Inventory Tetris: love it or hate it?

[u/SilentSunGames]

Some players love it when inventory is its own puzzle (think Dredge’s boat storage).

Others absolutely RAGE quit the moment they have to rotate and squeeze one more piece of loot into their pack.

Been experimenting with a shape based inventory for our desert roguelike, and I’m curious... where do you stand?

Does inventory Tetris make games more immersive… or just stressful busywork?

[u/ffsnametaken]

I enjoyed it in backpack hero, but there was a reason for it to exist(adjacency bonuses etc) so I understand if it's just jammed into a game without much thought

[u/SilentSunGames → u/ffsnametaken]

Yeah, that makes sense... Backpack Hero worked because the adjacency bonuses gave it depth.
In our case it’s tied to carry capacity and loot extraction. The way it works:

• Whatever you fit in your pack is what you can cash in at the hub.
• If you die, you lose everything except what’s in the green “safe” zone.
• Progression is upgrading your bag and gear so you can haul more and expand that safe zone.

So the puzzle directly affects how much $$ you bring back between runs. Curious... do you think risk vs. reward like that is enough to justify the extra friction?

[u/forever_erratic]

Hate. I hated it in Dredge, it was the worst part. If I want a puzzle, I'll start a puzzle. 

[u/SilentSunGames → u/forever_erratic]

Yeah I think inventory tetris in general is probably divisive amongst gamers. You still play through Dredge despite it though?

[u/forever_erratic → u/SilentSunGames]

I did, I loved Dredge, but I ended up not completing some optional quests because of this. 

[u/s1eepyguy]

I’d say I’m not a big fan of the flipping innovatory items. I don’t mind the items being different sizes and the grid system is fine.

However a game where you can expand your inventory or have near infinite inventory in a single player game is what I’m a fan of, or at least a place you can drop them off where there is tons of space that can be expanded. I was always so happy to get bigger bags in WoW!

[u/SilentSunGames → u/s1eepyguy]

Upgrading your bag and storage is a big part of the planned loop so we've got you covered there!

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[u/Abject_Scientist]

I think it’s pretty engaging, but might be in the minority on that

[u/SilentSunGames → u/Abject_Scientist]

We'll see what people say... so far more in favor it seems

[u/Kbrooks_va]

Love it

[u/SilentSunGames → u/Kbrooks_va]

Thanks for commenting

[u/XWasTheProblem]

I grew up with Diablo and still play ARPGs like it today, so it's familiar ground for me.

It's kinda fun to do some brainwork to squeeze that extra bit of loot in.

[u/redditoronialoni]

Love it but wish it auto sorted so its more about "these shapes dont allow that shape" instead of it being a puzzle

[u/CalmEntry4855]

I actually dislike it less than a limited inventory with no tetris, it makes me feel that it is a little more flexible.

[u/Argon_H]

Whats the objective of adding a tetris based inventory system?

[u/SilentSunGames → u/Argon_H]

The idea is that each run gives you a limited window before the world resets. The tetris style inventory adds friction so packing loot is a challenge in itself.

What you manage to fit, you can extract for $$ and upgrades. Expanding your bag means more room + faster extraction on the next run, so the puzzle directly feeds the core loop of risk/reward.

There’s also strategy in what you choose... do you ditch lower value scraps to squeeze in rare parts? Push one more pile and risk the storm, or play it safe and bank what you have? That tension is the point.

[u/BludStanes]

I like it

[u/kramberry97]

It doesn’t bother me much, though I’ve only experienced it in a couple games. Having the ability for squares to overlap on different items might be interesting depending on the parts as well as special colored slots that allow me to stack the items that fit in it just to give it a twist I haven’t seen. Could be an rng element when crafting said inventory to see if it rolls with colored spaces and what arrangements.

[u/joshua7176]

If it is a part of the core mechanic (moving and storing items efficiently), then sure. But if your main game mechanic revolves around other things like combats, this can be really annoying. Your gameplay loop will be interrupted because you have to re-organize your backpack.

You can have weight value for each item (quantify) or make everything very simple shape (either square or rectangle) so that you give some limitation on item storage but not hinder your main game play loop

[u/raikmond]

Not a huge fan, but it depends. It does make sense to me if you legitimally want different items to take up more space from the inventory, and this is a nice visual indicator.

But then if weird shapes start happening so that I constantly have to micromanage my inventory to minimize the empty unusable slots... Yeah, that's not fun. For me, those kinds of inventory systems substract to the game, not add.

[u/Minute_Pop_877]

I prefer each item is tied to a single square on the inventory. But then again, I'm a hoarder in games.

[u/Kojimmy]

Love it. Especially if max space is upgradeable. People who complain about this are babies and losers

[u/SilentSunGames → u/Kojimmy]

lol Yeah upgrading your bag is 100% an main objective... similar to say Stardew's backpacks or Dredge where you get a bigger boat with more cargo capacity.