Review
Tetris DS (DSN)
Do me a favor, if you will. Dust off that Webster's Dictionary on the shelf – ya, the one in the house that almost never gets pulled out except during Scrabble® fiascos. Alright, look up the definition of "A Prototypical Portable Game." The definition consists of one six-letter word: "Tetris."
Some argue that if it wasn't for Alexey Pajitnov's ingenious design of Tetris over 20 years ago, the Game Boy may not have succeeded, and ultimately, the Nintendo DS would not even exist. Tetris DS does a nice job of mimicking Pajitnov's winning blueprint, but those wanting the true, original Tetris experience may be a little disappointed with the various gameplay tweaks. However, the five creative altercations to the winning formula, Wi-Fi play, and Nintendo themes are all very great and welcome additions and should attract all gaming, puzzle, and Tetris enthusiasts.
At its core, Tetris DS is that same familiar puzzle game in which you navigate various shapes made up of four blocks that are rapidly falling down a 2-D well. By pressing A or B you can flip the pieces 90º right or left. It is your job to form lines with these blocks.
The biggest gameplay difference between Tetris DS and the original version is now you can "HOLD" unwanted pieces by pressing L or R. So, if you come across a shape that you don't want or cannot fit into a location, by pressing L or R you throw that shape into the "HOLD" position, and you're given another shape to work with. You can recall shapes in the "HOLD" box by pressing L or R, at which point your current shape will be held.
This may sound like a small tweak, but in the grand scheme of Tetris strategy, this is humongous. The addition of the "HOLD" box means a lot more comfortably fitting shapes and a lot more Tetrises (clearing four lines with one shape). And this especially affects multiplayer matches, where forming Tetrises the quickest is most critical.
Another gameplay tweak that Tetris enthusiasts may not entirely enjoy is that players are now able to "slide" shapes even after blocks have made contact with the surface below – for as long as they please. What this means is that you can literally sit with one piece for as long as you desire by continually flipping it or sliding it left or right (so long as there's enough room to do so). This brings about a few pros and cons.
On one hand, this "sliding" technique is incredibly lame as players can use this method to effectively stop time and think their strategy over. On the other hand, casual gamers may find this to be a nice addition as it forgives many mistakes. Either way, Nintendo definitely had this element of play in mind as they considered Wi-Fi play.
Tetris DS sets itself apart from other Tetris iterations with its five different modes of play, each consisting of different Nintendo themes and/or characters: Standard, Catch, Mission, Puzzle, Touch, and Push.
Standard mode is what most fans think of when they hear Tetris. Shapes fall down a well as a Mario motif is splashed around you. After every ten lines are formed, you reach a new level (and Mario, running around on the top screen, does too). With every level increase, the speed at which the shapes fall also increases.
Catch is a Metroid[i]-themed version of [i]Tetris. By far, this mode changes the way you think about falling tetras more so than any other mode. You start with a core of five blocks on the bottom screen. Your job is to move and rotate this core to fuse it with falling shapes coming from the top screen. As soon as you create a 4x4 set of blocks, your core explodes after ten seconds, and you earn many points. You can earn even more points by making sure the explosion is within range of Metroids, killing them in the process. You can also press X to manually detonate the core. On the bottom of the screen is an energy meter. This decreases if you bump into a Metroid or allow blocks to bypass your core. If Catch sounds confusing, well, that's because it is. But once you get the hang of it, be warned, its spatial mechanics will challenge you cerebrally and won't let go.
Mission is my personal favorite of the newly added modes. You'll be shouting at the screen in this Zelda-based hand-sweater. Much in the vein of Standard, shapes fall from a well. However, in Mission, your goal is to complete whatever duty is demanded of you from the top screen, and if you don't complete the task within a certain time limit then a load of blocks will increase your already struggling-to-be-perfect stack – bringing you a few steps closer to death. Assignments are as simple as clearing one line with a specific shape to clearing two alternating lines with one shape. This is mind numbing, finger frenzy at its best.
Puzzle is a mode that was adopted from the puzzle mode in Tetris 2 for the SNES. This game, themed after Yoshi's Cookie, is a much more relaxing mode compared to the others since there are no time restrictions. Your goal is to clear the screen with just the Tetriminos that are provided. Using the stylus, you choose one of the available shapes and then the direction you want to drop it. The blocks will drop automatically. There's only one way to clear each of the 200 puzzles, and each one is harder than the last!
Touch also uses the stylus and has no time limit. Using the touch screen, you move and rotate shapes (rotating is a little cumbersome since you must touch two corners of the shape in succession – sometimes producing unwanted results) to clear lines. Your job is to clear enough lines on the ground to create a path for a cage of balloons (from Balloon Fight) stuck on the top of a tower of shapes. Once the cage touches the ground, you win.
There's also a puzzle mode within Touch that consists of 50 mind-twisting dilemmas where the game asks you clear each screen only using the directions they tell you. For example, one puzzle may tell you to clear every shape with a 3-line chain or another may ask you to clear only the square shape and no other shapes. Crazy stuff.
Push is a one-on-one ball buster. You're on the top screen clearing lines and trying to push your opponent down while your opponent is on the bottom screen clearing lines and trying to push you up. An "endzone" marks the end, and if your blocks touch this line, you lose. Eliminating two or more lines at a time pushes the matrix (center line) toward your foe's endzone. Matches can last anywhere from 30 seconds to 30 minutes depending on how evenly matched the opponents are. Strategy is key since both players are sharing blocks. For example, there are instances where you may not want to, say, score a double-line clear because if you do, your opponent may be sitting on one or two four-line clears, which was only possible after you made your move. Confused? Well, the more you play it, the better you get, and the more you get addicted.
Wireless and Wi-Fi – More like Wi-High
Up to ten (yes, ten) players can compete over local wireless using just one (yes, one) copy of Tetris DS. If that doesn't excite you then go join a circus because you're nuts. Wireless play offers standard versus mode.
Standard multiplayer consists of every player trying to survive the longest. If your stack of blocks reaches the top of the screen then you lose. Sounds easy enough, right? Wrong. If you or your opponent scores a double, triple, or quadruple line clear then a stack of two, three, or four lines of blocks are added to the bottom of your pile. You can also earn and use items to aid you.
Every so often a shape will fall down from the well that has a question mark in the one of its blocks. After clearing a line that has the question mark, much like running through a question mark in Mario Kart, an item box appears and it will randomly choose a power-up for you. Power-ups include banana peels (which distort opponent's stack), mushrooms (which temporarily increases the speed at which shapes fall for your opponents), stars (which temporarily give you unlimited "l" shapes), and more.
Although not as robust as a Tetris geek would have hoped, Tetris DS offers a very enjoyable Wi-Fi experience. You can play one of three different modes online: Standard one-on-one with no items, Standard four players with items, and Push one-on-one. Each mode tests your skills differently.
Push mode can get crazy online.
The game also keeps track of your "rating" and number of 1st place and 2nd place finishes. Your rating starts at 5000. You slowly earn or lose points based on how well you finish each online match-up. Don't worry about getting pwn't if you're a n00b because Tetris DS will match you with opponents of similar skill level.
There's nothing too flashy about the graphics or sound in Tetris DS, which is a good thing. Tetris has never and will never be about graphics and sound. With that said, if the visuals and sound of this iteration were junk, the game would still be good since its gameplay is so ridiculously addicting. The Nintendo themes, animations, and characters that usually dominate the top screen during play look great. Nintendo devotees will especially love the quality, old-school remixes from past Nintendo soundtracks. There's a lot to be seen and heard aside from the flipping and thumping of colorful blocks.
Some argue that if it wasn't for Alexey Pajitnov's ingenious design of Tetris over 20 years ago, the Game Boy may not have succeeded, and ultimately, the Nintendo DS would not even exist. Tetris DS does a nice job of mimicking Pajitnov's winning blueprint, but those wanting the true, original Tetris experience may be a little disappointed with the various gameplay tweaks. However, the five creative altercations to the winning formula, Wi-Fi play, and Nintendo themes are all very great and welcome additions and should attract all gaming, puzzle, and Tetris enthusiasts.
At its core, Tetris DS is that same familiar puzzle game in which you navigate various shapes made up of four blocks that are rapidly falling down a 2-D well. By pressing A or B you can flip the pieces 90º right or left. It is your job to form lines with these blocks.
The biggest gameplay difference between Tetris DS and the original version is now you can "HOLD" unwanted pieces by pressing L or R. So, if you come across a shape that you don't want or cannot fit into a location, by pressing L or R you throw that shape into the "HOLD" position, and you're given another shape to work with. You can recall shapes in the "HOLD" box by pressing L or R, at which point your current shape will be held.
This may sound like a small tweak, but in the grand scheme of Tetris strategy, this is humongous. The addition of the "HOLD" box means a lot more comfortably fitting shapes and a lot more Tetrises (clearing four lines with one shape). And this especially affects multiplayer matches, where forming Tetrises the quickest is most critical.
Another gameplay tweak that Tetris enthusiasts may not entirely enjoy is that players are now able to "slide" shapes even after blocks have made contact with the surface below – for as long as they please. What this means is that you can literally sit with one piece for as long as you desire by continually flipping it or sliding it left or right (so long as there's enough room to do so). This brings about a few pros and cons.
On one hand, this "sliding" technique is incredibly lame as players can use this method to effectively stop time and think their strategy over. On the other hand, casual gamers may find this to be a nice addition as it forgives many mistakes. Either way, Nintendo definitely had this element of play in mind as they considered Wi-Fi play.
Tetris DS sets itself apart from other Tetris iterations with its five different modes of play, each consisting of different Nintendo themes and/or characters: Standard, Catch, Mission, Puzzle, Touch, and Push.
Standard mode is what most fans think of when they hear Tetris. Shapes fall down a well as a Mario motif is splashed around you. After every ten lines are formed, you reach a new level (and Mario, running around on the top screen, does too). With every level increase, the speed at which the shapes fall also increases.
Catch is a Metroid[i]-themed version of [i]Tetris. By far, this mode changes the way you think about falling tetras more so than any other mode. You start with a core of five blocks on the bottom screen. Your job is to move and rotate this core to fuse it with falling shapes coming from the top screen. As soon as you create a 4x4 set of blocks, your core explodes after ten seconds, and you earn many points. You can earn even more points by making sure the explosion is within range of Metroids, killing them in the process. You can also press X to manually detonate the core. On the bottom of the screen is an energy meter. This decreases if you bump into a Metroid or allow blocks to bypass your core. If Catch sounds confusing, well, that's because it is. But once you get the hang of it, be warned, its spatial mechanics will challenge you cerebrally and won't let go.
Mission is my personal favorite of the newly added modes. You'll be shouting at the screen in this Zelda-based hand-sweater. Much in the vein of Standard, shapes fall from a well. However, in Mission, your goal is to complete whatever duty is demanded of you from the top screen, and if you don't complete the task within a certain time limit then a load of blocks will increase your already struggling-to-be-perfect stack – bringing you a few steps closer to death. Assignments are as simple as clearing one line with a specific shape to clearing two alternating lines with one shape. This is mind numbing, finger frenzy at its best.
Puzzle is a mode that was adopted from the puzzle mode in Tetris 2 for the SNES. This game, themed after Yoshi's Cookie, is a much more relaxing mode compared to the others since there are no time restrictions. Your goal is to clear the screen with just the Tetriminos that are provided. Using the stylus, you choose one of the available shapes and then the direction you want to drop it. The blocks will drop automatically. There's only one way to clear each of the 200 puzzles, and each one is harder than the last!
Touch also uses the stylus and has no time limit. Using the touch screen, you move and rotate shapes (rotating is a little cumbersome since you must touch two corners of the shape in succession – sometimes producing unwanted results) to clear lines. Your job is to clear enough lines on the ground to create a path for a cage of balloons (from Balloon Fight) stuck on the top of a tower of shapes. Once the cage touches the ground, you win.
There's also a puzzle mode within Touch that consists of 50 mind-twisting dilemmas where the game asks you clear each screen only using the directions they tell you. For example, one puzzle may tell you to clear every shape with a 3-line chain or another may ask you to clear only the square shape and no other shapes. Crazy stuff.
Push is a one-on-one ball buster. You're on the top screen clearing lines and trying to push your opponent down while your opponent is on the bottom screen clearing lines and trying to push you up. An "endzone" marks the end, and if your blocks touch this line, you lose. Eliminating two or more lines at a time pushes the matrix (center line) toward your foe's endzone. Matches can last anywhere from 30 seconds to 30 minutes depending on how evenly matched the opponents are. Strategy is key since both players are sharing blocks. For example, there are instances where you may not want to, say, score a double-line clear because if you do, your opponent may be sitting on one or two four-line clears, which was only possible after you made your move. Confused? Well, the more you play it, the better you get, and the more you get addicted.
Wireless and Wi-Fi – More like Wi-High
Up to ten (yes, ten) players can compete over local wireless using just one (yes, one) copy of Tetris DS. If that doesn't excite you then go join a circus because you're nuts. Wireless play offers standard versus mode.
Standard multiplayer consists of every player trying to survive the longest. If your stack of blocks reaches the top of the screen then you lose. Sounds easy enough, right? Wrong. If you or your opponent scores a double, triple, or quadruple line clear then a stack of two, three, or four lines of blocks are added to the bottom of your pile. You can also earn and use items to aid you.
Every so often a shape will fall down from the well that has a question mark in the one of its blocks. After clearing a line that has the question mark, much like running through a question mark in Mario Kart, an item box appears and it will randomly choose a power-up for you. Power-ups include banana peels (which distort opponent's stack), mushrooms (which temporarily increases the speed at which shapes fall for your opponents), stars (which temporarily give you unlimited "l" shapes), and more.
Although not as robust as a Tetris geek would have hoped, Tetris DS offers a very enjoyable Wi-Fi experience. You can play one of three different modes online: Standard one-on-one with no items, Standard four players with items, and Push one-on-one. Each mode tests your skills differently.
Push mode can get crazy online.
The game also keeps track of your "rating" and number of 1st place and 2nd place finishes. Your rating starts at 5000. You slowly earn or lose points based on how well you finish each online match-up. Don't worry about getting pwn't if you're a n00b because Tetris DS will match you with opponents of similar skill level.
There's nothing too flashy about the graphics or sound in Tetris DS, which is a good thing. Tetris has never and will never be about graphics and sound. With that said, if the visuals and sound of this iteration were junk, the game would still be good since its gameplay is so ridiculously addicting. The Nintendo themes, animations, and characters that usually dominate the top screen during play look great. Nintendo devotees will especially love the quality, old-school remixes from past Nintendo soundtracks. There's a lot to be seen and heard aside from the flipping and thumping of colorful blocks.
Closing Comments
Truly obsessive. Play for a short time or for hours. This is one game that will challenge you endlessly.
This is the essence of a portable video game. In every meaning of these words, Tetris DS is quick to get into, easy to play, impossible to master, and sickeningly obsessive. Coming from a Tetris junkie, it would have been nice to have an option of playing without "HOLD" boxes or "slide" techniques, but if I had the choice to choose between that or the five highly original game modes, I'd choose the latter in a heartbeat. Couple the new game modes with Nintendo-slick presentation and sound and addicting, online and local multiplayer complete with stats and rankings, and you're flirting with classic. Every DS owner should lay claim to a copy of Tetris DS. It's the perfect waiting-in-line-for-five-minutes-or-five-hours game.
