History VideoGame / TetrisTheGrandMaster

Unfortunately, if you want to play TGM, especially legitimately, you're not going to get a chance so easily. None of the arcade games have had ports (as mentioned above, [=TGM2=] almost got ported to the [=PS2=]), and ''TGM ACE'', as mentioned above, isn't exactly a TGM game. There are, however, clones that allow you to simulate the TGM series:

Despite the franchise's dormancy, Arika vice president Ichiro Mihara revealed on November 1st, 2021 that [[https://twitter.com/miharasan/status/1455059629835120642?s=20 the company is planning to announce ports]] of the ''TGM'' games (although which ones were not specified), and a potential fourth ''TGM'' game may be considered depending on the success of the ports. A port of ''[=TGM1=]'' for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, as part of Hamster's ''Arcade Archives'', was announced in late November of the following year, with a release on December 1st.

* ''Tetris: The Grand Master'' (UsefulNotes/{{Arcade|Game}}, 1998; aka [=TGM1=]) -- The first game in the series. The easiest in the series (both to complete and to achieve Grand Master rank), though that isn't saying much. Was going to be ported to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation, but it was passed over for Blue Planet Software's The Next Tetris. Recently a conversion program that allows the arcade version to run on a Playstation was released.

Despite the franchise's dormancy, Arika vice president Ichiro Mihara revealed on November 1st, 2021 that [[https://twitter.com/miharasan/status/1455059629835120642?s=20 the company is planning to announce ports]] of the ''TGM'' games (although which ones were not specified), and a potential fourth ''TGM'' game may be considered depending on the success of the ports. A port of [=TGM1=] for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and UsefulNotes/Playstation4, as part of Hamster's ''Arcade Archives'', was announced in late November of the following year, with a release on December 1st.

Despite the franchise's dormancy, Arika vice president Ichiro Mihara revealed on November 1st, 2021 that [[https://twitter.com/miharasan/status/1455059629835120642?s=20 the company is planning to announce ports]] of the ''TGM'' games (although which ones were not specified), and a potential fourth ''TGM'' game may be considered depending on the success of the ports.

* SequelDifficultySpike: Each succcessive game (except ''ACE'') gets faster and faster, and the GM rank more difficult to get. While the first game is comparatively easy to get a GM grade in, in the 15 years since ''Terror-Instinct'' was released, only '''sixteen''' people have managed to get a GM grade.

* SpiritualSuccessor: To Sega's ''Tetris'' games.

At level 500, the game's drop speed maxes out and pieces drop ''instantly'' in what is known as "20G"[[note]]20 grid cells per frame (1/60th of a second). The playing field is 20 blocks high. Do the math.[[/note]] speed, forcing you to slide pieces along the stack (or ground) into place. And in newer games, some of the game's finer details are adjusted to [[UpToEleven make the game harder]]. 20G went on to be featured in other, more mainstream ''Tetris'' games, such as ''Tetris DS'', but most of those games had a mechanic known as "infinite rotation", so in practice, the drop was instant but the lock could be delayed indefinitely for each piece; this is not the case in ''TGM''. In speed-ups after 20G, the time that the pieces take to lock decreases. The game ends at level 999.

* TheTetrisEffect: Just as bad as the main ''Tetris'' games. Probably even worse, especially if you can get into this game.

* FireworksOfVictory: Celebratory fireworks are launched upon completing the credit run.

*** Easy mode is a 200-level game where clearing lines sets off fireworks, the number of which serves as your score for this mode. Clearing lines in succession creates a lot of fireworks, so players are encouraged to do line clear combos. During the first 100 levels, the outline of the current piece appears on the stack as a HintSystem. Upon reaching level 200, the player enters the credit roll during which gameplay continues at 20G speed and fireworks will continously go off, and one last batch of fireworks activates if the player makes it to the end.

* FissionMailed: In [=TGM3=], after a promotional exam, the result is shown on a roulette with "pass" and "fail". The results screen cycles them and stops on "fail," and if you actually passed, a giant O piece will smash the "fail" to replace it with "pass" and celebratory fireworks will launch. The effect is stronger the higher the grade you were testing for.

*** Easy mode is a 200-level game where clearing lines sets off fireworks, the number of which serves as your score for this mode. Clearing lines in succession creates a lot of fireworks, so players are encouraged to do line clear combos. During the first 100 levels, the outline of the current piece appears on the stack as a HintSystem. Upon reaching level 200, the player enters the credit roll during which gameplay continues at 10G speed and fireworks will continously go off, and one last batch of fireworks activates if the player makes it to the end.

Despite the franchise's dormancy, Arika vice president Ichiro Mihara revealed that [[https://twitter.com/miharasan/status/1455059629835120642?s=20 the company is planning to announce ports]] of the ''TGM'' games (although which ones were not specified), and a potential fourth ''TGM'' game may be considered depending on the success of the ports.

Despite the franchise's dormancy, Arika vice president Ichiro Mihara revealed that [[https://twitter.com/miharasan/status/1455059629835120642?s=20 the company is planning to announce PC ports]] of the ''TGM'' games (although which ones were not specified), and a potential fourth ''TGM'' game may be considered depending on the success of the ports.

* ''Tetris: The Grand Master'' (UsefulNotes/{{Arcade|Game}}, 1998; aka [=TGM1=]) -- The first game in the series. The easiest in the series (both to complete and to achieve Grand Master rank), though that isn't saying much.

* UnwinnableByMistake: [=TGM1=]'s Big Mode comes close. Blocks are double-sized, but piece movement isn't scaled up to accomodate the increased block size--that is, while all blocks are two cells wide, you still move pieces one cell at a time. Land a piece in an odd-numbered row? You've just made the game go from NintendoHard to pretty much impossible.

* DummiedOut: The original TGM has English text for the game demonstrations (which are in Japanese) buried somewhere in the game's memory, suggesting that TGM was going to have an overseas release.

* CosmeticAward: Beginning in ''The Absolute'', medals are given out for fulfilling certain conditions:
** ST (Section Time): [[MetaMultiplayer Coming close to or beating the current section time record.]]
** SK (Skill): Making a large number of Tetrises.
** AC (All Clear): Clearing all blocks from the playing field.
** CO (Combo): Making combos[[note]]Clearing 2 or more lines adds to your combo. Clearing 1 line will maintain the combo but not increment it. Not clearing any lines breaks your combo[[/note]].
** RO (Rotation): Maintaining a large average number of rotations per piece. Not available in ''Terror-Instinct''.
** RE (Recovery): Having a large number of blocks on the playing field, and then clearing out most of those blocks. Not available in ''Terror-Instinct''.

*** T.A. Death starts at 20G and increases in difficulty by way of strictening timings for various mechanics. Initially, no grade is given, but you obtain Master rank and continue the game if you reach level 500 within a certain time threshold, and Grand Master rank if you reach level 999.

[[caption-width-right:367:A screenshot would do the game speeds injustice. Just look up videos for an idea of how intense it gets.]]

''Tetris: The Grand Master'' is a series of [[NintendoHard challenging]] ''Tetris'' games developed by {{Creator/Arika}}, intended for advanced players.

''Tetris: The Grand Master'' is a series of [[NintendoHard challenging]] ''Tetris'' games developed by Arika, intended for advanced players.

*** TGM+ causes garbage rows to [[RiseToTheChallenge slowly rise from the bottom]].

*** Easy mode is a 200-level game where clearing lines sets off fireworks, the number of which serves as your score for this mode. Clearing lines in succession creates a lot of fireworks, so players are encouraged to do line clear combos. During the first 100 levels, the outline of the current piece appears on the stack as a HintSystem. Upon reaching level 200, the player enters the credit roll during which fireworks will continously go off, and one last batch of fireweorks activates if the player makes it to the end.

*** Sakura is a recreation of the game mecahnics from ''Tetris with Manga/{{Cardcaptor Sakura)) Eternal Heart'', in which the player must clear lines containing gems to complete the stages.

* CreativeClosingCredits: The game doesn't end at level 999. After clearing a line at level 999, the board clears and the game goes on for 60 more seconds at 20G speed. In [=TGM2+=] and later games, if you reach the end fast enough and have a high enough grade, you then have to clear the [[BonusDungeon Invisible Roll, in which pieces disappear on lock.]] You not only have to survive this credit roll, but also ''perform well'' [[EarnYourHappyEnding in order to get the highest grades.]] Also, the individual sections of the credits (except for the "Produced by ARIKA" text at the end) are shuffled into a random order, preventing you from figuring out how far you are just by reading the credits.

* ComebackMechanic: An item in the VS rule of TGM 3 switches two players' playfields, which can transfer an inevitable loss from a player to the other instead.

** Invisible roll. That is all.