The tile-matching puzzle game Tetris has traditionally been about your own performance, but now in Nintendo's battle royale version – Tetris 99 – it's all about the team effort. A new update to this Switch exclusive has added a new team mode.
In Team Battle Mode, you must select your favourite of four teams before each game starts. If a team has more members, it means smaller teams receive a boosted attack power. The aim is to be the last team standing, and all members of the winning team share the victory.
Players who get K.O.'d will become spectators and can send 'Likes' to cheer on their teammates. Sticking around to see the outcome is important if you want to receive XP points or event points if a Maximus Cup is active. You can now also team with friends, thanks to the new password-based matchmaking feature.
Additional features in this latest update include new button configuration options, new user emblems and the option to redeem 30 in-game tickets for elusive special themes featured from the game's earlier events. These themes include: Tetris from the original Game Boy game, Splatoon, Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Super Kirby Clash.
Last of all is a new Maximus Cup taking place from 12th December until 16th December. This one is slightly different, as it takes "full advantage" of the new Team Battle Mode. Here's the rundown:
The Tetris 99 10th MAXIMUS CUP will be available to all Nintendo Switch Online members* and will take full advantage of the new Team Battle Mode. Points will be awarded based on placements during each match, and at the end of the event the top 999 players will each win 999 Gold Points** that can be used to help purchase games in Nintendo eShop.
Are you looking forward to testing out this Tetris 99 update? Will you be participating in the Maximus Cup? Let us know.
Comments 21
Between the daily missions and the Maximus Cups, this one just keeps grabbing my time!
I suppose I need to start playing again. Got all the normal ingame themes I wanted (not very many of them to be honest), but I always regretted missing the first event theme.
I don’t like being able to buy event themes. It made me feel kind of special for having them when it was impossible to anymore. Love any content that’s added though. This game has such value
OK, that's pretty cool!
This is a great update, love this game.
I have been hoping they would allow us to purchase past special themes as I missed all but 2 of them, so this news makes me happy. 30 tickets is quite a lot but I'd rather spend 30 on the Splatoon or GB Tetis themes, than on 2 of the generic ones.
So far I have, Zelda, Mario, Donkey Kong and the Galaxy theme,as well as the Luigi's Mansion 3 and Pokemon special themes.
Themes are fun, I enjoy unlocking them. It would be cool if online subscribers could unlock retro themes for the Home screen by playing the NES/SNES games.
Ok yes that sounds pretty cool
@SterlingSmrf I know what you mean, but I missed a theme so I am glad to get a second chance.
Is Tetris about tile matching? Have I been doing it wrong?
Anyway, excited about this update! I have all the themes including all the special ones, plus well over 200 points I don’t know what to do with, so I hope there’s something new to spend them on as well!
Edit: There’s nothing new to spend them on.
Shame there's no new theme this time, but I'll still participate. I have grabbed all the special themes till now but having an option to unlock those later is always welcome. Somehow these Maximus Cups keep happening on weekends when I'm traveling, and I am at the risk of missing out. In fact, I kind of hate the concept of having content locked out with respect to timed events/pre-orders, etc. There should always be a way to get those items by means of fair gameplay, even if we get it a bit later.
Nice, I had been wondering about this kind of feature from the start. Go thing it isn't all just about battle royale.
I missed the GB and FE themes so this is good. And the Team Battle mode looks great.
Good game, but extremely brutal with the way you get targeted.
When I saw the article, I was hoping they had added a local co-op online game mode or at least a 2 player mode online even if it isn't co-op...
I have all the themes including the Specials, bar elegant... and I’ll have it by the end of this week. Love this game.
This is s pretty beefy update that I appreciate a lot more than I thought I would!
The spectator mode in team battles lets you see up close how some of the really skilled players work their magic. Even if you don't get full disclosure (queue, hold, player level, targeting, current piece management, all still invisible) it's already helping me improve my strategies.
Need to try this.
I bought Tetris 99 physically recently for only 20$ and it included 12 month online sub, and Splatoon 2 DLC.
More content, and being able to get the limited time themes again is appreciated, especially that's it's free. However, I wish they just added a duos/squad option for the main Tetris 99 mode. I tried out the password match feature in team battle, and unless you have 98 human friends simultaneously joining in, the rest are filled by CPUs. That's disappointing. It seems like they had streamers in mind with that mode, since popular ones can easily get 98 other humans to join a match in a second.
This would have been a perfect game to utilize the recent "Game Invites" feature on the Switch home menu, but Nintendo's gonna Nintendo. Luigi's Mansion and Pokemon released after the update but don't use it, and Smash/Mario Kart/Splatoon/Tetris 99 etc. haven't been updated to use it. Literally only one random 3rd party game utilizes it. Classic Nintendo ineptitude regarding online.
@SterlingSmrf Then don't buy them, friend, but those of us who missed out will.
I've been wondering when the next tournament was going to start. I'm in!
Awesome! But daggit, the one theme I’m missing - Luigi’s Mansion - isn’t available !?
Can’t wait to try team battle nonetheless!
Though I’m definitely not going to hold my breath for reaching the top 999.... unless I was somehow able to spend all weekend playing lol.
@spirit_flame : Same. I've only ever come second once, but a few slips of the finger cost me the game (and I'm usually not quick enough to react to/target specific players).
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