Right straight out of the gate, the majority of players will understand if they’ll enjoy Tetris Effect or not. The core has been around practically since the inception of gaming and I wager that most, if not all players have interacted with the brand enough to understand if it’s their thing or not. If you already know you don’t like Tetris, this isn’t for you. But to everyone else, the open-minded, the casuals, and the hardcore players… I say this is perhaps the best iteration of Tetris we can play.
I’d like to believe I live amongst the casual players of Tetris. After all, I don’t normally derive enjoyment from competitive play (unless we’re remarking about my 50 hours in Tetris 99), as my fun is mostly had through pushing myself to my own limits as I race against my mind, the game, and my old scores. The zen-like flow I can get into during intense sessions of Tetris is the chase that I ascribe to. It’s the chase I’ve been following since I first played Tetris. I’d like to think that chase is something casual players of Tetris go for, but after about 60 combined hours alone in this version of the game do I really still believe I’m just a casual enjoyer? I’ve had dreams and daydreams of the tetriminos falling neatly into place after longer obsessive bursts of playing Tetris, is that really still where I should classify myself?
I’ve played a lot of versions over the years, but Tetris Effect has hit me like no other iteration has. I played through the journey mode thrice on PSVR. At least 4 or 5 more times when it was ported to Nintendo Switch. Half a dozen on top of the rest through my SteamDeck and computer. So, I’ve beat the journey mode at least once per difficulty per console I’ve played it on. What makes Tetris Effect so compelling? Why do I keep coming back? What makes it so special?
The answer, while undeniably subjective, is that Tetris Effect focuses on that zen state that I’ve always been searching for. They want you to get into a rhythm, as each shift and rotation of tetriminos releases a harmonic accompanying sound effect on any stage you play. The “ZONE” mechanic, stopping time, allowing for as many line clears as possible in a short window, begs you to clear an entire screen, while you’re lost in the Tetris sauce. Every stage of Tetris Effect feels tailor-made to get your full attention, and consequently, this attention is converted into micro amounts of that zen-state until you reach perfectris.
It’s wild how much the interactivity of the sound effects and the progressive music tracks add to your experience. It’s all great music, and every stage feels amazing to play. Even music I wouldn’t normally listen to is awesome because of how much of an influence your gameplay has on the music tracks.
For those who are looking for a different kind of challenge, Tetris Effect contains all sorts of different head-to-head game modes, including a choice few that will restrict the game mechanics to the original Tetris ruleset. So even if you’re not looking for that solo experience or even the base Tetris Effect experience, you can play old-school Tetris as it was. While it’s a given, I should point out that there is included a Tetris Effect, zone-enabled PvP mode as well as others. In regards to other online modes, there is also a co-op PvE mode that faces you and two other players up against a big bad boss (occasionally controlled by players during certain weekend events). The developers made sure there are plenty of ways for you to connect with other players if that’s the type of Tetris experience you’re looking for.
All in all, it would be hard for me to not recommend it, which shouldn’t come as a surprise from the man who has purchased three separate copies of this game. It has something for every type of player. It’ll bring you peaceful waves of zen as you embrace the rhythmic fall of tetriminos, and frenetic exhilaration as you compete against yourself and opponents across the world. For me, it’s one of my personal favorite games to play when I just want to spend some time chilling, as I take a break from the world and every problem that comes along with it. I really hope you give Tetris Effect the chance to have the same effect on you.
I’d like to believe I live amongst the casual players of Tetris. After all, I don’t normally derive enjoyment from competitive play (unless we’re remarking about my 50 hours in Tetris 99), as my fun is mostly had through pushing myself to my own limits as I race against my mind, the game, and my old scores. The zen-like flow I can get into during intense sessions of Tetris is the chase that I ascribe to. It’s the chase I’ve been following since I first played Tetris. I’d like to think that chase is something casual players of Tetris go for, but after about 60 combined hours alone in this version of the game do I really still believe I’m just a casual enjoyer? I’ve had dreams and daydreams of the tetriminos falling neatly into place after longer obsessive bursts of playing Tetris, is that really still where I should classify myself?
I’ve played a lot of versions over the years, but Tetris Effect has hit me like no other iteration has. I played through the journey mode thrice on PSVR. At least 4 or 5 more times when it was ported to Nintendo Switch. Half a dozen on top of the rest through my SteamDeck and computer. So, I’ve beat the journey mode at least once per difficulty per console I’ve played it on. What makes Tetris Effect so compelling? Why do I keep coming back? What makes it so special?
The answer, while undeniably subjective, is that Tetris Effect focuses on that zen state that I’ve always been searching for. They want you to get into a rhythm, as each shift and rotation of tetriminos releases a harmonic accompanying sound effect on any stage you play. The “ZONE” mechanic, stopping time, allowing for as many line clears as possible in a short window, begs you to clear an entire screen, while you’re lost in the Tetris sauce. Every stage of Tetris Effect feels tailor-made to get your full attention, and consequently, this attention is converted into micro amounts of that zen-state until you reach perfectris.
It’s wild how much the interactivity of the sound effects and the progressive music tracks add to your experience. It’s all great music, and every stage feels amazing to play. Even music I wouldn’t normally listen to is awesome because of how much of an influence your gameplay has on the music tracks.
For those who are looking for a different kind of challenge, Tetris Effect contains all sorts of different head-to-head game modes, including a choice few that will restrict the game mechanics to the original Tetris ruleset. So even if you’re not looking for that solo experience or even the base Tetris Effect experience, you can play old-school Tetris as it was. While it’s a given, I should point out that there is included a Tetris Effect, zone-enabled PvP mode as well as others. In regards to other online modes, there is also a co-op PvE mode that faces you and two other players up against a big bad boss (occasionally controlled by players during certain weekend events). The developers made sure there are plenty of ways for you to connect with other players if that’s the type of Tetris experience you’re looking for.
All in all, it would be hard for me to not recommend it, which shouldn’t come as a surprise from the man who has purchased three separate copies of this game. It has something for every type of player. It’ll bring you peaceful waves of zen as you embrace the rhythmic fall of tetriminos, and frenetic exhilaration as you compete against yourself and opponents across the world. For me, it’s one of my personal favorite games to play when I just want to spend some time chilling, as I take a break from the world and every problem that comes along with it. I really hope you give Tetris Effect the chance to have the same effect on you.