Tetris DS (Nintendo DS)

At its base, Tetris DS is the same Tetris gameplay that’s been around for years: rotate and arrange Tetriminos to create full lines and make them disappear. However, it also has a style very different from earlier Tetris games, new play modes, and online play.

Graphically and aurally, Tetris DS is based on classic NES games. A portion of the graphics are sprites directly ripped from Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Donkey Kong, Balloon Fight, Metroid, Yoshi’s Cookie, and The Legend of Zelda. Remixes of music from these games are also used.

Standard mode includes the standard endless play option, the standard “get 25 lines to win” option, and the standard versus mode where clearing multiple lines at once adds lines to the bottom of your opponents’ well.

Push mode is a versus game with a twist. The player’s moves and pieces are shown on the top screen, while the opponent’s are on the bottom screen, both with gravity moving towards the center. Instead of multiple line clears adding extra lines to the bottom of your opponent’s well, though, the center is pushed towards their end, giving them a smaller play area. Push back and forth until one side loses.

Touch mode presents you with a tall uneven stack of large Tetriminos. The goal is to nudge or rotate them by dragging or tapping on the touch screen to create full lines and eventually clear the stack.

Puzzle mode offers 200 Tetris scenarios and presents you with a number of pieces. You choose the order and rotation of the pieces to try and empty the well.

Mission mode gives you specific goals like “Use a square block to clear a line” or “Clear 3 lines with an L piece”. Finish the mission and you’ll be given another. Don’t finish the mission and several rows of random blocks will be added to the bottom of the well before being given another mission.

Catch mode has the Tetriminos falling without direct player control. Instead, the player controls a moving core of blocks which can rotate as a whole, as well as latch on to the falling Tetriminos. The goal is to create a square of at least 4×4, causing an explosion which keeps the size of your core small. Lose by allowing your core to get too large, or by losing enough energy; which occurs when you allow a Tetrimino to scroll past the bottom of the screen, your rotating core smacks into and destroys a Tetrimino, or you hit a falling enemy.

Multiplayer Standard, Mission, and Push modes can be played locally using one copy of Tetris DS. Mission allows for up to 10 players competing for a high score. Standard allows for up to 10 players, and has an option for Mario Kart-like items to aid you or harm your enemies. Push mode remains a one-on-one experience. With Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, you can play a two-player Standard game without items, a four-player Standard game with items, or a two-player Push mode game.