Nintendo’s NES version of Tetris is coming to Switch Online this month
It marks the first ever re-release of the game since its NES release
Nintendo has announced that its NES version of Tetris will be coming to Switch Online.
The 1989 home console version will be added to the Switch’s library of retro games on December 12, marking the first time it has ever been officially re-released.
Officially licensed by Tetris’s Russian IP owner Elorg, Nintendo‘s version features two modes, A-Type and B-Type.
A-Type has players continuing to clear lines and building their high score until they reach the top of the screen, while B-Type gives them a screen with a certain height and speed of blocks, and asks them to clear 25 lines before getting Game Over.
B-Type contains cameos from a number of Nintendo characters, including Mario, Luigi, Samus and Pit.
While it’s always been popular among retro players, the NES version of Tetris has enjoyed something of a rejuvenation in recent years as a competitive eSport.
The release of the NES version will almost coincide with the one-year anniversary of the first recorded instance of someone ever managing to ‘beat’ the game.
A puzzle classic returns!
Tetris® for NES comes to Nintendo Switch Online on 12/12! pic.twitter.com/TIhj7Uq2Mo
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) December 3, 2024
On December 21 last year, 13-year-old Willis Gibson (also known as Blue Scuti) became the first person to reach the ‘killscreen’ of NES Tetris by reaching level 157 and forcing the game to freeze.
Tetris will be the 90th NES / Famicom to be released on Switch Online, and the 79th to be released in the west.
A standard Switch Online subscription, which costs £3.49/€3.99/$3.99 for a one-month membership and £17.99/€19.99/$19.99 for a 12-month membership, gives access to libraries NES, SNES, Game Boy and Game Boy Color games.
Players who pay extra for the Switch Online Expansion Pack also get access to Nintendo 64, Mega Drive / Genesis and Game Boy Advance libraries.
