Excellent Retro Puzzle Games: The New Tetris

One of the most well-known and beloved puzzle games in existence is Tetris. For many years, many people have become addicted to this game, in which you must stack blocks and try to make as many lines vanish as possible. Numerous versions have been released on many video game systems, and The New Tetris, released for the Nintendo 64 in 1999, is one of them. Known for offering plenty of addictive game play along with impressive graphics and music, it became one of the system's best puzzle games and one of my all-time favorite versions of Tetris. Allow me to tell you more about this variation of the classic puzzle game.

Anyone looking for a story will not find one here...not that the game needs a plot of any kind. Instead, the game play takes center stage here. For those of you unfamiliar with Tetris, the rules are as follows: you must stack blocks as they fall from the top of the screen in order to create lines and make them vanish. There are several variations of blocks that can be used, from L-shaped blocks to T-Shaped blocks to simple lines. The pieces appear in a random order, though the game gives you fair warning as to which piece will show up next. As the game progresses, the blocks will fall at a faster rate. If they reach the top of the screen, the game is over. However, any lines that you create can help you unlock backgrounds and music in the game, on which more later.

There are some added features that made this version of Tetris stand out from previous versions. For one thing, there is a shadow that allows you to see exactly how your block will be placed when it hits the ground. This makes it easier to decide the best place to fit the blocks. There is also a hold piece that you can use if the piece that is falling from the top of the screen is not the best one to use at the time. Lastly, if you can form same-shaped blocks together to form 4X4 silver or gold squares and then clear portions of those squares, you will earn bonus lines. These features make for a pretty neat experience, even if you have mastered Tetris on another system.

There are three modes of game play that you can choose on the main menu. First, there is Marathon Mode, which is the standard endless mode of Tetris. Simply put, it is here where you can keep creating lines until the game is over. In Sprint mode, you must clear as many lines as possible within three minutes. Lastly, in Ultra mode, you must try and clear 150 lines in order to win the challenge. All three modes can also be played against the computer or against up to three other players, but the rules are slightly different. In Marathon mode, the last player left is the winner. In Sprint mode, the player with the most lines after three minutes wins if the other players' screen have not been filled up. If they have, then the last player remaining is the winner. Finally, in Ultra mode, the winner is the first to reach 150 lines or the last one left when all of the other players' screen are filled up.

When playing against other players or the computer, you can send garbage blocks at them which can make the pile rise closer to the top in a hurry. This is done by clearing multiple lines at once. Clearing four lines will result in a Tetris, which will send more blocks to your opponent. In order to maximize the amount of garbage blocks that you can send, you should try to create the aforementioned gold and silver squares and then clear lines that include pieces contained in the square. By doing this, you may very well send enough garbage blocks to practically force your opponents out of contention. Naturally, you may be hit with garbage blocks yourself if you are not careful, so you should try and slow your challengers down with garbage blocks before they can do the same thing to you.

Do you remember when I said that the lines that you clear can unlock things as you progress? It is true: when you clear a set amount of lines (the game keeps track of how many lines are cleared in all of the rounds of Tetris that you play), you can unlock new backgrounds taken from various countries and continents from all over the world. Greece, Egypt, and Japan are among the locations that can be unlocked. New music related to these locations can also become available as you clear more lines. However, good luck completing the task of unlocking everything in the game by yourself, as you must clear thousands of lines in total, which will take a long time. Lines made by multiple players will count towards the total, but those made by the computer player will not.

This is unfortunate, as the backgrounds and music are pretty cool. For a Nintendo 64 game, the backgrounds are quite impressive, to the extent that they are nearly lifelike. You get the sense that you are in another part of the world, trying to clear as many lines as possible. As for the music, it consists of some of the very best tunes I have ever heard in a Nintendo 64 game. They sound like they came from the countries and continents on which they are based, and they are of a greater-than-Midi quality. The rather upbeat dance music consists of such favorite tunes as Africa, Giali, Japan, Egypt, and Morocco. The music is so fantastic that those who simply cannot wait to unlock all of the tunes are in luck: thanks to YouTube, everyone can listen to the entire soundtrack without having to unlock every song in the game.

As for the game play, it is as simple and addictive as ever. Even those who have played Tetris on another system will find hours of entertainment here, and the new features keep it fresh (for its time, anyway) and enjoyable. Having up to four players challenge each other is a fantastic addition, as well. If I have any nitpicks about the game, it is that more modes could have been added, the computer player could have been harder to beat (for me anyways, the AI is a pushover even on the hardest difficulty settings), and people may not have the time or patience of clearing tons of lines just to unlock everything. That said, this is another solid offering in the Tetris series, and one of the last great games of the 1990s.

It can be a bit tricky to find a copy of The New Tetris, as the game has never been re-released in any form. It has not shown up on the Wii Virtual Console service or on any compilations, so your best bet is to look for the game on e-bay, Amazon, or used game stores. Those who find a copy will surely enjoy hours and hours of clearing lines and playing against their friends, and they might agree that this is one of the best Tetris games ever made. Its game play has the familiar charming appeal that many other Tetris games have, and its graphics and music are truly impressive for a Nintendo 64 title. Just be prepared to spend many hours unlocking everything, as the conditions for doing so may be a bit much even for those who love to complete everything in a game.