“Even in games you would usually associate with pure mechanical joy can be elevated by flavour. Over Christmas I played Tetris Effect because everyone at Eurogamer kept writing op-eds about it. I was sceptical since, you know, it’s Tetris, but it’s a perfect example of classic game that’s been modernised by adding heart.
The soundtrack and visual effects aren’t essential to the core, but they work in harmony with it. It creates an all-encompassing experience that pulls you into the zone, every movement you make registered by the audio, every line clear rewarded with visual spectacle. It transports you to another place – a world where the controller in your hand, the soundtrack in your ear, and the fireworks on the screen connect you to each tetromino…”