

Thanks to the turn-based nature of dropping blocks in this mode, it's easy to get antsy and accidentally mis-drop a piece in a way that creates a gap-if that happens, every player should be watching out for the next magicmino so they can drop it on top of the gap area when it comes up. This is where the magicminoes come in: wherever they're placed, if there are any gaps in the stack directly beneath them, it collapses them down. Observe: placing that S-piece can send three blocks down that well.

This helps a lot with making the 30-wide lines in order to deal damage to the boss, but it's still possible to make gaps by dropping tetrominoes where they don't fit. When co-op players enter the united playfield in Connected mode, Tetris Effect already helps out by collapsing each player's stack column-by-column so that there are no row gaps left. Judging by the online ranked games I've had so far, though, it seems like players who are far better than me aren't used to them yet. One thing Tetris Effect does teach in its video tutorial for Connected that can really save a run is how its special purple "magicminoes" work. It's also important to note that if someone builds right up to the top of their individual play field, it can make Connected mode's united playfield moments harder too: a player on the left or right won't be able to scoot their tetrominoes over to the opposite side if there's a giant tower stacked up to the top in the middle. In an instant, a tall stack that could normally net you two or three back-to-back Tetrises can become a liability thanks to a boss's blitz. That's a quick way to build up your team's shared meter in Connected mode, but it's much riskier here than in solo play-pretty much every boss from the second area onward has at least one "blitz" ability or attack that can be especially devastating with a tall stack of blocks. Lots of Tetris players, especially those accustomed to Tetris Effect's special Zone mechanic, may be inclined to play Connected the same way they play normally: build up a stack, leave a one-block well for I-shaped pieces, and rack up those Tetrises. Don't Build Too High Unless You're Very, Very Good


Here's what you need to know to save yourself from dying in the first place, and how to get back in the game if you do. Trouble is, Tetris Effect intentionally doesn't spell out how to do it. If you and your fellow players have serious Tetris chops, then you may never die once throughout Connected mode's five increasingly difficult stages, but if you're only an okay player like me, you've got to know how to save yourself. You also don't have to hold onto hope that your fellow players alone can rescue you… which, I've noticed, is something that a lot of players haven't grasped yet. Once you're down in Connected mode, though, you're not out.
