Tetris Axis

I don't think I've ever met anyone who disliked Tetris. The game has been hailed as one of the greatest games of all time and with very good reason. The game can be highly challenging, but what brings people back to it over and over is the super addictive game play. Tetris has always been the hardest game for me to put down. Whenever I say to myself that I'm playing only one game, that one game easily turns into about 20, no joke. This was with the original game, now try to imagine how hard it could be to put down over 10 different versions of Tetris. Well that's exactly what you get here. Nintendo brings the classic puzzle game to the 3DS in the form of Tetris Axis. The game features 3 different modes with many game types within those modes, as well as Downlaod play and On-line play with up to 7 more people. It also has records keeping and world ranking. The game is a blast to play in co-op, but it's no slouch in the single player department either. I replay a majority of these modes solo.

Gameplay:

For those who may not know, Tetris is a puzzle game which forces the player to create horizontal lines with pieces that are in a variety of shapes. The pieces are called Tetriminos, and the shapes they appear in are L,I, T, S,Z, and square blocks. The pieces fall slowly from the top of the screen into the board called a matrix. The pieces can be turned around clockwise or counter-clockwise, and the player can store at least one piece for later use, and they can switch it out with another one entering the matrix as many times they need to. The traditional game isn't timed, and the player must create these lines to perform breaks. If the matrix becomes full of pieces and hits the top of the screen, then the game is over. As the player create multiple breaks, the level will increase and the pieces will come down faster until they reach an amazingly quick speed. Tetris is a puzzle game that requires quick thinking and strategy. This game is referred to as the Marathon, and for those who have been out of sync with Tetris over the years will be amazed to see the various games that have been created.

The modes can be selected from the very start; these modes are Featured Mode, Party Mode, and AR Mode. In Feature Mode, the first game you can select is Marathon, the second game Fever, features a smaller Matrix and the object is to perform as many breaks as possible in 1 minute. While doing this, items such as coins will appear, and when these are picked up the player will be able to add different features to that game which enhances the game play. Third is Computer Battle, and this pits you against the AI in traditional Tetris with the objective being to perform the breaks faster than the AI, and raise its pieces quicker to the top of the screen. The catch here is that various items can be used against one another in this battle, and this is one of the more creative uses of the 3DS. The AI can use an item which completely clouds the screen where you can't see a thing, and you will have to physically blow into the mic on the 3DS to clear up your vision. Survival is the last game here, and the matrix must be cleared while it's slowly rising to the top.

The first batch of games are very fun, and even though the Computer Battle gets on my nerves because the AI can sometimes make these super comebacks. It's still one of the games I come back to quite often. Party Mode has 9 more games, one of them is Jigsaw and it uses both screens; the bottom screen has a picture and the top screen drops pieces of this picture, and from there you have to build whatever it is. Shadow Wilde has the same building concept, except you're filling in a shadow in the matrix, and you'll have to build a house. Bombliss Plus features Tetriminos with bombs in them, and the matrix is scattered with these pieces. The objective is to cause explosions and begin a chain reaction to reach the goal at the bottom. The other games have their own unique twist to them and I'll leave it at that to keep the spoilers low. The last mode is AR (Augmented Reality), this uses the AR cards that comes with the 3DS, and it features two games, AR Marathon and AR Climber. When setting up this mode for the cards, the game system guides you through the process the entire time, and gives you the signal when it's ready. In this mode you have to keep the 3DS focused on the card, and the matrix will move around forcing you to move along with it. I don't care for this mode at all, because I rather sit down and be lazy with my games, instead of running around in a circle chasing the matrix.

Controls:

If you played Tetris Party for the regular DS and had a serious issue with the over-sensitive controls, then you can rest easy knowing that the the D-Pad here isn't even close to that one. The controls are very responsive and there really isn't much of a learning curve. In the case of the AR mode, it performs well if you stay within the recommended range.

Graphics/Music/Sound:

The visuals pretty much only stand out in regards to the backgrounds, which is the only time the 3D appears to be used. The matrix is in 2D a majority of the time. The backgrounds vary, and some of them are made up of old stone looking artifacts, snow-laden forest with Christmas-lit trees, and star-filled skies.The Jigsaw game has some very pretty portraits of paintings, such as a car going through a country side, and a picture of the Earth with smaller rocks in its blue, night time like orbit. The game called Fit, has a very nice setting which takes place in space in what appears to be a black-hole, with stars falling from the foreground into the background. This is by far my favorite. The soundtrack contains remixed versions of classic songs such as Flight of the Bumblebee, Waltz of the Flowers and the classic Tetris theme Trepak. Other songs are some nice dance tracks and they all fit with the personality of the game. My only issue with the soundtrack is that it could have used more songs. I barely noticed the sound effects since nothing here really grabbed my attention, not even the sounds of the exploding bombs in Bombliss Plus appealed to me.

Replay:

It's a Tetris game, so it's obvious replay is through the roof. I rarely find single player to be boring, and there are some very good highly challenging modes with Jigsaw, Computer Battle, Fit, Tower Climber, and Master Mode being among them. Bombliss is boring to me, and loses its appeal once you get it down. Now the on-line play is where it shines. I experienced no type of lag here at all, and it's fairly easy to get a game going. I don't know of any folks having trouble here.

Final Thoughts:

One of the reasons Tetris has lasted through out the years is because anyone can pick up and play. I seen folks who never played games before become a Tetris-addict. It's newbie friendly, the instruction manual is helpful, and the game gives you enough guidance before you enter in a mode. If you're a serious fan of the franchise then you can't go wrong here. If you find yourself having to choose between this game and Tetris Party for the DS, this is definitely the one to pick up, since it contains the modes found in Tetris Party as well as additional ones.

Rating: 7/10

Pros:Highly addictive game play, many modes, multi-player

Cons:Soundtrack could have been better.