We’d never have guessed that Tetris
would follow the likes of PUBG and
Fortnite into the battle royale arena, but
what sounds like an offhand joke at a
planning meeting is actually a superb
take on the timeless puzzler. Tetris 9 9 plays
much like any other multiplayer Tetris game.
You arrange blocks to form lines, and send
garbage lines to opponents whenever you
clear multiple lines, create a combo or clear
with a T-spin. Those garbage lines are sent
to whoever you’re targeting – it’s random by
default but you can manually target, or choose
autotargeting rules to aim for players who
are struggling, succeeding or attacking you.
You can be targeted by multiple players, but
you’ll send out more garbage to compensate.
Whenever you knock out another player,
you will earn part of a badge and any badge
parts they were holding – these also boost
your garbage output. If every other player is
eliminated, you win.
Very little of this is actually explained to
the player, as Tetris 9 9 lacks any in-gameinstructions or tutorial mode to explain the
significance of its unique mechanics. That’s a
shame as it makes the playing field less even,
but it’s really our only major criticism.
The game is very well presented, with a
clean look that makes it easy to see what’s
happening, and music that ramps up the
intensity as the field thins out. The game is
smartly designed, too. It’s free of targeted
griefing because it’s virtually impossible to
coordinate, making it one of the friendlier
online gaming experiences that we’ve played.
The mechanics ensure that the best players
tend to do well consistently, with our win
rate easily surpassing the 1.01% expected of
random chance. However, we’ve found that
it’s very satisfying for players of all skill levels- because the expectation of winning is so
low, people tend to focus on beating their own
personal bests. If you’ve got a subscription
to Nintendo’s online service, make sure you
drop in.
» [Switch] We’re
not sure who
came up of the
idea for Tetris 9 9,
but they deserve
a raise.
» [Switch] If you
ever see Nick in
your game lobby,
just run. Run fast,
and run far.» System: Switch » Buy it for: Free (Nintendo Switch Online required) » Buy it from: eShop
Score 89%
Tetr is 99
PICK OF THE MONTH
BlazBlue Centralfiction Special Edition
» System: Switch » Buy it for: £34.99 » Buy it from: eShop, retailThough most major 2D fighting series have abandoned pixels for
polygons, BlazBlue has stuck to sprites and now stands out for that
very reason. Much like other Arc System Works fighting games, it offers
refined and elaborate mechanics with a ‘stylish’ mode for casual players, as
well as a cast that vary in both their looks and playstyles. This Switch version
is packed with content – all the DLC of previous versions is included, so you’ve
got over 30 fighters, a story mode and other single-player challenges like the
character developing Grimoire Of Abyss mode, plus the Speed Star and Alliance
modes that offer unique takes on time attack and survival challenges.
Score 86 %
This has been announced as the final Etrian Odyssey game on 3DS, but
the series is leaving the platform in style. This dungeon-crawler sticks very
closely to the series’ established formula, but that’s no bad thing – this is a very
heavily customisable RPG, with a huge amount of content to explore using your
own created characters. In design terms, the game is resolutely old school – you
have to manually map dungeons on the touch screen, and it’s a challenging
game. If you fail to prepare for battle adequately, you will definitely die.
If you’ve played one of these games before, there are no big changes to
sway your feelings on the series and it may feel too familiar. If you haven’t yet,
it’s a very rich and polished take on the genre that’s worth trying.
Score 80 %
Etrian Odyssey Nexus
» System: 3DS » Bu y it for: £35.99 » Buy it from: eShop, retailWE LOOK AT THE LATEST RETRO-RELATED RELEASES
RETRO ROUNDUP
100 | RETRO GAMER