{"id":6642,"date":"2011-10-08T09:26:17","date_gmt":"2011-10-08T15:26:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gamesanityblog.com\/?p=6642"},"modified":"2011-10-08T09:26:17","modified_gmt":"2011-10-08T15:26:17","slug":"the-tremendous-trials-of-tetris-axis-3ds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/2011\/10\/08\/the-tremendous-trials-of-tetris-axis-3ds\/","title":{"rendered":"The Tremendous Trials of Tetris Axis (3DS)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Originally I wasn\u2019t going to buy Tetris Axis, the new Tetris game on 3DS. Tetris may be my favorite puzzle game and all, but I don\u2019t see any reason to own every single version of the game. Of course, that doesn\u2019t stop me from buying every Pac-Man game out there, but that\u2019s just the enigma that is me. But anyway, the other day I saw a video on how many different game modes were in Tetris Axis, and they looked like fun, so I caved in and picked it up after all. Besides, I promised my mom that when Animal Crossing comes out on 3DS, I\u2019d buy her one, and this might be a game she would like to play, too. So on this blog, we\u2019re going to take a look at the many game modes and other features of Tetris Axis!<\/p>\n

Featured Modes<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure why they separated the game play modes into two sections, but I guess the ones in \u201cFeatured\u201d are more traditional.<\/p>\n

Marathon<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is just your standard, basic Tetris that we all know and love. I\u2019ll add that in any game mode, you can change several options, like turning endless mode off or on, changing the level or stage, music, background, etc. Speaking of music, the tunes in this game are all from classic Russian composers. So lots of Nutcracker Suite and Swan Lake stuff.<\/p>\n

Computer Battle<\/strong><\/p>\n

And this is your standard two player mode against the computer. Double lines or more will send blocks to the other player. But there are also power ups you can activate after clearing certain blocks. You have to be careful, though, because some of the power-ups can hinder you and help the computer! What\u2019s strange is that the computer player\u2019s Mii on the first level looks just like Bomberman! Did Hudson have anything to do with this game? The second CPU Mii looks like Bomberman in a tiger suit. I didn\u2019t get past him because the CPU players are brutal in this mode!<\/p>\n

Fever<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a pretty weird mode that I haven\u2019t seen before. The well you drop blocks down into is very narrow here. You try to clear out as many lines as possible, and you can buy power-ups with coins, but I\u2019m not sure what they do. You can also earn coins as you play by clearing certain blocks, too.<\/p>\n

Survival<\/strong><\/p>\n

And this mode is a lot like Fever, except blocks keep rising up from the bottom, and you have to last as long as you can.<\/p>\n

Party Modes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not sure what constitutes these as Party Modes, but they are a bit more varied than your standard Tetris games.<\/p>\n

Jigsaw<\/strong><\/p>\n

The falling blocks here aren\u2019t different shapes, instead they are all squares. But there is a big picture on the bottom screen and you have to match the squares on the top to make that picture. I think it\u2019s pretty interesting. The game comes with a bunch of pre-set pictures, or you can make your own with the camera. I think jigsaw puzzle fans may like this mode.<\/p>\n

Shadow Wide<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s another interesting mode. There\u2019s a silhouette in the well made out of blocks that looks like a picture. You have to place the falling blocks so they fit in the silhouette. You get a better score if you don\u2019t have any extra blocks hanging out, which can be pretty tough sometimes when there are holes in the picture! You win the stage when all blocks in the shadow are covered with blocks you placed.<\/p>\n

Fit<\/strong><\/p>\n

Remember when Tetris first came out and was really popular, and they had a bunch of spinoff games you could get for the PC and game consoles? Like Wordtris, Hatris, etc. One of those was called Welltris, and that\u2019s what this mode reminds me of. It\u2019s like you\u2019re peering down into a 3-D well, and must fit Tetris pieces to clear a wall of blocks before they reach the \u2018top.\u2019 When they do, it\u2019s Game Over. But you have to be quick because the blocks rise pretty fast from the bottom.<\/p>\n

Tower Climber<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a pretty unique mode, and also a hard one! You have to place blocks around a cylinder, like a tower. It kind of reminds me of one of the modes from Pokemon Puzzle League on the N64. But instead of clearing lines here, you have to make stairs with the Tetris blocks for a little man to climb. You have to think about where you place the blocks, because the little stick man can only climb one block higher than himself. And you have to make the man touch little icons along the way in a given time, or you\u2019ll lose the stage. And those icons aren\u2019t easy to reach sometimes. So yeah, it\u2019s a pretty tough mode, as you can trap your little man pretty easily if you don\u2019t plan right.<\/p>\n

Bombliss Plus<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think this is one of my favorite modes in the game. In Japan I know they released a game called Bombliss on various consoles back in the day, but I don\u2019t think they came out over here. Except it might have on the old black and white Game Boy in the US, because I remember playing a game at a kiosk in a store and the game was called Tetris Blast. Anyway, in Bombliss, you don\u2019t clear lines by making a row only. At least one of the blocks in that row has to have a bomb in it, and it\u2019ll only clear out a few blocks. You can make chain reactions if you clear more than one line at a time, and you can make bigger bombs by placing smaller bomb pieces in a square. It\u2019s different and fun.<\/p>\n

Stage Racer Plus<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s another mode I\u2019ve never seen before. You take one Tetris block piece and must rotate it around to weave past block obstacles that continuously rise. So in a way it\u2019s like a race track. Make it as far as you can for a higher score.<\/p>\n

Capture<\/strong><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t quite understand this mode; I guess I need to play it more. What I can figure is there are stars on the playfield and you must cover them up with Tetris blocks to win. What I don\u2019t get is when the field flips to the other \u2018side\u2019 of the well.<\/p>\n

Master Mode<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is just like regular Tetris, except the pieces fall super-fast. Try to last as long as you can.<\/p>\n

Sprint<\/strong><\/p>\n

And here you must clear a certain number of lines as quick as you can. That\u2019s all.<\/p>\n

AR Modes<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are a couple of games that use the AR card that comes with the DS that has a \u201c? Block\u201d on it. I like the AR stuff, as it\u2019s pretty trippy. Unfortunately, the games here aren\u2019t as fun.<\/p>\n

AR Marathon<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is just regular Tetris except the playfield is ridiculously small. Even more so than Fever mode. It\u2019s almost a joke. If you clear certain lines, the well will turn and you must adjust your 3DS so you can see it again. Or just move the AR card.<\/p>\n

AR Climber<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a lot like Tower Climber, except the cylinder won\u2019t rotate on its own. You have to adjust your 3DS or move the AR card, so it\u2019s a little tricky. At least you don\u2019t have to make the little man grab icons on the way up the tower in this version.<\/p>\n

Multiplayer<\/strong><\/p>\n

I haven\u2019t played the multiplayer modes. I don\u2019t know very many other people who have a 3DS, so I couldn\u2019t try the local wireless and download play modes. I haven\u2019t tried the Internet modes either (which include Friend Battle and World Battle). When I got Tetris on the DS, I thought I was good at the game because I could always beat my friends and family. But I got trounced when I went online! So I\u2019m a little scared to try it again! But I\u2019m sure the multiplayer modes are just variations on the existing game modes in single player.<\/p>\n

Conclusions<\/strong><\/p>\n

And that\u2019s all the game modes in Tetris Axis! Other notable aspects in the game include achievements you can get in each mode. Which goes to show you how Microsoft\u2019s idea on the 360 has really influenced other game consoles. You can also outfit your Mii in the game with all sorts of outfits, but I don\u2019t like any of them because they make your Mii look like either a skater or a hipster. Why can\u2019t they just have regular clothes? You can also make guy Miis wear the selection of dresses and girl outfits, which is a little creepy.<\/p>\n

I guess Tetris Axis is pretty decent. Some may prefer the downloadable DSiWare Tetris game, as it\u2019s much cheaper and you can still play online. Aesthetically, I like the DS version because it uses classic NES graphics and sounds. I hear it\u2019s pretty rare now, too. Anyway, in the comments section, let me know YOUR favorite puzzle games. Mine are Tetris, Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo, and Puzzle Bobble\/Bust-A-Move. –Cary<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Originally I wasn\u2019t going to buy Tetris Axis, the new Tetris game on 3DS. Tetris may be my favorite puzzle game and all, but I don\u2019t see any reason to own every single version of the game. Of course, that doesn\u2019t stop me from buying every Pac-Man game out there, but that\u2019s just the enigma […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-game-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6642"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6642\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}