Tetris Ultimate: Review

Tetris Ultimate has been released to coincide with the 30th anniversary of Alexey Pajitnov’s evergreen puzzle game, and knowing how many versions of  Tetris have been produced over those years, this is a very strange game. For example, SoMa Play has correctly recognised that the basic game of Tetris needs no introduction, and it’s possible to get right into the game without issue. On the other hand, very few of the non-basic aspects of the game are explained at all, including the functions of the various items available to players in the Battle Extra mode.

Commendably, the game offers experienced Tetris players the opportunity to toggle sorting methods, wall kicks and T-spins. Unfortunately, if you don’t know what those are, Tetris Ultimate won’t tell you. You’re in luck if you want to limit your game to three minutes, level 15 or 40 lines, but those variables are fixed, so you’re not catered for if you want to limit your game to five minutes, level 10 or 100 lines, for example. The game’s bland default skin is the only one available and a singular tune a low-key remix of the classic Tetris theme Korobeiniki is all that’s on offer.

Despite the fact that Tetris Ultimate offers so much less than previous versions of Tetris in those ways, it’s not all bad. The game offers plenty of awards and achievements for single players to chase, as well as solid AI opponents. The multiplayer service is also well-considered; as well as direct battles with players online, you can send and receive challenges and even utilise a Tetris Self. This is an AI profile based on your own personal play style as discerned by the Xbox One, which is uploaded for your friends to play against while you’re offline.

Tetris is always an enjoyable game at its core, and if you just want to play a version of the game on your Xbox One and don’t care tremendously about customising your game, Tetris Ultimate will suit your needs well. However, we can’t wholeheartedly commend the game, given that it fails to offer relatively simple rule modifications which have been offered in other Tetris games over the last 30 years. Tetris Ultimate isn’t awful , but it doesn't live up to its title and if you’re a real Tetris aficionado, you probably already have a better version to play.

6/10