Tetris fans can take on 98 other players in new battle royale of classic game
Classic gaming favourite Tetris is going to the next level with a new battle royale version that pits players against 98 others in a race to be the last one standing.
Tetris 99 allows gamers of the Nintendo Switch who subscribe to its online service to compete in real-time against others, in a survival-style format made popular by the likes of Fortnite.
99 players enter, but only one reigns supreme! #Tetris99 is available to download now, exclusively for #NintendoSwitchOnline Members. https://t.co/Q193A9ha9c pic.twitter.com/zyUfkRAPGH
— Tetris (@Tetris_Official) February 13, 2019
The principles of the block clearing game remain true to the original that was released back in 1984 – arrange the falling blocks in the best possible way to form a complete line, which is then cleared, preventing your screen from reaching the limit at the top.
Except this time, there is the added pressure of keeping your zone clear for the longest, ahead of 98 other players simultaneously.
There are also added challenges, with participants able to launch Garbage Blocks at opponents, to bring chaos to their grid.
Players can earn KO badges for every opponent they knock out.
Details of the game were revealed during Nintendo Direct, the Japanese gaming firm’s news-broadcast on the latest releases. Nintendo said it will carry out special online timed events within the game in the future, with prizes up for grabs to the winning players.
The move bridges two current hot trends in gaming, the battle royale format and retro titles. Tetris was a staple of gaming in the 90s, made particularly popular on handheld console Game Boy.
In November, Fortnite, one of the most successful battle royale games, announced that it had 200 million registered players, up 60% in just six months.
