Sometimes the only way you need to describe a game to me is “multiplayer Tetris”. As soon as that’s used to summarize a new game, you can bet that I’ll be on it like a fat kid on a plate of brownies. Thanks to my early days of playing with tangrams at school, I have an innate love of all things competitively puzzley. Ubongo is one of my favorite games of all time and I always thought that finding a game that would satisfy that particular gaming itch would be tough.
Thankfully, FITS is now upon us, and engaging its players with awesome Tetris-like goodness. FITS takes the mold even farther than Ubongo, utilizing a board that very much resembles a classic Tetris screen. Moreover, pieces can only be placed as if they were dropped straight down from the top of the player’s board. Scoring is brutal for new players, but once you get the hang of it, the frustration lessens and you start to have some fun. The game uses shuffled cards to determine which piece gets dropped next, and every player starts with a different large piece.
Apart from that, there’s not a whole lot to say about the game. There are some different boards included for even more challenges, and the game is quite expandable. Unlike Blokus, this game doesn’t require 4 players get the best experience. In fact, there’s not really any player interaction to speak of, unless you count all the smack talk that gets thrown around.
This is a prime example of puzzle board gaming at its best, and a must buy for just about any board gamer.
