Tetris 99 is a multiplayer puzzle game in which 99 players play against each other at the same time, with the aim to be the last player remaining. As with the traditional Tetris formula, players rotate and drop shaped bricks known as tetrominoes onto a board. Players can clear tetrominoes by completing rows across both sides, whereas players will lose if tetrominoes overflow off the top of the board. As with normal Tetris rules, players have the option to store a tetromino piece to swap out at any time. By clearing multiple lines or performing continuous line clears in a row, players can send "garbage" to other players, which will appear on their board unless they can quickly clear lines in response. More garbage can be sent by completing combination moves in succession of making a "tetris" or performing a "T-spin". During gameplay, small grids representing the other 98 players are displayed at the sides of the main board. Players can either choose to target individual players, or have the computer automatically target other players based on one of four criteria: random players, those who are targeting the player, those who are close to being defeated, and those who possess badges. Badges are earned by knocking out a player with garbage, which earns them a piece of a badge, along with any other badges or pieces that player had. The more badges a player completes and possesses, the more lines they can send to other players at a time. At the end of a game, players will earn experience that will increase their level. The game periodically features special events; one of its first such events was held in March 2019 where players with the top number of wins over a weekend play period would win rewards within the My Nintendoloyalty program. In May 2019, Nintendo released paid downloadable content for the game, named the Big Block DLC. The DLC adds 4 offline modes in total: CPU Battle, where players battle 98 bot players; Marathon, where players play an endless game of Tetris, and challenged to achieve the highest score; Local Arena, where up to eight Nintendo Switch players play in the same arena via local wireless; and Two Player Share Battle, where two players share joy-cons and play the same game in local co-op.
Development
Tetris 99 was announced during a Nintendo Direct presentation on February 13, 2019, and made available later that day. It is available for free exclusively to players who have subscribed to the Nintendo Switch Online service. Nintendo released a physical version of the game in Japan on August 9, 2019, in North America on September 6, 2019, and in Europe on September 20, 2019. The physical edition includes the Big Block DLC content and a 12-month Nintendo Switch Online voucher.
Reception
Upon release, Tetris 99 received "generally favourable reviews" according to the review aggregatorMetacritic. According to IGN Tetris 99 is a "wondrous pandemonium in a battle royale bottle" and that "the massive player count really ups the intensity." The Telegraph said the game is "fiercer than Fortnite" and "as exciting and cutthroat as any video game deathmatch." During a financial results briefing, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa reported that Tetris 99 had been played by over 2.8 million accounts as of April 2019. Furukawa also noted that the game has boosted "user engagement" with the Nintendo Switch. Alexey Pajitnov, the creator of the original Tetris, stated that he "love the game" and called it "one of the best games of Tetris of the last year. I really like what was done."
