Tetris DS - Strategy Guide
Below are the cheat codes, hints and help for Tetris DS - Strategy Guide.
Tetris DS FAQ v0.91 [UNDER CONSTRUCTION]
by Philippe Van Lieu
INDEX:
0. INTRO AND STATISTICS
1. THE GAME
A. OVERVIEW
B. SINGLE PLAYER
i. STANDARD MODE
a. MARATHON
b. LINE CLEAR
c. VS CPU
ii. PUZZLE MODE
iii. MISSION MODE
a. MARATHON
b. TIME TRIAL
c. TASKS
iv. PUSH MODE
v. TOUCH MODE
a. TOWER
b. TOUCH PUZZLE
vi. CATCH MODE
C. MULTIPLAYER
i. MULTIPLAYER RULES
ii. INVITE
iii. JOIN
iv. IN GAME ACTION
a. PREGAME
b. ITEMS
c. GARBAGE LINE ATTACKS
d. OTHER NOTES
D. WIFI
i. WIFI RANKING SCORE
a. OVERVIEW
b. RANKING SYSTEM
ii. WIFI BATTLE
a. WORLDWIDE
b. FRIENDS
c. GAMES
d. DIFFERENCES IN GAME PLAY
iii. FRIEND SETTINGS
iv. WIFI SETTINGS
v. TETRIS DS WIFI SCORE ANALYSIS
a. SO FAR...
vi. COMMON ERRORS
vii. OTHER INFORMATION
E. OPTIONS
F. RECORDS
2. SCORE SYSTEM
3. TIPS AND TRICKS
4. OTHER INFORMATION
5. THANKS TO
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0. INTRO - I've written his FAQ mostly for myself. But I guess it'd be fair to
share it as well. ... Anyways, this is a FAQ for Tetris DS, listing some of the
game features and other little interesting tidbits I feel is important to point
out. I'm not gonna bother with information I don't feel is important
(particularlly information found in the Tetris DS instruction manual), and this
FAQ will be about as straight forward and complete as possible.
This FAQ is still somewhat incomplete. Feel free to contact me if you want to
help fill in the gaps. Contact information is at the bottom of the page.
I'll also be using the term "tetrimino" to refer to the specific Tetris pieces
O, S, Z, I, J, L and T. I know that other terms exist, and maybe "tetrimino" is
not the acceptible term. [shrugs] Oh well.
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1. THE GAME
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A. OVERVIEW - Tetris DS has a number of different games and features, some old
and some totally new. I'll go into deatil about the main game modes, but I do
want to point out some of the features in Tetris DS that were either from
previous iterations or that seperate the game from them.
* HOLD - By pressing either the L or R sholder buttons, you can hold the current
Tetrimino, or trade the current Tetrimino for the piece current in the hold. It
can only be used once per Tetrimino.
* GRAVITY - Between levels 1 and 20 in Standard Mode Marathon, gravity increases
considerably. By level 20, Tetriminos will appear automatically at the bottom
with no fall. This is known as 20G in other Tetris games. Other modes have
varying gravity. "Naive Gravity" remains a standard in all modes of Tetris DS,
except for Touch Mode.
* INFINITE SPIN - As long as you keep spinning a Tetrimino, the Tetrimino won't
lock down, allowing you to manuever the Tetrimino until you find the right spot
for it. Useful in 20G situations. Certain game modes don't permit Infinite Spin,
though, particularlly in any multiplayer games.
* GHOST - On the stack of Tetriminos, a ghost Tetrimino will indicate where the
Tetrimino will land.
* HARD DROP - By now a standard in Tetris games, by pressing up on the + Pad,
the Tetrimino will automatically fall and lock into the place indicated by the
Ghost.
* BONUSES - There are two kinds of bonuses that are awarded to you depending on
what kind of action you perform: T-Spin and Back-To-Back. T-Spin bonuses are
awarded when you spin a T Tetrimino into a seemingly impossible location.
Back-To-Back bonuses are awarded when you get two or more Tetrises or T-Spins in
a row. Now depending on the game you're playing, these bonuses may just increase
your points or send more garbage lines to your opponent.
* PLAY AREA - The Tetris game field is a 10 by 20 grid.
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B. SINGLE PLAYER
i. STANDARD MODE - Standard Mode is Tetris is its most pure form.
a. MARATHON - This is Tetris. Levels increase by 1 for every 10 lines you clear.
At first you are limited to playing up until Level 20 (200 lines), but
afterwards you can unlock Endless Mode, which allows for... endless play.
Likewise, the Starting Level selector can only be selected upto the last level
you played, until after you pass Level 20, to where the maxiumum level you can
start at is Level 20.
Each level has a particular Nintendo theme, sprite and music. They are:
LEVEL 1: Super Mario Bros. Overworld - Mario Jumping - Mario Tetris
LEVEL 2: Super Mario Bros. Underground - Goomba - Mario Tetris
LEVEL 3: Super Mario Bros. Underground - Koopa Troopa - Basement Tetris
LEVEL 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 Overworld - Raccoon Mario - Mario Tetris 3
LEVEL 5: Super Mario Bros. 3 Overworld - Frog Mario - Mario Tetris 3
LEVEL 6: Super Mario Bros. 3 Overworld - Tanooki Mario - Mario Tetris 3
LEVEL 7: Super Mario Bros. Underground - Lakitu - Basement Tetris
LEVEL 8: Super Mario Bros. Platforms - Magic Mushroom - Mario Tetris
LEVEL 9: Super Mario Bros. Platforms - Squatting Luigi - Mario Tetris
LEVEL 10: Super Mario Bros. Showdown - Bowser - Bowser Battle
LEVEL 11: Legend of Zelda - Link - Zelda Tetris
LEVEL 12: Metroid - Samus - Metroid Charge
LEVEL 13: Donkey Kong - Polly - Tetris DK
LEVEL 14: Balloon Fight - Balloon Fighter - Balloon Tetris
LEVEL 15: Ice Climber - Popo - Tetris Climber
LEVEL 16: Excitebike - Excitebiker - Rushed Tetris
LEVEL 17: Devil World - Tamagon - Rushed Tetris
LEVEL 18: Urban Champion - Blue Brawler - Rushed Tetris
LEVEL 19: Duck Hunt - Nameless Dog - Rushed Tetris
LEVEL 20: Tetris for NES - Space Shuttle - Ancient Tetris
After level 20 in Endless mode, the themes repeat. The themes also don't appear
at the level you begin playing at; if you start playing at Level 13, you will
begin with the Super Mario Bros. Overworld theme and not the Donkey Kong theme.
However the 13th theme from level 13 (Level 26) will be Donkey Kong.
b. LINE CLEAR - Just clear 25 lines. You can adjust what level you start at
(between 1 and 20), and garbage block height (0 to 5). Unlike Marathon mode, the
level you start at determines the theme you'll play in, according to the above
chart.
c. VS CPU - Tetris DS gives you the ability to challenge the computer. There are
five computer levels, each with an increasing degree of difficulty and speed.
This mode contains uses Multiplayer mode rules (read below). Each CPU level has
it's own game sprite indicating the difficulty.
LEVEL 1 - Goomba
LEVEL 2 - Koopa Troopa
LEVEL 3 - Spiny
LEVEL 4 - Lakitu
LEVEL 5 - Bowser
ii. PUZZLE MODE - The object of Puzzle Mode is to place a certain number of
Tetriminos in a way to clear all the lines in the puzzle. There are 200 puzzles
of varying difficulty. Puzzle Mode's theme is Yoshi's Cookie, with "Total Yoshi"
being the main song. The solutions are below. The answers are given by what
Tetrimino you should start off with (O, I, T, J, L, S, and Z), and which button
on the + Pad to press (Up, Down, Left, Right). For example, the solution to
Puzzle 001 is given as "JU ZR IL", which means "J piece up, Z piece right, I
piece left".
PUZZLE 001: JU ZR IL
PUZZLE 002: IR TR JR
PUZZLE ###: (more to be added later)
PUZZLE 200: ZR LU TD ZR JU
iii. MISSION MODE - The object of Mission Mode is to complete a required task
within a set time limit. For example, if the task is to clear four lines at the
same time, you must do so in order to get to the next level. Failure to complete
the task within the time frame creates garbage blocks. Completion of tasks
deletes the lowest most blocks. There are five different levels, each with an
increasing degree of difficulty. Mission Mode's theme is the Legend of Zelda.
The main song used is "Zelda Tetris", with "Death Mountain" being the song used
for when you're running out of time.
a. MARATHON - Mission Mode Marathon is similar to Standard Mode Marathon, in
that you with every task you complete, the game gets more difficult. Every 2
tasks completed will gain you one level. Each level has a different Zelda
sprite.
LEVEL 1:
LEVEL 2: (more to be added later)
b. TIME TRIAL - In Time Trial, you must complete ten tasks as fast as possible.
There are five levels, each with an increasing degree of difficulty.
c. TASKS: The different tasks are as follows:
* Clear four lines twice in a row.
* ...
* (more to be added later)
iv. PUSH MODE - Push Mode is a versus-only game. The object is to PUSH your
opponent's blocks past a certain point on their side. The game features an area
with no bottom and two blocks in the middle to drop Tetrimino onto. If your
Tetrimino falls through the bottom of your screen, the Tetrimino disappears.
Attempt to build a large area to drop Tetrimino onto. There are five levels,
each with an increasing degree of difficulty. Push Mode's theme is Donkey Kong,
with "DK Push" as it's main song.
v. TOUCH MODE - Touch Mode utilizes the Touch Screen feature of the Nintendo DS.
There is no time limit, and there are no falling Tetriminos. At the top is a
crate full of balloons. The Tetrimino are randomly chosen. The object is for you
to maneuver the Tetrimino using a stylus so that the Tetrimino fall into place
to delete lines in order to get the crate of balloons at the bottom. Touching
the Tetrimino allows them to be rotated, but the pieces can only be rotated if
it is possible to. Unlike the other modes of Tetris, parts of blocks from
deleted Tetrimino fall into empty holes below, as opposed to floating in
mid-air. If you are unable to complete the level, pressing the B button (or
touching the Back button in the corner of the Touch screen) will reset the game.
The theme for Touch mode is Balloon Fight, and the main song used is
"Destruction Trip".
a. TOWER - Tower Mode features five levels, each with specific rules and
Tetrimino. They are as follows:
LEVEL 1 - Uses only O, I, T, J and L Tetrimino.
LEVEL 2 - Uses all Tetrimino, although S and Z Tetrimino are sparse.
LEVEL 3 - Uses all Tetrimino equally.
LEVEL 4 - Same as Level 1, but rotation is disabled.
LEVEL 2 - Same as Level 2, but rotation is disabled.
b. TOUCH PUZZLE - Like regular Puzzle Mode, the object is to maneuver Tetrimino
in such a way that all the pieces eventually are deleted. There are 50 puzzles
total, and here are the solutions:
LEVEL 1-50: Not yet. (more to be added later)
vi. CATCH MODE - Catch Mode is another new form of Tetris unique to Tetris DS.
The game begins with a single, "core" block surrounded by one block on each side
to form a + Tetrimino. Tetrimino fall from the top screen, and you are required
to CATCH them with the core block. Only the core block can be rotated, therefore
you must rotate it properly to catch the falling Tetrimino. The object is to
create 4x4 blocks in order to delete other blocks with; once a 4x4 block is
made, a timer counts down from 10 seconds. After the 10 seconds are up (or by
pressing the X button at any time) the 4x4 block "denonates" and deletes all
blocks above, below and to the sides. What blocks are deleted depends on the
size and number of your 4x4 block. The theme of Catch Mode is Metroid, and the
main song is "Metroid Charge". After a certain number of levels, the background
changes color.
LEVEL 1: Blue
LEVEL X: Orange
LEVEL Y: (more to be added later)
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C. MULTIPLAYER - There are two modes in Multiplayer; Invite and Join. Invite
allows you to create a new game. Join lets to join another person's game. Up to
10 players can play in one Multiplayer game. Multiplayer games are only
local-network games; to play online, you need to go to Wi-Fi mode.
i. MULTIPLAYER RULES - Multiplayer mode uses an altered set of Tetris rules
(which I call "Multiplayer Rules".
* As the game time increases, Tetrimino will begin to fall at a faster rate.
* Infinite Spinning is disabled in Multiplayer mode; you can spin your
Tetrimino for a short while before it locks down.
* Multiplayer mode makes use of Garbage line attacks. Depending on how many
lines you clear (and how you clear them), your opponent is attacked with a
certain number of garbage lines that fill up their play field. If your
opponent can't clear the Garbage lines fast enough, they'll run out of
space and lose.
* (There may be more, but I still gotta figure that out)
ii. INVITE - There are three modes you can play in Multiplayer mode: Standard,
Mission and Push. Selecting any one of those creates a new game for others to
join.
iii. JOIN - Other people's games are listed here. Choose one of them and you'll
be sent to a player roster page. As soon as everyone is ready, the game begins.
iv. IN GAME ACTION
a. PREGAME - Before the game begins, there are a number of options to select.
ITEMS: The person who started the game can control whether or not items
can be used in the game.
HANDICAP: There are five difficulty levels, each with an increasing degree
of speed and difficulty.
TEAM: Players choose between Mario, Link, Balloon Fighter, Popo and
Yoshi. Players on the same team do not recieve the negative
effects of items and attacks.
b. ITEMS - An original feature in Tetris DS are the use of items. To get an
item, delete a line with a ? Block in it. To use an item, press X. The items
that can be used is as follows:
MUSHROOM: Opponent's Tetrimino will fall faster than normal ("flaming
pieces"
BOO: Your opponents can't see their next five Tetrimino.
BANANA: The columns of your opponent's game field are randomly shuffled.
LIGHNING: Your opponent's Tetrimino cannot be rotated.
SHELL: The bottom two lines are deleted.
STARMAN: You are immune to opponent's attacks, and you will only get I
Tetrimino.
c. GARBAGE LINES ATTACKS - Depending on how many lines you delete at a time (and
how you clear them), your opponent is attacked with a certain number of Garbage
lines that fill up their play area. If you send garbage line attacks fast
enough, you can overtake your opponent. Here's a list of what sorts of garbage
line attacks are possible depending on how many lines you delete.
DELETE X LINES ATTACKS WITH X GARBAGE LINES
1 - 0
1 (T-Spin) - 2
1 (T-Spin, B2B) - 3
2 - 1
2 (T-Spin) - 4
2 (T-Spin, B2B) - 5
3 - 2
3 (T-Spin) - 6
3 (T-Spin, B2B) - 7
4 - 4
4 (Back-to-back) - 5
Garbage lines generally leave a single column open, allowing you to slide an
I Tetrimino into place and maybe turn the tables in the game.
d. OTHER NOTES - None so far.
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D. WIFI - This is arguably the best feature of Tetris DS: the ability to play
others online over Nintendo's WiFi network. Wifi games follow Multiplayer rules,
with some apparent changes according to your Wifi Ranking Score.
i. WIFI RANKING SCORE - As an online player, you are given a WiFi Ranking score.
This score represents a player's ability in Tetris DS; the higher the Ranking
score, the better the player is.
a. OVERVIEW - New players start at 5000 points. With every win, your points
increase. Lose, and your points decrease. The degree of how much your points
increase or decrease depends on the points you have and the points of your
opponents. How this work is explained in detail below. Disconnecting from a
match will count towards a loss, regardless of how you were disconnected. If you
want to keep your score and record crisp, don't play in an area where wifi
disconnections are frequent. Who you play against depends on your Wifi score;
you will generally be matched with players who have a similar Wifi rating as
yours (need confirmation).
b. RANKING SYSTEM - On Nintendo's Tetris DS hub, there is a ranking system that
attributes titles to players depending on their Wifi Ranking score. At every
1000 points*, a player rises up one title. Within each title, a every 250 points
a player moves up one level. For example, a player with a Wifi Ranking score of
6104 is an "Expert Level 1".
>9001 = ***** (Legendary)
8001-9000 = ***** (Master)
7001-8000 = **** (Elite)
6001-7000 = *** (Expert)
5001-6000 = ** (Advanced)
4001-5000 = * (Novice)
<4000 = * (Casual)
* (NOTE: As of March 30th, 2006, the Tetris DS Hub site has not been updated
with recent player rankings, so I'm not sure if the Elite, Master and
Legendary scores are as I have listed. I'm currently assuming that each
title is split up into 1000 point increments, but they could very well be
2000 or 3000 for all I know.)
ii. WIFI BATTLE - This is the mode you do battle in. If you have access to a
wifi internet connection, pop online. You can either battle players Worldwide or
with friends with Invite/Join Friends; both of which have the same three games:
Standard 2-Player No Items, Standard 4-Player With Items, and Push Mode.
a. WORLDWIDE - Play randomly chosen players currently connected to the Tetris DS
Wifi network. Games played here affect your WIFI Score, as well as your win/loss
record.
b. FRIENDS - Invite/Join Friends works just like Multiplayer mode. Wins and
losses here do not affect your Wifi score, and the win/loss data is not recorded
either.
c. GAMES - As mentioned, there are only three games avaliable for play over
Nintendo's Wifi network.
STANDARD 2-PLAYER NO ITEMS - This game has Level 1 gravity. Infinite
Spin is disabled. As the game progresses, the speed of the game slowly
increases.
STANDARD 4-PLAYER WITH ITEMS - This game has Level 1 gravity. Infinite Spin
is disabled. As the game progresses, the speed of the game slowly
increases. You are apparently able to target a player to where your
attacks will be sent to (need confirmation).
PUSH MODE - (more to be added later)
d. DIFFERENCES IN GAME PLAY - Wifi games follow Multiplayer rules, with a few
exceptions.
* Apparently the higher your Wifi Ranking score is, the garbage lines sent
TO you may be more randomized. As in you may be left with less or no open
columns, thus making clearning garbage lines more difficult. (Need
confirmation)
iii. FRIEND SETTINGS - Store your friends code here, or view your own code.
Faily simply.
iv. WIFI SETTINGS - Network utility allowing you to set your DS up to use a
local wireless internet network.
v. TETRIS DS WIFI SCORE ANALYSIS - I'm still working out the math of this. With
enough plays and data, I should be able to figure out how many points you will
win or lose based on who you play and what your points are. If you wish to
contribute to this, please send me the following data.
* YOUR WIFI RATING BEFORE THE MATCH
* YOUR OPPONENT'S WIFI RATING BEFORE THE MATCH
* WHO WON
* YOUR WIFI RATING AFTER THE MATCH
* YOUR OPPONENT'S WIFI RATING AFTER THE MATCH
Precision is a factor in this, so please give me the EXACT numbers.
a. SO FAR... - Since this section is not yet complete, I'll at least post my
observations.
* The Wifi rankings are similar to Chess rankings. I wouldn't doubt the
algorithm for it is similar.
* The points you win/lose and the points your opponent loses/wins are not
equal; in some cases you may win 17 points while your opponent loses 22.
vi. COMMON ERRORS
ERROR ##### - This means you can't get onto the network, or it's too busy.
ERROR ##### - (more to be added later)
vii. OTHER INFORMATION - (more to be added later)
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E. OPTIONS - The Options mode has only three options; Hard Drop On/Off, Ghost
Piece On/Off, and Music.
Music is the only feature in Tetris DS that can be unlocked (aside from Endless
Mode in Standard Mode Marathon). At first certain songs are unknown, but as soon
as you reach a certain Level in Standard Mode Marathon, the songs will become
unlocked. The songs, and how they are unlocked, are:
01 - Mario Tetris (Standard Lv. 1, 2, 8, 9)
02 - Zelda Tetris (Mission)
03 - Death Mountain (Mission)
04 - Destruction Trip (Touch)
05 - Metroid Charge (Catch)
06 - Total Yoshi (Puzzle)
07 - DK Push (Push)
08 - 10,000 Tetris Points (Record)
09 - Multiplayer Tetris (Multiplayer)
10 - Winning Theme (Multiplayer)
11 - Loser Theme (Multiplayer)
12 - Mario, Link, and Yoshi (Title Screen)
13 - Basement Tetris (Standard Lv. 3, 7) -Get 20 lines in Standard Marathon
14 - Mario Tetris 3 (Standard Lv. 4, 5, 6) -Get 30 lines in Standard Marathon
15 - Bowser Battle (Standard Lv. 10) -Get 90 lines in Standard Marathon
16 - Tetris DK (Standard Lv. 13) -Get 120 lines in Standard Matathon
17 - Balloon Tetris (Standard Lv. 14) -Get 130 lines in Standard Marathon
18 - Tetris Climber (Standard Lv. 15) -Get 140 lines in Standard Marathon
19 - Rushed Tetris (Standard Lv. 16-19) -Get 150 lines in Standard Marathon
20 - Ancient Tetris (Standard Lv. 20) -Get 190 lines in Standard Marathon
21 - CongraTetris (Ending) -Get 200 lines in Standard Marathon
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F. RECORDS - Tetris DS maintains a limited amount of statistics and game
records. You are rewarded a "Tetris Point" rating depending on how much and how
well you complete various Tetris DS games. Depending on your Tetris Points, a
different background and rotating sprite is made avaliable. They are:
00000-00999 POINTS:
01000-01999 POINTS:
02000-02999 POINTS: Super Mario Bros. Underwater - Blooper
03000-03999 POINTS: Balloon Fight - Balloon Fighter
04000-04999 POINTS: Legend of Zelda Cave - Link
05000-05999 POINTS: Excitebike - Excitebiker
06000-06999 POINTS:
07000-07999 POINTS: Ice Climber - Popo
08000-08999 POINTS: Metroid - Samus
09000-09999 POINTS: - Raccoon Mario
10000-11000 POINTS: - Frog Mario
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2. SCORE SYSTEM - Like most versions of Tetris, it keeps score. Here's what
points you can earn for each action.
ACTION POINTS
SOFT DROPPING A TETRIMINO ONE ROW - 1
HARD DROP - 2 * ROWS DROPPED
DELETE ONE LINE - 100 * LEVEL
DELETE TWO LINES - 300 * LEVEL
DELETE THREE LINES - 500 * LEVEL
TETRIS - 700 * LEVEL
TETRIS (BACK TO BACK) - 1200 * LEVEL
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3. TIPS AND TRICKS
* In multiplayer games, it's a better idea to take care of Garbage blocks as
opposed to trying to get multi-line deletions.
* Likewise in multiplayer games, don't build your stacks too high, and be able
to reverse any action.
-----
4. OTHER INFORMATION
* The little scientist walking around the top screen is Professor Hector of
Gyromite and Stack-Up, games designed for Nintendo's Robotic Operating Buddy.
------
5. THANKS TO
- Daniel Bustos - bustos.daniel[at]gmail[dot]com
- Shadow - shadown64[at]gmail[dot]com
- Jeff Farnsworth - FeaRfarn[at]msn[dot]com
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If you have any tips and other extra information of bits I'm missing, feel free
to email me at nick15[at]sfsu[dot]edu, or IM me at my AIM screenname
"nickfifteen", and share them with me. If I think it's interesting enough, I'll
add it to the FAQ. Contacting me though doesn't guarentee that your information
will be added, sorry folks. But if I do use it, you will be properly credited.
If you want to use my FAQ on your site, you don't need to ask, you have my
permission. Just don't edit it or delete anything.
FAQ COPYRIGHT 2006 by Philippe Van Lieu
- If you liked this FAQ, please just visit my websites!
Tetris DS is a copyright of Nintendo, Elorg, and the Tetris Company. Used
without permission. Damn.
The lastest version of this FAQ can be found at-@.com
- 作者: VVOVV 时间: 2008-7-9 22:42
.
-@.com