The February Nintendo Direct had multiple jaw-dropping announcements. Fans rejoiced over Mario Maker 2, Deltarune, Link’s Awakening, and most importantly, Tetris 99 coming to the Switch. With the Direct program, a new free to download game releases right after the broadcast ends, and within this one, the most notable addition is this follow up in the Tetris series.

Tetris 99 contributes to the trend of battle royale by bitting you against 98 other players online in the fight to be the last one standing. What was first turned i

nto a meme for being an absurd attempt at relevancy is turning tides as gamers realize the addictive enjoyment the game offers.

The game only has one mode at the moment which is Tetris 99. When starting the game, there is no tutorial and you automatically target someone’s board. When targeting, the rows you clear will be given to your target on the bottom of their board. Since it is on the bottom, your target would have to simultaneously place blocks while making sure to clear rows faster to not have the rows reach the top. This is what makes Tetris competitive, as it is more than one block at a time. Also, it is important to mention that more than one player can target you at a time. This leads to multiple players clearing their boards at once and leaving you with dozens of rows to worry about.

The only way to be good at Tetris 99 is by being fast. The faster you clear rows, the more players you will K.O. Each time you deal the final blow to another player, you collect a K.O. badge, and get a step closer to a sweet sweet victory.

Though, the only thing I can’t say is that I know what happens when you win. I have had the luck of making second place repeatedly without fail, as Puyo Puyo Tetris has already trained me to Switch based controls for Tetris, but not enough to get my victory royale. No matter how fast I clear rows, the war when battling for first gets too hectic and my chubby fingers can’t move fast enough.

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The home menu only has one mode so far, so that is a bit of a bummer.

Even though clearing rows and collecting K.O.s are satisfying enough on its own, there is more to why I love this game. The graphics are organized brilliantly so you can keep track of your progress while also keeping track of the other players. Even with 98 other boards on the screen, I never find myself overwhelmed. The music is catchy, and when it speeds up after fewer players, my heart starts racing. The controls are very smooth and comfortable, allowing for quick gameplay. The online experience is not buggy or laggy at all, something major Nintendo IP’s are still missing out on. Finally, the statistic page is a bonus for me as I love to look back at my achievements.

All in all, Tetris 99 takes the trend of winner takes all and turns it into a brilliant game that is addicting and enjoyable. With the rumor of more modes to come, it is clear this game will not die off anytime soon. The only thing that can improve this experience more is being able to play with friends and having a single player mode.

4.5/5