After 34 Years, Someone Finally Beat Tetris

Summary

Willis, known as 'Blue Scuti,' has set a new world record in NES Tetris by reaching level 157 and triggering the 'True' Killscreen, a game-ending glitch. This achievement marks a significant milestone in the game's 34-year history. The script delves into the evolution of Tetris strategies, from the initial 'killscreen' at level 29 to the development of techniques like hypertapping and rolling, enabling players to surpass previous barriers. The story highlights the community's dedication and innovation, culminating in Blue Scuti's record-breaking performance and the implications for future gameplay and records.

Takeaways

• 🎮 Willis, known as 'Blue Scuti', set a new world record by reaching level 157 in NES Tetris and triggered the 'True' Killscreen, a game crash, marking a significant milestone in the game's history.
• 📈 NES Tetris, released in 1989, has a level system where the speed increases every 10 lines cleared, with level 29 historically considered the limit due to the inability to move pieces to the sides at maximum speed.
• 🔍 The original 'killscreen' at level 29 was not a glitch but a speed barrier; players later discovered techniques like hypertapping to surpass this limit.
• 🏆 Players like Thor Aackerlund, Joseph Saelee, and EricICX have pushed the boundaries of the game, breaking records and reaching higher levels with new techniques.
• 🔄 A significant advancement in gameplay came with the 'rolling' technique, which allowed players to achieve button-mashing speeds far exceeding previous methods.
• 🛑 The game's code inefficiency at high levels leads to a color glitch starting at level 138, creating visibility challenges for players.
• 👾 The 'True' Killscreen is a game crash that occurs due to the game misreading RAM as code, which can be triggered by specific in-game conditions.
• 📚 The community has extensively researched the mechanics of the game crash, with efforts like HydrantDude's spreadsheet detailing every situation that could cause the crash.
• 🚀 Blue Scuti's achievement of reaching level 157 and triggering the game crash represents a turning point, as it's the first time a player has 'beaten' the game in this manner.
• 🌟 The record-breaking attempts and the introduction of new techniques have revitalized the Tetris community, leading to exciting developments and competitions.
• 🔮 The future of the game may involve new challenges such as speedrunning to the crash or achieving the highest score before it occurs, and even exploring beyond the crash to level 255.

Q & A

Who is Willis, also known as 'Blue Scuti', and what achievement did he accomplish?

Willis, also known as 'Blue Scuti', is a Tetris player who set a new world record by reaching level 157 in NES Tetris and becoming the first person to trigger a game crash at the 'True' Killscreen.

What is the significance of reaching the 'True' Killscreen in NES Tetris?

Reaching the 'True' Killscreen is significant because it represents the farthest point a player can reach in the game before the game crashes, which is considered the biggest milestone in the history of the classic Tetris scene.

What is the traditional definition of a 'killscreen' in retro games?

In retro games, a 'killscreen' traditionally refers to a point in the game where it becomes impossible to progress further due to a glitch in the game's code.

Why was level 29 in NES Tetris initially considered the 'killscreen'?

Level 29 was considered the 'killscreen' because, at this level, the game's speed reaches its maximum, and the pieces could no longer reliably reach the sides by holding down the side-to-side buttons, ending the player's run.

Who was the first person to surpass the level 29 barrier in NES Tetris, and what technique did they use?

Thor Aackerlund was the first person to surpass the level 29 barrier by using a technique called hypertapping, which involved mashing the controller faster than the game's built-in speed.

What is the 'rolling' technique in NES Tetris, and who developed it?

The 'rolling' technique is a button mashing strategy developed by a Tetris player named cheez. It involves combining a multi-finger technique with another that uses a finger on the bottom of the controller to push it into another finger on the top, allowing for button mashing speeds over twice as fast as the quickest hypertappers.

What is the 'color glitch' in NES Tetris, and at what level does it start occurring?

The 'color glitch' in NES Tetris is a programming error that causes random and bizarre color palettes to appear starting at level 138, making the game's pieces difficult to see due to inefficient memory usage in the game's code from the 1980s.

Who was the first player to reach the glitched color levels in NES Tetris, and on which version of the game?

Fractal161 was the first player to reach the glitched color levels, but he achieved this on the PAL version of the game, which runs slower than the NTSC version commonly used in tournaments and main leaderboards.

What is the 'True' Killscreen in NES Tetris, and how does it occur?

The 'True' Killscreen in NES Tetris occurs when the game's code becomes inefficient at very high levels, causing a glitch where the game reads RAM as if it were code. If the resulting garble generates a stop command, it completely breaks the game, leading to a game crash.

What is the potential future of record chasing in NES Tetris after the achievement of the 'True' Killscreen?

After the achievement of the 'True' Killscreen, the future of record chasing in NES Tetris could involve speedrunning to the crash or attempting to achieve the highest possible score before the crash occurs.

What is the ultimate final achievement proposed for NES Tetris players, and what does it involve?

The ultimate final achievement proposed for NES Tetris players is to beat level 255, which involves surviving all potential traps that could trigger the crash and pushing the game to its limits. If achieved, the game would loop back to level 0, symbolizing a rebirth screen where both the player and the game emerge triumphant.