Tetris 64
Nintendo 64 Tetris with heart-rate-sensing Bio Sensor accessory.
Tetris 64 is a 1998 puzzle video game developed by Amtex and published by SETA for the Nintendo 64. Released exclusively in Japan, it came packaged with the Bio Sensor, a unique accessory that alters gameplay based on the player's heart rate.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Amtex
- Publisher
- SETA
- Series
- Tetris
- Platforms
- Nintendo 64
- Released
- November 13, 1998 (JP)
- Genre
- Puzzle
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Tetris 64 offers three modes. The main Tetris mode follows standard rules, with players clearing lines of falling tetriminos. Giga Tetris introduces larger tetriminos that break into smaller pieces when a line is cleared, filling gaps below. Both modes support simultaneous multiplayer for up to four players. Bio Tetris uses the Bio Sensor, which connects via the controller's expansion port and clips to the player's ear to monitor heart rate. In Normal variation, simpler biotetriminos drop when the heart rate is low, and more complex shapes appear as it rises; Reverse decreases shape complexity as heart rate increases. Bio Tetris supports only two players. The game uses English text in its menus despite its Japan-only release.
Reception
Tetris 64 was praised for its four-player multiplayer, a feature absent from other Nintendo 64 Tetris titles until The New Tetris the following year. Critics faulted its graphics and simple backgrounds, which compared unfavorably to Tetrisphere and Magical Tetris Challenge. Retrospective commentary has noted similarities between the Bio Sensor and the cancelled Wii Vitality Sensor.
More in Tetrominoes & Pieces
Elsewhere in Tetris
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