Tetris is, arguably, the perfect video game, and it's a shame we don't see its mechanics riffed on more often. A new indie called Flowstone Saga is trying to give its own spin on classic block-dropping by integrating it into a JRPG battle system, and the results seem very impressive.
Flowstone Saga's Steam page takes pains not to call out Tetris by name, but the classic puzzle is an obvious influence. Battles have you fitting block pieces of various shapes together to form lines, and cleared lines deal damage to your enemies. Multiple lines cleared equals more damage dealt. There are also crystals in these blocks that you can match together for damage boosts, and powers that you can use to do things like "create giant pieces, repair your board, and enhance combos."
It reminds me specifically of Tetris Battle Gaiden, a Super NES variant built for multiplayer battles. It similarly featured Tetris blocks with crystals you could match for various effects, letting you unleash powers that can do things like repair your board or mess with your opponent. Tetris Battle Gaiden never left Japan, but that is about to change with the Tetris Forever collection coming later this year.
All this is to say - weird versions of Tetris are great, and I'm happy to see these kinds of ideas coming back in an indie like Flowstone Saga. It seems to be connecting with players, too. It's got 87% positive reviews on Steam, with many of them praising the battle system, character progression, exploration, and puzzles. And yes, there is at least one sicko besides myself who's willing to compare it to Tetris Battle Gaiden.
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