Scratch

Tetris DS
Console: Nintendo DS
Released: April 2006
Genre: Puzzle
Publisher/Developer: Nintendo


Overview
I saw this game in a bargain bin at my local game shop for about $15 so I thought I'd give it a go. I had never really given Tetris a proper play before but I thought it was time I should play some version of the classic game. This Nintendo DS incarnation of Tetris includes Nintendo-themed modes including ones inspired by Mario, Metroid, Zelda, Balloon Fight, Donkey Kong and Yoshi. As well as the usual Marathon-mode there are also special puzzles and a nice Metroid-themed "Catch" mode.

Gameplay
It's Tetris so the gameplay is simple and easy to get the hang on but gets devilishly hard later on. For those who don't know, Tetris is a puzzle game where blocks (called Tetrimonos) fall into an area where you have to arrange them into a complete line which gets challenging seeing as all the blocks are different shapes.
There are quite a few gameplay modes but I think I'll just touch upon those which I enjoyed the most. First there's your Marathon game which is the same game of Tetris everyone's been playing since the Game Boy version. I won't bother too much with explaining this one as most people will already know what it's all about.
Another mode is called the Mission mode and this time it's a Zelda theme (with a funky Zelda overworld remix playing in the background) and the goal is to complete the mission listed on the top screen. Some will ask you to eliminate multiple rows of blocks at once and sometimes you'll need to use a certain kind of block to clear a row.
My favourite mode, by far, is the Catch mode which is a Metroid themed game. As blocks fall from the top of the screen you collect them on an endlessly growing pile of collected blocks. You're trying to make a 4x4 block without letting the floating Metroids damage your blocks or the point you've collected.
To sum it up, there's a great range of variety avalible and all the game modes are fun and easy to get the hang of while also getting a nice difficulty curve as you progress.

Visuals
The graphics are nothing too special but this is Tetris and simple graphics is all that you need for a game like this. The NES sprites of Mario, Link and other Nintendo icons show up in a lot of the game's artwork and all the references are a nice touch. Also, each gamemode has a Nintendo theme to it and the levels are laid out with nice retro visuals to make any retro Nintendo die hard happy. It also puts the green and grey GB Tetris in the dark making for an interesting graphical experience.

Sound
Lots of lovely 8-bit music to hear on Tetris DS (as well as the old Game Boy themes as unlockables) and there's some nice remixes of the Mario overworld, Donkey Kong BGM and the Zelda overworld too. All the music can be listened to in the music menu (go Options > Music) and it was a nice touch for Nintendo to include some really great sound files.

Flaws
Almost every game has some type of problem or flaw that really stands out but with Tetris DS I really can't find anything wrong with it. It's kinda hard to ruin Tetris after all and they've just taken the still playable Game Boy gameplay and given it awesome Nintendo themes, remixed music and new fun gameplay modes. How can you dislike this?

Conclusion
All in all, Tetris is an essential for anyone with any console so if you see this in the bargain bins I highly suggest you try it out. Even if you're not a fan of puzzlers you might be surprised, I know I was! Also, if you've got a Nintendo 3DS there's a similar version for that too although I think it has even more gameplay modes!

Verdict
9.5/10