Tetris DS

"It's Tetris. And yet so much more."

Upon first glance, the name Tetris DS will make someone think “Oh, Tetris for a different system. What's so great about that?” But that's not what Tetris DS is. This game somehow, unbelievably, managed to take Tetris, and, with the addition of some new game modes, made it better.

When you pick up Tetris DS, the first thing you'll notice is the obvious change of style. Rather than the somewhat bland style of Tetris that you're used to, the game makes a point of being strictly old-school Nintendo. Each of the game's 6 modes is themed on a different Nintendo game from it's past. The standard mode is based off of Nintendo's old standby, Mario, as Mario will go through different levels of Super Mario Bros. as you clear lines and advance through the levels of Tetris. Donkey Kong makes its presence known in presence known in Push mode, while Metroid, Zelda, Yoshi's Cookie, and Balloon Fight serve as the themes of the other 4 modes. The music from those games can be found in the sound test, with more musical themes popping up as you accomplish certain goals.

By now, you certainly know what to expect from Tetris. And the standard mode makes no change on that same basic formula. But what about the other modes? How good are they? For the most part, the other modes are solid variations on the basic Tetris style. Push mode is far and away the best of these modes, and some could argue that it's even better than normal Tetris. That's how good it is. Rather than putting you up against the falling blocks, Push mode pits you against the computer, with the falling blocks as your weapons. By clearing more than one line at a time, you push the floating mass of blocks down toward the opponents side. Should any block of the mass cross the opponent's line, you win, and the same holds true for the computer, as it will attempt to push the pile towards your line. Push mode takes a great deal of strategy, to set up your multi-line clears, while keeping your opponent from doing the same. Like many of the modes in Tetris DS, Push offers 5 difficulty levels. It's the perfect way to adapt Tetris into a multiplayer battle, albeit that battle only 2 player.

Next on the list of modes is the Balloon Fight themed Touch mode. There are actually 2 sub-modes to Touch, Tower and Touch Puzzle. Tower gives you a seemingly endless tower of Tetris Blocks, and asks you to twist, slide, and move them as to clear them all in a timely fashion. Touch Puzzle gives you a much smaller stack of blocks, and asks you to move them and complete a task. There 50 scenarios for Touch Puzzle, and Tower offers 5 difficulty levels. It's a solid distraction from the main game, but you likely won't spend as much time on Touch as you do on other modes.

Puzzle mode, you'll find, is only slightly different from Touch Puzzle. Again, you're give a set of blocks already placed on the ground. In Puzzle mode, you're given some blocks to place. You must decide how to spin them, and in what order to place them, in order to clear all the blocks. There are 200 puzzles in all, and no order in which you must complete them. Puzzle mode should keep you busy for quite a while.

Moving right along, you'll come across. Mission Mode, the Zelda themed variation. Admittedly, it isn't all that different from normal Tetris. The main difference is that instead of trying to clear lines, you're trying to complete missions, which range from clearing a line with a certain block to clearing 3 lines at once. There are two sub-modes to Mission mode: Marathon and Time Trial. The goal of Marathon is simply to survive as long as you can while clearing missions. Should you not complete the mission in the given amount of time, several lines of blocks will be dropped on you. Time Trial gives you 10 missions, and asks you to complete them as fast as you can. Both modes have 5 levels of difficulty.

Last but not least is Catch, which sports a Metroid theme. In Catch, you are given a floating core of blocks, and you must move and spin it around to catch the falling blocks, while avoiding enemies. By creating a 4x4 section of blocks, the core will explode, and you start the process over again. If you get hit by too many enemies, or if the mass of blocks extends all the way to the top, you lose. Catch mode offer 6 levels of difficulty. Like Touch mode, Catch mode probably won't be your main focus.

The music and graphics of Tetris come straight out of the games each mode is based on, and is sure to bring nostalgia to those who grew up on those games. No, the graphics aren't in beautiful N64 quality 3D, as some DS games. But that's not what they were trying to do. It's Tetris, it doesn't need 3D graphics.

Tetris DS offers a couple forms of Wi-Fi multiplayer. The aforementioned Push mode makes for a two player battle. Meanwhile, standard mode can be played by up to 10 people at the same time.

On a system with plenty of new and innovative puzzle games, the old classic that is Tetris shines above the rest. It is everything a puzzle game should try to be: Long-Lasting, addictive, and with the ability to pick up and play for a short period of time. If you in any way like puzzle games, Tetris DS will not disappoint.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 08/23/07