If you’re anything like me, you’ve played Tetris on all your mobile devices that could handle it. I remember when I used to have a Motorola Q9c (which ran Windows Mobile), I used to play a shameless knockoff called Kevtris. Fast forward a few years, and now you can download a legitimate version of Tetris on your smartphone, along with something called Tetris Blitz. I assume Tetris Blitz is some sort of weird bastardization of Tetris packed with in-app purchases, so that’s off the list. So, the question remains: is Tetris mobile any good?
The answer is yes, absolutely. Tetris mobile has three game modes: Marathon, Explorers, and Galaxy. Marathon is classic Tetris as you know it, with the ability to start at whichever difficulty you want (once you unlock it by getting that far from scratch). Explorers is multiplayer Tetris, where you’re pitted against other people playing in real-time, and you can speed up other people’s boards to try to beat them. Whoever lasts the longest wins. Finally, Galaxy is a puzzle mode, where you’re given a board with obstacles you have to clear.
Tetris Mobile Game Modes
Winning in Explorers mode also unlocks levels in Galaxy mode, so if Marathon isn’t the thing for you there’s still plenty to do. That said, Marathon mode is the most important mode, because this is the classic Tetris mode that purists will be looking for. Luckily, Marathon mode is very well-done, so if you never touch Explorers and Galaxy mode you’ll still be more than happy with Tetris mobile.
Tetris Mobile Controls
Now, a lot of you might be wondering what the controls are like, since some fast-paced arcade games can be rough on a touchscreen. In Tetris mobile, you have two control schemes you can choose from, as you can either choose from swipe controls or one-touch controls. Swipe controls are my preferred ones, as you tap to rotate a piece, drag to move it from side-to-side, and pull down to speed up its drop.
One-touch controls are interesting too, as you are given a few possible positions where a piece can go, and you can instantly drop a piece in a position by tapping on that position. You can also tap a button to cycle through to a new set of positions, so ultimately you can see all possible positions. It’s not my preferred scheme, but some people might like it, and it seems like it would be good for beginners.
Anyways, Tetris mobile is free, so you can download it and test it out for yourself without risking anything. If you’re a Tetris purist (whether you grew up playing it on the NES or GameBoy), Tetris mobile (specifically Marathon mode) does not disappoint. If you’re like me, you might even get into multiplayer Tetris on Explorers mode, which is a game mode I didn’t even know I wanted.
Download Tetris on iPhone or Android
