## Game name

Tessera

## Vision

Tessera takes classic Tetris and adds a light puzzle layer: arranged clears that match colors grant small bonuses, rewarding planning without changing the tight, fast arcade feel. It's worth making because it blends a familiar, addictive core with a gentle twist that increases depth for skilled players while staying approachable.

## What the game will look like

A clean, modern pixel/flat aesthetic with bright, readable tetromino colors on a dark background; the HUD shows next pieces, hold slot, score, level, and subtle particle effects on clears.

## Player interaction

Players use keyboard controls to move, rotate, soft/hard drop, and hold pieces; menus use simple mouse/keyboard navigation. The game emphasizes quick decision-making and responsive controls with a visible ghost piece to aid placement.

## Core mechanics

1. Falling tetromino placement and rotation — move and rotate pieces to fit them into the well.
2. Line clearing and gravity — completed rows clear and the above rows shift down, possibly chaining combos.
3. Hold and next-queue — store one piece and preview upcoming pieces to plan ahead.
4. Color-match bonus (optional) — clearing lines where most blocks share a color grants small score/energy bonuses to encourage pattern play.

## Milestone (first target)

Implement the core game engine: represent the board and pieces, support spawning, movement, rotation, collision detection, locking, and single-line clearing so you can run a minimal playable loop and unit tests for the engine.

