Tetris has been a constant in gaming from the Commodore 64, through the Game Boy and home consoles, all the way up to the smartphone. Now, 34 years after its initial release, the iconic building block-based puzzle game is coming to virtual reality. Tetris Effect will arrive on PS4 this autumn, complete with PlayStation VR support.
Announced by Sony in the build-up to next week’s E3 expo, Tetris Effect will embrace a lot of the classic modes (and some intriguing news ones) in the most immersive way yet.
The name Tetris Effect derives from real world psychological studies on the effects of playing the game. Researchers from Harvard found those who spend more than 7-hours playing would often see imagery from the game as they were attempting to fall asleep at night.
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Developer Enhance Games, which also made Rez Infinite and Lumines, says the idea is to “amplify” this experience, which we’re not even sure is the most desirable thing in the world.
Tetsuya Mizuguchi, President and CEO of Enhance, says in a post on the PlayStation blog: “The idea behind Tetris Effect the game is to amplify and enhance that same magical feeling where you just can’t get it out of your head, and not just the falling shapes, but all the visuals, the sounds, the music — everything!
“How? By having each of more than 30 stages immerse you in a different fantastical world that reacts and evolves based on how you play: background elements, audio, special effects — everything, down to the Tetris pieces themselves, pulse, dance, shimmer, make music, explode, etc. in perfect sync with how you’re playing.”
Modes like Marathon, Ultra and Sprint are returning, while a new Zone mode enables players to freeze time in order to wriggle out of a potentially game-ending pickle.
The trailer you can see above was made with in-game assets, so you can get a real sense of how the action will unfold. Enhance plans to talk more about the game at E3 next week.
Does Tetris Effect sound like something you’d actually want to experience? Let us know @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
