How do you create a new Tetris game in 2018?

What more could be done to a game already near-perfect decades ago? Over the years, many have tried to add new features, new game modes and variations to the classic falling-blocks formula. But none have stuck in exactly the same way that the original has. Sure, there have been additions – ghost blocks to see where your piece is falling, a one piece hold that you can swap in and out, lock delay and more, but fundamentally it’s the same game. Tetris Effect, however, may be the best version yet, with more smart updates to the game that bring you deeper into Tetris without becoming distractions or kitsch.

Developer Resonair has clearly poured thousands of hours of loving care into creating a huge variety of stages and themes, from deep calming waters to a fiery beachside ceremony. Surrounding the traditional 10 by 20 game field are a crazy amount of special effects, all designed to be intimately reactive to how you are playing the game. One particular highlight for me was a jazz, city themed level where by placing blocks and clearing lines you build up your own jazz tune. Almost every level though has a strong musical element, generally starting slowly before featuring some form of a “drop”, where the game speeds up considerably and you have to pay 100% attention just to get by.

At times its aural, haptic and visual sensory overload but Resonair have tuned it just right, so that it’s rarely overwhelming or frustrating.

And if the sudden speed up in gameplay does seem like it’s going to get the better of you, there’s a new overload mode, which is like an ultimate ability.

Here’s how it works: as you drop blocks and clear lines your special meter build up. And though it can be activated at any time, you get the biggest score bonus when you use it at its max. When you activate it, blocks stop falling until you tell them too, but also lines don’t clear as you fill them up, leading to a slow march of blocks to the top of the screen. The more lines you clear, the bigger your score, and there’s a marked sense of relief when the time runs out and the lines you’ve cleared finally disappear. It’s an interesting mechanic that occasionally got me out of a tight spot though it appears that it would be more useful for someone chasing a high score than just hanging onto dear life like me.

On top of traditional Tetris, there are a range of “effects” modes that place all sorts of additional conditions on winning, such as clear blocks in three minutes, clear 150 lines in as short a time as possible, deal with random effects to the play board etc. These modes are all automatically ranked and I can imagine the fight to be on top of the leaderboards will be fierce – though as a relative Tetris novice that sort of level of competition is far beyond me.

Effects mode does include an “easy” never-ending mode though, where filling up your screen with blocks doesn’t result in a game over. I found this one of the best modes to play, as it gives you the space and time to enter a true state of flow, and even meditation – at least for a Tetris beginner like me. Tetris is one of those games that is intuitive to start, but extraordinarily deep to master, and giving yourself the opportunity to experiment in this mode was extremely welcome in a game that is almost always low-level stressful.

But the best way to play Tetris Effect is in virtual reality.

With a Playstation VR headset, and a good set of headphones (if you have decent headphones, playing Tetris Effect with them on is a must), the entire outside world disappears, and the luscious particles, ambient, hypnotising music and tetrominos become all that you focus on. It’s mesmerising, and made me glad I went to the effort of digging the headset out of a drawer, where it has sat for a few months. While the decrease in resolution compared to the “flat” version is noticeable, Tetris really isn’t a game that needs 4K graphics to be enjoyable, and the trade-off for increased immersion and distance from the outside world is well worth it.

Who knew that taking an addictive game, and adding amazing music, gorgeous visuals and smart updates to the core gameplay would make a great game? It sounds so simple, but genius Producer Tetsuya Mizuguchi and the rest of the team have honed these elements to perfection. Each sound is perfect, each visual flourish dazzling but not distracting, and each update to the core Tetris experience incrementally refined to its nth degree.

Dare I say it, this is the perfect Tetris game.

The post Tetris Effect (PS4 and PSVR) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

I think we can call agree that the best multiplayer games have nearly ruined friendships. Everyone has had at least one game of monopoly that has caused them to briefly love a significant other significantly less. Here to give me a fun reason to fight with my flatmate, is cartoon-ish puzzler Tricky Towers.

A fundamentally multiplayer experience, Tricky Towers can be played between 1-4 players, locally or online and while it may look functionally similar to Tetris, interesting gameplay tweaks give it a fresh and occasionally frustrating twist. The games primary ‘Race’ Mode, challenges you to build your tower to a certain height before your competitors, which seems simple enough until you factor in the games clever mechanics.

Firstly, more freedom is granted to the player in that their tower is not locked in space, and each block has weight and balance, instead of naturally adhering to each other as in classic Tetris. This means you have the option of frantically stacking mismatched pieces atop each other to race to precarious victory or take it slowly attempting to build a solid foundation.

The second addition is what gives the game multiplayer depth, each player has the ability to interfere with their opponents tower or improve their own with “light and dark magic”, controlled through dedicated buttons. These abilities are dished out periodically through each match are what set the game apart from being considered a Tetris clone. You might choose to use your light magic to bind several blocks together to ensure a crucial part of your tower remains stable, or use your dark magic to super size one of your opponents blocks to smash their careful construction (The latter obviously being the most fun).

A clever addition from the developers is that your tower must remain standing for at least 3 seconds before victory is declared. The most fun I had with Tricky towers was yelling at the TV as my tower barely held its shape together for the countdown. There are additional modes available, such as ‘Survivor’ in which you have to try and build tower without dropping over a certain number of blocks, or ‘Puzzle” in which you have to try and fit together a predetermined set of blocks correctly without dropping any. Survivor mode can be it’s own special breed of fun, tentatively placing your last block whilst on your last life gives the same sort of tense enjoyment as nudging your last Jenga piece from your tower. Puzzle mode feels the weakest of the three as it is the least forgiving and inherently the least diverse in gameplay options, but is still worth checking out, if only to take a break from the frantic energy of Race mode.

The game comes with single player options, giving players a chance to experience all these mechanics on their own. The heart of this mode is a long series of specific ‘Trials’, ranging from fairly easy to punishingly difficult. While they provide a method for a player to hone their skills, this seems to me to be a game that was always geared towards group enjoyment and I felt little compulsion to spend a lot of time playing solo.

‘Race’ mode played locally with friends is where the game truly shines. The base familiarity of it’s premise combined with the ease of it’s controls combines for a perfect pick and play competitive experience that calls to mind games such as Towerfall ascension and Nidhogg.

Unfortunately it must be said that the added freedoms to the player can be a hindrance as well as a help, the added physics of the blocks are not always dependable. A block that seems a perfectly solid foundation may crumble and destabilize your whole tower; this is combined with luck playing a particularly prevalent role in gameplay. Fortune is a natural element in any game, when your opponent is given a stream of perfect blocks and you end up with a hot jagged mess, long stints of gameplay can grow frustrating.

However these issues don’t detract overly from what is a creative and effortlessly enjoyable update on a classic game. In an age where games are rightly being taken seriously as art, Tricky Towers is a gleeful reminder of gaming’s great history. From its inspiration; to its accessibility; to its focus on enjoyment with friends, this is a game that will give you a nostalgic tingle.