Few games match Tetris Effect: Connected in terms of visuals and music. It's a feast for the eyes and ears, charming Tetris fans new and old, dazzling them with effects, lights, colours, and soothing sounds.
We shouldn't have been surprised. Tetris Effect — originally released on the PlayStation 4 in 2018 with PSVR support and ported to the Switch last year — was the work of former SEGA developer and the producer of Space Channel 5, Rez, Lumines, and Meteos Tetsuya Mizuguchi. With all of those games under his belt, his aptitude for music, visuals, and addictive puzzles should've been obvious.
In an interview with our friends over at VGC, Mizuguchi, Tetris Effect co-producer Mark MacDonald, and director Takashi Ishihara shared their feelings about the impact the game has had over the years. From meeting Henk Rodgers of The Tetris Team in Hawaii to releasing the game to acclaim, the trio revealed some of the difficulties they faced.
Mizuguchi acknowledged that Tetris is "one of the most famous games in the world. If we used Tetris and then incorporated synthesia, but people thought ‘this is not so gorgeous’ or ‘this doesn’t deserve to be called Tetris’ there would be no emotional response." He wanted to ensure that the game felt like a Tetris game, but struggled with that "final vision".
Director Ishihara backed this up, saying it was "scary" to add the extra details like visuals and sounds because the original game was "very simple and very beautiful" as it was. MacDonald remembers trying to pitch the game to partners, and the confusion that a VR Tetris game caused:
...we’d show it to friends, or fellow developers that we’d have to the studio, people we trusted. You would tell them, “our next game is Tetris” and they would have this weird look on their face like, “you’re making a Tetris game? Really?” and then we’d explain that it was going to be in VR and they’d say, “oh so the pieces are going to fly down and you’re going to be dodging them?” and we’d have to be like, “no…” to which they’d say, “Oh!, so are you going to be tagging the Tetris blocks and moving them?” “no…”
Mizuguchi then reflects on the game's E3 reveal, and how the team decided to lead the presentation with the music, effects, and voice over — "We showed the music, and the effects, we wanted to achieve synthesia and then finally, a Tetris block appeared." The reaction was positive, and Mizuguchi was happy that the game then went on to be not only acclaimed but considered for Game of the Year awards:
We were so happy. It was a great honour, and it gave us confidence and energy. We were super happy. At the same time, this is Tetris Effect, Tetris is already a great game, but I think the positive and good reaction to the new additions and the mixing of the new technology to achieve the feeling the game can give was special. We can make a simple game like Tetris and add emotional elements and it made people cry. We did that and people’s reaction was, “what the… what happened?”
We wanted that. We spent a long time on that and had long discussions, but we never gave up. It made us super, super happy.
Of course, while the game was initially a PlayStation 4 exclusive — heavily enhanced by playing it in VR — it eventually made its way over to PC in the form of Connected, and an Xbox and Switch port followed in the following years. And MacDonald reveals that the team still wants to launch Tetris Effect on more consoles. But the Switch was the last version released, and there's a reason for that — the OLED.
Tetris Effect: Connected launched on Switch on 8th October 2021, the very same day as the OLED model dropped, and in the interview, VGC mentions that "the Switch version was the perfect OLED game", which MacDonald laughs and agrees, saying "Thank you so much, that was definitely not an accident that we released on that date, we were hoping that would be what people thought. So thank you very much." So Enhance Games knew what they were doing!
The visuals pop thanks to the OLED's lovely screen, and it's something we noted in our glowing 10/10 review of Connected, where we said "Oh, and if you're playing on a shiny new Switch OLED, the graphics look even more striking thanks to the improved contrast and brighter colours." So, if you haven't played Connected yet, what are you waiting for? A physical release? Luckily, Limited Run Games has you covered there.
During yesterday's Limited Run Games Showcase, the physical game publisher announced this synesthetic masterpiece would be getting a limited physical edition for consoles.
Pre-orders for Tetris Effect: Connected open on 17th June at 7am PDT / 10am EDT / 3pm BST / 4pm CET and close on 31st July 8:59pm PDT / 11:59pm EDT / 1st August 4:59am BST / 5:59am CET. If you're interested, you can wishlist the game over on Limited Run Games' store right here.
Are you a Tetris Effect fan? Have you played the game on Switch yet? Let us know down below!
[source videogameschronicle.com]
Comments 26
I love Rez and Tetris Effect and have been considering getting Lumines for a while too. Is it true that it's similar to Panel de Pon gameplay wise?
I'm admittedly getting a little sick of so many physical releases being tied to these limited release businesses. At this point it feels less like "this wouldn't have gotten a physical release otherwise" and more like "we don't want to bother with a huge physical release so we'll just do it through limited run".
Still, might get this. Been wanting this game anyway.
@Yosher Yeah, I don't really like the business model of Limited Run Games either. But I think Tetris Effect is the kind of game that makes sense to get digitally anyway, so that it's always playable without having to change game cards.
@Clyde_Radcliffe it's similar to Tetris Effect gameplay-wise. I have every version of Lumines available - I think number 2 is my favourite, even if some of the tunes haven't aged well (Gwen Stefani) - can't recommend it enough.
@Clyde_Radcliffe I wouldn't say that Lumines is really all that similar to Panel de Pon. You don't swap tiles, you drop tiles and try to form as big rectangles of same color as possible before the moving line reaches those blocks and destroys them. It's very fun and addictive game with some great music too, so I really recommend it. But don't expect it to play like Panel de Pon.
Bought this on PS4 when it was originally released and then double-dipped when I got an OLED Switch and it was on sale! Still pop on for a game every now and then. Definitely my favourite version of Tetris and it really pops on the OLED!
This is one of the very few games that I'll give PS4 priority over Switch and not bother with the Switch version... Unless they patch in LABO goggles support. VR mode is far more interesting to me than OLED visuals, which are not the leap that some make out.
Tetris Effect is a perfect Tetris game, and a perfect Switch game.
it all runs like an absolute dream on Switch, with terrific online net code, fluid visuals that have minimal slowdown, and all the bells and whistles of the game itself.
it is very much worth it to secure a physical copy, especially because it's priced the same as digital. but no matter how you decide to obtain it, Tetris Effect is a MUST play.
I've been keen to play Tetris Effect for ages now, the long wait for it to arrive on the Switch, and then for it to get a physical release.
I'm a little saddened that this gem couldn't get a wider retail release, but happy for it to get any physical release at all.
It's an amazing game but I much prefer it on the big screen so OLED would be irrelevant for me. I like to play docked with low room lighting and headphones which gives some of the same vibes as a VR version.
@gcunit
I don't think anyone is comparing OLED to VR.
But it does look incredible on the OLED, there's no question about that. And a lot of ppl simply don't want to play VR. I know I'm past my VR phase.
@Yosher Tetris Effect was available digitally on Switch in October 2021. I think if they were planning a normal retail physical release then we would have one, or at the very least, it would have been announced by now.
Maybe you don’t like Limited Run, but it’s the only way you’re getting a hard copy for Switch.
@PessitheMystic Of course, but that doesn't change that feeling. Not necessarily because of this game, but because of how many games are physically released in general through these services.
I could have sworn this game was already physical-
@gcunit Agreed. As much as I wouldn't mind having a backup copy on my Switch, the PS4 presents the visuals in a way the Switch can barely approach. But for anyone who doesn't own either and who is on the fence: GET THIS GAME.
@JaxonH "I don't think anyone is comparing OLED to VR."
I'm comparing OLED to VR. I am saying I'll take VR over OLED. Nothing more, nothing less.
@Z-Core I think it was the base Tetris Effect that had a physical release, and only on PS4 if I remember correctly.
This upcoming physical release is for the updated Connected version.
This games is visually my GOTY of 2022. Yeah, I played it this year when I got it on the eShop New Year's sale.
I'd love to get the Switch physical version, but now that it's coming through LRG, that reduced my chances almost to zero. Mostly because unless you buy online (which I don't), you won't find their games over here in Mexico. Now I have to find someone who can get it for me.
Still, doesn't change the fact that everyone that likes Tetris should give this one a go, it's like Tetris on acid. I played it on a LED screen, I can only imagine how it would look on an OLED screen or in VR.
@Z-Core It was and is physical on PS4. And then the Connected add-on came out. That's a free download on PS4, but it will be included on the Switch physical version.
Possibly the highlight of LRG's showcase, imo. The best version of Tetris to date. Better than Tetris 99 even.
@Yosher You don't want another game crash right so this is the only way we'll get physical games nowadays. Not to mention a lot of these devs are working from home and don't have factory warehouses so to get their games release through physical means they had to go the limited release route.
@gcunit
Right, but you said OLED isn't as big a jump as some claim. So by bringing others opinions into the matter, I wanted to clarify nobody feels OLED is as impressive as VR. Only that it's more desirable for most ppl, comparatively speaking.
"the producer of Space Channel 5, Rez, Lumines, and Meteos"
Uh oh... I've owned and played to death every game on that list, but still haven't owned or played Tetris Effect. It's okay, the games in my backlog can always use a new friend.
i triple-dipped on this title. i have it for ps5, xbox sX, and switch oled.... and i'm still thinking of buying a physical copy. ugh.
As soon as it hits 50% off I'm all over it. Still wishlisted.
This might be my first purchase from Limited Run Games.
I am a NES Tetris player, so the visuals and modern rules kind of put me off, but picked this up in the sale as was curiousity got the better of me. TEC is now currently my most played Tetris version. I played through Journey, and the core Tetris mechanics were in complete symbiosis with the synesthesia. I wasn't distracted in the slightest. l then found Classic Online Vs mode. It's the closest I will get to competitive NES Tetris, it's very addictive. Old rules with TEC style. Will certainly be adding the the LRG collection, possibly the vinyl too.
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