Summary
ATetrisplayer has done something no otherTetrisplayer has done in the game’s storied 35-year history: they’ve become the first person to clear level 255 and achieve the mythical “rebirth,” which essentially loops the game all the way back to the first level. The first-of-its-kind feat, which was achieved by a 16-year-old live on Twitch, has been sending waves through theTetriscommunity and the greater gaming community in general.
Tetris, the classic puzzle game where players strategically rotate and place falling blocks of various shapes to complete and clear horizontal lines, has always enjoyed a certain level of popularity. However, interest in the quintessential original version of the video game has seemingly grown sharply in recent years, withNESTetrisfinally beaten after 34 yearsat the end of last year by a 13-year-old called Blue Scuti. While reaching the “kill screen” at level 157 is an astounding feat, the 16-year-old has achieved something arguably even more impressive, setting multiple records in the process.
According to a report byArs Technica, Michael “dogplayingtetris” Artiaga reached the milestone while livestreaming on Twitch in front of hundreds of viewers, where he cleared roughly 3,300 lines over an hour and 20 minutes, something thought of as impossible to achieve prior to newer techniques like rolling and hypertapping being developed. While the gamer has certainly set a new bar for high-levelTetrisgameplay, it should be noted that he was playing on a special version: an NESTetrisrom that prevents it from crashing, preventingthe infamousTetriskill screenthat Blue Scuti triggered during his record-breaking attempt.
Artiaga’s success on the rom version ofTetrisdoesn’t lessen his accomplishment’s impressiveness, as the NES version ofTetrishas its own glitch in level 235 which causes the level to require a grueling 810 lines to be cleared - and at the game’s fastest possible drop rate. The gamer reportedly spent 20 minutes alone on just this level. After clearing level 255 and triggering the fabled “rebirth,” Artiaga kept playing all the way back to level 91 before finally calling it quits. The final score of the record-breaking run was 29,486,164, miles ahead ofthe highest-scoring game of classicTetris.
Tetris Today, Tetris Tomorrow, Tetris Forever
Tetristurns 40 this year, and the franchise is celebrating with the announcement of theTetris Forever Collection. TheTetris Forever Collectionwill include over 15 gamesfrom across the long-running franchise’s history, including titles likeHatris, Super BomBliss,andSuper Tetris 3. It will also include a brand-new game calledTetris Time Warp.While the upcoming game collection currently has a general 2024 release date, it’s safe to sayTetrisremains an extremely popular video game franchise.
