Tetrisfirst came out for the Nintendo Entertainment System all the way back in 1989, though today, a player accomplished something that no otherTetrisplayer has been able to do in 31 years. Twitch streamer Joseph Saelee, or JdMFx_, cleared more than 50 lines of blocks past the game’s intended kill screen.
This isn’t the first time JdMFx_ has gone past the kill screen. He was the previous record holder for lines past the kill screen, getting 270 total lines completed back in February of last year. In his most recent record, he completed 284 lines, a whopping 14 more lines than his previous best.Tetriswas recently added to the video game hall of fame, and if he keeps setting records like these, maybe JdmFx_ will be there alongside it.
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A kill screen is a common feature in retro games. It’s essentially a level of a game that the player isn’t supposed to be able to pass. Some fans may remember the kill screen as a key part of the 2007King of Kongdocumentary that exposed notorious cheater Billy Mitchell. InTetris,the kill screen is supposed to be level 29, At which point new blocks start spawning every single frame, and the game becomes so fast that developers assumed no player would be able to make it past this point.
But JdMFx_ was able to go further. As he passes level 29 the game starts to glitch out. The level jumps from 29 to 00, then goes to 0A, 14, 1E, and then finally 28. The game wasn’t designed to go past level 29, but as this clip proves, it clearly can if a player is good enough.Tetrisdoes have a true kill screen, somewhere around level 155, in which the game will bug out and no longer be playable. This means that there’s still a lot of room for players to improve at the game.
JdMFx_ accomplished this goal while live-streaming the NES version ofTetrison Twitch. The VOD of his accomplishment has racked up over 50,000 views, which speaks to the long-standing popularity of the game. Despite the first version ofTetriscoming out in 1984, many gamers still love the game, and it has spawned hundreds of sequels and spin-offs, with a version of it on pretty much every platform–even a VRTetris.
Despite its age,Tetrisisn’t going anywhere. Not only are players still setting records in oldTetrisgames, but the newTetrisgames are incredibly popular too. In recent years,Tetris 99has updated the series by adding a battle royale mode andteam battle Tetristo the game.
