A splash of blue light and a metronome begins to sound, further building the anticipation until - suddenly - some blue rays made up of light particles appear, dancing across the screen.
It's captivating as you can feel the anticipation of the strings building to a crescendo. As you place tiles, each placement makes an angelic sound - with the completion of lines flashing up blue on the screen. It begins with only a few luminescent fish and coral appearing on this screen alongside with your playfield, while the music, consisting of a simple string orchestra, builds up. While your actual playfield remains largely the same, the music and visuals around the playfield change as you progress - with the gameplay tied to the beat of the music. Tetris Effect's levels each offer an entirely unique themed experience, for example, an underwater level or a peaceful forest setting. So, while the game itself is pretty much the same (with a few new modes thrown in), it's what's happening around the game that makes Tetris Effect special. What Tetris Effect does is build on this cognitive flow even more than we have seen with previous iterations. This hypnotic feeling is something psychologists refer to as cognitive flow, which is reached when a game offers players concrete goals with manageable rules, goals that fit their capabilities, clear and timely feedback, and (something Tetris Effect is very good at) a lack of distractions.