Tetris The Grand Master Ace[a] (also known as TGM Ace, and abbreviated as TGMA) is Arika's second Tetris game released for a console in December 10, 2005. It is the first game in the TGM series to be released for a home console.
The game reuses several elements from Terror-Instinct, a game from the main series which was released the same year. Block graphics are identical, with different block surfaces between SRS and ARS, and the backgrounds share a space theme, though new images appear in Ace. Many musical tracks from Terror-Instinct also appear in Ace, in addition to having new remixes of Korobeiniki, Kalinka, and Katyusha.
Numerous elements in the gameplay have undergone significant changes, mostly to adhere more closely to The Tetris Company's Tetris Guideline.
Main mode
While the main modes of the TGM series has always been a mode to reach level 999, which increases using Arika's own counting method, as fast as possible, this has been replaced with several modes in which the objective is to clear 150 lines. Each 10-line section has a time limit, in which the game automatically ends if the time runs out. Unlike other games, TGM Ace does not have a scoring system.
Rotation
TGM Ace originally featured a selection of two rotation rule options, SRS and ARS. While ARS offered the same initial stances, rotation rules and wallkicks as Terror-Instinct, it also featured tetromino colors compliant with SRS instead of the Sega colors used in previous games. ARS also included a locking hard drop and a non-locking soft drop, instead of the non-locking hard drop and locking soft drop in TGM2 and 3. In addition to this, soft drop speeds were reduced to around 0.5G as well. These two changes essentially made Zangi-moves impossible. Finally, the lockdown behavior of the tetrominoes adhered to the Infinity behavior, allowing virtually unlimited lock delay resets. (The game had a limit, though, of 128 rotations or movements per piece before the piece automatically locked down.)
Ichiro Mihara, producer of the TGM series, had hundred strongly before the release of the game that another ruleset existed within the game. The hidden rule option, ARS2, was essentially ARS except with the locking roles of the hard and soft drops reversed. This allowed players to play in a similar manner to the previous games, with Zangi-moves reenabled, although the Infinity behavior and the block colors still could not be changed.
According to Mihara, ARS2 was originally intended to be an unlockable element awarded only to players of the highest skill. Later on, however, the feature became unlocked for all players following a software update of the game. The conditions in which ARS2 was to be originally unlocked under remains unknown, although several players are said to have unlocked the feature before the update.
Online exclusivity
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Offline modes
Tetris (テトリス)
Tetris is the main single-player mode. The objective of all modes under this category is to clear 150 lines.
Normal (ノーマル)
Normal begins with low gravity and eventually reaches 20G around level 14. The lock delay is constant.
High Speed 1 (ハイスピード1)
High Speed 1 begins with higher gravity than that of Normal and reaches 20G around level 6. The lock delay is constant.
High Speed 2 (ハイスピード2)
In High Speed 2, gravity is fixed at 20G with a constant lock delay. Without an Xbox Live Gold account, this is the fastest mode that can be unlocked.
Big (ビッグ)
In Big, all tetrominoes are twice their regular size. The speed curve is similar or possibly identical to that of Normal mode. This mode cannot be used for online time attacks.
Another (アナザー)
In Another, gravity starts at 20G and lock delay decreases as the mode progresses. Another is said to be the equivalent of Death in TGM2 or Shirase in TGM3, although the difficulty is lower due to the game's lock delay move reset behavior.
Another 2 (アナザー2)
Another 2 is the last known mode unlocked in TGMA; it is opened up once all other modes have been unlocked and completed. Gravity is fixed at 20G. The lock delay is fixed to the lowest lock delay value of Another mode. Clearing this mode will not unlock any new modes or achievements. This mode also cannot be used for online time attacks, making its existence unknown to players who haven't unlocked it themselves.
Doubles (ダブルス)
A cooperative mode similar to the Doubles mode in TAP.
Match (マッチ)
Eraser (イレイサー)
A mode where certain lines are marked with a laser, and the player must clear the specified lines. The marked lines do not drop with the stack.
Level Star (レベルスター)
Target (ターゲット)
Uses the jewel blocks and mechanic from TGM3's Sakura mode, with different board layouts.
Online modes
These modes all require an Xbox Live membership to play.
Versus (対戦テトリス)
Similar to Match mode, but allows the player to play versus an online opponent.
Tetris Road (テトリスロード)
EX Stage: (EXステージ)
To play an EX Stage, finish a multiple-of-5 stage with a 2-line clear. Completing EX Stages will open up certain modes for offline play. (ex: Completing Star Road EX will unlock Level Star offline.)
Big Road (ビッグロード)
Stage
Subject
LV
Time Limit
Norm
1
Big
2
1:00
10
2
Tetris
4
2:00
5
3
Cycle
4
2:00
4
4
Big
5
2:00
20
5
Level Star
6
1:30
15
EX
Big
10
2:00
20
Tricky Road (トリッキーロード)
Stage
Subject
LV
Time Limit
Norm
1
Eraser
5
2:00
4
2
Target
3
4:00
5
3
Cycle
7
2:00
4
4
Target
5
4:00
5
5
Eraser
4
1:30
4
EX
Eraser
7
1:50
5
Grand Road (グランドロード)
Stage
Subject
LV
Time Limit
Norm
1
Target
8
2:00
3
2
Tetris
5
1:40
4
3
Big
5
1:40
20
4
Eraser
7
2:00
5
5
Cycle
6
1:30
4
6
Level Star
6
1:30
20
7
Target
4
3:00
3
8
Triple
6
1:40
5
9
Eraser
6
2:00
4
10
Level Star
7
1:20
20
EX
Level Star
8
1:10
20
Star Road (スターロード)
Stage
Subject
LV
Time Limit
Norm
1
Tetris
5
2:00
5
2
Eraser
5
2:00
4
3
Target
2
1:30
3
4
Cycle
10
1:30
4
5
Level Star
9
2:10
40
6
Big
6
1:30
20
7
Target
6
2:10
3
8
Eraser
6
2:00
4
9
Cycle
12
1:30
4
10
High Speed 2
1
0:40
10
EX
High Speed 2
1
2:00
35
Another Road (アナザーロード)
Stage
Subject
LV
Time Limit
Norm
1
Level Star
8
1:10
20
2
Eraser
4
1:30
4
3
Eraser
3
1:30
3
4
Target
4
1:30
3
5
High Speed 2
1
1:10
20
6
Triple
6
1:40
5
7
Big
5
1:40
20
8
Eraser
6
1:40
4
9
Target
10
3:00
3
10
Another
1
1:00
10
11
Double
8
2:00
5
12
Triple
8
1:40
5
13
Tetris
10
1:40
5
14
Cycle
10
1:30
4
15
Another
2
1:30
20
16
Big
15
2:00
20
17
Eraser
10
2:00
8
18
High Speed 2
1
2:00
40
19
Tetris
15
1:40
5
20
Another
4
2:00
40
EX
Another
7
1:00
10
Promotional Exam (昇段審査)
The notation of the grades are similar to those of the past TGM games.
Grade 9 (九級)
Stage
Subject
LV
Time Limit
Norm
1
Level Star
2
2:00
10
Grade 8 (八級)
Stage
Subject
LV
Time Limit
Norm
1
Tetris
4
1:00
1
Grade 7 (七級)
Stage
Subject
LV
Time Limit
Norm
1
Level Star
5
3:00
20
Grade 6 (六級)
Stage
Subject
LV
Time Limit
Norm
1
Cycle
5
2:00
4
Grade 5 (五級)
Stage
Subject
LV
Time Limit
Norm
1
Eraser
3
1:30
3
Grade 4 (四級)
Stage
Subject
LV
Time Limit
Norm
1
Target
2
1:30
3
Grade 3 (三級)
Stage
Subject
LV
Time Limit
Norm
1
Big
2
2:00
20
Grade 2 (二級)
Stage
Subject
LV
Time Limit
Norm
1
Tetris
4
3:00
5
Grade 1 (一級)
Stage
Subject
LV
Time Limit
Norm
1
High Speed 2
1
1:10
10
Grade S1 (初段)
Stage
Subject
LV
Time Limit
Norm
1
Big
2
2:00
20
2
Level Star
8
1:00
12
Grade S2 (ニ段)
Stage
Subject
LV
Time Limit
Norm
1
Eraser
3
1:40
3
2
Tetris
4
2:00
5
3
Level Star
8
1:00
15
Grade S3 (三段)
Stage
Subject
LV
Time Limit
Norm
1
Target
4
1:30
3
2
Cycle
5
1:40
4
3
Eraser
5
1:30
4
4
High Speed 2
1
1:00
15
Grade S4 (四段)
Stage
Subject
LV
Time Limit
Norm
1
Big
2
2:00
20
2
Cycle
5
1:40
4
3
Eraser
6
2:00
4
4
High Speed 2
1
2:00
35
Grade S5 (五段)
Stage
Subject
LV
Time Limit
Norm
1
Target
6
2:30
4
2
Triple
4
2:00
5
3
Big
2
2:00
20
4
High Speed 2
1
3:00
50
Grade S6 (六段)
Stage
Subject
LV
Time Limit
Norm
1
Target
7
2:40
5
2
High Speed 2
1
2:00
35
3
Eraser
8
2:00
6
4
Target
8
3:00
5
Grade S7 (七段)
Stage
Subject
LV
Time Limit
Norm
1
Double
4
1:30
5
2
Tetris
4
2:00
5
3
Eraser
10
2:00
8
4
High Speed 2
1
1:30
40
Grade S8 (八段)
Stage
Subject
LV
Time Limit
Norm
1
High Speed 2
1
1:00
20
2
Triple
8
2:00
5
3
Cycle
8
1:40
4
4
Another
4
1:40
40
Grade S9 (九段)
Stage
Subject
LV
Time Limit
Norm
1
Eraser
7
1:50
5
2
Another
7
3:00
80
Grade S10 (十段)
Stage
Subject
LV
Time Limit
Norm
1
High Speed 2
1
2:00
40
2
Target
9
3:00
4
3
Big
8
1:30
20
4
Another
10
1:30
40
Grade TM
Stage
Subject
LV
Time Limit
Norm
1
Another
7
1:10
30
2
Eraser
10
2:00
8
3
Another
7
0:40
20
4
Double
15
1:30
5
5
Another
13
0:40
20
Time Attack (タイムアタック)
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Physical scans
Xbox 360,JP
Cover
Disc
Notes
↑Japanese: テトリス ザ・グランドマスター エース Hepburn: Tetorisu za Gurandomasutaa Eesu