and 12-achievement cards.
Play begins by shuffling all of the Tetris cards (the shape cards) and remove one of the cards without looking. The rest are going to be placed face up on a pile on the “next” space. What you will do is take a card from the next pile and put it on the play side of the card. This is the shape each player needs to pick up and play on their board. Each player will play at the same time – and just like the video game, you goal is to make as many horizontal lines as possible.
Rules such as the shapes pieces can’t stick up from the top of the board, and you can’t play the shape pieces “backwards”. If you can’t play a piece, you are officially out of the game until the scoring at the end. Once per game you can “hold” a piece and not play it – you just set that piece next to your board.
On the standard game, you will also play with the 6 completed line achievement card. The goal is to be the first player to complete six lines, and if you are, you place your token on the highest value space that is open. Those are lines that will be added to your score at the end of the game. If two players complete the achievement at the same time, you share the same space.
Each player will also receive one of those single black squares. Those can be played at any time BEFORE everyone plays their main Tetris Shapes at the same time. Each board will also have different squares on them that have a picture of a Tetris piece on them. If you cover that square/picture with a piece that matches that square, you will score a bonus point at the end. There are also some squares that have a diamond icon with the little black square in it, if you cover that space, you can get another one of those black squares.
You will keep laying through the shape cards until you have completed all of them. At the end of the game, you will add up all your points – you get 2 for a completed line, 1 for a shape square that was covered by the appropriate shape, and any bonus points from the achievement card. The player with the most points win.
An advanced game can be played where you shuffle those achievement cards and instead of having just the one six-line achievement, you will have multiple goals that will give you bonus points!
Our Personal Experience with this Tetris Board Game
This Tetris board game has been a great addition to our household. The games take a little bit of time but aren’t so long that my kids lose interest. The rules were easy enough for them to understand, and I love how they have a blast playing with the shapes. I feel like this game has to be a little educational, right? Teaching some geometry or something!
My youngest son also enjoys just filling up the board with random shapes. He will take his time filling it up, trying to make sure every single line is filled with different shapes. I’ve been surprised with how long he will play with it on his own.
Overall, I’m going to give this game a silver star rating but could see it easily being a gold star game in your household.
Other Links of Interest
If you want to learn more about some of the fun board game and strategy games we have enjoyed in our household, check out these other reviews we have done!
- Pokémon Labyrinth Board Game Review
- The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game Reviewed
- The Best Bluey Board Games Reviewed
- Bluey Shadowlands Board Game Reviewed
- Thin Ice Board Game Review
- Don’t Break the Ice Game Reviewed
- Monkey Banana Blast Game Reviewed
- Dog Man Attack of the Fleas Board Game
- Dog Man Hot Dog Game Reviewed
- Don’t Pop the Pig Game Reviewed
- Bluey Trouble Game Reviewed
- Super Mario Brothers Shaky Tower Game
- Super Mario Brothers Top Trump Match Game
- Let’s Go Fishin’ Game Review
- Animal Crossing Monopoly Game Reviewed
- Kanoodle Game Reviewed
- Snap Circuits Game Reviewed
- Shark Attack Game Review
- Pokémon Trainer Trivia Game Reviewed
- Pokémon Suprise Attack Game Reviewed
- The Floor is Lava Game Review
- Bluey Bingo’s Bingo Game Reviewed
- Lucky Duck Memory & Matching Game Reviewed
One of these games should be a lot of fun for your family to play!