Xbox owners are finally getting a Tetris game to enjoy and it just so happens to be the award-winning Tetris Effect! The game first released in 2018 for PlayStation 4 before being ported to the Epic Games Store and Oculus Quest. Other Tetris games have been console exclusives like Tetris 99 which you can only play on Nintendo Switch.
In the past, Xbox had Tetris Ultimate, but that has since been delisted leaving Xbox owners with no real way to play Tetris on the system… until Holiday 2020 when Tetris Effect: Connected is released.
Tetris Effect: Connected Brings Tetris to Xbox
What is Tetris Effect: Connected and how is it different from Tetris Effect. Is it a sequel, is it an update?
We’ve noticed a lot of these questions crop up, so we’re going to try and explain what Tetris Effect: Connected is, what Xbox owners can expect from the game, and things to be excited about including a free multiplayer update if you own the game on another platform like PS4.
First, Tetris Effect: Connected is an expanded, ultimate version of the original game that released in 2018. It’s coming to Xbox One (Smart Delivery), Xbox Series X, and Windows 10 PC on Holiday 2020. It’ll also be a part of Xbox Game Pass.
It will include the base game which features a campaign called Journey Mode with a beautiful soundtrack, and other Effect Modes like Marathon and Mystery Mode. Previously, Tetris Effect had no multiplayer component to it.
You could grind your way up the game’s leaderboards, but you couldn’t play with friends. This is where the “connected” part of today’s Tetris Effect announcement comes into play. As confirmed in the latest trailer, Tetris Effect: Connected will offer local and online multiplayer, both co-op and competitive.
Tetris Effect: Connected will offer new modes for gamers to enjoy like Zone Battle which takes 1v1 Tetris and adds a time-stopping mechanic to it. Co-op multiplayer supports up to three players and you’ll be able to merge together into one large board and work together to defeat CPU-controlled bosses.
It sounds like it’ll offer a nice challenge for you and your friends to enjoy, without the stress of competitive multiplayer. Of course, if you prefer competitive, Tetris Effect: Connected will have that on offer as well.
The game will offer both ranked and unranked play, matchmaking, and progression with unlockable avatars as a reward. The game will support cross-play but it sounds like cross-play will be between Xbox platforms alone, so Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Windows 10 PC.
Cross-play between other platforms like PS4, Epic Games Store, and Oculus Quest has yet to be confirmed. You’ll have a number of ways of getting Tetris Effect: Connected on Xbox whether you buy it on Xbox One and utilize Microsoft’s Smart Delivery to play it on Series X without having to buy another copy, or check it out via Game Pass.
Yes, Tetris Effect: Connected will be on Xbox Game Pass at launch. In a blog post on the game’s website, Tetris Effect Producer and Enhance Founder Tetsuya Mizuguchi commented on the desire to share Tetris Effect with others.
“We were blown away by the reaction to the original Tetris Effect. People just ‘got it’ on every level – as a game, of course, but also as this positive, emotional, life-affirming experience. Some people were shocked they could be so moved, even to tears, by a ‘puzzle game,’ which we took as the ultimate compliment,” Mizuguchi explained.
“But we also kept hearing that players wanted to share that experience with others. We want that, too – and especially as the world continues to adapt to unprecedented forms of isolation, it felt like a worthy challenge. Tetris Effect: Connected is our attempt to do just that: connect all different types of people, in cooperation or competition, via our universal love of Tetris.”
During our time with Tetris Effect, we could really pick up on Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s influence based on his previous games like Lumines, Rez, and Meteos. If you’re a fan of any of Mizuguchi’s previously titles, we highly recommend Tetris Effect. Complementing the core gameplay of Tetris in Tetris Effect’s Journey Mode is a wonderful soundtrack from Hydelic.
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Recently, that soundtrack was made available on streaming platforms like Spotify. If you want to get a feel for moving Tetris Effect is, listening to the soundtrack is a must. Especially songs like Connected (Yours Forever) and Always Been But Never Dreamed.
If you already own a copy of Tetris Effect on other platforms like PS4, Epic Games Store, or Oculus Quest and are wondering if you’ll have access to the newly announced multiplayer components the answer is yes, you will.
The multiplayer expansion for Tetris Effect will be available as a free update on all other platforms in Summer 2021.
For more on Tetris Effect: Connected, head over to the game’s website!
