List of Tetris variants
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This a list of variants of the game Tetris. It includes officially licensed Tetris sequels, as well as unofficial clones.
Contents |
Official games
| Title | Description | Platform, Developer, Year Released |
|---|---|---|
| Hatris | A variety of hats must be made to fall in to stacks of five identical hats. Designed by Alexey Pazhitnov, the original Tetris author. | TurboGrafx-16/PC-Engine (Video System Co. Ltd., 1990), Game Boy, Arcade and NES (Bullet Proof Software, 1991) |
| Welltris | Pieces (including tetrominoes and occasionally pentominoes) slide down one of four wall surfaces in a well, the "well" being an 8x8 square. When a piece lands while fully or partially sticking outside of the well, the wall is temporarily blocked. The game ends when four walls are no longer accessible. Another Alexey Pazhitnov design. | PC (Spectrum Holobyte, 1991), ZX Spectrum, CPC, C64, Amiga, Mac OS Classic |
| Super Tetris[1] | Added two-player co-operative and competitive and new block types. | MS-DOS, Amiga (Sphere, Inc., 1991) |
| Super Tetris 2 & Bombliss[citation needed] | Differs from conventional Tetris in that one mode, "Bombliss", features bomb blocks that destroy surrounding blocks when a line is completed. Bombliss uses the gravity algorithm to re-arrange the stage after an explosion has destroyed some blocks. Also, there is a "Tetris C" mode in which the playfield automatically rises one level after a certain number of blocks are used.
A Super Tetris 2 & Bombliss Limited version was released in 1994. The Bombliss mode was remade into Tetris Blast in 1996. |
Super Famicom (Blue Planet Software, 1992) |
| Tetris 2[2] | Uses disconnected colored tetriminoes instead of adjacent type tetrominoes. It is the first Tetris to make use of the gravity algorithm. Blocks of the same color stick together. The goal of Tetris 2 is to clear the bottom rows, which a similar type of play can be found in the later released The Next Tetris or Tetris II. Released as Tetris Flash in Japan. | NES, Famicom Disk System and Game Boy (Nintendo, 1993), SNES (Nintendo, 1994) |
| Tetris Battle Gaiden[citation needed] | Similar to Puyo Puyo in use of competitive mode, characters, and humorous storyline. Different characters can also unleash special moves that affect the opponent in some way (knock away the current piece, rearrange matrix, etc) | Super Famicom (Blue Planet Software, 1993) |
| Tetris & Dr. Mario | Compilation of Tetris and Dr. Mario with enhanced graphics and sound. | Super Nintendo (Nintendo, 1994) |
| Super Tetris 3 & Sparkliss, Magicaliss, Familiss[citation needed] | Sparkliss uses the same concept as Bombliss (see above) but the bomb's explosions spread only as horizontal and vertical lines instead of being rectangular in shape. This makes for more complicated stages and puzzles where some blocks need to be hit more than once by explosions before they are destroyed.
Magicaliss follows the same gameplay as Tetris. The differences lie in that all pieces can be of only 4 colors. Making a full line in one unique color destroys all the blocks of that color in the stage. The remaining blocks fall in place using the gravity algorithm. Familiss is a traditional Tetris where 4 players play simultaneously. Beneath the stage of each player is a panel that changes randomly. Lines destroyed by a player will be sent to whatever his/her bottom panel shows. For example "+1" sends the lines destroyed to player one; "-3" will clear for player 3 as many lines as were destroyed; "+ALL" and "-ALL" affect all players. |
Super Famicom (Blue Planet Software, 1994) |
| Tetris Blast | The same as Super Tetris 2 & Bombliss. In an added "Fight" mode, there are creatures that traverse the constantly changing 'terrain' of the play field and try to hinder the player from clearing the screen of blocks. | Game Boy (Nintendo / Bulletproof, 1996)[3] |
| Tetris Attack | A version of the Japanese game Panel de Pon with redone art made to resemble Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Has no relation to Tetris other than name and genre. Also spawned Pokémon Puzzle League for the N64, Pokémon Puzzle Challenge for the Game Boy Color and Puzzle League for the Game Boy Advance. | SNES and Game Boy (Nintendo/Intelligent Systems, 1996) |
| 3D Tetris | Virtual Boy (Nintendo, 1996) | |
| Tetris Plus | Added to the classic Tetris is the new Puzzle Mode. Each level begins with a character (the professor) standing on a different pattern of blocks. The goal is to clear the blocks out from under him to get him to the bottom. He climbs to the top of the blocks you're stacking up and the game ends when the professor and the descending spiked ceiling collide. | Arcade (Jaleco Ltd., 1995), PlayStation (Jaleco Ltd., 1996), Saturn (Jaleco Ltd., 1996), Game Boy (Nintendo, 1997) |
| Tetris Plus 2 | This version is an improved version of Tetris Plus. | Arcade (Jaleco Ltd., 1997) |
| Tetrisphere | Uses some of the tetrominoes (as well as two 3-block piece) with different gameplay than standard Tetris. The object of the game is to reveal the core in the center of the sphere (which is actually a torus as seen through a fisheye perspective). To achieve this, you need to stack similarly-shaped pieces on top of each other. Once three are stacked, the pieces disappear and reveal the layer below. If the player doesn't clear blocks fast enough they lose one life, and if they lose three, the game is over. Wild card pieces, power-ups and a limited ability to slide pieces over the surface of the sphere all help with this task. | Nintendo 64 (H2O Entertainment Corporation, 1997) |
| TetriNET | A variant playable on Internet with up to 6 players. On clearing lines the player receives special blocks that can be used to damage the field of the opponent or help a teammate. This imitation uses general Tetris inferences, but the main differential is its 12 by 22 play field dimensions. | PC (St0rmCat, 1997) |
| Tetris DX | The Game Boy version of Tetris updated for the Game Boy Color | Game Boy Color (Nintendo, 1998) |
| Tetris 4D[4] | Dreamcast (Blue Planet Software, 1998) | |
| Tetris 64 | Includes Normal Tetris, Giga Tetris that has tetriminoes of different sizes, and Bio Tetris that adjusts itself based on feedback from a heartbeat measuring clip that attaches to the user's ear. | Nintendo 64 (Amtex Software, 1998) |
| Tetris: The Grand Master | Released in Japan, designed for seasoned and skilled Tetris players. At higher levels, tetriminoes begin to drop so fast that they appear immediately at the bottom, with no airborne phase at all; Players only have a split-second to slide the block into designated locations before they lock down. This distinctive style is called "20G". Subsequent entries in the Grand Master series continued the high-speed trend. | Arcade (Arika/Capcom, 1998) |
| Kids Tetris[citation needed] | Tetrominoes start out with two blocks and increase with further lines. Circus, Firehouse, Haunted House and Laboratory stages have different graphical effects with each cleared level. Includes printing option. | PC (Blue Planet Software, 1999) |
| The New Tetris | Tetris with a new feature: when a 16-block (4 by 4) square is made, the tetrominos used to form the square are merged as 16-block squares. A square formed using different types of tetrominos is called a combo square or multisquare, and it appears silver. A square formed using four of the same piece is called a pure square or monosquare, and it appears gold. All pieces but the S and Z can form monosquares. | Nintendo 64 (H2O Entertainment Corporation, 1999) |
| The Next Tetris | The Next Tetris was a version of the game with an emphasis on the cascade mode. | Playstation (Hasbro, 1999), PC (Hasbro, 1999), Dreamcast (Crave, 2000), Nuon (Toshiba, 2001), |
| Magical Tetris Challenge | Choose Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Minnie Mouse in Story mode. The game implements a new Tetris deviation of combos, where consecutive cleared lines give those clears greater value. Non-story variations include magical, updown, and endless mode. | Nintendo 64 (Capcom, 1999), Game Boy Color (Capcom, 2000), PlayStation (Capcom, 1999) |
| Sega Tetris[5] | Dreamcast (WOW Entertainment, 2000) | |
| Tetris: The Absolute - The Grand Master 2[citation needed] | Sequel to Tetris: The Grand Master, featured faster gameplay than its predecessor. A later upgrade, Tetris: The Absolute - The Grand Master 2 Plus, featured several new modes including the "Death Mode" where tetriminoes fall furiously fast right from the beginning. | Arcade (Arika/Psikyo, 2000) |
| Tetris Worlds | Includes Tetris, Square Tetris (originally in The New Tetris), Cascade Tetris, Sticky Tetris (originally in Tetris 2), Hot-Line Tetris, and Fusion Tetris. This game is published by THQ. | PC (Blue Planet Software, 2001), PS2 (Blue Planet Software, 2002), GameCube and Xbox (Radical Ent., 2002), GBA (3d6 Games, 2002) |
| Tetris With Cardcaptor Sakura: Eternal Heart | Released in Japan, This game based on the famous Japanese Anime & Manga by Clamp Presents puzzles where the player (as Sakura Kinomoto) has to transform the Clow Cards into Sakura Cards by defeating Eriol's Tetris style Puzzles. The game also features Player vs CPU and contains hidden extras based on the anime series. | Playstation (Arika, 2000) |
| Tetris Elements[6] | Includes classic Tetris and five variations: Stratosphere, which features meteors that can either help or hurt in eliminating rows; Earthquake, where tremors shake the falling shapes and move them around; Tempest, a double Tetris game where players are switched back and forth between screens; Ice, which has falling icicles that will knock into the falling shapes and make them crash down; and Fire, where heat can cause a chain reaction and melt multiple rows. | Windows, Mac OS (ImaginEngine, 2004) |
| Tetris: The Grand Master 3 - Terror Instinct[7] | Multiplayer arcade Tetris. | Arcade (Arika/Taito, 2005) |
| Tetris: The Grand Master Ace | First console version in the Grand Master series, one of the launch titles for the Japanese launch of the Xbox 360. | Xbox 360 (Arika/AQ Entertainment, 2005) |
| Tetris DS | First version for Nintendo DS. Includes local multiplayer and online multiplayer support. | Nintendo DS (Nintendo, 2006) |
| iPod Tetris[8] | iPod (Apple Computer, 2006) | |
| Tetris Evolution[9] | First seventh generation Tetris game to be released in the United States. Includes play over Xbox Live. | Xbox 360 (THQ, 2007) |
| Tetris Zone[10] | Features four game modes and the Combo system. Includes online Leaderboards and game playback. | Windows and Mac OS (Blue Planet Software, Inc., 2007) |
| Tetris Splash | First Xbox Live Arcade title for Tetris. It is also the first game published under The Tetris Company's new third party Tetris Online. | Xbox 360 (Microsoft, 2007) |
Notable unofficial games
These games are not official Tetris products:
| Title | Description | Platform, Developer, Year Released |
|---|---|---|
| Blockout | Object is to move and rotate polycubes falling into a well, viewed from the top, in order to make complete planes. | Mega Drive/Genesis, Commodore 64, Arcade, PC, Atari Lynx; California Dreams; 1989 |
| Emacs Tetris | Emacs has a Tetris easter egg available by typing ESC-x then tetris (or pong).[11] | |
| Gnometris | A part of Gnome Games, and is installed by default with the Ubuntu distribution of Linux.[12] | Linux |
| KSirtet | A part of KDE Games, and is installed by default with many Linux distributions using KDE.[13] | Linux |
| Bastet (or Bastard Tetris) | A version of tetris that chooses your next brick with a special algorithm designed to choose the worst brick possible.[14] | Linux |
| Wordtris | Players try to complete words found in the dictionary file. | Windows, Super NES, Game Boy |
| X-Tetris | One of the first variants of Tetris, contained different shapes than original Tetris also displayed nude photos as backgrounds for later levels. | DOS |
See also
External links
- Arika Co.'s Movie Download Page (Japanese), including gameplay movies of the Tetris: The Grand Master Series
References
- ^ Super Tetris at MobyGames
- ^ Tetris 2 at GameStats.com
- ^ Tetris Blast at GameSpot
- ^ Tetris 4D at GameSpot
- ^ Sega Tetris at GameSpot
- ^ http://www.valusoft.com/tetris/elements/index.html
- ^ Tetris: The Grand Master 3 at GameSpot
- ^ "Tetris for iPod Review" at IGN Wireless
- ^ Official THQ site
- ^ Official Tetris Zone site
- ^ Being Productive with Emacs by Phil Sung
- ^ Gnometris - GNOME Live!
- ^ KSirtet homepage - Presentation
- ^ Federico Poloni's personal web page
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