Tetris has epitomized the “easy to learn difficult to master” design principle for over 30 years.
The goal of Tetris is to score as many points as possible by clearing horizontal lines of Blocks. The player must rotate, move, and drop the falling Tetriminos inside the Matrix (playing field). Lines are cleared when they are filled with Blocks and have no empty spaces.
As lines are cleared, the level increases and Tetriminos fall faster, making the game progressively more challenging. If the Blocks land above the top of the playing field, the game is over.
Tetris has very simple rules: you can only move the pieces in specific ways; your game is over if your pieces reach the top of the screen; and you can only remove pieces from the screen by filling all the blank space in a line.
Rules give much needed structure to our play. A completely random environment offers no clue as to how to play and would be incredibly frustrating. How fortunate it is, then, that Tetris'd three rules are what shape it into such an award-winning game.
Goal: Put your organizational skills and endurance to the test by clearing as many lines as possible.
Clear lines: Maneuver the falling Tetriminos to fit them together within the Matrix. To clear a line, fill every square within a single row.
Score points: Earn points by clearing lines. Clear multiple lines at once to increase your scoring opportunities.
Ghost piece: Use the Ghost Piece to determine the best fit for the falling Tetrimino. This helpful guide appears directly below the falling Tetrimino and displays possible placements.
Next queue: Preview the upcoming Tetrimino in the Next Queue to plan ahead and increase your scoring opportunities.
Hold queue: Store a falling Tetrimino in the Hold Queue for later use.
Game over: Stack the Tetriminos too high and the game is over!
