Tetris Effect brings the classic puzzle game to PS4 this fall

The first announcement trailer as part of PlayStation’s Countdown to E3 began with a surprising debut.

The first announcement trailer as part of PlayStation’s Countdown to E3 began with a surprising debut.

Tetsuya Mizuguchi of Rez and Space Channel 5 fame is breathing new life into Tetris with the PlayStation 4 title Tetris Effect. It’s a brand new take on the classic puzzle game with optional PlayStation VR support. It looks, in a word, otherworldly. 

Baed on the real-life phenomena of the same name, Tetris Effect was inspired by legitimate research conducted by Harvard University, where people who play an excess of Tetris start seeing imagery from the game during their daily lives. According to Mizuguchi, the game was built on the foundation of not being able to get the blocks or gameplay out of your head, and enhancing it with audio and visual stimuli that reacts and changes based on how you play. Much like Lumines, everything happens in sync with the music, which gives it a bit of a synaesthesic twist, and that’s a very interesting direction for Tetris—of all things—to go in. 

Tetris modes like Marathon, Ultra, and Sprint will be included. There’s a new “Zone” mechanic, which lets you stop time and Tetriminos from falling so you can alter the course when facing a loss or chain line clears for bonuses. 

The game will encompass over 30 stages, with various backgrounds, characters, and music to help invoke certain moods or “emotional responses,” according to the official announcement via the PlayStation Blog. At its core, it will remain wholly the same Tetris you love and remember, but with a dash of something extra to make sure it stands out. 

Tetris Effect will be at E3 next week with a playable demo on the show floor and more to come throughout the summer ahead of its fall launch.