Overview:
- Estimated achievement difficulty: 8/10
- Offline: 38 [950]
- Online: 2 [50]
- Approximate amount of time to 1000g: 20 hours [skill dependent]
- Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 1
- Number of missable achievements: None!
- Glitched achievements: No
- Do cheat codes disable achievements: No cheats

We all know Tetris, but this is a deceptively tough 1k due to the level of speed and skill required on certain game modes. The best advice I can give is to mix up the modes you play so you do not get worn down going for just one achievement.

Introduction
Tetris: Evolution is a re-imagining of the classic game that includes a variety of different game styles and online modes. Do not be fooled into thinking this will be a walk in the park though as the points on offer require quite a bit of skill and there are no real shortcuts – you are either good enough to get them or you aren’t. The online tasks are straightforward though and will be more a matter of time than skill.

Step #1: Online mode
I urge you to get these out of the way first and foremost, as they can glitch slightly for some reason and not unlock. Basically if you hit the requirements and they do not pop up slightly you must exit out of the game and delete your save file from your hard-drive. Start the game anew and they should unlock first time. You can boost these, but it may be easier to start a four player game and try to get both at once. These can be done in Ranked or Player games.

Step #2: Play-through Marathon Mode
A lot of the achievements are tied to this mode, including the high score ones, T-spin, back to back tetrises, game speed etc. So tweak the game settings to best suit whatever you are aiming for. Also, go for back to back tetrises rather than t-spins as they are much easier to set up. Make sure to put the scoring to Variable in order to amass the higher scores as otherwise the game will end when you hit 150 lines.

Step #3: Other Modes and 100 Games
Play the other modes one at a time and try to improve your time/score at each attempt when going for the Gold achievements. With practice, you can shave off valuable seconds and be sure to make use of pressing UP to instantly drop a piece when it is in place. Some modes are made drastically easier by tinkering with the settings so bear in mind what your objective is before you begin. If you do not have 100 games played after finishing everything else then just start Marathon mode and let the screen fill on purpose – this counts as one game, so just repeat for as many games as you need.

Conclusion
This game requires a lot of practice and repetition in order to get the full 1000, and the Score mode in particular can seem impossible until you get the perfect run of pieces. The best advice for this game is to keep at it and make gradual progress – the more you understand the game and start to work out how to best use each piece then the better chance you stand.
 
[XBA would like to thank jackanape for this Roadmap]

Tetris Evolution Achievement Guide

Printable Guide
Show completed achievements
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There are 40 achievements with a total of 1000 points

  • Get 100,000 points playing Marathon.

    Pretty straightforward this. Just make sure that the goal system is set to ‘Variable’ otherwise you will only be able to get a maximum of 150 lines and this is sometimes not enough to get the higher scores. Also make sure to try and get as many back to back Tetrises as you can (clearing four lines at once) – as the points build up the more you get. So no 1, 2 or 3 line drops in between. Finally, be aware that you get bigger scores the faster the game gets, so if you are struggling once the level goes up then just go for single lines as at level 15 or so 1 line can be worth nearly 1000 points.

  • Get 200,000 points playing Marathon.

    As with the Tin medal, but you will certainly have to wait until the faster speeds to get this one. Make sure you focus on Tetrises at the lower (and slower) levels and then once it speeds up try and keep the grid as low as possible. Always keep a long blue piece in reserve (using RB I believe) to wipe out some lines if you are struggling.

  • Score 100,000 points playing Cascade.

    This is similar to Marathon, but in this mode when you clear a line then remaining pieces can drop into holes below to clear them too. Dropping pieces in this way can net you big points especially if you get a chain of them going. To set this up easily you can use the green or red S shaped pieces. Fill a line, bar three spaces and then drop one of these in the gap – this will leave a complete line except for one space. So when you clear the line above a piece should drop into this hole and voila. However, I would recommend playing this mode as normal – building up Tetrises as that makes life easier.

  • Score 5,000 points playing 1 minute Ultra.

    You basically have one minute to get as many points as possible, again going for Tetrises is the key here but there is an easier way. If you set the starting speed to about level 9 or above then you should get a lot of points even from only one or two lines. At this speed you will only need to make 2-3 back to back Tetrises to get the required score.

  • Clear 40 lines in under 4:00 playing Race (Single Player).

    The key to getting the race achievements is setting up the grid. Make sure you start with the fill level at the maximum, as this will put 15 lines on screen to start with all requiring just one block to clear, clear these out as fast as possible and then just create as many lines as you can after that. You can go for Tetrises if they are available but remember its lines that count not points.

  • Get 25,000 points in under 10:00 playing Score (Single Player).

    Basically the game ends when you get 25,000 points so you have to do it as fast as possible. The key here is back to back Tetrises – you have to get nothing but and it will take about 15 to get all of the points in under the time. I have seen this done in only a couple of minutes using T-spins back to back instead – but that takes a lot of planning ahead so stick with Tetrises and be prepared for frustration. My strategy is to keep a long piece in reserve and then build up the grid while leaving a line down one side, then when another blue piece comes along drop them both in for more points.

  • Get 25,000 points playing Hotline.

    You can get points as normal, but you get more points for forming lines on the coloured lines on the grids AND you get more points the higher up the grid those coloured lines are. Try and build up to the middle and form lines there, you’ll end up near the top anyway once it speeds up and you’ll get massive points for clearing lines on the coloured areas then. For this medal you can stick near the bottom though, as you’ll build up plenty of points just playing it safe.

  • Clear eight target lines in under 1:30 playing Eraser (Single Player).

    DO NOT GO FOR LINES. The aim here is to clear the highlighted lines on the grid and that’s all. So to start with, set the fill capacity to level five so you can clear the first line with one drop. Then just pile your pieces anywhere to reach the next line and clear it, then do the same up the grid making sure not to form any lines except when you are hitting one of the highlighted ones. Just stack anywhere until you get to a line and then clear it and carry on.

  • Get 30,000 points playing Go Low.

     

    You do get points for making lines anywhere on the grid, but the lower the grid stays then the more points you’ll get. So don’t go for Tetrises, just clear the bottom one or two lines – also try to lay the long pieces horizontally rather than vertically as this will keep the grid low. If you clear the screen you will get a bonus of about 10,000 points so this can speed things up but its not absolutely necessary.

  • Do two Tetrises or T-Spins (Single or Double) without clearing any lines in between in Marathon.

    Just do two Tetrises in a row without making any lines in between. Just keep a long blue piece in reserve and build up the grid until it’s at least eight lines high with a gap down one side. Then just wait for another blue piece to show up and drop it in – then drop in your saved piece too.

  • Pulled off the infamous T-Spin playing Marathon.

    The T-spin is when you put a purple T shaped piece into a gap that it will only fit in by turning it at the last minute. Here is a video showing how to set them up. (Thanks to ‘number uno’ for finding this). Make sure you are in Marathon mode when you do this or it won’t count.

  • Get 250,000 points playing Marathon.

    See "100,000 Marathon". This requires a lot more persistence and you will certainly be reaching the higher speeds. A lot of people say you should start off at the higher speeds to get more points but I disagree. If you start at level 1 you can get a lot of points from easy Tetrises before it naturally builds up to level 15 anyway.

  • Score 200,000 points playing Cascade.

    See "100,000 Cascade". This is an easier version of Marathon, as when it gets really fast and you find yourself just resorting to making single lines then a lot of the time you will accidentally make a cascade by dropping lines into places where you messed up previously.

  • Score 12,500 points playing 1 minute Ultra.

    See "5,000 Ultra". The easy way to get more points on this mode is to up the starting level to whatever you find manageable. I would recommend about 9-10 as it’s fast but you should still be able to form Tetrises and you only need a few to hit 12,500.

  • Clear 40 lines in under 3:00 playing Race (Single Player).

    Same as the Bronze medal and this shouldn’t be a problem if you set the fill capacity to max and then blitz the first 15 lines as soon as you can. Then just make lines as fast as possible.

  • Got 25,000 points in under 7:30 playing Score (Single Player).

    Same as the Bronze medal but obviously requiring a faster time. If you do nothing but back to back Tetrises then you should get this with plenty of time to spare, also remember that if you are close to the score and time is running out then just making ANY line will do. Also, just dropping pieces will get you some points too if you are seriously struggling.

  • Got 50,000 points playing Hotline.

    Same as the Bronze medal. You will need to use the middle or above lines to make this easier, but make sure that you aren’t too high up the grid when you reach the higher levels as it will soon get too fast for you to hit the lines.

  • Clear eight target lines in under 1:15 playing Eraser (Single Player).

    One of the easier silver (and gold) medals. Just set the starting fill capacity to 5 to clear the first line, then build up to each line and clear it as fast as you can.

  • Get 40,000 points playing Go Low.

    To get silver (or gold) you will need to clear the grid at least once, possibly more, but once is all I managed to get Gold so it’s certainly manageable. The best way to clear the grid is to keep a T piece in reserve, as you can often get down to two lines with this shape being the only one left to clear them. Be aware that going over 5 lines means you will get no points at all for clearing lines.

  • Send 20 lines in a Xbox Live game.

    Set up a four player game and make sure the option to send lines is turned on, now just focus on making Tetrises and for each one you will send between 1-4 lines to the other players. So a few of these will soon see you hit the limit. Online achievements can sometimes get glitched on this game though (as I found out) so if it doesn’t pop when you know it should here is the cure. Go to the dashboard and into memory options then delete the game save for Tetris. Load the game up again and go online straight away – the achs should pop when you do them next time. You will lose all of your high scores though so be warned.

  • Do three Tetrises or T-Spins (Single or Double) in a row (Back to Back to Back) playing Marathon.

    Easiest to do three Tetrises to get this one unless you are a t-spin master. Store the first long piece that comes along and then build the grid until it’s at least 8-12 lines high and only needing blue pieces. Then drop in the next blue piece you get along with the one you had saved, then just build the grid back up and drop in the next blue piece you get. Simple. Just make sure you create no other lines in between any of the Tetrises.

  • Get 350,000 points playing Marathon.

    As with the earlier medals, try to get Tetrises until you can’t cope and then just form as many lines as you can. At the higher speeds you get plenty of points just for one line so don’t worry and take it one at a time.

  • Score 300,000 points playing Cascade.

    See "Cascade Silver Medal".

  • Score 25,000 points playing 1 minute Ultra.

    This can’t be done unless the starting level is at least 9+ as at the lower levels you simply won’t get enough points even when doing Tetrises.

  • Clear 40 lines in under 2:00 playing Race (Single Player).

    See "Race Silver Medal".

  • Get 25,000 points in under 4:00 playing Score (Single Player).

    The hardest achievement in the game, at least for me. All I can say is that you have to get back to back Tetrises and nothing else – if you miss even one then you may as well restart as it’s that tight. At the end, when you are close, you may want to pick off one of two lines to get you there as you might not have time to build up for another Tetris. It will take a few attempts so you have been warned.

  • Got 100,000 points playing Hotline.

     

    See "Hotline Silver Medal".

  • Clear eight target lines in under 1:00 playing Eraser (Single Player).

    The easiest Gold Medal so just follow the tips for the earlier medals

  • Get 50,000 points playing Go Low.

    See "Go Low Silver Medal". You MUST get at least one clearance or this will be made a lot harder as once the speed increases it becomes harder to keep the grid low, but try your best to keep it at no more than one or two lines.

  • Win an Xbox Live game.

    Go online and win ANY type of game, either in player or ranked match. If it doesn’t pop then your game has glitched and you will need to delete your save and try again as I detailed above. There are a lot of pretty slow players and people who quit when they are losing so it shouldn’t take too long.

  • Pull off a T-Spin 2-Line Clear playing Marathon.

     

    See "Rollin on Spinnas". Set up the T-spin so that when you spin it into position it will clear two lines, you should get this at the same time as the other achievement if you follow the video. Again make sure you are in Marathon mode.

  • Clear a line on Level 15.

     

    Go to Marathon mode and set the starting level to 15, then just create one line.

  • Score 100,000 points with Fill Rate set to High in Cascade.

    Start off and build up some Tetrises but as soon as the fill kicks in you will have to try and clear them as often as possible. This mode is made easier by the fact that often when you clear a line a piece will drop from above into the newly formed fill lines, plus 100,000 points isn’t massively high so keep going even if the grid keeps getting higher as there is plenty of chances that a number of cascades will soon clear it.

  • Clear line 20 of the Matrix.

    You have to clear the topmost line of the grid to get this and a lot of the time you may well do this while trying to keep a game alive. If you want this as fast as possible then just stack blocks up to the top and use pieces to make the line – quite easy on the lower levels. But make sure you don’t drop a piece so that it is more then two spaces higher than the top line or it will be game over.

  • Trigger 8 or more Cascade Line Clears with a single drop.

    This can be achieved purely by mistake if you get the grid high enough but there is a better way. Fill the bottom row all the way across barring the far left block (so there is one gap). After that you need to stack 4 green shapes on the right hand side while covering the hole you left. Put a long blue piece on the far right on top of the last green piece. The next long piece goes on the far left and is the key component for the 8th cascade. Be sure not to put anything on top of this or it won't drop down to make the 8th cascade. Then put the last straight line on the left side of the green piece and start the cascade. (Thanks to ZeroDesolation for this). Just make sure you don’t create any lines in the middle of this set up as it will muck it all up.

  • Play 100 games (Single Player).

    Pretty easy this, just try and get the other achievements and it will come naturally or if you are desperate for it then just start a Marathon mode and fill the screen. You lose but it counts as one game so keep on doing it.

  • Score 2 Tetrises in 2 drops playing Marathon.

    You have to get two Tetrises in a row, but using only two pieces. So obviously the only way to do this is using two blue pieces in a row when the grid is at least eight rows high with one vertical line clear down one side. Keep a blue piece in reserve as soon as you can, then build up the grid to the required height – then just wait for another blue piece to appear and drop that in followed by your spare piece.

  • Clear the Matrix completely playing Go Low.

    This is practically impossible to set up but the best bet is to keep either a purple T shape back of one of the square blocks, as these are the two shapes that you will find appear more often when there is a chance to clear the bottom two lines. If you keep a blue piece you may be able to lay it horizontally into a gap too. Basically try and keep the grid low and wait for your chance.

  • Score 3 Tetrises in 3 drops playing Marathon.

    See "Old Skool Back to Back". This time you need three in a row, so keep one in reserve as before but this time you have to wait for either two long blues in a row OR a blue, then any other piece then anther blue (as you can swap the middle piece for your stored long piece). Make sure you are on Marathon mode and then build the grid so that it is at least twelve rows high and just requiring the long pieces down one side – now it is just a matter of waiting for one of the above combos. If the grid gets too high then use a blue piece to clear it down a bit and then build up again, DO NOT use you saved blue piece as the odds of three blue pieces turning up in a row is negligible.

  • Get 500,000 points on Marathon.

    See "Marathon Gold Medal".

    General tips:

    - Higher speeds will net you bigger scores but also make it harder to get Tetrises, and they will be your main source of points so make sure you choose a speed that matches the achievement you need.
    - Pressing UP will instantly drop a piece which is vital for the speed related games, get pieces in place early and drop them ASAP.
    - Keep the grid as flat as possible when stacking for Tetrises but do not place pieces where it will create a vertical gap of three blocks, as they can only be filled with the long blue pieces and you want to keep those for scoring with.
    - If you are struggling with any of the modes then you can view the Leaderboards online and watch a video of the top score - it will give you an idea of strategies to use.

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