Tetris Attack
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| Tetris Attack {{#if:{{{image|}}}|<tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center;">{{{image|}}} | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Intelligent Systems {{#if:{{{publisher|}}}|<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Publisher(s)<td>{{{publisher|}}} |
| Release date(s) | 27 October 1995 (JP) September 1996 (NA) 28 November 1996 (EU) |
| Genre(s) | Puzzle game |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer {{#if:{{{ratings|}}}|<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Rating(s)<td>{{{ratings|}}} |
| Platform(s) | Super Nintendo Entertainment System {{#if:{{{media|}}}|<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Media<td>{{{media|}}} |
Tetris Attack is a puzzle game first released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in North America and Europe. It was released for the Satellaview attachment to the Super Famicom as Yoshi-no Panepon in Japan.
Tetris Attack began as a Super Famicom title called Template:Nihongo. It bears no relation to the original Tetris aside from being a puzzle game with stacked bricks, and the American version shares the Tetris name only for marketing reasons. Panel de Pon featured an extremely feminine look with many whimsical, fairy-like characters. When Nintendo decided to release the addictive puzzle game to North America, they dropped the fairies in favor of characters from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island for the purpose of making it more appealing to image conscious young male audience, a significant part of the video game market at the time (see Character Replacement Table). Tetris Attack was later released for Nintendo Game Boy, with a drop in graphics and sound quality, drop in difficulty, and loss of color information. A subsequent port of the game to the Nintendo 64 console, Pokémon Puzzle League, was rebranded with Pokémon characters and added two new features: a puzzle editor and a 3D game mode that takes place in a cylinder three times the size of the normal board. PPL also had smoother game play and smarter computer opponents than Tetris Attack. Pokémon Puzzle Challenge was released for the Game Boy Color soon after. PPC dropped the puzzle editor and 3D mode but had a new game mode of its own, Garbage mode, which was basically Marathon mode with the addition of garbage blocks that periodically fall onto the stack. Whereas Pokémon Puzzle League presented several new features to the gameplay, Pokémon Puzzle Challenge was essentially Tetris Attack covered with Pokémon wallpaper. An additional difficulty level, "Intense" mode, was added for Pokémon Puzzle Challenge.
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Objective and gameplay
The objective of the game is to eliminate blocks from the playing field by creating horizontal or vertical rows of three or more identical blocks. The blocks are manipulated by switching pairs of horizontally adjacent blocks with the cursor. The gameplay is divided into four different types:
Endless mode
Blocks rise continually at increasing speeds in this mode. If the blocks strike the top of the playing field, the game ends. The objective in this mode is to attain the highest score possible. The maximum score is 99,999 points.
Stage Clear mode
In this mode a certain number of the rising blocks must be cleared to finish each of thirty stages. Game over occurs identically to endless mode. The end of the level is marked by a "clear line" displayed as the bricks rise.
Image:Lakitu Tetris Attack.png
Versus mode
Either two human players or one human and the computer AI compete in this mode. The object is to make the opponent lose by striking the top of the playing field. By completing combos or chains (see below), "garbage" slabs are sent to the opponent's side. These are horizontal slabs of blocks that do not match any of the standard blocks until a group of adjacent blocks are cleared. The garbage then "pops" into ordinary blocks and may be cleared.
Garbage slabs can strike the top of the playing field and in fact stand above it for a short time before the player loses.
Panel de Pon does not offer the opportunity to enter passwords in Versus mode, but Tetris Attack does offer that opportunity.
Puzzle mode
A specific pattern of bricks is laid out on the playing field and must be cleared in a specific number of moves. There are 60 standard levels and 60 more advanced levels that are unlocked by beating the 60th level.
Terminology
- The playing field is a grid 6 blocks wide by 12 blocks tall.
- Combos are instances when more than three blocks are cleared simultaneously. Combos are counted with plain numbers (4, 5, 6, etc.).
- Chains are instances when blocks which fall as the result of a clear trigger another clear. The player may rearrange blocks during the time interval while the clear takes place to cause a chain to occur; if this is done, the chain is called a skill chain. Chains are counted with numbers with an "x" prefix (x2, x3, x4, etc.). The maximum value of a chain is x13 in the SNES version of Tetris Attack. Any chain that goes beyond x13 gets 0 points for each hit. This bug was fixed in Pokemon Puzzle League, where every hit that goes past x13 receives the same point value as a x13 hit. If playing versus, it is possible to make a chain that is larger than 26. From x14 to x25, x? is the screen representation. After this point no symbol appears on the screen. This level of play is referred to as "chaining blanks". Outside of versus, the theoretical chain length maximum is 22.
- In 'versus' mode, Time Attack, the score counter only shows the final four digits of your score. Maxing out your counter (getting 10000 points) is known as going 'around the bend'. Furthermore, beating an opponent by a margin of 10,000 points is referred to as 'bending' them.
- When playing against an opponent (either AI or human) garbage blocks are sent due to any special combos or chains. One strategy that is useful for beginning players is to line up chains as garbage blocks are being cleared. This strategy is often referred to as "playing the drop". One noticeable difference between the AI for Tetris Attack and Pokemon Puzzle League is that in Tetris Attack, the AI does not recognize a distinction between garbage blocks and panels until the entire block has been cleared, making it impossible for it to utilize this strategy except by chance.
Soundtrack
The music remained unchanged between Panel de Pon and Tetris Attack, except that Tetris Attack has arranged versions of tracks from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. The original Panel de Pon title theme, the original Game Over theme, and Corderia's theme were dummied out of Tetris Attack, but they are included in the Tetris Attack SPC emulator music archive, available at Snesmusic.org. The Tetris Attack title theme is an arrangement of the Yoshi's Island title theme. The demo theme in Tetris Attack was originally Lip's theme. Bowser's theme was originally Sanatos' theme. Yoshi's theme and the Tetris Attack Game Over theme are arrangements of the Story Music Box theme in Yoshi's Island. The original Panel de Pon soundtrack was scored by Masaya Kuzume. The music tracks from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island were arranged by Yuka Tsujiyoko.
Remake
Panel de Pon has been remade for GameCube as a component of Nintendo Puzzle Collection in February of 2003, receiving a graphical and audio facelift. One might say that the GameCube version looks even more feminine than the Super Famicom version. Also, a four-player mode has been added in the GameCube remake of Panel de Pon. It is unknown whether the Yoshi's Island infusion would have been applied to the Gamecube version of Panel de Pon done for a North American release like it was applied to the Super NES version. The game's release in North America was quietly cancelled.
Panel de Pon was also remade on the Gameboy Advance titled Dr. Mario & Panel de Pon on September 13 2005. As you can guess from the title, it is mixed with one of Nintendo's other puzzle games Dr. Mario. It has been released in the US, taking the title Dr. Mario & Puzzle League. Both the Japanese and US releases feature generic backgrounds, with characters and story mode completely removed.
There are also some Tetris Attack clones available at the SourceForge web page [1]. These clones are open source programs made for all of the biggest operating systems and they are constantly developing. The biggest inovation they bring is the option of internet multiplayer that some of the clones have.
Panel de Pon reference in Super Smash Bros. Melee
In Super Smash Bros. Melee, there is an item called Lip's Stick, named after the Panel de Pon character replaced by Yoshi for Tetris Attack. Lip's Stick poisons the opponent that it contacts, as a flower is planted atop his or her head. One of Kirby's Stone powers also looks like Lip's Garbage Block.
Character Replacement Table
When Nintendo of America decided to release Panel de Pon to North America, they axed the fairy-like characters in favor of characters from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island for the purpose of making it more appealing to the image-conscious young male audience, which was a significant audience at the time. There were very few female gamers at the time. In the GameCube version of Panel de Pon on Nintendo Puzzle Collection, the characters are the daughters of the original Panel de Pon cast. The characters are a reflection of the original cast. Some characters are new and added more stages to the game. These characters are Kain, Lion, KickChop, Joker, Zilba (Ziruba), and Mingiri, Hindari, and Mangari.
| Tetris Attack | Panel de Pon | Nintendo Puzzle Collection: Panel de Pon |
|---|---|---|
| Yoshi | Lip | Furil |
| Lakitu | Windy | Sophia |
| Bumpty | Sharbet | Think |
| Poochy | Thiana | Rinze |
| Flying Wiggler | Ruby | Pure |
| Froggy | Elias | Cecil |
| Gargantua Blargg | Flare | Rayea |
| Lunge Fish | Neris | Nathia |
| Raphael the Raven | Seren | Sala |
| Hookbill the Koopa | Phoenix | KickChop |
| Naval Piranha | Dragon | Joker |
| Kamek | Thanatos (Sanatos) | Thanatos (Sanatos) |
| Bowser | Corderia | Corderia |
| Kain | ||
| Lion | ||
| Zilba (Ziruba) | ||
| Mingiri, Hindari, and Mangari |
External links
- Template:Moby game
- A visual guide to chains and skill chains
- Fan site includes game info and records pages
- GameFAQs information page
- Template:Ja iconJapanese Dr. Mario & Puzzle League website
- American Dr. Mario & Puzzle League website
- Template:Ja iconNintendo Puzzle Collection Japanese website
Other implementations
- Tetris Attack PC' (fan site and list of Tetris Attack clones; home to open-source TA engine)
- Crack Attack(free downloadable OpenGL version)
- Block Rockin' (free online Java version)