Okay, so let's be clear: This game is a trap. A prank, if you will. See, the standard Tetris modes are no good. They're just a bad time, and I do not recommend them at all. I get what they were going for, and as a technical achievement, I'm sure it got someone excited back in '96, but no one will ever feel that way about the core 3-D Tetris gameplay ever again. As it stands, it is a repulsive and unpleasant experience.
But! The secret to enjoying this maligned Virtual Boy title lies in a special cheat code! From the title screen, press A, Right, and then A again, and you'll be rewarded with the part of the game that's actually fun!
Really though, 3-D Tetris's Puzzle Mode is far more compelling and clever than I expected, and if it weren't for the eye strain, I would have completed it in a single sitting. (I played on 3DS, and while I currently have a throbbing sensation behind my right eye, I really did enjoy the 3D effect.) In this mode, you are shown a three-dimensional shape made of tetriminos, and are tasked with recreating it exactly while using a predetermined set of blocks in a fixed order. There are 20 puzzles in total; some took me only a few minutes, while more complex stages were genuinely challenging, requiring 10-20 attempts. (I'm looking at you, Stage 18 - "Gorilla") I really liked it! It also helps that it has an absolute banger soundtrack, I'm gonna be coming back to this one in the future.
Anyhow, Puzzle Mode good! Everything else bad!
But! The secret to enjoying this maligned Virtual Boy title lies in a special cheat code! From the title screen, press A, Right, and then A again, and you'll be rewarded with the part of the game that's actually fun!
Really though, 3-D Tetris's Puzzle Mode is far more compelling and clever than I expected, and if it weren't for the eye strain, I would have completed it in a single sitting. (I played on 3DS, and while I currently have a throbbing sensation behind my right eye, I really did enjoy the 3D effect.) In this mode, you are shown a three-dimensional shape made of tetriminos, and are tasked with recreating it exactly while using a predetermined set of blocks in a fixed order. There are 20 puzzles in total; some took me only a few minutes, while more complex stages were genuinely challenging, requiring 10-20 attempts. (I'm looking at you, Stage 18 - "Gorilla") I really liked it! It also helps that it has an absolute banger soundtrack, I'm gonna be coming back to this one in the future.
Anyhow, Puzzle Mode good! Everything else bad!