TETRIS® EFFECT: CONNECTED BRINGS CROSS-PLATFORM MULTIPLAYER AND NEW FEATURES TO ITS LAUNCH ON NEW PLATFORMS THIS SUMMER!
Steam Version to Ship Alongside Free Multiplayer Update For All Existing Versions Of Tetris Effect in Late July (Date TBD)
Beta Test Open To All Current Tetris Effect Owners On PC, Xbox, and PS4 Begins Rolling Out June 23
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – June 16, 2021 – Enhance and The Tetris Company, Inc. announced new details today regarding Tetris® Effect: Connected’s summer expansion plans, including:
- Cross-platform play between all current versions of the game (PS4, Epic Game Store, Oculus Quest, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Microsoft Store PC, including Xbox Game Pass), as well as the highly-anticipated Steam version (store page now up for Wishlisting!), all sim-shipping in late July (exact date TBD).
- Bonus features include Spectator Mode, as well as PAL and “Slow” speed modes, coming to all versions of the game.
- An Owner’s Beta Test, available as a separate download to all accounts who own a copy of Tetris Effect on the Epic Games or Microsoft Stores, Xbox, or on PS4 (schedule found below).
- An invite-only Closed Beta Test, starting this week and running through July 5, on some of the same platforms as the Owner’s Beta, but also including invited Steam and Oculus Quest users (schedule found below).
Specifics on each point follow; the final release date will be confirmed based on the results of the Beta Test, but the Tetris Effect: Connected expansion is expected to release in late July.
Also, an explainer video covering everything in this release can also be found here, courtesy of beloved Tetris® YouTuber aGameScout.
CROSS-PLATFORM PLAY
Furthering the game’s goal of bringing people together in cooperation and competition, the Tetris Effect: Connected update will allow Friend Match players to invite owners of the game on other platforms to all play together, via a simple, shareable 4-digit alphanumeric “Room ID” code. (Of course players can also invite others on their same platform directly via that platform’s native invite system as well.)
In addition to breaking down barriers between friends, wherever they might choose to play, cross-platform play will maximize the player base for Ranked Matches, ensuring better matchmaking and more equivalent competition for players at all levels.
Display of the Room ID can be disabled for those streaming their matches who wish to keep it private, and all platforms have the option of limiting themselves to players of their same platform. (Note: progress and achievements will not be shared across platforms.)
BONUS FEATURES
Spectator Mode (Friend Matches Only): The Tetris Effect community’s #1 most-requested feature! Between 4 and 6 additional players, depending on the multiplayer mode, can join a match to watch as spectators (and emote from the sidelines in real-time), adding flexibility and convenience for anyone hoping to run or stream tournaments, or simply making it easier to drop in and out of games with a group of friends.
PAL Speed (Classic Score Attack Mode, Friend and Local Matches Only): A new option designed to replicate the feeling of the European PAL format of the Tetris game from the Nintendo Entertainment System, including a lower framerate, faster horizontal movement, and faster dropping speed in later levels.
Slow Speed (Zone Battle Mode, Friend and Local Matches Only): The flip-side of the Hyper Fast mode, this option, well, slows things down, with a longer entry delay for new Tetriminos, and slower horizontal movement. Helpful both for beginner players and also for advanced pros who can use the delay for more effective stacking and more devastating Zone Attacks.
BETA TEST
Cross-platform play, together with new platforms and features, represents a significant technical challenge, so Enhance is planning a Beta Test period to help test and improve online play ahead of the official launch of the Tetris® Effect: Connected update.
The Beta Test will be available as a separate download to existing accounts that own Tetris Effect (Owner’s Beta), or to any account with a redeemable code (Closed Beta) sent by Enhance, during the periods listed below.
NOTE: Progress in the Beta Test will not carry over in any way to the final game. Online multiplayer on all Xbox consoles requires Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus on PS4 (subscriptions sold separately).
ALSO NOTE: All dates listed can be thought of as “by 8pm Pacific Time (USA) that day.”
BUT ALSO-ALSO NOTE: THESE DATES ARE TARGETS AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE (this is a test, after all, stuff can go wrong) 🙂
PLEASE CHECK @enhance_exp on Twitter or go to https://www.tetriseffect.game/beta FOR THE LATEST UPDATES!
PlayStation 4:
CLOSED INVITE ONLY: June 17 – June 23
OPEN TO TETRIS EFFECT OWNERS: June 23 – July 5
Epic Games Store:
CLOSED INVITE ONLY: June 17 – June 23
OPEN TO TETRIS EFFECT OWNERS: June 23 – July 5
Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Microsoft Store PC (including Xbox Game Pass):
CLOSED INVITE ONLY: June 17 – June 23
OPEN TO TETRIS EFFECT OWNERS: June 23 – July 5
Steam:
CLOSED INVITE ONLY: June 17 – July 5
Oculus Quest:
CLOSED INVITE ONLY: June 23 – July 5
Hope to see you online!
ABOUT TETRIS® EFFECT: CONNECTED
Check out the Intro to Tetris Effect: Connected by aGameScout who explains the Multiplayer modes.
Among the new modes is the titular Connected, where three players can team up and literally connect their Matrix play fields to fight against A.I.-controlled Bosses; Zone Battle, a one-on-one match of standard competitive Tetris, but with a twist: the time-stopping Zone mechanic (first introduced in Tetris Effect’s single-player game); and Score Attack, a “single-player versus” mode, where two players compete separately to see who can get the best score.
Also included is a special variation on Score Attack mode, Classic Score Attack, which brings back the look and feel of Tetris from when it was first introduced to console gamers over 30 years ago. More than just a nostalgic coat of paint, Classic Score Attack recreates the classic controls and settings, including the removal of Hard Drop and the Hold Queue, Tetriminos Lock Down immediately when they touch a surface, and random Tetrimino generation. The mode also pays homage to a standard of “Pro” Tetris competition popularized by the Classic Tetris World Championship, an annual fan event that brings together some of the top Tetris players from all over the world.
The new multiplayer expansion joins the 10-plus single-player modes already included in the original Tetris Effect. This is Tetris like you’ve never seen it, or heard it, or felt it before—an incredibly addictive, unique, and breathtakingly gorgeous reinvention of one of the most popular puzzle games of all time, from the people who brought you the award-winning Rez Infinite and legendary puzzle game Lumines. Music, backgrounds, sounds, special effects—everything, down to the Tetriminos themselves, pulse, dance, shimmer, and explode in perfect sync with how you’re playing, making all of the game’s 30+ stages something you’ll want to experience over and over again.
Development is being handled by the same team of Monstars Inc. and Resonair as the original Tetris Effect, with additional coding and networking help from Tokyo-based Stage Games.
