Standard Mode: The Tetris game that we have come to know and love, set against a Super Mario Bros. backdrop.
Touch Mode: A cage of balloons sits atop a stack of blocks, which players need to lower in order to release said cage of balloons. You can rearrange and move the blocks around the screen with the stylus in order to clear a line and lower the tower. Once the cage reaches the lowest point, the balloons will be released and players will move onto the next level. There is no need to rush though, as this appears to be the only mode without a time limit. Obviously set against a Balloon Flight background.
Push Mode: Essentially tug-of-war Tetris. The more lines you clear, the harder it is for your opponent to do so. This apparently like vs. mode in Lumines. It’s all about swift line clearing, not about stacking lines high. Themed to the NES game, Donkey Kong (scaffolding, ladders and all) and sounds like a lot of fun. Confirmed to feature as an online mode.
Mission Mode: Set in Hyrule, the goal is to complete objectives to advance to the next level. The goal might be something like having to clear two lines with a particular Tetrimono and to do so before the heart metre runs out. When you complete the objective, the heart metre refills and you are presented with a brand new objective.
Puzzle Mode: Appropriately modelled on the SNES puzzle title, Yoshi’s Cookie, players are presented with 200 puzzles. The goal is always to eliminate a predetermined stack of blocks, with the catch that you have a limited amount of Tetris blocks in reserve and can only use each type of block once. Very much a think-before-you-act mode.
Catch Mode: The most confusing mode to understand. Players take control of a Tetrimono at the bottom of the screen, catching falling blocks as you navigate it through the world of Metroid. Once you have collected enough blocks to form a 4x4 square or larger, the square becomes an explosive charge that is used as a weapon presumably to destroy blocks and pesky Metroids that litter the level. Seeing it in motion will apparently make a lot more sense, nevertheless, it sounds like quite the innovation to the tired Tetris formula.
Whether or not more than one mode will be playable online and any other uncertainties you may have about the game should be answered in time when Nintendo releases more information about this title. Tetris DS is due out on the 13th of April in Australia and the 21st in Europe.
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