Back to Basics

Standard mode is definitely fun and easily the purest game of Tetris that you'll find in Tetris DS. If you want a little variety, however, check out the new modes. Push is the most intense of the new modes. Here, both the top and bottom halves of the screen are used. You're stacking your blocks on the top screen while your opponent (either the computer or another player) is building on the bottom. The thing is, while your blocks fall down as normal, the other player's blocks fall upwards. Since both players' blocks are meeting in the middle, you're basically building your stacks of each other's blocks. Whenever you clear two or more lines at once, the entire stack gets pushed down the screen. When you push the stack down far enough into your opponent's playing area, you win. Of course, they're constantly trying to push the stack up into your area as well, making the game into a sort of Tetris tug-of-war.

Perhaps the most interesting new mode is the Metroid-themed Catch, where you're trying to, well, catch blocks as they fall. At first, you control a small group of blocks, which you can freely move around the bottom screen. As standard Tetris pieces (or Tetriminos, as they're called) fall from the top screen, you need to grab them by running into them with your piece. The A and B buttons rotate your rapidly growing cluster of blocks so that you can form a solid 4x4 group. When you do, the blocks begin to flash and then explode, destroying any blocks in the path of the blast as well as any deadly Metroids that happen to be floating past. It takes a few minutes to get used to Catch's control scheme, and it doesn't really feel like Tetris, but it is an interesting diversion from the standard gameplay.

It should be fairly obvious that Touch mode was designed to take advantage of the DS's touch screen. Instead of clearing falling blocks, however, all the blocks that you must clear are already on the screen, stacked up as a huge tower. The stylus is used to slide the blocks downward onto the ground. Double tapping a block rotates it (assuming that there's room enough to do so). When you form a line, it disappears and the entire stack drops a bit, exposing more blocks to shift. The game ends when you eliminate the entire tower or when you run out of room to maneuver. Touch mode is gimmicky to be sure, but the tactile feeling of moving blocks around is actually pretty cool. The rotating controls are a bit of a pain, but since you don't play this mode competitively, there's no real harm done.

If You Choose to Accept It

Mission mode gives you a set time limit to accomplish a specific goal, such as clearing a certain number of lines at once or clearing a line by using a certain piece. If you fail to meet the goal in time, the mission changes and garbage blocks push your stack up from the bottom of the screen. Working against the clock adds a definite amount of tension that you don't normally get from Tetris.