Despite how popular the battle royale genre is, I didn’t think that Tetris would ever get in on the craze. I was wrong, though. At today’s Nintendo Direct Tetris 99 was announced, which pits 99 players against one another. There can only be one victor, which looks to make for some high-speed, high-stakes Tetris playing.
Tetris 99 is free for anyone who is subscribed to Nintendo Switch Online. The objective in this game is the same as it’s always been. You try to complete lines that will make the blocks in that line disappear. The big difference is that other players can fill your screen with garbage pieces which can destroy your careful cultivated Tetris board.
This seems like it will lead to an intense risk-vs-reward style of gameplay. Do you try and set yourself up to clear multiple lines at a time, or do you just try and get lines as quickly as you can? With 99 players facing off against you it’s a tough choice.
One of the coolest factors is that each player’s board appears to the left and right of yours. It’s enchanting to watch 99 other Tetris games going on at the same time, and drives home the accomplishment of being the sole survivor.
The best part of this surprise announcement is that Tetris 99 is out today. As long as you have a Nintendo Switch Online account, you can hop on the eShop and download it now. There’s no premium currency, microtransactions, paid DLC, or any of that nonsense. Just good old-fashioned Tetris fun with a new twist.
