It is difficult to contest that Tetris is something of a gaming masterpiece. One of the best-selling and most universally available games of all time, Tetris has put gamers in a trance for over a decade and a half. Now Tetris has come to the DS, but Nintendo has proven it knows how to reinvent a classic while keeping true to the original.
Tetris DS offers six modes of play, each one themed in the style of a classic Nintendo game. One mode is simply the standard Tetris almost everyone is familiar with in the theme of Super Mario Bros. Included is a computer AI that should give even the most hardcore Tetris fiends a run for their money.
Catch mode puts you in control of a rotating block of tetrominoes with blocks falling from above and sticking to your core. A 4-by-4 block will cause a countdown to an explosion and more blocks can be added before then to increase your score. Catch is a fresh take on the Tetris formula styled after the original Metroid that adds a lot of mileage to the cartridge.
The Mission variant is themed after the old school Legend of Zelda and demands you complete short challenges (such as clearing lines with certain pieces) before a timer runs out. Mission mode can get extremely frantic at higher levels but is ultimately a satisfying addition.
A Yoshi's Cookie themed Puzzle mode asks players to pick and choose their tetrominoes to solve simplistic puzzles. Puzzle mode is amusing but lacks the longevity of other variants.
Making use of a Balloon Fight theme and the DS's touch screen, Touch mode has two sub-modes -- Tower, which has players sliding tetrominoes around to try and get lines to fall into place and a touch screen puzzle mode that's more engaging and challenging than its vanilla counterpart. Touch mode makes for a solid, if not breathtaking, use of the DS's touch screen.
Lastly, Push mode is a Donkey Kong themed battle between one player and the computer where each player sends blocks towards the other -- the objective being to clear multiple lines and shove the field at your opponent. Push mode is challenging even on the basic AI levels. Still, it's a good use of the DS's two screens and will challenge longtime fans.
Easily the best part of Tetris DS is the multiplayer, taking full advantage of the Nintendo DS's Download Play. Up to ten players can be supported off of a single card, the most currently supported by any game. Standard, Mission and Push modes are supported for wireless with Standard mode having an additional option to turn on Mario Kart style items. Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection play on Tetris DS is also supported for up to four people.
The downsides of Tetris DS are, for the most part, not major. Puzzle mode is fairly weak, but Touch mode's puzzle variant balances that out. The item option available in multiplayer can't be accessed in single-player mode, and the original Tetris music isn't readily available to gamers. On top of that, the $30 list price, while lower than most $35 DS games, still seems like a fair chunk of change for, if not the same game, the same formula.
Still, by no means should Tetris DS escape the notice of any gamer, novice or hardcore. There's enough new content in the cartridge to keep any Tetris fan satisfied, and the wireless multiplayer should add years of longevity to the title. Pick up a copy, and give the old blocks a spin. Tetris, like the best video game franchises, improves with age.
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