Six ways for blocks to drop
All game modes revealed, as the Tetris DS news avalanche gathers pace
With Nintendo gearing up for its big Tetris DS marketing push, it has unveiled the complete set of modes that will soon have us dreaming of falling blocks (or 'Tetriminos', as they’re now officially known).
The most obvious new mode, in terms of the DS, will be the Touch mode, where you use the stylus to drag Tetriminos into a giant stack to make them fall in neat horizontal lines. More of a brain tester than an adrenalin fix, Touch gives you have as much time as you want to plan your moves.
Next up is the Catch mode. Themed around Nintendo’s Super Metroid game, you’ll have to guide a single flying block through Metroid-infested levels, seeking out falling Tetriminos as you go. As a bonus, you can spin your block in such a way that if you make a 4 x 4 square with any falling Tetriminos, the block will explode, earning you extra points.
In the Legend of Zelda-themed Mission mode, you have to complete Tetris missions on the top screen within a certain period of time. If you don’t, a load of new blocks will fall down on the ongoing Tetris game on the bottom screen, and as per usual it’s game over when the block pile reaches the top of the screen.
The Push mode is for two players: either you against a computer player, or head-to-head with a friend using DS’ wi-fi. You control the top screen, with your opponent’s situation shown on the bottom. Tetriminos fall down the screen, and you have to clear two lines at a time to push your opponent down into the danger zone. Of course, if they clear two lines it's you who will be getting hot and bothered!
The final two modes are self-explanatory. In Puzzle mode, you have to solve the 50-plus brain teasers using only the Tetriminos provided, while Standard Tetris is the game we all know and love, albeit with an extra Super Mario Bros. background.
But that’s not all. Nintendo seems to think multiplayer will be a big addition to the game too. So up to 10 friends can compete using just one game cartridge, playing either Push, Standard or Mission modes. And there will be special power ups for Standard and Mission, so you can target the other players.
Tetris DS will also be hooked up to Nintendo’s global Wi-Fi Connection, with two modes (still to be announced) able to handle up to four players. You’ll also be able to play Push against one other, and there’ll be a rating system that tracks all the online results, so you can see how well you’re doing against the rest of the world, as well as finding well-matched rivals to play against.
Slowly rotating and revealing all its many angles as it falls towards the high street, Tetris DS is due for release on the 21st April.
