Allostris

Allostris is a 1996 Tetris-inspired puzzle game by Frithjof Kohl that opens up almost every aspect of the genre to player tinkering. Instead of fixed tetrominoes, you design your own falling pieces, choose the playfield size, and tune drop probabilities, then race to top per-set high score tables.

Gameplay

The core loop is the familiar falling-block stacker: arrange descending figures into complete rows to clear them. Allostris adds class-n figures, where a parameter from 1 to 9 generates piece sets of varying complexity (n=4 reproduces standard Tetris). Up to 5,000 user-editable figures can live in a single document, each customizable in shape, color, and spawn probability on a 6x6 grid.

Customization

Field sizes range from 6x6 up to whatever your monitor allows, and randomization options can mutate figures on the fly. Up to 100 player profiles are supported, each with individual key bindings and mouse configurations, and balloon help annotates every interface element.

Scores and Profiles

Allostris keeps the top 100 scores per figure set and per field size, so reshaping the rules creates a fresh leaderboard rather than overwriting your records.

System Requirements

PowerPC processor, Mac OS 7.1 or higher, 4 MB free RAM (5 MB recommended), an 800x600 minimum display, and roughly 3 MB of disk space. Version 2.0 was reissued in 2024.