Sha's Tetris (2023)
Platforms: Windows
Project Length: ~2 month
Skill Focus: UI & UX design | Gameplay Programming
Engine and Tools: Java Swing
About
Sha's Tetris is a simple Tetris clone based on Tetris (1989) for the Game Boy. Players must guide falling blocks in order to form a complete row of tiles. Completed rows will be cleared and points awarded. The game ends when the stack of blocks grows to the top of the game board so a consistent clearing of rows is required for high-scoring play. Sha's Tetris offers a polished and addictive experience, along with a suite of game and player options.
Features
- Modernized, action take on classic Nintendo Tetris.
- Polished and intuitive menus/UI.
- Robust game settings.
- Toggleable gameplay modes.
- User settings/high scores persistent through sessions.
Development History
After completing my first full game with SSRG, I was eager to try my hand at creating a more polished experience. Fuelled by a feeling of “yeah, I could make that” spurred upon by watching footage of the original Elektronika 60 version of Tetris, I decided to make a Tetris clone.
The intent was two fold:
- Take the programming experience gained from SSRG and apply it to a slightly larger, but still extremely manageable, scoped gameplay loop that would push my ability to deliver punchy, compelling moment to moment action.
- Use pre-existing game design as a base to hasten the development of a satisfying core gameplay loop which could then be wrapped in a polished, feature-rich package. This was to be an exercise in creating the elements that lie outside a game's “core,” but are nonetheless vital to the overall experience of play.
Firstly I put together a prototype recreating the core gameplay loop of Tetris, taking extra care to tune the controls to be fun and fast but also not without the friction that characterizes Nintendo Tetris.
After I felt satisfied with the main portion of the game, I started work on game settings and gameplay modes.
Finally, it was time to wrap it all up in a complete and approachable package. This was when the main menu, options menu, and game over screen were created.
I knew I had succeeded in creating a compelling gameplay loop and player controller when I found myself getting lost in the pursuit of high scores while testing the game. This even extended to after development had finished as I would play for hours during college classes in my free time.
Postmortem
The development of Sha's Tetris provided me with the opportunity to cut my teeth on planning, managing, and delivering on larger scale projects. By challenging myself to create a complete feeling experience, I encountered and overcame new obstacles that helped to guide me further down my path of game development.