Square Off

Great, another Tetris...

Some puzzle games just feel right the moment you boot the disk, and Square Off is definitely one of those. Released in 1995 by legend Dave Munsie, this is his take on the Tetris formula - though it's much more. Compared to other versions, it isn’t exactly going to dazzle you, but it is bright and colourful. The audio is the same, really: no-frills, but with plenty of great samples (especially on the Atari STe).

Hey, when did games demand fancy aesthetics to be enjoyable?

At its core, the rules are the same as Tetris: rotate and drop pieces to complete lines, but stack too high and it’s game over. Munsie has added some neat ideas to shake things up: Classic Mode is the purist’s choice, while Arcade Mode ramps things up across twenty levels of steadily increasing difficulty. Each stage demands a set number of lines, with backdrops changing every couple of levels to freshen the view. Later rounds even start with junk blocks already placed, though the occasional fire bomb power-up can help clear some much-needed space when things get tight. And for those lucky enough to have friends (unlike me), there’s a fantastic Battle Mode where you can cunningly punish the other player by dumping extra lines on their board.

The mark of a great game is when you suddenly realise you’ve been playing for ages without noticing. That’s exactly what happened as I grinded through Arcade mode. Square Off takes Tetris and adds just enough to make it feel fresh, thrilling, and different. My only gripe? The music option that does absolutely nothing – at least for me here (4MB STe). Regardless, Square Off might just be my favourite Tetris on the ST/e!!

I had problems with various disks (real hardware), but the adapted version by 8BitChip ran fine.

All screenshots were taken from my very first attempt. Not bad for me!

Hey, what's this? It looks explosive...

Kaboom - blocks cleared!! Yes, I think that will come in handy.

New level, and junk blocks are automatically placed on the board.

Oh dear, things are getting a little mad for me here...

This level starts with junk blocks that make it quite impossible (for me!).

Yep, that's me done. Still, 32530 is a good score!

Dammit, I missed the deadline! I wonder who won?

Tetris

Another lost game has been found and preserved inside the archives of AtariMania. Yes, it's (yet another) Tetris clone, originally developed in 1991 by Tassos Seizis, with graphics by his brother John Seizis. Sadly, it was never released - until now!! I'm not a huge Tetris fan, but today is a good day for all ST nutters!!

Click the link above to download it. Let me know what you think in the comments!

BLAT

Block Blasting!

I enjoy the occasional brain teaser, and Blat is a twist on the Columns genre, which was released for the Atari STe by The Infamous Cabbage, aka Chris Vance. I'm sorry, STF dudes, but this game is only playable on an STe because of the cool samples played via the DMA hardware. Interestingly, this brain-blaster was released on June 17th, 1992, so it's 25 years old today. So let's sing, "Happy Birthday, BLAT". Maybe not.

Falling columns of coloured blocks need reordering during their descent. If we can successfully match them up, it's KABOOM!! This explosion earns us points and clears the board space for the oncoming blocks, so the more we match, the more points we earn. Diagonal rows are the most rewarding, and you will receive a smart bomb when matching five or more. It's advisable to keep these until the later (faster) levels!

There are 15 levels, but it won't be long until you're grateful for keeping a stockpile of smart bombs because this isn't an easy game - it soon picks up the pace for an extremely harsh difficulty. There are items to help, like the clocks, which can slow the pace right down - two is good, but three is much better. There are also sticks of dynamite, lightning bolts, and even indestructible blocks. Many of these can be paired, so try positioning a fuse next to the dynamite for a massive explosion that conveniently destroys many blocks.

This is a polished product with gorgeous sound effects and is very addictive. Actually, I'm surprised it's PD and not shareware. I've thoroughly enjoyed playing BLAT even if I couldn't get anywhere near level 15, and it's doubtful I ever will. Highly recommended, especially for those wanting an explosive challenge!!

• Atari Legend has Serenade #1 floppy disk (with Teserea, another game you'll love).
• AtariMania lists Blat in their database with a convenient ReadMe.
• BLAT uses the Blitter and DMA, which means it's on the Enhanced List!
• I've added BLAT to our Match/Stack group, where you'll find more games.

Teserae

I love sausages!

Teserae was developed by The Albanian Sausage Corporation - the funniest name ever! It is a Tetris clone if you hadn't guessed, but this is different and pushes the Atari ST with fantastic aesthetics that no version of Tetris has ever seen. I'm talking about the whackiest & jazziest graphics, a cool, wobbly logo, zooming backgrounds, a text scroller, and gorgeous music. Plus, everything runs at a smooooth 50fps. Slick.

Regardless, it wouldn't be worth its salt if the gameplay were rubbish. Fear not, as it not only looks incredible but plays great. Once you have got over the shock of what is a visual carnival, there is actually a challenging version of the classic game here. I'm not exactly a Tetris fan, but I adored Teserae a bunch!!

• I recommend you wear sunglasses before you hit AtariMania for the download.