Did you know that if you’re playing Tetris 99 handheld, you can target anyone using the Nintendo Switch touchscreen? I didn’t.
Did you know you get bonus lines if more than one person is attacking you? I didn’t.
Did you know Attackers mode is the only way to send junk to more than one player at once? I didn’t.
Did you know the amount of delay before an attack’s junk fills your screen shortens the longer the game goes on? I didn’t.
Believe it or not, people are trying to work out how Tetris 99 works. That’s right – people are puzzled by a Tetris game in 2019.
For those of you yet to experience the delights of Tetris 99, it is, essentially, Tetris battle royale, which is a wonderful idea I can’t believe only now, 35 years after the original Tetris came out, has come to fruition. But it’s still just Tetris, fundamentally. How can it contain such mystery? Why does it need to be demystified? Just what the hell is going on?
I’ve put a lot of time into Tetris 99 since it came out and I bloody love it. But I am only now beginning to understand how it works. A lot of my confusion and lack of knowledge stems from the game’s seeming deliberate refusal to explain itself. There’s no tutorial. There’s no instruction manual. All there is is the option to go ahead and get stuck into Tetris battle royale. It’s sink or swim – and no doubt you’ll sink for a good long while before you learn how to stay afloat.