Tetra’s Escape is an indie puzzle game developed by ABX Game Studios and published by Ratalaika Games. This title combines platforming and characters that players can turn into the tetraminos that you’ll probably recognise from Tetris.
This is where the similarities to Tetris end. In this game, you’re tasked with collecting stars, a trophy, and making your way to the level’s exit, with the latter being the only objective that’s really obligatory. You do this by moving your characters (known as tetras), which can turn into tetraminos, to help you to reach certain collectables or create paths to the end of the level. That’s it…
The gameplay is simple and because characters move one tile at a time. It’s a game that can also be accessed by those who aren’t familiar with using controllers or just don’t have the necessary dexterity for twitchy platformers. This can get a little annoying if you are adept at platformers it can be painstaking to watch your characters move slowly from one side of the level to another if you’ve already worked out the solution in your head.
Even though it’s a single-player game, it works quite well cooperatively if you sit down with someone to help you solve the puzzles. In fact, I find this one of the main advantages of these types of games.
While I don’t love the graphics, they’re not a deal-breaker. The game could have worked just as well in 2D with some lovely pixel art although it wouldn’t have actually really changed how you’d play it. Personally, I’ve just never been a fan of the 3D aesthetic that was prevalent during the fifth generation of consoles and for me, a game that operates entirely on a two-dimensional plane has no need for 3D graphics.
I don’t really have much to say about the sound design since I tend to play it with the sound off and it never really grabbed me. This is a game that doesn’t really require audio cues or music and is great to play while listening to your own music or even a good podcast!
If you like puzzles, this is a cheap game to pick up and will give you a few hours of gameplay. The length of this game will depend heavily on just how quickly you can solve each puzzle.
While ABX Games has only made a few titles, this game definitely makes me want to keep an eye out for what they’ll be producing next.
I played Tetra’s Escape game on the Nintendo Switch using a copy I got from Nindie Nexus, a great site that covers indie titles on Nintendo platforms. The game is also availble on on PC, PS4, PSVita, Xbox One, and Android.
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