Tetris: The Grand Master hit arcades back in 1998, and its take on the Tetris formula had so much staying power that it remains one of the top three branches of the game that hardcore gamers discuss to this day. Now, a sequel to this long-canceled series is coming out of the vault, receiving the finishing touches, and reaching a much wider audience on Twitter.
Tetris: The Grandmaster 4 – Absolute Eye “is planned to launch on Steam in late March 2025,” developer Arika announced on social media on December 2. This game was originally announced as a full arcade machine back in 2009, and even went so far as to undergo placement testing in 2015, although conspicuously, this version didn't feature any proper Tetris branding. Whatever issues were holding the game back seems to be resolved now, at least, and now you won't even have to find an arcade to play it.
テトリスカンパニー社のヘンクさんが来社され、弊社三Chinese行いました。素晴らしい時間を過ごせたことをとても嬉しく思います。ここで正式にタイトル名を「TETRIS THE GRANDMASTER4 – ABSOLUTE EYE – 」と発表させていただきます。… pic.twitter.com/QK9kqNeNzuDecember 3, 2024
The original TGM was released in 1998 by Arika, the studio of former Capcom developers who were in the midst of creating the Street Fighter EX series. Two sequels followed with The Absolute in 2000 and the even more imposing Terror Instinct in 2005, and together the series became a favorite of hardcore Tetris players due to how high the skill ceiling is. If you've heard of the legendary Tetris showcases at events like Games Done Quick, that's TGM. The video below is as good an example as any of what this game entails.
Nowadays, hardcore Tetris players tend to stick to one of the three main play styles. There's Classic Tetris, which covers most of the old-school titles, particularly the NES version, whose wild esports have been exploding since 2023. There's also Guide Tetris, which features all the modern rule changes, stuff. such as T-turns and retaining pieces. that The Tetris Company has exposed.
Finally, there's TGM, which (I say this in the most complimentary way possible) seems like the Tetris variant for true psychopaths. Honestly, I'm a little scared to try it for myself, but I'm excited that Absolute Eye is reaching a wider audience on Steam.
It took 34 years for someone to beat the original NES Tetris; Now it's coming to Switch so you can try it out for yourself.