It's all connected
Tetris Effect is a puzzle game originally released on the PS4 in 2018 with a multiple PC versions coming out during the year. Tetris has been one of the most iconic puzzle games ever created spanning 37 years since it's initial creation in 1984 in Russia and a game that felt perfect to me. The core gameplay loop of Tetris is simple yet has so much depth that relies on the correct placement of tiles, planning ahead, and the quick reaction and speed needed to perform well in the game at high speeds. Tetris Effect does something different here yet manages to satisfy the two facets of the Tetris audience. The facet of the competitive players recieving modes that recreate old formats that haven't been done in any other tetris game so far and the other facet of the casual tetris player that just play to have fun where I am and what this game does is more than just provide a visual experience but evoke a feeling within you when you play the game.
The gameplay is still the Tetris you love (or hate) with the added elements of music and visuals that manages to invoke synesthesia with the player at certain moments. The music manages to bring a variety of sounds from around the world and carry multiple genres of music and syncs with your gameplay that gets you in a flow state while playing the game. The visuals manages to pop vibrantly and somehow doesn't detract your vision from the gameplay apart from rare cases that are further enhanced that this is intended to be a VR experience and despite not trying this in VR, the whole experience isn't detracted at all and still manages to feel like a unique experience. The game modes here provide a variety of experiences that manages to fulfill every niche of player out there, there are difficult and score modes for the competitive or the player wanting to improve and there are "chill" playlists and "chill" modes that remove the fail-state of the game wishing just to relax with the game's music and visuals while playing the game. The Journey mode which acts as the "story" mode here is a short experience that lets you experience all the levels in a sequential yet short order while introducing a brand new mechanic as well called "Zone". Zone is a great new mechanic that fits the game perfectly. For a definition, as you play the game you start filling a bar called "Zone" and you can use that "Zone" to slow down time and stack line clears to achieve what can be described as "more than a tetris" and the total maximum is 22-23 with players trying to push more in the meantime. What this mechanic also manages to do well which is really a small touch is the sound effects and the visuals when you manage to achieve more than 8 lines where the visuals and sound effects change for that short moment you're in zone albeit a tiny thing, just further enhances the synesthesia this game offers. The multiplayer here was enhanced with a suite of new and unique modes with an "expansion" of sorts called Tetris Effect: Connected that manages to add Zone in a PVP setting that makes for some interesting gameplay to say the least and a new co-op mode called Connected that pits 3 players (human or ai) vs an AI boss that still manages to bring what makes this version of Tetris unique.
I don't have any real problems with this game in all honesty, some of the songs didn't hit me emotionally as hard as others and I wish this game was more widely available but it's coming with a Steam release soon so that will alleviate that issue. I suppose the matchmaking could be better as trying to solo queue for Connected can be pretty awkward at times.
Tetris Effect is the phenomena when players play Tetris to the extent where they see imagery of the game and imagining blocks from the game in the real world sometimes falling or rotating. Synesthesia is essentially specific information meant for one of your senses manages to stimulate multiple senses at once. Hearing colors and tasting sounds are examples. Tetris Effect the game manages to achieve all of the good feelings in me I didn't really think I still had in me. I managed to feel nostalgic, the vibrant color of celebration along with the core message of the game that is essentially the tagline of this game.
We're all connected.
Tetris Effect is a puzzle game originally released on the PS4 in 2018 with a multiple PC versions coming out during the year. Tetris has been one of the most iconic puzzle games ever created spanning 37 years since it's initial creation in 1984 in Russia and a game that felt perfect to me. The core gameplay loop of Tetris is simple yet has so much depth that relies on the correct placement of tiles, planning ahead, and the quick reaction and speed needed to perform well in the game at high speeds. Tetris Effect does something different here yet manages to satisfy the two facets of the Tetris audience. The facet of the competitive players recieving modes that recreate old formats that haven't been done in any other tetris game so far and the other facet of the casual tetris player that just play to have fun where I am and what this game does is more than just provide a visual experience but evoke a feeling within you when you play the game.
The gameplay is still the Tetris you love (or hate) with the added elements of music and visuals that manages to invoke synesthesia with the player at certain moments. The music manages to bring a variety of sounds from around the world and carry multiple genres of music and syncs with your gameplay that gets you in a flow state while playing the game. The visuals manages to pop vibrantly and somehow doesn't detract your vision from the gameplay apart from rare cases that are further enhanced that this is intended to be a VR experience and despite not trying this in VR, the whole experience isn't detracted at all and still manages to feel like a unique experience. The game modes here provide a variety of experiences that manages to fulfill every niche of player out there, there are difficult and score modes for the competitive or the player wanting to improve and there are "chill" playlists and "chill" modes that remove the fail-state of the game wishing just to relax with the game's music and visuals while playing the game. The Journey mode which acts as the "story" mode here is a short experience that lets you experience all the levels in a sequential yet short order while introducing a brand new mechanic as well called "Zone". Zone is a great new mechanic that fits the game perfectly. For a definition, as you play the game you start filling a bar called "Zone" and you can use that "Zone" to slow down time and stack line clears to achieve what can be described as "more than a tetris" and the total maximum is 22-23 with players trying to push more in the meantime. What this mechanic also manages to do well which is really a small touch is the sound effects and the visuals when you manage to achieve more than 8 lines where the visuals and sound effects change for that short moment you're in zone albeit a tiny thing, just further enhances the synesthesia this game offers. The multiplayer here was enhanced with a suite of new and unique modes with an "expansion" of sorts called Tetris Effect: Connected that manages to add Zone in a PVP setting that makes for some interesting gameplay to say the least and a new co-op mode called Connected that pits 3 players (human or ai) vs an AI boss that still manages to bring what makes this version of Tetris unique.
I don't have any real problems with this game in all honesty, some of the songs didn't hit me emotionally as hard as others and I wish this game was more widely available but it's coming with a Steam release soon so that will alleviate that issue. I suppose the matchmaking could be better as trying to solo queue for Connected can be pretty awkward at times.
Tetris Effect is the phenomena when players play Tetris to the extent where they see imagery of the game and imagining blocks from the game in the real world sometimes falling or rotating. Synesthesia is essentially specific information meant for one of your senses manages to stimulate multiple senses at once. Hearing colors and tasting sounds are examples. Tetris Effect the game manages to achieve all of the good feelings in me I didn't really think I still had in me. I managed to feel nostalgic, the vibrant color of celebration along with the core message of the game that is essentially the tagline of this game.
We're all connected.