The New Rubik’s x Tetris Cube Is a Fun Mashup of ’80s Toys

As we get older, we tend to forget about some of the things we played with when we were kids. Some toys that were so fun in the moment just fade into the recesses of our memory, only remembered when some retro page shares an image of it on Facebook and you gasp, “I remember that!” (Or maybe it’s just me.)

But other toys from our childhoods were so solid, so fun, and so appealing to people of different ages, and even different generations, that they stick around, popularity ebbing and flowing but never quite disappearing.

Two such toys are Rubik’s Cubes (and its many variations and knock-offs) and Tetris (granted, a video game rather than a toy).

Rubik’s has now come out with a toy that combines the two in a fun way. My younger kid is the Rubik’s Cube expert in the family, so he gave it a whirl.

Note: A sample was provided for review purposes.

Here’s his review:

The Tetris Rubik’s Cube is a unique twist on the standard Rubik’s cube. Unlike a standard Rubik’s Cube, where the puzzle is solved by matching the colors of each face, the Tetris Rubik’s Cube is solved by forming each of Tetris’s Tetrominos (shapes made up of four consecutive squares) in their respective colors. Of the seven possible 2-dimensional Tetrominos, six are represented, and each must be represented in its appropriate color (shown on the box and the provided guide) for the puzzle to be solved. (The remaining Tetromino, the I-Shape Tetromino, is too long to fit on a 3x3x3 Rubik’s Cube, and is still represented in the well-made stand the Cube comes with.) Because the math does not quite work out to make the cube solely comprised of these Tetromino pieces, there are also two additional pieces on this puzzle that do not belong to a Tetromino: an unobtrusive black center, and a white edge piece with the Rubik’s and Tetris logos on it. The puzzle is constructed of a glossy plastic, and the turning quality is quite good, if a bit catchy at higher turning speeds. The colors of the puzzle are vibrant and easy to tell apart at a glance (though possibly not set up for those who have trouble distinguishing colors).

The challenge of this puzzle manifests in two ways: the first comes with creating every Tetromino on the puzzle at once, as they are prone to getting in each other’s way during the solving process, and a configuration must be found that allows all Tetrominos to be present at once. To alleviate this challenge, the Tetris Rubik’s Cube comes with a guide in the bottom of the box showing the solved configuration of the cube. The second way this puzzle’s challenge manifests is in figuring out how to get all the puzzle’s pieces into their correct spots without messing up what has already been constructed. If one knows how to solve a standard Rubik’s Cube, this is less of a problem, and even if not, this factor of difficulty is, in many ways, easier than it is on a standard Rubik’s Cube, due to this puzzle having several duplicate pieces and orientation being unimportant for them.

Though it is a unique challenge to figure out how to solve the Tetris Rubik’s Cube, the puzzle’s replayability is lower than on a standard Rubik’s Cube. This puzzle’s primary point of interest in comparison to the standard Rubik’s Cube is to figure out how all the Tetrominos can fit together, and this factor is reduced on replays when one already knows how the pieces fit together. Even so, it can still be an interesting challenge to manage to configure all of the pieces into a solved position, and it can still be satisfying on retries. In addition, it is possible to make many interesting patterns on this puzzle, and even when the puzzle is not actually solved, it can still look coherent and interesting—a factor that can contribute to its replayability. Overall, this is an interesting and unique collaboration between two of the most popular square-themed toy/game companies out there, and it is a great addition to any collection.

Though I’m no expert in Cubes (I never did figure out how to solve the one I got in the ’80s, despite having a booklet on how to do so), I did notice the quality of this product, with no stickers to get in the way, vibrant colors, and a handy stand for display.

If you were to own only one Cube, I’d probably suggest the original 3×3 one, but if you, like my kid, has dozens and is looking for a new variation, the Rubik’s x Tetris Cube is a perfect addition to your collection.