So, what’s new in this DS iteration? Nintendo has chosen to inject the classic game with a host of its own well-known characters. Throughout the game’s many modes of play are 8-bit renditions of Mario, Link, Donkey Kong, Samus, and many more familiar faces. The developers also chose to focus Tetris DS on multiplayer gaming. Up to 10 people can battle it out in standard mode. This only requires one of the participants to own the actual game. The others can download the game wirelessly from the host cartridge. The goal is to outlast the other opponents. By eliminating multiple lines of blocks at once, lines are sent to a friend’s screen, pushing them ever closer to the top of the screen and once that threshold is reached it’s game over for them. The bottom DS screen is the actual play field and the top screen in this mode shows the other players’ screens. A small cursor is constantly cycling through their screens, so if you want your garbage lines to go to a particular opponent, wait until the cursor is over the appropriate competitor. This allows for gamers to gang up on a particularly good Tetris player to even the challenge. Of course, if a bunch of novice Tetris players go up against a seasoned one, it can still be difficult to topple him or her. Luckily the game also allows for handicaps to be set if need be.

For additional fun, items can be turned on in the options as well. In this mode, question mark boxes will randomly be inserted into lines. Clearing lines that contain these boxes gives the player an item to use. These items are ripped straight out of Mario Kart and have differing results. Both the star and the shell are helpful power-ups. The star changes all of the Tetris pieces into the long pieces and doesn’t allow opponents to attack for a limited time. The red shell eliminates the bottom two rows of blocks. Offensive weapons, like the mushroom, cause Tetris pieces to fall at an extremely high speed for a limited time. Boo blocks out the upcoming pieces menu and the lightning bolt makes it so pieces can’t be rotated. Last, there’s the banana that flips the competitor’s screen horizontally, often screwing up the placement of falling pieces. Playing with items on often shakes up the competition and creates an atmosphere where anyone could become victorious.

Continuing with the various multiplayer modes, Mission allows for up to 10 people to compete against each other as well. Players are given a task to complete and the person that finishes first is awarded the points. The player with the most points at the end is the winner. These missions might have players “Clear 3 lines at once” or “Clear a line using only this block”. There’s a bit more thinking to this mode, but it can be just as entertaining as the classic standard one. The last multiplayer mode only allows up to 2 players to battle it out. This one is called Push mode. The top screen shows player 1’s field, bottom screen is player 2’s. Player 1’s lines fall from top to bottom, player 2’s fall from bottom to top. The object is to make 2 or more lines at once. If this is done, the playing field is pushed toward the opponent’s direction. To win the game, a player must successfully push the playing field into the opponent’s danger zone. This is one of the more challenging modes of play, but also one of the most rewarding and fun.

Tetris DS is Nintendo Wi-Fi compatible. Standard 2 player classic mode can be played online, as can 4 player classic mode with weapons and 2 player Push mode. As with previous online games from Nintendo, you can exchange Friend Codes to play against people you know, or simply connect and play against anyone across the world. The match-up service is similar to Mario Kart DS, where opponents can’t be selected from a list, they are randomly chosen. This type of “let’s just get to the game fast” Internet connection has its merits, but it quickly becomes frustrating to not be able to see who is online playing and to select who to play against.

There are a few modes left that are only designed for the single player. Puzzle mode is one of the more addicting ones. Here, the player must clear the screen of blocks using only a select few puzzle pieces. There’s only one way to correctly solve the puzzle, but you have unlimited time and re-dos. Some of the puzzles can be quite challenging, but luckily you can skip it and go on to the next to save it for later. Another really fun mode is catch mode and its based off the Metroid universe. Pieces fall from the top screen to the bottom and players catch them with the core block. By creating a square block it will detonate. If there are any Metroids nearby, try to explode them for extra points. As the game progresses the core of blocks may become so large that it’s difficult to maneuver. Any time it comes in contact with an enemy, or a block hits the core while it’s spinning, or a block is completely missed and it makes it to the bottom of the screen energy is lost. If energy reaches zero it’s game over. The least fun mode is Touch Mode. Here a whole bunch of blocks are lying on the bottom and top screens. By touching the blocks on the bottom and moving them around, lines are made and it reduces the stack. The object is to clear all of the blocks, but this becomes tiresome rather quickly.

With six different modes of play and plenty of multiplayer options the replay value of Tetris DS is through the roof. The game exudes a nostalgic charm by including many of Nintendo’s 8-bit characters into the design. The music is equally entertaining with remixes from the classic games as well. It’s been many years since a really good Tetris game has come out, but luckily the drought is over. Fans of Tetris and newcomers alike, Tetris DS will satisfy any puzzle itch you may have.