Tetric brings together dark fantasy and tetris, a unlikely, but equally amazing, combination that is a joy to look at. 1
Image: Celery Emblem, Jacob Jazz

I never thought that Tetris mixed with dark fantasy would make a great game; not because I think it wouldn't be a good mix, but simply because that thought never occurred to me. I'm glad it entered someone's mind, though, because I can see what an absolute feast for the senses this combination is.

TETRIC is a game about Tetris-style puzzles (with an emphasis on style, as they play quite differently), plus tactical cards you can grade and sell to aid your continued quest to help Don Femur save the Kingdom of Calaberia from the hands of evil.

The Tetris-style blocks you wield are your weapon in this fight; use them to break enemy blocks and earn Tetric points, which let you buy cards that help defeat the monsters standing between you and saving the Kingdom.

The Queen of said Kingdom is dead, and a massive cursed tree has grown out of her castle, getting bigger and bigger by the day; it is your job to go and find out why, or die trying, alongside Don Femur, who has made an oath to the late Queen to save the Kingdom from the clutches of evil.

Adventure into the fallen castle full of monsters looking to grant you your demise, as you uncover the buried secrets of Calaberia. The castle is home to 15 different monster types, all with immaculate, hand-drawn designs that, as a Dungeons & Dragons fan, look absolutely phenomenal to me.

The game is designed by a father-and-son duo and is based on '80s dark fantasy, taking inspiration from the aforementioned D&D, and oozing with the DNA from a plethora of other dark fantasy titles from that era. I have said it once, and I will happily say it again: it looks stunning. The design blends seamlessly into the overall loop of a card/Tetris-style experience, almost making it feel like an '80s board game.

Dark fantasy is a genre I love, and I haven't seen it done (game-wise) in an art style this faithful to what makes it feel great; if you like the sound of this kind of art style fused with some pretty interesting puzzles, go check out Tetric on Steam now; I can assure you that you will not be disappointed.