Tetris

Tetris also made it to Nokia phones as a licensed version of the legendary puzzle game created by Alexey Pajitnov in the eighties, and it worked surprisingly well on the small display. The principle remained unchanged: falling blocks made up of four squares need to be arranged into full rows, which are cleared once completed, while the game gradually speeds up and forces the player to react ever more quickly.

On the limited keypad of phones at the time, blocks were rotated and shifted using a handful of number buttons, which certainly didn't match the comfort of a game console, but was more than enough for short gaming sessions. It was precisely the brevity of individual rounds that made Tetris an ideal mobile title — the player could pause the game at any time and return to it a few minutes later without losing the thread, which fit perfectly into the rhythm of waiting for a bus or a short break between meetings. Thanks to the brand's enormous recognizability, moreover, nobody needed the game explained to them — practically everyone already knew the principle back then, regardless of whether they'd played it on a computer, a console, or for the first time right on their phone.

Tetris's presence on Nokia phones showed that even established computer and console brands could find a new home on mobile devices, which later opened the way for dozens of other licensed ports. Today's players can only get to this particular version through a period phone or emulation, as the current mobile Tetris runs on entirely different apps.

Why play it: I recommend it to anyone who wants to experience how the iconic puzzle game fit into a pocket phone before smartphones and touch controls arrived.