Tetris is one of the most iconic video games in history and falls into the category of legends. This game is casual but can be taken into competitive territory and become one of the most demanding. In fact, there was a version that no one had been able to finish, but a prodigious player has just done it after decades.
Due to its popular concept, the game was adapted to various systems, including the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Something curious about this version is that it was considered invincible, as after 34 years since its release, no one had managed to reach the end of the game... until now.
13-Year-Old Finally Completes NES Tetris
The feat was accomplished by the 13-year-old Willis Gibson, better known as Blue Scuti in the competitive Tetris scene, in the semifinals of the Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC) 2023.
The young player had a masterful game lasting just over 38 minutes, and as he approached the 40-minute mark and cleared one more line, the game froze: Blue Scuti had reached the killscreen and made history.
The visibly surprised young player couldn't believe the feat and celebrated discreetly as a result of the astonishment. Shortly after, his mother came to congratulate him.
In a later interview on the official Classic Tetris channel, Blue Scuti mentioned that although nerves began to set in after passing level 30, level 146 was the most challenging for him because the color green did not display well on his TV.
Finally, Blue Scuti dedicated the record to his late father, Adam Gibson, who passed away on December 12.
Why hadn't anyone managed to finish NES Tetris?
Tetris for NES is so demanding that no professional player had managed to reach the final screen or killscreen, which occurs when the game crashes due to the prolonged duration of the match, an event that occurred in several retro games. Previously, only artificial intelligence had managed to beat NES Tetris.
After level 29, the speed at which the tetrominos fall is extremely high, requiring not only immense concentration but also coordination and finger speed. In fact, the competitive community mainly uses three methods to play at high speed.
- DAS: press the directional pad once and hold it down to move the pieces.
- Hypertapping: press the directional pad several times at high speed according to the number of spaces you want to move the piece.
- Rolling: hit the controller on the back with multiple fingers to make it collide with the finger on the directional pad. This way, it's possible to reach up to 20 hits per second, allowing the pieces to move faster.
What do you think of this achievement in Tetris? Tell us in the comments.
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