If you’re looking for the ultimate Battle Royale then you came to the right place! TETRIS 99 is the iconic puzzle game as you’ve never seen it before. Imagine facing 98 other players online – all at the same time. Test your speed, skill, and strategy to win in online mode and earn the coveted “Tetris Maximus!”
The legendary puzzler was released on February 13, 2019, for Nintendo Switch but has been a clutch go-to throughout quarantine and regular downtime. Nowadays, a free version is available for download for all Nintendo Switch Online Members. If you’re a serious gamer, you can go into the Nintendo eShop and download the Big Block DLC for $15. If you go for the Big Block DLC, you’ll get four additional modes of play:
- Marathon: Go for the most lines and the highest score!
- CPU Battle: Battle against 98 bots. Defeat the machines!
- Local Arena: Get up to eight friends together for a local battle!
- 2P Share Battle: Share Joy-Con controllers for a two-player game!
Once you step your game up (and your level), you’ll eventually be invited to compete with an exclusive group of players called “TETRIS 99 Invictus”. It’s by far the toughest competition I’ve ever faced on the game. Naturally, since it’s only for the best-of-the-best, you won’t be facing 98 other people. It’ll be more like 50 or 60. But imagine playing online, where you can’t pause, against a handful of the world’s best, and after 10 minutes, the number of players never changes. The challenge is to be the last one standing, but if nobody dies, then play continues! (One time I played for 19 minutes and only four players died).
One of the most fun things about this game are the worldwide tournaments. The higher you place, the more points you’ll tally. When you reach 100 points, you’ll win a new theme. I’ve collected themes from games like Xenoblade Chronicles, Animal Crossing, Luigi’s Mansion, Super Kirby Clash, and even Pokémon Sword & Shield.
My only issue with TETRIS 99 has to do with the unlockables. They seem infinite and aren’t in any kind of order. I feel like every week I’m unlocking something new and it forces me to scroll through the entire list until its highlighted. It shouldn’t be that hard to find which badge you’ve unlocked.
TETRIS 99 gets a 9 out of 10. Even if you’re not an avid online player on your Switch, I still advise you to get an online account. Not only will it afford you free games, but one of those games is TETRIS 99! Unlike PlayStation and Xbox, the online membership for Nintendo Switch is just $19.99 per year.
Happy puzzling!
-Jon J.