If this classic box art means nothing to you, listen up!
When the Gameboy came out in 1989, Tetris was not a brand new game. However, the adaptation for Gameboy was released very shortly after the hardware itself. It was a phenomenal hit, flying off the shelves around the entire world. That means everybody who bought a Nintendo Gameboy has that song stuck in their head right now. Handheld gaming and Tetris are historically synonymous.
Here's a terrific write up on the story of Tetris on Gameboy.
Super Smash Bros. is a series chiefly about celebrating the history of Nintendo. Not only is it a good fighting game, it brings the smiles that every Nintendo experience has ever brought us, all stacked on top of each other.
I have been toying with this idea for a while, and Tetris absolutely deserves a notable inclusion in Smash Switch. Not a couple of soundtracks, not even just a stage (although I'll take it!!), but a playable fighter.
Melee, Brawl, and 3DS/WiiU all had a surprise retro character. Game&Watch and two NES classic icons that ... I don't think a whole lot of people took seriously until it happened! Perhaps a retro Gameboy representation is in the cards.
So how would this fighter fight? The above characters have unique and surprising movement and form about them. Tetromino is a perfect opportunity for unpredictability. Absolutely zero joints or personification to animate could mean moves that aren't telegraphed. Rigid, quick strikes. Think about how you play Tetris, it's a snap second decision game, there's no time for "tween" animation frames. Your Tetromino moves a very set amount of pixels instantaneously.
Okay, but there are a lot of different shapes. How would that work? I've got a couple of different ideas.
The first one has already seen similar representation. Shulk has his Monado arts that affect his playstyle and Zelda used to be able to transform into Sheik. Perhaps each Tetromino could have its own attributes. Clearly the square is heaviest and slowest, the bar can be quick damage, and I'm seeing clubs in pretty much the rest. Side special could be to rotate your piece to deal the most effective blow. Down special could act like a charge, think Roy's neutral special. Several pieces fall and stack, building up a wall. When you release, the straight piece comes down to cause massive damage based on how many Tetris lines get cleared. You're completely exposed, but if your opponent arrives at the wrong time they're done for.
My second concept is a little more grounded, without any crazy status changing or transformations. Like Game & Watch drastically changes shape and has lots of props, the Tetromino can be one entity that changes into a different shape for different attacks. The square is a down smash, the bar is a tilt, the L's can be smash attack. It's a little more basic.
Costumes are ripe for opportunity. The bright colors above are cool, but anybody remember these funky patterns?
That can come in weird brussel sprouts green or true black and white. Gold Tetrominoes, rainbow, tropical hues. Think Skittles!
Am I crazy? Am I on to something? Any 80's kids out there?
EDIT: Looks like I'm not alone! Out of curiosity I checked the old Smash 4 character forum, and user @ShinyRegice already did a much better write-up. Check it out!
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