You might enjoy Tetris 99, but it’s not a game that enjoys you. Even though it’s not a difficult game to learn how to play, when you download it there’s no tutorial. And its aesthetic may be simplistic and geometric, but it’s as aggressive and no-holds-barred as any free-for-all in Fortnite or other first-person shooters. Plot? Not much, unless you’re interested in the inner struggles and detailed stories of the horizontal blue block and his relationship with the yellow cube. Although if you “ship” it properly, you can clear a line in a crucial moment in battle.
A free download available for the Nintendo Switch’s online service, the game follows the same basic rules as a standard game of Tetris- the tetriminos, a variety of colored blocks of different shapes and lengths come plummeting down the bottom of your game board, and it’s up to you to organize them to fill horizontal roles and clear the blocks. The game ends once your blocks are piled up past the top of the screen. However, this new variation drops you in the middle on an online battle royale, where you compete against 98 other players. It’s an interesting twist among many that make this incarnation of the legendary game so memorable, as well as addictive.
Using the R-joystick, while you manage your blocks you’ll be pinpointing which sorts out players you target with projectile shots that initiate grey “garbage blocks” on your enemies. You have the choice to focus on those specifically attacking you (indicated by the “Watch Out!” warning that flashes at the bottom of the board), or initiate “KO’s”, which will target your fireballs of silver trash blocks at players on the verge of elimination.
The more knockouts you can string together, the more badges you can earn, which in turn serves as currency for increasing your power level. It’s a game that rewards the player for investing time in it, both in terms of satisfactory power advancement and honing your actual skill/coordination as a player.
Perhaps I’m not the best person to give advice currently seeing as I’m unable to pull my rankings past the high 20’s just yet, but I can state that the long turquoise block can be either your biggest ally if there’s a space between those cumbersome grey blocks forced on you by opponents, or your worst enemy once the warning alarm begins blaring. It’s equally as satisfying to nail someone with a KO as it’s heartbreaking when you’re ganged up on by attackers. Be warned, focusing on one category can leave you vulnerable towards other types.
To use a pro-wrestling analogy, it’s a Royal Rumble match, and you can’t trust anyone. The moment you think you’re someone’s friend while you help in an elimination team-up, expect to become a target for execution yourself fairly shortly. (It’s more like competing in the boardroom, really.). That’s all while you’re trying to juggle the plummeting blocks and preventing pile-ups, so be sure not to take your attention off either aspect of your game for too long.
Tetris 99 is intense and unforgiving, but also colorful and fun. There’s something deceptively vicious about the nature of the game, but it’s wrapped in a family-friendly package that’s easy to get the hang of. And thank god, because you’ll need to develop your game quickly if you want to keep up with how increasingly competitive this game currently is. If you’ve downloaded this next entry in the e-sports sweepstakes, let us know your best results and your feelings on the game at @Official_FAN on Twitter as always!