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First is Touch mode which requires players to use the stylus in order to drag Tetriminos into a giant stack to make them fall into horizontal lines. Early levels allow the player to rotate the Tetriminos by tapping them with the stylus. In Touch mode players are given as much time as they need to plan their moves and therefore is a vastly different style of play to the traditional frantic nature of Tetris.
Next is Standard mode, which is your bog standard classic Tetris. Guide falling Tetriminos and form horizontal lines to clear them from the play area. This is a Mario themed mode so you also get the bonus of seeing Mario run around Super Mario Bros. levels in the background.
Catch mode has a Metroid theme and requires players to guide a falling block through Metroid-infested levels, seeking out falling Tetriminos. Spin your block and manoeuvre it into the right position to catch the falling Tetriminos to create 4×4 squares. The block will then explode and earn you points.
Puzzle mode features more than 50 puzzles in which the player has to solve tricky Tetris puzzles using only the Tetriminos provided. Push mode requires players to clear two lines at a time to move down the screen and push the opposition into the red zone. Keep your own blocks as low as possible so not to enter the red zone. This mode is also playable using DS Download play.
Mission mode has a Legend of Zelda theme and sees players attempting to complete missions before time runs out. Fail to complete the missions and a pile of new blocks will appear on the screen, and if the blocks get too high the game is over.
Tetris DS also supports wireless play for up to 10 players using DS Download Play with just one game card, and online play for up to four players over Nintendo’s Wi-Fi Connection service. Download Play supports the Push, Standard and Mission modes, and Wi-Fi connection has support for two game modes. Players can be matched with opponents of similar skill levels thanks to an in-game rating system which tracks players’ battle results.
Tetris DS is scheduled for release in North America on March 20, with a European release following a month later on April 21.
