How Many "Parody" Versions Can a Game Be Remade Into 40 Years After It Became a Hit? | Top Games by Genre Awards

The “Top Games by Genre” column compiles a weekly roundup of hit games from both China and abroad based on the hottest gameplay styles and genres currently on the market, highlighting the developers behind them and their performance metrics to provide insights for other developers.

This week, we’re discussing the timeless classic “Tetris.”

The prototype of Tetris first appeared in 1984, and while it has been around for over 40 years, this classic game remains a vibrant presence in the gaming market and is widely loved by players.

Notable “Tetris-like” games that have performed exceptionally well recently include *Block Blast!*, released by the Chinese developer Hungry Studio, which held the top spot on global mobile game download charts for several consecutive months. More recently, *Sand Blast*, developed by a team from the United Arab Emirates, has surged onto the scene, climbing to the top of the free charts in multiple countries.

(Statistics period: January 1, 2021 – August 12, 2025; Data source: DianDian Data)

These hit titles demonstrate that "Tetris" has never left the gaming market, and its gameplay has evolved with the times, incorporating various changes and innovations.

Overall, “Tetris” variants can be broadly categorized into the following three types.

01

Graphics and Theme Variations

The core element of classic Tetris games is the "blocks" of various shapes. Later developers have provided players with fresh experiences by altering the materials and physics of these "blocks."

For example, the recently popular hit *Sand Blast*, mentioned at the beginning of this article, replaces the core game elements with sand of various colors. When the blocks made of this sand fall, they flow according to physical laws, and a row is cleared when the sand of the same color fills the entire row.

*Sand Blast*

Compared to the classic Tetris, the core gameplay of *Sand Blast* remains largely unchanged, but the dynamic physics add more unpredictability and strategic depth. Players must anticipate the path of the flowing sand to adjust the position and orientation of falling blocks, thereby achieving higher scores.

The smooth animations and chain reactions from color-matching significantly enhance the game’s sense of satisfaction. As a result, after its launch in May of this year, the game quickly captured the T1 market and entered the Top 10 of the free game charts in multiple countries and regions, including the U.S., the U.K., Canada, and the Netherlands.According to DianDian Data, the game has surpassed 6.5 million downloads in the three months since its launch, emerging as a high-potential dark horse in the casual mobile game market.

“Jelly Fill,” launched in 2020 by the French developer Dual Cat, features a bouncy “jelly cube” design. When differently shaped cubes fall from above, they wobble slightly upon collision, creating a soft and elastic physics effect.

*Jelly Fill*

At the same time, the game removed the match-three element from its prototype, transforming the objective into a puzzle within each level. Players simply need to reshape and combine the jelly to fill the target area and clear the level.

This fresh visual appeal has earned the game a positive market response; according to DianDian data, its cumulative downloads have now surpassed 19 million.

“Tetoji-su,” born from an idea proposed by Japanese netizen ARAMA, goes a step further by transforming the game’s blocks into individual Chinese characters.As the kanji characters fall, players can specify where they land. When two adjacent kanji can form another kanji, they automatically merge to create a new character. Ultimately, players clear the level by forming the target number of new kanji characters.

*Tetoji*

Looking further back, in 1996, Nintendo released a 3D version of Tetris in North America for its Virtual Boy virtual reality gaming platform, giving it the very simple name *3D Tetris*.

In this game, players navigate a 5×5×5 three-dimensional space, where the three-dimensional blocks and environment open up new possibilities for the player’s imagination. Unfortunately, due to factors such as hardware limitations, the game ultimately failed to gain widespread acceptance and became the final title released for the Virtual Boy in North America.

*3D Tetris*

02

Minor Innovations in Game Mechanics

In addition to focusing on the most intuitive aspects—such as visuals and theme—some developers chose to adjust the original game’s “vertical descent and row-clear” mechanics to enhance the product’s uniqueness.

For example, *Block Blast!*, released by a Chinese team in 2022, completely abandoned the “vertical drop” mechanic. Instead, the system randomly generates a batch of three differently shaped blocks each time; these blocks have fixed orientations and cannot be rotated. Players must place all of them onto the elimination grid to receive the next batch of blocks.Blocks placed on the playfield are cleared as soon as they fill an entire row or column. The level ends when no more blocks can be placed on the playfield from above, at which point the score is tallied.

*Block Blast!*

It’s worth noting that the game uses AI-assisted level generation, dynamically creating levels based on player behavior. This ensures both the fun of progressing through levels and the appropriate level of challenge.

Thanks to these factors, the game has achieved remarkable success, topping the global mobile game download charts for several consecutive months and surpassing an astonishing 625 million downloads to date.

In addition to this game, many other titles have adopted similar designs. Examples include Gram Games’ *1010!* and Wonderful Studio’s *Block Crush!*.

Among them, *1010!*, released in 2014, was one of the earliest successful titles to experiment with this type of gameplay innovation.

*1010!*

*Block Crush!*, on the other hand, incorporates additional elements such as item collection and objective-based levels. For example, players must clear tiles around a target object a certain number of times to complete a level objective—features that further enhance the game’s depth.

*Block Crush!*

The game’s marketing campaign was also particularly impressive, propelling it straight to No. 2 on the global mobile game user acquisition chart this past July.

In addition, there’s another interesting game called *Not Tetris 2*, which adds lighthearted physics effects to the blocks. The wobbly blocks are difficult to place precisely like in the original version, resulting in a chaotic pile of blocks leaning every which way once they land.

Moreover, the game’s elimination rules are quite “quirky”—as soon as both ends of a row are filled, the system will automatically clear the entire row in one go, regardless of shape. This mechanic can be a real “nightmare for those with OCD,” but it also offers players a uniquely fun experience.

*Not Tetris 2*

03

More Gameplay Fusion

There are also some developers who use the “Tetris” gameplay as a foundation and “build upon it” by incorporating additional gameplay elements to create a richer gaming experience.

One title that deserves a mention here is the console game *Tricky Towers*, developed by the Dutch studio WeirdBeard.

The game retains the core mechanic of falling blocks, but shifts the objective from “clearing rows” to “building a tower,” and introduces a physics system where every block has weight and momentum—a slight misstep can cause the entire tower to wobble and collapse;It also features a unique magic system, allowing players to cast 17 different spells—including supportive spells to reinforce the tower and disruptive spells to interfere with opponents—adding more competition and strategy to the game.

*Tricky Towers*

Ultimately, the game has won over players with its unique gameplay and engaging multiplayer experience, earning a 90% positive rating on Steam.

Additionally, *Blocks VS Zombies*, developed by the Latvian game company Estoty, blends Tetris-style gameplay with tower defense mechanics.

Before each wave of enemies arrives, the system provides players with blocks of different shapes and colors, each containing a soldier. Players must rotate and reposition the blocks to form a defensive line with soldiers of different colors—such as red ranged shooters, yellow melee fighters, and purple tanks—to fend off enemy attacks.

Filling an entire row with soldiers grants a specific buff, and eliminating a certain number of enemies triggers a “roguelike” option, further strengthening the player’s forces.

*Blocks VS Zombies*

However, the game is currently undergoing small-scale testing in select regions only.

A new game called *Charge Adventure King*, which combines *Tetris* with *Tower Defense* mechanics, has also appeared in the domestic casual gaming market.The game adopts the classic Tetris gameplay, where blocks of various shapes fall from above, each carrying a soldier. Players must swap shapes and reposition blocks to fill a row and clear them; only then can the soldiers on the cleared blocks reach the shore, join the battlefield, and fight the enemies.

The elimination process also accumulates experience; once enough experience is gained, a roguelike mode can be triggered.

*Charge Adventure King*

Although the game has not yet made it onto the charts, its well-developed gameplay structure suggests it has significant market potential.

Conclusion

In addition, there are many other excellent innovative Tetris spin-offs on the market; however, due to space limitations, we cannot detail them all here. We welcome everyone to share more examples in the comments section.

However, the examples above sufficiently demonstrate that Tetris, as the most enduring classic gameplay in the history of video games, exhibits remarkable adaptability and expandability. Starting from the simple block-matching mechanism, it has spawned a rich variety of innovative forms, including physics simulation, tower defense strategy, multiplayer competition, and Roguelike games.

Teahouse believes that Tetris’s remarkable adaptability warrants developers continuing to push the boundaries of its gameplay to uncover even more surprising possibilities.