Game Basics

The basic rules of Tetris has not changed in the last 30 years, which involves manipulating and stacking blocks of various shapes then taking them down. Tetris Blitz retains this rule while adding quite a few of its own into the mix. Tap the background to cycle through the available placements for a particular piece, or you can also tap and then drag the pieces to place them anywhere in the matrix. Matches in this latest outing has a time limit of two minutes.

That being said, there are several other key factors you need to take note of. First up is Frenzy Mode, which is triggered when the frenzy meter displayed on the outer edges of the playing field fills to the brim. This is done by clearing lines consecutively or as close to one another as possible. The meter depletes whenever players fail to clear a line. During Frenzy Mode, it becomes easier to clear lines and trigger cascades to score big points.

A cascade is triggered when you clear a line and the Tetrimino pieces (or Minos) continue to score (by clearing lines of course) as they drop along your matrix. The longer this chain continues, the faster your multiplier fills which in turn means you get to score more points. Scoring a Tetris (a four-line clear) also boosts your multiplier by one by the way. For the most part, taking down a bigger tower initiates bigger cascades but is also risky since the clock continues to run while you construct your tower. The rewards are great (especially if there are power up pieces among the pile) should you succeed however so it's up to you decide whether or not to do this.

Next on the discussion are power ups. These are consumable items that grant certain perks that make it easier to score big points. They each have different effects and must be purchased with coins before they can be used. Players can carry a maximum of three power ups into a match and will be consumed at the end of it. Power ups typically allow for three uses before they run out, and you'll have to buy more to use them again. Power ups are also quite costly so make sure you have coins to spare when you purchase them.

The best power ups are called Finishers and are quite difficult to come by if you want them for free. You do however get a few of them as you play through the game for the first time. Once used up, the only way to get them again is to buy them with real money or use the Free Spin feature and hope it lands on a Finisher. Free Spins reactivate every four hours or you can also purchase sets of them from the store (again with real money) for a certain price.