Tetris: The Grand Master 3: Terror Instinct

Overview

Tetris: The Grand Master 3 - Terror Instinct, often abbreviated to TGM3, is a falling-block puzzle game developed by Arika and released by Taito for arcades (using PC-based Taito Type X hardware) exclusively in Japan on February 2005.

The third and final arcade installment of Tetris: The Grand Master, Terror Instinct builds on its predecessor with the ability to create persistent user accounts for each machine (allowing players to track their overall stats and ranking), another revamp of the Grade Recognition System and leveling system, a new game mode based on Tetris with Cardcaptor Sakura: Eternal Heart, updated gameplay mechanics (including a three-piece preview and piece holding system). and an alternate rotation system based on other modern Tetris games at the time ("World Rule", as opposed to "Classic Rule"). Standard scoring is removed, along with the "TGM+" mode of the previous game.

Although the game did not receive a home conversion, much of the game was re-purposed for the series' first and only home release: Tetris: The Grand Master ACE. A fourth arcade installment was in development and has been shown in location tests in both 2009 and 2015, but its release has been shelved for the time being.

Game Modes

• Master - The game's main mode, tasking players with reaching level 999 and grading their performance using an updated Grade Recognition System (which is no longer shown throughout the credit). As the credit progresses, the piece gravity is increased while the frame delay of different elements (such as piece entry and line clears) are reduced. New to the series is an early end-game condition (which ends the game at level 500 if the player reaches it slowly) and a persistent classification system (which requires players to perform "Promotion Exams" to level up their class).

• Easy - Based on the previous game's "Normal" mode, Easy mode is a less-challenging version of Master mode that is intended for newer players, shortening the game to 200 levels while adding suggested piece placements on earlier levels. Rather than a grading system, players are scored on their credit based on the amount of fireworks ("hanabi") displayed when clearing lines (with boosts based on more difficult situations, such as larger clears and combo clears).

• Sakura - Based on Tetris with Cardcaptor Sakura: Eternal Heart (and its inspiration, Flash Point), Sakura is a stage-based mode tasks players with clearing all jewels on each of the 20 pre-populated stages within a limited amount of time (with some stages having their own difficulty modifier. Along with a stage timer, the game includes an overall "limit timer" that can only be replenished by clearing jewels. The game tracks the fastest time for each stage and includes up to seven extra stages based on the player's performance throughout the credit.

• Shirase - Based on the previous game's "T.A. Death" mode, Shirase is the most difficult mode in the game, with the game starting out at the maximum piece gravity and reducing the frame delay for other gameplay mechanics throughout the credit. In addition, the game's leveling system is raised to 1300, there are several early end-game conditions if the player fails to reach different level thresholds in time, and there are new difficulty modifiers on higher levels (with levels 500-1000 including garbage blocks similar to the previous games "TGM+" mode and levels 1000-1300 having all blocks be monochrome boxes). Rather than the GRS, the game grades players based on how many hundreds of levels cleared (from S1 to S13).