Tetris Effect Zone

[Nadal Braymiller]

TetrisEffect is a single player game featuring music and visuals that react to player actions. The game was released on November 9, 2018, exclusively for the PlayStation 4.[1] It is the first official console release since Tetris Ultimate in 2014.

Tetris Effect was released for Windows, with support for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, on July 23, 2019. It was available exclusively for purchase on the Epic Games Store at the time.[2][3] A version for the Oculus Quest was released May 15, 2020.[4]

An updated release, named Tetris Effect: Connected, was announced for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Windows 10 (exclusively through the Microsoft Store and Xbox Game Pass) on July 23, 2020, and was released on November 10, 2020.[5][6] The Connected update was also released on existing platforms and Steam in August 18, 2021,[7][8][9][10] on Nintendo Switch in October 8, 2021,[11][12] and on PlayStation 5 in February 22, 2023.[13] This update added new multiplayer modes to the game.[14]

Tetris Effect features standard Guideline rules for gameplay; several features such as IRS/IHS, hold piece, and piece preview count can be changed in the options. Each stage has its own themed block design; however, the player may also switch to a Traditional (Guideline-colors) block design for improved visibility.

The main mode of Tetris Effect, Journey Mode, features a new mechanic called Zone.[15][16] By filling up the Zone meter by performing line clears (x lines, depending on difficulty in Journey Mode or phase in Zone Battle, charges a quarter of meter), the player can then trigger Zone, where the gravity temporarily stops (the piece still locks after a delay if it is touching the top of the stack, however) and any lines cleared are pushed to the bottom of the playfield. Zone ends when the time meter runs out or the player tops out. After that, completed lines disappear from the bottom of the playfield with an explosion. The maximum possible Zone duration in Journey Mode is 20 seconds.

It was initially thought that 20 lines was the maximum possible Zone clear, since this is the height at which pieces spawn, but it was discovered that higher clears were possible when the last piece was able to clear multiple lines, usually with the use of IRS/IHS. Kirby703 was the first player to achieve a 21-line Zone clear[17], with developers later renaming the clear a Kirbtris (initially displayed as an Ultimatris). She later was the first to achieve a 22-line Zone clear as well, displayed as an Impossibilitris.[18] On February 15, 2021, Kirby703 again became the first player to perform a 23-line Infinitris clear by using 10 I pieces laid across the top of the screen vertically.[19] In the multiplayer modes added in Connected, higher clears are potentially possible due to the added garbage mechanics and boss blitz attacks offering additional strategies; another player named Electra utilized these strategies to perform 24 and 25 lines (later named Electris) in Connected mode.[20][21] On December 25th, 2022, players knighting, Sionara, SGFerox and box discovered a strategy utilizing Bump Up to achieve the first zone clear above 25 (27 lines),[22] later titled the WTFtris.[23]

When at least 8 lines have been filled during Zone, a color inversion effect known as Zone Brilliance is applied to the entire screen. You can adjust the severity of this effect in the graphics settings, which allows a choice between "MIN", "MID", and "MAX".

During Zone, there is a multiplier applied to all points earned during Zone. Score values are +1x for every clear of an Octoris (eight lines) or more. If Zone is activated when fully charged (20 seconds), an additional +1x multiplier is also applied, thus making a 3x multiplier the highest possible. Points earned from line clears are not immediately added to the score display and are delayed until Zone ends, which also awards a bonus of +100 for each line cleared during Zone.

The main mode of the game, with 27 stages total. The stages are split into 7 different areas, where they are unlocked one by one as the player progresses. Each stage has 3 sections, with a different speed level per section. The line goal per stage is determined by the selected difficulty: 30 lines for Beginner, 36 lines for Normal, and 48 lines for Expert, respectively. The final stage, Metamorphosis, has a 90-line goal, regardless of difficulty selected. Only non-Zone cleared lines count toward the goal. Practice Mode is also available, which allows the player to progress through the first four areas with no game overs and low gravity levels.

This section contains 17 different game modes, categorized into 4 groups. In Marathon, Zone Marathon, Chill Marathon, Quick Play, and Mystery modes, the player can choose one of the available main or hidden stages to play on. All other modes have their own unique stages. In Zone Marathon, the player cannot use the hidden stages 1984 and 1989.

20G mode with 30 speed levels, each with progressively decreasing lock delay and line clear delay values. Clear at least 300 lines to complete the mode. Initial M-level can be selected prior to starting the mode; Endless can be toggled on.

This mode uses the gameplay mechanics and visual styles from Nintendo's NES version. Initial speed level can be selected before starting the mode; the player may also switch frame timings between NTSC and PAL.

In these modes, topping out will reset the playfield and score counter instead of netting an instant Game Over. Piece sequences can be toggled between Random (standard randomizer) or Fixed (initial 7-piece sequence repeated throughout).

Score as many points as possible within 5 minutes. One or more I pieces drop into a random column on the stack every 2, 5, 8, or 10 piece drops. Endless can also be toggled on; the mode ends when the player tops out.

Clear as many grey garbage and violet "infected" blocks as possible within a 3-minute time limit. New infected blocks are added to the bottom of the stack after a certain number of clears or after failing to clear infected blocks at certain time intervals. Endless can also be toggled on.

The following modes were added in Tetris Effect: Connected. Ranked, Friend, and Local Match sub-modes are available for each. For Ranked and Friend Matches, players in any of the available platforms can match against each other via cross-platform online play; other players can also spectate ongoing Friend Matches. For Local Matches, the player can create matches against other control methods (extra controllers or keyboard and mouse) or CPU opponents (10 skill levels available).

Connected is a co-op multiplayer mode where three players, each with their own playfield, must battle as a team against A.I.-controlled bosses. The Connected campaign includes five different Areas, with three unique bosses each for Areas 1-4 and a final three-stage boss for Area 5. As the boss performs line clears, an attack meter fills up that attacks the other players with a random mechanic modifier called a blitz. The three team players are tasked with performing line clears to fill up a special Zone meter to perform attacks against the boss. The boss player can also toggle between two modes of play: Attack, sending blitzes, and Defense, creating a cushion to absorb Zone attacks sent by the team. The mode ends when either all three players or the boss tops out. A more difficult Connected campaign with tougher bosses called Maniac is also available.

As team players perform line clears, a shared Zone meter between all three players is filled. The color of each segment represents each player's overall contribution to the current meter. During this phase, players must survive blitz attacks by the boss that become more aggressive and challenging to deal with. More meter is charged for different line clears, roughly equivalent to the scaling used for garbage in Zone Battle. If a player tops out in this phase, they enter a Revive state.

In each Area, bosses have a shared set of common blitz attacks. Each boss also has a signature blitz attack. Initially, attacks are individual blitzes, but quickly begin to become two-blitz attacks. Each blitz has an associated internal level 1-4 in strength/effect, with higher values being more difficult to deal with. Bosses alternate between common and signature sets of blitz combinations, with many blitz combinations in the signature set including common blitzes as the game progresses.[24] Many of the blitz effects are similar to those seen in Mystery and seem inspired by the attack items in TGM Versus modes.

When the Zone meter is filled, Zone is automatically triggered and the three players' playfields merge together and collapse all blocks to the bottom via cascade gravity. While in Zone, the players must clear as many lines as possible within the shared playfield, each taking turns dropping pieces in a round-robin order from left to right. The boss automatically enters Defense mode and must clear lines in anticipation of a Zone attack. On the team's side, special purple pieces, which appear at random but more frequently in early phases of the game, can be used to eliminate gaps by cascading blocks down the stack. Only the number of overall lines cleared, not the types of line clear, applies to Zone in this mode (compare with Zone Battle). Once the Zone time limit ends or a player tops out, the resulting Zone line clear amount is then converted to a solid garbage attack towards the boss that is received all at once after a brief animation. When player fields again separate, any complete lines are eliminated without contributing to the next Zone meter.Players then return to the Attack phase with a Zone meter that takes more clears to fill than the previous phase.

When a boss enters Defense mode, solid lines received from Zone attacks can be eliminated by performing line clears. When no garbage is present, the boss can also use Defense to build up a cushion for future Zone attacks by performing clears. Each ten lines cleared by the boss in Defense is represented as a defense orb the orbits the player's avatar and is roughly equivalent to one line of solid garbage. This defense can then offset Zone attacks partially or entirely.

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