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How to play Tetromino

Full guide: the goal, seven falling pieces and their rotation, tight stacking, clearing lines, points and levels, controls on muta.pro and tips for beginners.

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In brief

Goal
Clear lines and score points
Players
1
Game
5–15 min
Difficulty
Medium
Field
10×20 well

Goal of the game

Tetromino is a solo puzzle about order amid falling chaos. From the top into a narrow well 10×20 fall pieces of four blocks one after another. Your task is to stack them as tightly as possible, without empty gaps, and completely fill horizontal lines: such a line burns away and earns points. The longer you keep an even stack and the more lines you clear at once, the higher the score. The game goes on while there's somewhere to fall; the goal is to last as long as possible and set a record.

Setup

The well is empty at the start. The game hands out pieces on the principle of the «seven-bag»: every seven pieces contain all seven types in random order, so the part you need won't keep you waiting long. On the right you can always see the next piece — it's worth taking into account in advance. Press «Start game» (or «New game»), and the first piece will appear at the top centre.

Pieces and rotation

Seven types

The game has seven pieces made of four blocks: the long straight one (I), the square (O), the T «corner», two mirrored «snakes» S and Z, plus the angled J and L. Each has its own colour.

Falling

A piece appears at the top and descends on its own at a steady speed. While it is in the air, you can move and rotate it.

Rotation

A piece can be rotated 90° clockwise. If there isn't enough room by a wall, the game automatically nudges the piece sideways so the rotation still goes through.

Shifting

Before it lands, you move the piece left and right, choosing the column where it will sit most evenly.

Shadow

A semi-transparent outline is highlighted under the piece — it's its future landing spot. The shadow helps you aim without waiting for the drop.

Locking

On touching the floor or the blocks below, a piece freezes in place and becomes part of the stack. The next one appears immediately.

Clearing lines

As soon as a horizontal row is completely filled with blocks, without a single gap, it flashes and disappears, and everything that lay above drops down. You can set up and clear several lines at once — that's the most rewarding. The most valuable move is to fill at once four lines (the long straight piece is usually saved up for this). Extra blocks don't go anywhere: if you stack crookedly, the pile grows towards the ceiling.

Points and levels

Points are awarded for cleared lines: 1 line — 100, 2 — 300, 3 — 500, 4 — 800, and all of this is multiplied by the current level. So several lines at once are worth far more than the same rows one by one. Manual drops also give a few points: a soft drop earns one per cell, a hard drop two. Every ten cleared lines raise the level: pieces start falling faster, and the points multiplier grows. The best result is saved as your personal record.

How it looks: moves explained

The well is 10 cells wide, and each piece has its own colour. Below are the seven pieces and typical situations: preparing a «well» for the straight piece and clearing four lines at once.

I
O
T
S
Z
J
L
Seven pieces. Each is made of four blocks and has its own colour — so they're easy to tell apart in the well.
Setting up a «well». Three rows are almost complete, and the far-right column is deliberately left empty. The outline shows where the straight piece will drop in.
Tetris — 4 lines. The straight piece (I) has closed the well: the two bottom lines are completely filled and about to burn away. This is the most valuable move.

End of the game

The game ends when a new piece has nowhere to appear: the stack has grown to the very top of the well and the spot for the next part is already taken. The screen shows the result — score, number of lines and level. There's no losing «on points» here: you have a single opponent — the rising tower of blocks and the mounting speed. After the game ends, you can start a new game right away.

Controls on muta.pro

⬅️
Movement · ← →
The left and right arrows move the falling piece horizontally.
🔄
Rotation · ↑ or X
The up arrow or the X key rotates the piece 90° clockwise.
⬇️
Drop · ↓ and space
The down arrow is a soft drop (speeds up the fall), the space bar is a hard drop all the way to the bottom.
📱
Pause and phone
The P key pauses the game. On a touch screen, the buttons ← ↓ → ⟳ and «Drop» appear at the bottom.

Tips for beginners

Keep the surface even

The flatter the top of the stack, the easier it is to fit any piece. Don't leave narrow deep wells.

Save the straight piece

Leave an empty one-cell-wide column at the edge and build up three lines so you can clear four at once with the long piece.

Watch the «next» piece

The preview on the right tells you what's coming next. Plan the placement of the current piece with the next one in mind.

Don't rush the drop

The hard drop is fast but irreversible. At high levels it's better to guide the piece into place and only then drop it.

The technique of high scores

A high score in Tetromino is not about reaction speed but about stacking discipline. As long as the stack stays flat and free of gaps, you control the game; the moment holes appear, you start playing against yourself, and sooner or later every game chokes. A record grows from two things: long games and fat clears of several lines at once.

An experienced player thinks not about the current piece but about what the terrain will look like after it lands. Place each piece where it creates no new ledge and locks away no empty cell — then the stack stays manageable on its own for dozens of moves in a row.

A level horizon

Keep the top of the stack almost flat: the height difference between neighbouring columns should be no more than one or two cells. Any of the seven pieces sits comfortably on a level surface, which means no piece will catch you off guard or force you to bury an empty space.

One well on the right

Leave a single empty column at the edge and fill the other nine. Build up three or four rows like this — and one straight piece will clear them all at once. The key is not to turn a useful well into a deep gap you have nothing left to close.

Never one line at a time

Clearing rows one by one is wasteful: four lines at once score 800 points against 400 for four single clears. And with the rising multiplier the gap grows even wider — save your lines up for a fat volley.

Read the preview

Always watch the "next" piece and place the current one so the next has a convenient spot. Pairs like S+Z or L+J are often worth placing together, each closing the other's ledge.

The level row is filled across five cells, and the far right one (gold) is that very well for a straight piece: fill three more rows like this, and a single tetris clears all four.

Advanced techniques

Once the basics are mastered, three techniques prolong a game: the T-spin, a safety margin before a drop, and skilful use of the landing shadow. All three are about the same thing — how to repair uneven terrain without raising the stack higher or burying gaps beneath it.

It is also worth training your feel for the pieces: L and J close single ledges, S and Z lie on steps running in opposite directions, and the O square needs a flat two-cell platform. When you know in advance which piece belongs where, rotating and shifting stop being a lottery.

T

A T-shaped notch: the T piece is screwed into the recess by a rotation, a spot you cannot fill from above with an ordinary shift.

The T-spin

A T piece cannot be pushed sideways into a T-shaped notch — it is twisted in with a last-moment rotation, while the wall kick helps spin the piece into place. This is how you close holes under overhanging blocks and rescue terrain that seemed ruined.

Aim with the shadow

The translucent outline at the bottom of the well shows the exact landing spot. Line the piece up with the target column using the shadow — and only then drop it; that way you won't miss even at high speed.

Soft drop over hard

At high levels, press down (a soft drop) rather than the space bar: right at the bottom you'll have a split second to shift or rotate the piece if you got the column wrong.

Speed and levels

Tetromino on muta.pro is the classic endless single-player mode: the game lasts as long as there is somewhere to fall. There are no separate difficulty levels before you start — the pace ramps up on its own as you play, and that is the whole thrill. The further you get, the faster the pieces fall and the more each cleared line is worth.

A level every 10 lines

Clear ten rows and the level goes up: pieces fall noticeably faster and the score multiplier grows. So the very same row is worth several times more near the end of a game than at the start.

Speed is both risk and reward

The higher the level, the more valuable the lines — but the less time you have to think. Keep the stack low so that at speed you retain some headroom and a second or two to manoeuvre.

The seven-bag

Pieces come in "bags": every seven contain all types once each, with no repeats and no gaps. The piece you need is guaranteed to arrive within the next seven moves — you can build a plan around that.

Speed up with the soft drop

Bored of waiting at a low level? Bring pieces down manually: it fills lines faster and earns a point per cell.

Don't chase the level

Raising the level for the multiplier is dangerous: if the stack is already high, the extra speed will finish you off. Level out the field first, then pick up the pace.

Your own record

Your best score is kept in the browser and survives a game restart. Compete above all with your own previous result.

Common mistakes

Almost every early defeat comes down to buried holes and too tall a stack. Take a typical slip: a piece was placed badly and sealed an empty cell beneath it that you can no longer reach. One such hole costs a whole line, and several in a row are guaranteed to drive the stack to the ceiling.

The gold cell is a buried hole: the row above it won't clear until you dismantle everything on top, so such a cell costs more than a whole lost line.

  1. Burying holes. A cell under an overhanging block can no longer be filled — the row won't clear until you strip away everything above. Better to leave a visible bump than to seal a gap: a bump you fix with the next piece, but a hole must be dug out by clearing lines.
  2. Digging deep wells. A narrow slot two or more rows deep can only be closed by a straight piece. If it doesn't come for a while, the stack climbs to the ceiling. Keep no more than one well, and no deeper than four rows.
  3. Slamming space on autopilot. A hard drop is instant and irreversible: miss the column and the piece is already locked. At high speed the soft drop is safer, leaving a split second to correct.
  4. Building a tower in one corner. Fill the field evenly from left to right rather than piling blocks in one part of the well — otherwise you get a cliff on one edge and no room for a piece on the other.

Frequently asked questions

How is a soft drop different from a hard drop?
The soft drop (down arrow) just speeds up the fall and gives one point per cell — the piece can still be adjusted. The hard drop (space) instantly drops the piece all the way down and locks it at once.
How do you score the most points?
Clear several lines at once, and especially four at a time. The line multiplier grows with the level, so it pays to climb higher and bank up rows. A row filled completely flashes and burns away:
Why did the piece rotate with a shift?
If there isn't enough room by a wall or neighbouring blocks, the game nudges the piece slightly sideways so the rotation still happens. That's normal.
Is my high score saved?
Yes, the best score is kept in the browser and shown in the «High score» block. A new game doesn't reset it.
What is a T-spin and why is it useful?
It's when a T piece is twisted by a rotation into a T-shaped notch beneath overhanging blocks, a spot you cannot push it into from the side. The move lets you close holes and clear lines where ordinary stacking is powerless.
Can I set a piece aside in reserve?
No, the version on muta.pro has no "hold" slot. Work with the current piece and the "next" preview — you can't put a piece aside for later.
Why is playing one line at a time said to be a poor idea?
A single line scores 100 points, while four at once score 800 — twice as much for the same four rows. Plus the multiplier grows with the level, so saving lines up for a fat volley pays off better.
How do I fix an uneven stack?
Look for pieces that settle into the dips: L and J close ledges, S and Z fit steps, T plugs single pits. Level out the horizon before building higher.
Does the falling speed change during a game?
Yes. Every ten cleared lines raise the level, and the pieces start falling faster. There is no difficulty setting before you start — the pace ramps up on its own.
What should I do if a hole is left under a block?
The only way to reach it is to dismantle every row above it by clearing lines. That's why it's easier not to create holes: when a placement goes wrong, better to leave a visible bump than to seal a gap.
Ready for a game?
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