Tetris 99 is the opposite of Tetris Effect, and it’s amazing

I used to think I was good at Tetris, but that was before I was pitted against 98 other players in a block-dropping battle to the death.

One of the biggest surprises during last night’s Nintendo Direct live stream was the reveal and launch of Tetris 99. The game, which is a free download for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, is perhaps the least likely take on the battle royale formula that’s most closely associated with Fortnite. The goal is simple: 99 people are playing Tetris simultaneously, and the last surviving player wins. It’s ridiculous and hectic, and it’s also kind of amazing.

At its core, the game is still Tetris as you know it. Tetrominoes of various shapes fall from the top, and it’s your job to line them up and clear away complete lines. The blocks are even the same color as usual, and the familiar Tetris theme hums along in the background. The difference, though, is that your ultimate goal isn’t a high score. It’s to be the last surviving player. As columns overflow and players get knocked out, the number of participants steadily dwindles.

You can keep an eye on this as every other player is represented in tiny detail on the left and right of the screen. Though, at least for me, paying attention to everyone else while also keeping my screen in order is a difficult task. There are also some multiplayer components that change up the strategy somewhat; most notably, you can toss garbage blocks at other players, making life more difficult. I’m sure there are additional strategies that high-level players have already surmised, but after an evening of playing, I’m still just barely holding on, struggling to land in the top 20.

What’s great about Tetris 99 is that it forces me to play Tetris in a different way. Normally, I like to play slow and steady, carefully planning my moves in advance. If I do that in Tetris 99,I’m eliminated almost immediately. I need to act much faster. The result is an incredibly tense experience and also one that offers a nice, bite-sized taste of Tetris, as most games don’t last especially long.

Remarkably, this isn’t the only reimagining of Tetris that’s launch lately. Last year, iconic designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi released Tetris Effect, which combined the tried-and-true puzzle gameplay with his own particular blend of audiovisual delights. It was soothing and peaceful, and basically the complete opposite of Tetris 99. If Tetris Effect was a love letter to the classic game, Tetris 99 is an attempt to turn it into a brutal spectator sport. Between the two of them, they show just how fertile the core of Tetris is for new game concepts.

We’re truly living in a golden age of Tetris.