Tetris (handheld game)

Infobox VG
title= Tetris


caption=
developer= Nintendo R&D1 [Calderon, Anthony. [http://www.n-sider.com/articleview.php?articleid=482 The Nintendo Development Structure] N-Sider Retrieved on 2008-03-13]
Bullet-Proof Software [http://www.atarihq.com/tsr/special/tetrishist.html The Tetris Saga] tsr's NES archive. Retrieved on 2008-03-13]
publisher= Nintendo
distributor=
designer=
series=
engine=
version=
released= Game Boy:
vgrelease|Japan|JP|June 14, 1989
vgrelease|North America|NA|August 1989
vgrelease|PAL region|PAL|September 28, 1990
Game Boy Color:
genre= Puzzle
modes= Single player, multiplayer
ratings=
platforms= Game Boy
media=
requirements=
input=

"Tetris" was a pack-in title included with the Game Boy at the handheld's release in 1989. It is a portable version of Alexey Pajitnov's "Tetris". It was the first game compatible with the Game Boy Game Link Cable, a pack-in accessory that allowed two Game Boys to link together for multiplayer purposes. A colorized remake of the game was released on the Game Boy Color entitled "Tetris DX".

Gameplay

The Game Boy version of "Tetris" plays identically to versions of Tetris released on other platforms. A pseudorandom sequence of "tetrads" - shapes composed of four square blocks each - fall down the playing field. The object of the game is to manipulate these tetrads, by moving each one sideways and rotating it by 90 degree units, with the aim of creating a horizontal line of blocks without gaps. When one or more such lines are created, they disappear, and the blocks above (if any) fall to fill the gap below. As the game progresses, the tetrads fall faster, and the game ends when at least a part of a tetrad crosses over the top line when set in place. The player can normally see which block will appear next in a window off to the side of the playing field, but can toggle this off by pressing the select button during the game. [http://nindb.classicgaming.gamespy.com/dmg-tr.shtml Nintendo Database: Tetris (Game Boy)] Retrieved on 2008-03-14]

s are impossible. Thus the greatest number of lines that can be cleared in one move is four (called a "tetris"), only possible by setting the "I" shaped vertically.

For every ten lines cleared, the player will advance to a new level, where the blocks fall faster, but more points are awarded. The player is allowed to select the starting level from the range of levels 0-9, and may also increase the starting difficulty by selecting the height of the block stack present at the beginning of the game. The height defaults at 0 (no blocks) to 5 (game begins with playing field stacked high). There are twenty levels in the game, but the game includes a feature capable of increasing stage speeds. The game ends when the stack of blocks extends past the top of the playing field.

coring

The points earned for clearing lines depends on the level being played, and number of lines cleared simultaneously. A single line on level 0 is worth 40 points. The value increases by an additional 40 points with each subsequent level, (80 points on level 1, 120 points on level 2, and so on). Similarly, doubles, or pairs of lines cleared simultaneously, are worth 100 points on level 0, and increases by 100 additional points for each subsequent level, and the value for triples begins at 300 points, increasing by that same amount with every new level. Scoring a Tetris by clearing the maximum four simultaneous lines starts at 1200 points at level 0 and increases by that amount with each subsequent level.

The maximum displayable score value is 999,999 points. The score table is capable of displaying the top three high scores, they are saved as long as the game is still turned on. When turned off the scores are removed and are destroyed.

Multiplayer

In the Game Boy version's multiplayer mode, two players play against each other simultaneously using two Game Boys, each with a copy of the game, and a Game Link Cable. The matches are structured in a best-of-seven format, with the first player to win four games claiming the match. The two players are represented by the Nintendo characters Mario and Luigi. When one player wins a round, the victory is marked with a picture of that particular Mario brother.

During actual gameplay, each player can determine how the other is doing by viewing a meter situated next to the playing field. This meter represents the current height of the opponent's block stack. Also, when a player scores either a double, triple, or Tetris; one, two or four incomplete lines will appear respectively at the bottom of the opponent's playing field. However, these lines are only missing one block each, and are simple to clear assuming the opponent is capable of reaching them.

Tetris DX

"Tetris DX" (1998) is a Game Boy Color game that is backwardly compatible with the original Game Boy. It features battery-saved high scores and three player profiles. "DX" also has a new single-player mode, which is against the CPU. "DX" also features two new modes of play. In "Ultra Mode," players must accumulate as many points as possible within a three-minute time period. In "40 Lines," players are timed on how quickly they can clear 40 lines of play.

Music

The player can select any of three songs to be played during the game, or could select "music off" leaving only the sound effects to be heard. The sources of each song is as follows:
* A-type: Korobeiniki (v1.1 only) by Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov
* B-type
* C-type: "French Suite No. 3 in B-Minor, BWV 814: Menuet" by Johann Sebastian Bach

After coming out of pause mode (achieved by pressing the "Start" button), the background music will continue with an added bassline which stops when the next phrase of the song begins. Why this occurs is unknown.

The A-type and B-type music can be unlocked for use on the Luigi's Mansion stage in Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii.

References

External links

* [http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n02/dmg/tra/index.html Official Nintendo Japan website]
* [http://nindb.classicgaming.gamespy.com/dmg-tr.shtml Nintendo Database: Tetris]
*moby game|id=/gameboy/tetris