Minecraft’s clever Tetris DLC is more than just a soulless cash grab

Superteams that bring together fan favorites have redefined everything from comic books to Olympic basketball. But the new Tetris DLC for Minecraft is something special—and not just for the names involved, but for how it offers fresh new challenges based on your Tetris skills.

The DLC is available for 1,510 Minecoins and doesn’t seem to be restricted to any particular version of Minecraft.

The “story” behind the DLC is somewhat of a throwaway: the shapes within Tetris (known as Tetrominos) have been stolen, and it’s up to you to find them using the world of Minecraft as a guide.

Sure, you can play Tetris using the classic Marathon, Sprint, and Ultra modes. But it’s the Minecraft twist that makes this DLC truly cool.

To begin, you’ll need to play a 2D version of Tetris for as long as you can before inevitably failing. Then, the block layout on screen at the time of failure is turned into a 3D level of Minecraft.

You (and, optionally, your buddies) end up digging, exploring, and fighting through this Minecraft dungeon looking for secrets and treasure. At the end, you’ll find a Tetromino puzzle piece, which will “fill the next dungeon you generate with even more secrets,” Microsoft said.

In other words, it’s a different level every time you play, and they build on top of each other—a bit like a roguelike game, where your previous accomplishments prop up your future adventures.

Minecraft may not be your cup of tea. But combining it with the nostalgic gameplay of Tetris into an experience that’s actually unique, fresh, and fun? This is a pretty rare win to see, especially for games that have been out for (gulp) literal decades.