Tetris Effect Catch-All

I'm not really sure a whole thread is needed for this — after all, at the core it is just Tetris — but given how powerfully the idea of this game has grabbed my attention, I figured there might be a few other folks interested in having a dedicated place to discuss it.

Just announced the week before E3, Tetris Effect is Tetsuya Mizuguchi's take on the classic puzzle game. Even if his name isn't familiar, chances are one of his previous creations might be, such as Rez, Lumines, Space Channel 5, Meteos, or Child of Eden, and if you've played any of those games then you almost certainly understand why the above trailer is so exciting. His unique and obsessive interest in creating games that marry crisp, precision design with synesthetic and immersive audio visual experiences is legendary, and this game promises to deliver in spades along those same lines.

Currently the game has been announced as a PS4 exclusive with PSVR support. Personally I'm hoping that there might also be an eventual PC release (with corresponding VR support) as there was with Rez Infinite, but so far I haven't found any discussion one way or the other. I'm hoping we'll know sometime before release, though, as I continue to be sorely tempted to get some sort of VR setup or other, and this game could easily be a strong factor in the choices I might make there (assuming it turns out well).

When the trailer was first posted, many (myself included) were wondering about the music selection. Mizuguchi is famously just as interested in music production and performance as he is game design, but his games have also often featured extremely well selected licensed music. Confirmed in the Giant Bomb interview posted below is that not only is the music in the trailer an original composition, but the game's soundtrack will be entirely composed of music produced specifically for the game. This choice was made partly to avoid the numerous headaches involved in licensing music, but also out of a desire to have as great of control as possible over the way audio is integrated into the experience of the game.

It's well worth watching the whole interview, by the way, as many other interesting topics are discussed, including but not limited to:

- Mizuguchi's first job at Sega in the early 90s working on prototype VR gear, and a photo of said prototype equipment.
- The fact that Lumines was created because Mizuguchi has long wanted to make a Tetris synesthesia game, but in the early 2000s the licensing landscape for the Tetris concept was a big enough nightmare that he ultimately just decided to design his own game along the same lines.

Giant Bomb Interview

Playstation Official Stage Show Interview

I'm holding out until we know what the romance options are.

Bummer it is PS4 exclusive.

The campaign is freakin difficult for me. I stalled out on normal mode in area 4. Couldn’t beat it, so I swallowed my pride and started a campaign on easy. Cruise through that one…until the last area. One long one to clear 90 lines. The speed picks up a ton after 60 lines cleared and I’m usually dead in short order.

I was beyond proud when I beat the campaign on Hard. That last level is a beast!