Tetris DS – NDS – Review

“It’s time to
put all those hours of playing Tetris to work,” portly Homer Simpson says
as he goes to work fitting both family and several boxes of various sizes and
shapes into his old station wagon. He comically fits boxes snuggly in place,
then takes his wife, and bends her into a crooked seating position in order to
fit the baby and his daughter Lisa in the front seat while the classic Tetris
theme music plays in the background.


 

Much like Homer
Simpson, I have felt the countless hours of playing Tetris as well as the
decent Tetris Worlds have given me the ability to make things fit more
comfortably in place. Still, this puzzle game isn’t about sharpening your
ability to fit more things into your shoe closet or garage, but rather it’s an
addictive puzzle game that has you acting fast. To this day, puzzle games like
Lumines for Sony’s PSP pays homage to this classic. So when Tetris DS
arrived for the Nintendo DS, I was quick to grab it and – what do you know? –
got hooked on it again. I guess some habits are hard to break.

Speaking of
paying homage to a classic, Tetris DS doesn’t change its original format
when it comes to the cluster of tiles but the backgrounds pay tribute to
Nintendo’s outstanding lineup of 8-bit classics like Super Mario Bros.,
Metroid, The Legend of Zelda as well as Donkey Kong and
Yoshi’s Cookie
. Visually, the game’s cool retro theme is a nice touch indeed
and makes what could have been a rather plain-looking game into a visually
appealing one. Even the music will take you back since each themed background
has its corresponding theme music. You’ll be hearing the old Super Mario
Bros.
theme music as well as the familiar Zelda music and while it
loops continuously as you play, it never gets on your nerves.


 

For those of you
who have never played Tetris, the premise of the game is simple: You move
a cluster of tiles (that are shaped in different ways) you can manipulate (by
twisting them as they drop) and stack them in a pile at the bottom of the bin.
The object is to stack each piece without leaving an empty space between the
stacked pieces because you want to continue stacking for higher points.
Tetris DS
doesn’t change the game’s overall design but it does tweak it a
bit to make use of the DS touchscreen as well as add a few elements. For
example, the game makes use of the infinite spin feature introduced in Tetris
Worlds
that allows you to continue to manipulate a piece even after it
touched the bottom of the bin. It’s not a particularly great feature but it does
help out in the more difficult levels.

For those who
felt they played the game to death, Nintendo added DS exclusive game modes.
Catch Mode, for instance, is a great alternative to the classic original and has
you rotating pieces and positioning four by four clusters of tiles. It’s
challenge to say the least but when it comes to a fast-thinking game mode Touch
Mode (using the bottom screen) has you moving pieces via the Stylus. Tower mode
simply adds a faster pace to the game as does Push Mode (which was designed to
be played against another player but you can always play against the computer).
It’s these two-player modes that give Tetris fans new or old a fresh look
at the game.


 

As far as the
multiplayer modes are concerned, Tetris DS manages to cram loads of
excellent features that work beautifully. First off, friends can download
multiplayer modes off a single cart and the best part is that up to 10 players
can simply compete against each another in modes like Push to see who beats who
for bragging rights. The real beauty, though, comes in the form of the cool
features that allow you to throw at your opponents like the nifty lightning bolt
that suddenly freezes pieces and thus giving you more time to complete a screen
to move on to the next one. Then there’s online multiplayer using Wi-Fi
connectivity for up to two or three players. Online the game plays just as
smoothly as the 10-player Tetris marathon with friends sitting in the
room next to you. Overall, multiplayer mode is another reason you won’t be
putting this game down for months to come.

Without a doubt
still one of the most addictive puzzle games ever designed, Tetris DS is
not a completely new gaming monster but it is a wonderfully retro classic that
fits nicely with the Nintendo DS. It does introduce some new elements to the mix
that is both hit and miss but when it comes to the overall addictive puzzles and
the great multiplayer options, this is a ‘must have’ for any fan of the genre or
anyone with a Nintendo DS.


Review Scoring Details
for

Tetris DS

Gameplay: 9.5
The basic
Tetris
gameplay structure is here and, surprisingly, it’s still just as
addictive now as it was when it was introduced to us on the colorless original
Game Boy. The game does take advantage of the Nintendo DS touchscreen and, for
the most part, it’s handled perfectly. For those not interested in picking up
the Stylus, you can always play the game old-school style and it still works
beautifully. Add multiplayer features and online play and we have a recipe for a
puzzle game you won’t want to put down.

Graphics: 7.0
The colorful
patterns your pieces make when you’re twisting them in place hasn’t changed much
since Tetris went color. Tetris DS pays homage to a collection of
Nintendo’s 8-bit classics by inserting familiar characters and environments from
games like Metriod or Zelda and this gives the game its awesome
retro look.

Sound: 7.5
The tunes also
reflect the retro appeal of the backgrounds, offering up music from a variety of
classic Nintendo games of old remixed and sounding pretty good through the DS
speakers. It’s not bad at all, actually.

Difficulty:
Medium/Hard
Tetris
fans know what it’s like when you clear one screen and another one appears only
the pieces fall a bit faster now and if you experience brain-freeze now you’ll
have a pile of colorful pieces that don’t go together. The old Tetris Worlds
feature helps things a little but the biggest challenge comes from Push mode
against a computer-controlled opponent.

Concept: 9.5
If anything,
Tetris DS is great introduction to the classic puzzle game for those who
have never played it before and an enhanced variation with plenty of extras for
those of us who have played it way too much when it was first introduced. The
retro gaming feel of the backgrounds is great but what makes our day is the
multiplayer goodies included here.

Multiplayer:
9.5
Game designers
take note: Tetris DS is a great example of how to make good use of the
new portable gaming machine’s download features and its ability to offer up
competitive matches for up to 10 players. Even the online multiplayer mode via
the Wi-Fi connectivity makes for some great multiplayer match ups when a friend
is not around.

Overall: 9.0
Tetris DS
is the reason
puzzle game fans will once again dream of falling boxes and it’s the reason it
will seem like your Nintendo DS has been glued to your hands. It’s still just as
addictive now as it was back in the day and while it has been reworked to play
well with the new DS technology, it sacrifices very little and thus makes this a
puzzle game worth your time and money. If you own a Nintendo DS, this is but
another game you cannot be without.