Tetris: The Grand Master (1998)

The level, and therefore difficulty, increases every time a new piece falls onto the playing field and every time a line is cleared, for a maximum of 999. On levels whose lower two digits are 99 and on level 998, the level will only increase when a line is cleared. As the level increases, so too does the speed at which blocks fall, until eventually they reach the bottom of the playing field instantaneously, a state referred to as 20G. Once the pieces have hit 20G, the player has only a fraction of a second to maneuver them into the desired position before they are locked into place.

The ultimate goal of the game is to receive a high ranking, which is based entirely on score. The highest ranking of the game is Grand Master, which only occurs when a specified rank is reached within a determined time threshold. In the case that two players have achieved the exact same score, the high score table will award a higher place to the one who attained that score faster.