Few feelings that video games inspire can measure up to the rush of just barely slamming down the I-Block in time to clear four lines at once in Tetris. Now imagine doing that at speeds previously thought humanly impossible just a few years ago, in front of a cheering tournament audience.

With Tetris Effect’s most underrated mode, you can get tantalizingly close to that experience. From October 13 through 15, the city of Portland, Oregon, will host the annual Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC), a competition played using the version of Tetris released for the Nintendo Entertainment System over 30 years ago. If you want to try your hand at this flavor of top-level Tetris, though, you don’t need to go looking for a retro console right away—the Classic Score Attack mode in Tetris Effect (now called Tetris Effect: Connected since adding new multiplayer modes) is designed to be a great starting place.

One look at the highlights that have been viewed millions of times on the CTWC's YouTube page, and you'll see how classic Tetris differs from the modern versions many players know. For example, most modes in Tetris Effect use what’s called seven-bag randomization, where the game will more predictably cycle through dropping the seven different types of blocks before shuffling them all again for the next seven, and so on.

The version played at CTWC isn’t nearly so kind. Dozens of pieces can drop for a player with no multi-row-clearing I-Block appearing for relief, leading to a “drought.” Play styles heavily dependent on forming Tetrises for points can easily be thwarted by an unlucky drought, and particularly long droughts build up tension. You often see the intense relief wash over a CTWC competitor’s face (and hear the audience collectively exhale) when a drought is finally broken.



But players like the late Jonas Neubauer, a seven-time champ, got so good at managing whatever pieces the game threw at them that upping speed and survivability became crucial for winning the CTWC. Recent years have seen the rise of “rolling,” a style of quickly pressing directional inputs that saw a new class of players like two-time champ Michael Artiaga exploding onto the scene with high scores at speeds once believed to be beyond the reach of any player.

That also means this old version of Tetris is increasingly a young person’s game, one decided by both puzzling savvy and raw dexterity. The last five CTWC winners have all been teenagers.

This is why Tetris Effect’s Classic Score Attack mode matters. Especially for young newcomers exposed through the CTWC’s thrilling streams and highlight reels, diving right into competitive play by buying a decades-old console and cartridge is a tall order. By giving players the option to experience a re-creation of this tough-as-nails rule set without that investment, Tetris Effect helps ensure that events like the CTWC will continue attracting new players, gifting us all with the vicarious thrills of seeing those championship-clinching line clears.