The Birth of a Unique Tetris Variant: A Journey into the Unconventional World of Arcade Gaming

Tetris: The Ample Grasp debuted in arcades back in 1998, and its influence on the Tetris franchise has been so significant that it remains one of the three principal variations of the game that devoted players continue to discuss today. Now, a long-abandoned sequel to this franchise is resurfacing, receiving final updates, and will be available to a much larger audience on Twitter.

Tetris: The Grandmaster 4 – Absolute Eye is “set to be released on Steam by the close of March 2025,” developer Arika announced on social media on December 2. This game was initially introduced as a full arcade machine way back in 2009 and reached the stage of home testing in 2015 – even though notably, this version did not display any official Tetris branding. Whatever barriers were holding the game back appear to be resolved now, and soon, you won’t even need an arcade to enjoy it.

The latest TGM was launched back in 1998 by Arika – the studio formed by former Capcom developers who were simultaneously working on the Street Fighter EX series. Two sequels followed: The Absolute in 2000 and the more dramatically named Fear Instinct in 2005. Altogether, the series became a favorite among the most ardent Tetris fans due to its notably high skill ceiling. If you have heard about the legendary Tetris events at gatherings like Games Done Quick, that is TGM. The video below exemplifies what this game has to offer.

Currently, dedicated Tetris enthusiasts tend to focus on one of three primary game styles. There’s Classic Tetris, which covers most of the retro titles, particularly the NES version that’s seen a surge in esports popularity since 2023. There’s also Tenet Tetris, which incorporates all the latest rule changes – elements like T-spins and holding pieces – that The Tetris Company has introduced.

Finally, there’s TGM, which – I say this in the most flattering way possible – feels like the variant of Tetris for the truly hardcore gamers. Admittedly, I’m a bit hesitant to try it myself, but I’m extremely excited that Absolute Eye is reaching a much broader audience on Steam.

It took 34 years for someone to truly conquer the original NES Tetris – now it is coming to Switch for you to attempt it yourself.