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best tgm game by far

the hardest Tetris game.

As someone that only got into TGM around 3 years ago, seeing this game release was an absolute (eye) godsend for this new addiction of mine. The game definitely had a rough start considering how many updates it took for reception to be above mixed, but it definitely improved to where I can recommend the game.

I am omitting MARATHON, SPRINT, and ULTRA from this review because they are just guideline Tetris which anyone can breeze through.



The first mode new players would pick, and at launch I think it was mostly perfect. But since 1.7.0, DAS and entry delay have been increased a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. I don't really think this was a good idea, but I guess it's a weird way to force the Extra fish button which decreases entry delay?


This mode is an improved version of TGM1. Personally I think this is a way better introduction to TGM compared to NORMAL mode, since it’s the first iteration which was done in a lot of moderation for the arcade. Plus, the added moveset rules to TGM4 such as I and T wallkicks make 20G much less stressful.


This mode is an improved version of TGM2’s T.A. DEATH mode. Now that we’re used to 20G by now, you must stack fast now. Because one gimmick returns from the previous games, the torikan. It’s a soft time limit where if you don’t get to level 500 in ≤3:20, your run ends prematurely.


This mode is an improved version of TGM3’s SHIRASE mode. And holy hell do you need to stack FAST. Though actually not too fast, since DAS is especially low in 3.1, so small adjustments are harder than in the previous modes.

Originally there was a torikan at level 500, but that was removed here. But the second gimmick returns, garbage lines. Every so often, the state of the bottom most row in your stack will be copied and the rest shifts up, so stacking cleanly and to the middle point of height is a must.

This copy is done faster and faster up until level 1000 (has a torikan). Yes, 1000, not 999. 3.1 goes beyond level 999, and it’s apparent why the garbage gimmick stops, because a third gimmick is now in place. All your tetriminos will now be drawn as colorless square brackets, which makes your run harder because there is no color to separate what each piece is anymore, so you need to rely on shape recognition instead to stack.

Originally this would go until level 1300 (has a torikan), but 3.1 wants you to go up to level 2000. And at 1400, the garbage gimmick returns along with the square brackets, so it’s all hands on deck to keep up.


I consider this the actual NORMAL mode of TGM4. Mainly due to not just a timer of 30 minutes, but also 2 very nice mechanics, those being Backstep and Infinity. The latter is something that is seen in some guideline Tetris games, where rotating will reset lock delay allowing the player to stall for as long as they want. The former on the other hand is interesting, by pressing the Backstep button it rewinds pieces previously placed down to the section of X00 you’re on, so misdrops are a lot less punishing.


Best mode for me personally, starting at 20G and with the same goal as ASUKA EASY, get at least 1 Tetris before proceeding further, but this time under a time limit of 7 minutes. It gets very speedy by 900, but Backstep is always an option, despite the long animation which can eat away at the timer.

But like 3.1, this mode goes past level 999, and up to 1300. But what changes this time? The game turns off the lights. A previous gimmick of getting GM in TGM2 and 3’s MASTER modes was invisible Tetris, where pieces would be gone visually upon placing, so your memory is your worst enemy. But remember that you still need the at least 1 Tetris requirement to go further.


Same as ASUKA, but that “HARD” is no exaggeration, and is immediately seen when you notice the time limit has gone from 7:00 down to 4:30.


Best mode. At the side of the playfield, you will see 4 medal counters for special line clears you can do, those being All Clears, T-Spins, Tetrises, and Pikii. Obtaining a certain amount of these will increase the levels you get from line clears by 1 each time, and this effect stacks additively.

You could probably understand the first three, but what is Pikii? Well, that’s a new gimmick introduced at level 300 called… Pikii. What it does is freeze the bottom half of your stack, meaning line clears do not bring the stack down until the next level-100-interval. Getting 28 Pikii line clears will grant this level bonus mentioned before. At level 700, the game switches to Pikii-2, it immediately freezes the board each interval.

WARNING: Past here is stuff that was never revealed in any trailers, and Mihara appears to not like to see people disecting this mode, so read with caution.

MASTER mode doesn’t stop at level 999, because at level 1000 a new gimmick is brought in for the rest of the run: Cyclone. Each piece from now on will have a random chance to be rotated differently before spawning in, and if you’re not careful this can really screw with the muscle memory you’ve built up by now.


But this is not for long as you reach 1300. And this is the biggest curveball that the TGM series has given to its players, Mikii. After a piece is placed, it will eventually freeze into ice blocks, similar to Pikii as you cannot clear those lines. But getting a Tetris will delete the bottom row of the stack, so you are able to survive if stacking correctly.


The best part? Mikii goes on until level 2600. And there’s a very special thing at 2600, because there is no credit roll. Instead, you have reached the END GAME . The game will force a rewind, similar to Backstep from ASUKA, but depending on how fast it took you to get to 2600 from 1300. And when the rewind stops, you have 65 seconds to get back up to 2600.



KONOHA was the only mode we were able to see publicly in the beta version of TGM4 when it was going to be released in arcades. (if you want to view it click here)

Each piece is 2X their normal size, and your objective is not to clear lines, but get All Clears. Getting one will extend your timer which has a maximum of 5 minutes, and partially reveal an artwork of an original anime character. One more will fully reveal it, one more will bring up a new character.

All Clear setups are not very easy to come by, so KONOHA EASY removes S and Z pieces from appearing, as well as giving a guide of where to place pieces up until your 25th All Clear.


Same as KONOHA EASY, just with some of the comfort features removed. Notably S and Z being brought back, and an actual speed curve that eventually goes to 20G (KONOHA EASY has static gravity). Though something else to note is that KONOHA EASY only allows unlocking the first 37 characters, and KONOHA HARD unlocks the full 50 in the gallery.


SHIRANUI felt very uninteresting to me. It’s guideline Tetris PvP, but you fight against a bot that has 104 tiers of difficulty, and it gets absolutely brutal and extremely difficult to finish at the end.


Overall, TGM4 is probably the best Tetris game for people that have a Tetris addiction, and the barrier to entry for new players is not steep. There was a lot of balance and thought put into each area of the game, most of them at least. It’s not perfect, no game is, but this one was a great leap towards that idea. So if this review convinced you, drop off $35 and get to stacking!