The developers have done a good job of giving a Tetris fans everything they would possibly want in a Tetris game. Unfortunately, what holds Axis back from being the definitive version is the 3DS. The d-pad on the 3DS is small, shallow, and inflexible compared to other d-pads. The face buttons are also small and too shallow. Playing in long stretches causes uncomfortable cramping in your thumbs. If you could also rotate pieces with the circle pad that would alleviate this complaint but you cannot. The d-pad is the only way to play. I oftentimes had to put the 3DS down earlier then I would have liked because my hands hurt too much. While that has happened in previous versions of the game, that was after hours of play not minutes.
HudsonSoft did so much right with this product. This could have easily been a sloppily executed cash-in that relied on the Tetris license but it’s not. The game is polished, the bevy of game modes are well thought out, and the customizations are welcome. For Tetris fans this is a must buy. For everyone else though, the 3DS hardware severely limits the possible enjoyment they could get out of it. This is a near killer-app for the 3DS, which is ironically hurt by being on the 3DS.
Tetris: Axis is rated E (Everyone) by the ESRB
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