Tetris. The name that everyone knows and may be one of the games that more people have played has been around for decades that had spanned books, video documentaries, and films. As Tetris became ever so popular, so did the versions. Probably the best version that we have come to love was when Tetris Effect came to PlayStation VR in 2018. So do developers, Monstars Inc., Resonair, and Stage Games, along with publisher Enhance bring us all connected? Let’s find out with Tetris Effect: Connected for the PlayStation VR2.
Tetris Effect: Connected takes the game of Tetris as you have never seen, heard, or felt before and brings you an incredibly addictive, unique, and breathtakingly gorgeous reinvention of the most popular puzzle games of all time. Music, backgrounds, and sound effects that pulse, dance, shimmer, and explode in perfect sync with how you’re playing. So before you go in trying to climb whatever leaderboards or travel your journey, there are some things that you will want to be aware of. First, this is not your parent’s Tetris, so find your favorite place to sit. Second, Make sure the Sense controllers are charged as you will want to make sure you feel for what’s in store. And finally, get ready to have some fun. With all that said…let’s continue…
When you first start the game, make sure you go into Options and you will want to turn on a few things if they are not already on. Since Tetris Effect: Connected is on other platforms, make sure cross-platform multiplayer is on as well as the eye-tracking zone. You also have the options for Gameplay, Customize Controls, VR Graphics, Audio and Vibration, Tutorials, Support, Credits, and even Joining the Community. It’s really up to you how you would like your game experience to be. So take the time and make it yours.
One question you might be asking yourself is, how is Tetris Effect different from Tetris Effect: Connected? Well, the game includes everything that we know and love from the PlayStation VR version, but with added multiplayer modes. With Connected, you get to form a three-player team to try and defeat A.I.-controlled bosses along with the other multiplayer modes. Connected VS adds a fourth player to be able to play as the boss. Score Attack where you try to score the most amount of points as possible. Classic Score Attack which works like regular Score Attack, but tries to score the most amount of points with an additional timer that gives you two minutes to catch up on your opponent as well as the Zone Battle mode.
So it really is about connecting everyone so they can play. But before jumping into Multiplayer, it might be good to start with the Journey Mode. This is the single-player version and this is where you really get to see the game come alive. There are different skill levels, so if you never played before, start with the beginner skill level so that then when you think that you are on top of the world, you can unlock and try the Expert Mode. I will say that seeing these levels in 4K really is beautiful and needs to be seen.
After each stage of your journey, you can see your scorecards as well as where you rank. So you really do have replayability here for the leaderboards alone. But part of the fun is when you can get connected with others players and play against people from all over the world. I decided to try out Zone Battle which the objective is to make your opponent top out by clearing lines to send the other player garbage. But it is fun to see how other players play the game and who knows, you may learn a thing or two.
Let’s talk about the graphics and sound. Playing on the PlayStation VR2, you do have that 4K with 120fps that really brings the visuals of each stage alive. Seeing birds and dolphins as you try to play the game and then when you add the haptics that you feel when you go in and out of the zone not only in the controllers but the headset as well. Then when you add the music of the soundtrack that synchronizes with everything perfectly and using the Pulse 3D Audio headset just made the music really comes alive and makes this one of the must-have games on PlayStation VR2.
If there is anything that I would love to see are additional connected modes added that I didn’t realize how much I would enjoy until I tried it out for myself.
Tetris Effect: Connected adds to what was already working and improves upon it. It is not trying to reinvent the wheel by any means, but shows that when there is a good thing working for you, why not shot it off to its fullest? Many times we may feel like we are alone just wishing we could connect with others no matter how much time there is. But couldn’t become better by taking the time we do have and connecting with each other as we don’t know how much time we will have together?
Tetris Effect: Connected is out now for the Epic Game Store, PlayStation VR, PlayStation VR2, Quest/2/Pro, and Steam VR. A review code was provided.
To learn more about Monstars.Inc, please visit their site and like them on Facebook.
To learn more about Resonair, please visit their site.
To learn more about Stage Games, please visit their site, follow them on Twitter, and subscribe to their YouTube channel.
To learn more about Enhance Games, please visit their site, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, follow them on Instagram, and subscribe to their YouTube channel. Make sure you also follow Tetsuya Mizuguchi on Twitter.
In case you missed the trailer, please enjoy. Until next time, I have some leaderboards to climb.
