The Next Tetris (PSX) Practice Mode FAQ, version 1.0 By Mark Belonio (markyb@gateway.net) Last updated 11/21/1999 The Next Tetris FAQ is Copyright 1999 Mark Belonio, all rights reserved. Use of this document for any other reason other than private or personal is a Copyright violation. This FAQ can be reproduced electronically, but please do not alter it from its latest version. Lastly, please credit the author when using this FAQ on a web site. The Next Tetris is (c) Elorg, sublicensed to Hasbro Interactive The latest version of this FAQ can be found at http://www.gamefaqs.com. Version History: ---------------- 11/21/1999 initial release to Gamefaqs. Look for the complete The Next Tetris FAQ coming sometime in the next few months! This FAQ has two parts. The first offers hints on completing the Practice mode levels, without actually showing all the moves required to complete each level. Each level was designed to illustrate a particular strategy when playing TNT, so you're actually learning something as you go along. Who'da thought? :^) The second part reveals the step-by-step instructions for moving each piece in the correct order to clear the bottom row with the allotted target steps. Hope this helps anyone stuck on a Practice Mode level. Sorry, I haven't been able to figure out the last level... yet. ================================================================================ ============ NOTE: ANY fans of this game out there?? TNT got mixed reviews in the most popular gaming mags, and I haven't read any reader reviews. How does the rest of the Tetris-playing world feel about TNT?? Let me know! Mail me at markyb@gateway.net. Part 1: HINTS (spoiler-free) ============================= Prelude ---------------- Target Steps: 1 If you need a FAQ to figure this one out, then... that's just sad. First Steps ---------------- Target Steps: 3 This one's easy, as long as you understand that you just need to clear the bottom line (i.e., you can drop pieces in ugly configurations as long as that bottom line gets zapped). Actually, the first level taught you that, but hey. Perfect Fit ---------------- Target Steps: 4 Here we learn that a vertical S or rev S acts just like a square (it can clear 2 lines when fit in a 2x2 open space). Also, we see how the leftover pieces of a tetramino (tetra) or multimino (multi) can drop down into the open spaces below, thereby creating cascades (combos). Altered Fit ---------------- Target Steps: 4 This level illustrates another new idea - what I call the "lookahead move." It involves placing tetras or multis on top of blocks that have open spaces directly below them, so when those blocks get cleared, the tetras/multis on top will subsequently drop into those now-accessible open spaces. To get far in the 2-player game and the other solo games, I suggest you master this technique. Fits-N-Starts ---------------- Target Steps: 4 More lookahead, but not as obvious as Altered Fit. Still an easy level, though. Downtown ---------------- Target Steps: 5 Obviously, you can't clear all the garbage blocks, so the idea would be to set up the pieces so that when a line completes, a leftover piece will fall to the bottom of each gap. This level should teach you that the proper way to place a 3-1 multimino square is with the different colors on top; that way, when the bottom half gets cleared, you are left with two singles instead of that annoying horizontal double. Layers ---------------- Target Steps: 6 This one's also kind of easy. Just remember that they included a multimino in there for a reason! That piece is the key to finishing this level. Otherwise, there's nothing too fancy going on. TNT ---------------- Target Steps: 11 This one's kind of lame; it doesn't really introduce a new technique to use in the 1-player or Marathon, and it's not much in the puzzle sense. I guess the only thing this level illustrates is the danger of fusing your pieces together. But that idea is shown much better in Meander. Misfit ---------------- Target Steps: 4 "Don't do the obvious!" is the lesson in this level. Here the obvious move is using the reverse-S multi to cover the spaces in columns 7 and 8. Shove that guy somewhere else. Square ---------------- Target Steps: 10 This one is such a pain. The multis are very important in this level, because sometimes you have to clear a single line instead of a double, like you want to. Also, remember the last piece, or you might be stuck at the very last line with 2 spaces and only one that can be filled. Penza ---------------- Target Steps: 6 Look at the first piece: it can't be used to complete the top garbage line, or the leftovers will block an open space in the bottom row. Try dropping it on its end and sliding a piece underneath it. Combo ---------------- Target Steps: 7 This one's my favorite. When you complete it successfully, you'll get a 9-chain combo (hence the level's name, duh :). Just take your time and use lookahead techniques to place the pieces so that they will fall into the shapes made by the garbage lines' empty spaces. Valley ---------------- Target Steps: 6 I consider this one the hardest level next to Zipper. But after thinking about it for a while, I noticed a few important clues. First, you need every piece available, so the tetris has to lie down. Second, pieces on the left two and right two columns need to fall down, so only multis go there. Clean Up ---------------- Target Steps: 4 This level is pretty interesting. The least obvious placement is the multi square. Here's the hint: go against what you learned about 3-1 multi squares in Downtown. Meander ---------------- Target Steps: 8 Actually, this level is pretty easy if you place the many blue tetrises away from each other. Then use multis to drop pieces down in the deep wells created by those many tetrises. Zipper ---------------- Target Steps: 9 I have no idea. Part 2: Practice Mode Step-Through (spoilers!!!) ================================================ WARNING: The following section contains SPOILERS for completing the 15 levels of the Practice Mode (well, actually 14 of the 15, since Zipper has me completely stumped). For reference, c=clockwise, cc=counter-clockwise, "to end"=to the end of the playing field in the indicated direction. Also, the x button rotates cc, the o rotates c, in case you didn't know. Prelude ---------------- 1) 180 cc, 1 left First Steps ---------------- 1) 90, right to end 2) 90 cc, left to end 3) drop Perfect Fit ---------------- 1) drop 2) 90 cc, 3 left 3) 1 left 4) 90 cc, 2 right Altered Fit ---------------- 1) 2 left 2) 90, left to end 3) 90 c 4) right to end Fits-N-Starts ---------------- 1) 90 cc, 2 left 2) 90 c, 1 right 3) 90, left to end 4) 90, right to end Downtown ---------------- 1) 90 c, right to end 2) 2 right 3) 90 cc 4) 90 c, 1 left 5) 90 c, left to end Layers ---------------- 1) 90, right to end 2) 90 c, 1 right 3) 90 cc 4) 180 cc, 3 left 5) 90 cc, 2 left 6) 90 cc, 2 left TNT ---------------- 1) 90 cc, 3 left 2) 2 right 3) drop 4) 90 cc, 2 left 5) 90 cc 6) 90 c, 2 right 7) 90, left to end 8) left to end (or anywhere out of the way of the open spaces) 9) 90, right to end (note: there are other ways to complete this level, and with this solution I didn't even use all of the target steps allotted) Misfit ---------------- 1) 90 c, 3 left 2) 90 right to end 3) 90 cc, 1 left 4) 90 c, 1 right Square ---------------- 1) 2 left 2) 90 cc, left to end 3) 90 c, 1 right 4) right to end 5) 90 cc 6) 90 cc, 3 left 7) 90, right to end 8) 2 left 9 90 c, 1 right (so the yellow won't fuse with the next piece) 10) 90cc, 1 right Penza ---------------- 1) 90 cc, left to end 2) slode horizontally under piece #1 3) drop 4) 90 c, 1 right 5) 90 c, 2 left (so yellows won't fuse) 6) right to end Combo ---------------- 1) 2 left 2) 180 c, 1 right 3) 2 right 4) drop 5) 1 left 6) 1 right 7 left to end Valley ---------------- 1) 180 c 2) 1 left 3) 180, right to end 4) 90 c, 1 right 5) 180 cc, 2 left 6) 90 c, left to end Clean Up ---------------- 1)180 cc, 2 left 2) 180, 3 left 3) 90 c 4) 90 c, right to end Meander ---------------- 1) 90, 2 rt 2) 90 cc, 3 left 3 90, left to end 4) 90 c, 2 left 5) 90 cc 6) 90 right to end 7) 90 c 8) 90 c, 3 right Zipper ---------------- ??????????????????????????????? Look for the complete The Next Tetris FAQ, in the works right now and coming soon! YES!! My first submittal to gamefaqs, and my first FAQ ever. Time for a beer... :^)