This version of Tetris was the first to be released outside the Eastern Bloc, and by extent the first to be sold commercially. The western release was the result of creator Alexey Pajitnov knowing a guy who knew some guys who knew some guys and so on, eventually bringing the game into the hands of business executive and white-collar criminal Robert Maxwell, who owned both Spectrum HoloByte and Mirrorsoft. Thus began the bizarre and convoluted situation regarding the international rights to Tetris, which would eventually spawn a (heavily embellished) feature film.
Revisional Differences#
When info about this version made its way to the Russians, they demanded a few changes to the game.
Title Screen#
In the original release, a plane flies across the title screen before the opening scroll, a reference to Mathias Rust and his flight over Red Square. The incident was considered a national embarrassment to the Russians, and Elorg demanded that the plane be removed as a result.
The copyright text was also made slightly thicker and takes up a bit more screen estate in the revised version.
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After the opening scroll is the "Play Tetris!" screen. In the original version the plane returns with a banner reading "Play Tetris!", and the player must press a key to move on to the programmer credits. In the revised version the Play Tetris screen disappears almost instantly, presumably just before the plane would appear.
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Revised |
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Level Select Screen#
The level select screen has different colors. Why this was changed is unclear.
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Version 1.0 |
Revised |
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Stage Backgrounds#
Backgrounds depicting submarines and fighter planes were replaced because Pajitnov wanted Tetris to be "a peaceful game heralding a new era in the relationship between superpowers and their attitude toward world peace."
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Version 1.0 |
Revised |
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Level 3, containing submarines, was changed to a man riding a horse.
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Version 1.0 |
Revised |
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Level 8, containing fighter planes, was changed to a theatre performance.