14 DAY TRIAL // 
During the past couple of years, the gaming industry has been transformed by the advancements in video rendering technology and hardware support. It would seem that most titles rely exclusively on highly detailed graphics and design rather than creating fun and addicting games like the old school breakout or tetris.
I'm glad to report that remakes after classic games have not entirely disappeared and that gamers are still interested in titles such as tetris. For instance, I have come across PhysTris, a reimplementation of tetris except for the fact that it comes with a physics engine, which seriously changes gameplay, for the better.
It introduces the concept of ragdoll physics onto the in-game blocks. If the classic game was all about stacking the blocks and removing them line by line, this is no longer your main objective. From now on, you have to focus on making the blocks fit and not bounce around in the weirdest of positions. The fun part is that you will never know how it will react when it touches other blocks, rotating and sliding in any position.
Story
The story behind the game is the same since the first tetris was created: stack up the falling blocks and match them together without any gaps in between. Each time you create a line, it will automatically be removed and you will be rewarded with points. Later on, blocks become colored and it isn't just about stacking them, but also about matching their colors. There have been numerous remakes, each with new power-ups and features so that the game could be more exciting and addicting, but none can compare with the latest PhysTris.
Gameplay
Each level of the game is focused on the idea that you have to achieve various objectives and not survive for as long as you can. The speed of the blocks never increases and thank God for that, because if it did, the game would have been a lot tougher and more frustrating. It's enough that the blocks behave as if they have a mind of their own and it's great that you don't have to consider the speed factor.
Power-ups are another new concept added to the game. As you remove lines, tiny power-up blocks will appear and as you collect them, you can add them to your inventory so that you can use them whenever you want. They will allow you to remove any clicked block or even drop a zapping orb that will remove a large number of blocks. You can even detonate bombs that will literally throw the blocks out of the stacking area. Using these power-ups is a lot of fun and they will get you out of trouble easily.
The inventory is located in the lower side of the screen and can contain up to ten slots, each of them capable of housing a power-up. With a click, you can activate any of them and use it in a time of need. From adding bonus points to exploding the blocks, power-ups come with various purposes.
Graphics and Audio
If you think PhysTris is all about blocks, you're wrong. What is a game without a soundtrack? Although it has its own background music, four default tracks, you can even add your own MP3 files to the playlist. This way, you can play the game and listen to your favorite tracks while stacking up blocks. It comes with default support for MP3 audio, OGG files and basically most commonly used sound formats. All you have to do is browse through your directories, compile a list of tracks and when you start playing, you will listen to your favorite tunes.
The graphics part is not all that impressive mostly because there is nothing new you can add to the tetris world. The blocks do look more polished and come in all shapes and sizes but the genius behind the game relies in the physics engine. The blocks behave as if they have their own mass and answer to the laws of gravity creating a very realistic visual impact. The ragdoll concept is surely something you wouldn't expect to see in a tetris remake.
Conclusion
I can only think of great things to say about the game, I've always been a tetris fan even after all these years and it's great to see that it still comes back packing a punch. PhysTris combines the polished look of modern day games with the retro concept of block stacking and creates a unique tetris experience that can only be described as both addicting and challenging at the same time. It's the perfect game for any occasion.
As a side note, it would have been a great idea to add a feature that would allow you to save the current state of the game. Instead of pausing it and leaving the application running, you could save your progress and then load it along with your profile or by simply loading the saved file.
Also, there is no high score ranking system; at each level, you can view your current score, but there's no way you can compare it to your previous games or against other players. Behind the challenge of staking blocks, there should also be the matter of who gets the highest score. Still, on an overall basis, the game brings back the memory of the retro tetris combined with new features, wrapped around in the same addicting gameplay. PhysTris is the perfect solution for both nostalgic games and for those that are looking for some clean fun.
