Tetris DS Review

Before Tetris DS was released, if you told someone that Tetris could make a large impact on a next-gen gaming system, they would break into fits of hysterical laughter. After all, Tetris is a thing of the past. It is fine for sentimental old schoolers who relive the 8-bit glory days by delighting in falling blocks, but as far as the modern gamer is concerned, Tetris is dead. It has nothing fancy, nothing new, and certainly nothing worth shelling money out for. The days of Tetris are over.

Or are they? Imagine the shock waves that originally blasted through the handheld community when Nintendo first announced that Tetris would indeed be making its way onto the Nintendo DS gaming system. A few people were thrilled, but most merely stood back, confused. Could Tetris really survive in today’s competitive market?

Fortunately, Nintendo realized all of the skepticism that a typical Tetris game might cause, and so it decided to make something that was not exactly like Tetris, but was still Tetris nonetheless. Thus came the birth of Tetris DS, featuring seven unique game modes, online play, and a modern way of playing an ancient puzzle game.

Tetris DS sticks to its roots by including the typical Tetris formula: pieces made up of four blocks — known as tetriminos — fall onto the playing field. By clearing these blocks, players can empty the field, prevent imminent destruction, and gain high scores.

The first game mode that uses this is Standard. It is like your normal, everyday Tetris, but instead of going indefinitely (although there is an option to do that), you play until you clear a certain number of lines. Once those lines are cleared, the game ends and you receive your score.

At first, it becomes a matter of survival, as players try to prevent their impending doom for as long as possible. But as they get better at the game, however, suddenly a whole new world of options opens up. Once they can easily clear the mode, gamers will then have to search for alternate ways to clear all the lines if they wish to maximize their score. It keeps the game fun, even when you have completed the mode, so there is a high chance of replay value.

Beyond Standard, Mission also makes a debut as a new game mode. It also uses typical Tetris action, only this time players have to do a certain amount of specified tasks as quickly as possible. These tasks include using only one type of piece to clear lines, clearing lines with a certain piece, or clearing a certain number of lines at once.

The pace in Mission makes for harrying gameplay, and the constant desire to improve your time will permit you to spend hours trying to quicken your maneuvers. There are five different difficulty levels, and each one presents differing and more challenging tasks. Altogether, Mission’s fast paced action makes it an excellent addition to the game.

One of the more interesting and equally exciting new modes is Push, which is not about high scores at all. Instead, the only goal is to eliminate the opponent. Both of the players’ fields are connected into one large area, where both gamers must drop blocks onto the bottom of each other’s stack. The goal is basic: clear multiple lines at once.

When you do, you will push the entire stack several spaces towards your opponent’s side. Once a stack moves too close to the fire at one person’s side, the game ends. It is a very fast paced and intense game, and it is also one that you can spend hours enjoying. It is also online enabled, which allows players to acquire even more entertainment from it since they do not only have to battle computer opponents.

Now, the next mode is very different than anything ever experienced in Tetris before, but at the same time, it is also very similar. In Catch, you will start with a central core made up of Tetris blocks, and you will connect addition Tetris blocks to that core. However, instead of trying to clear lines, you will need to create a 4×4 section solidly filled with blocks. And, instead of controlling a single block at a time, you control the core and try to ram into the array of tetriminos that will fall towards you.

Each time you connect a 4×4 segment, it will wait ten seconds and then detonate, eliminating most of the core. Then, you start the process all over again. Your goal is to keep detonating the core and surviving as long as possible until you die. How do you die? Well, there is a life bar at the bottom of the screen, and it will deplete whenever you do not catch a tetrimino or if the core hits a Metroid. Upon its full depletion, the game ends. This Metroid-themed mode might seem strange, and that’s because it is. At the same time, though, it is also one of the most thrilling twists ever added to the Tetris gameplay.

But, for a more relaxing approach, players can also dive into Puzzle. Instead of quick thinking or instantaneous reactions, this calm mode only requires a large portion of mental muscle. For each of the game’s 200 puzzles, players are shown a playing field of Tetris blocks on the top screen. However, spaces in between the blocks prevent them from being cleared.