Foldris

• Designer: Jinwoo Seo
• Publisher: Korea Boardgames
• Players: 1-7
• Age: 8+
• Time: 15 minutes
• Played with review copy provided by publisher

A pen and paper game inspired by Tetris. Players draw shapes on their paper, folding it when a line is fully filled in. Use this to your advantage to fill out previously inaccessible lines!

At the start of the game, a block card is revealed. This indicates the shape, and the column that the block “falls” down. Players can rotate the shape before filling it in using their pencil. The active player draws the shape in the indicated column, and each player later in turn over moves the column to the right once – in this way each player has a unique starting alignment on their sheet.

At the top of the sheet, you see a row of bonus spaces; the first two already have circles in them showing that they have been activated. You can spend points acquired from filled rows to rotate the shapes, or to remove one square from the shape.

After the starting block is drawn, the game proceeds by revealing a block card on each turn, and players each rotating and filling it in on their sheet.  The blocks fall straight down from the top – unlike the videogame, you cannot scoot the block over once it hits the bottom.   Again, don’t forget that you have two possible bonus actions to take on the block.

When a row is fully filled in on your sheet, the page is folded up so that the filled-in row disappears. This allows players to access rows that were previously blocked off.   You get bonus points for folding a row – you get to draw a circle in the bonus row on the top of your board.

Additionally, players who did not fill in a row during the same round must place an obstruction block on their sheet.  The block is a 2×1 piece that is dropped down the numbered line indicated by the number of the card for the round.  For the next turn, you cannot draw in the two blocks that are obstructed by this obstruction.

If you are not able to legally place and draw the block for the round, you are eliminated from the game.  The game ends when there’s only one player remaining. If the final players are eliminated at the same time, the player who folded the most rows is the winner!

My thoughts on the game

So this is essentially the game that comes up when Tetris gets smashed together with the roll-and-write gaming craze, an analog version of the game.  Unlike many of the other RAW games, this one forces you to fold and modify your sheet of paper – to remove the completed lines from your display just like what happens in the video game.

The one thing that I try to do in all my games is figure out how to clear a line as soon as possible. Your strategy will end up going sideways when you get an unexpected obstacle block or a piece that simply doesn’t fit.  Having the ability to either rotate it or shave a section off of it can be the difference between a winning board and outright disaster.  It certainly feels like the rich get a little richer here because those who take an early lead are best able to modify things in the future, thus meaning they are also more likely to have future success.

Sure, it should not be forgotten that you can clear lines from your board just like Tetris, and with clever play, it is certainly possible to overcome an early disadvantage and catch up – I just haven’t seen it happen too often.

Foldtris is a clever little tangram placing roll and write, and though I try to prevent it, I find myself humming the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies each time that I play it.  It really is a clever port of the classic NES game to your game table, and it’s one that will surely get more play time this summer.

Ratings from the Opinionated Gamers

• I love it!
• I like it. Dale Y
• Neutral. John P, Steph H
• Not for me…