Tetris Attack
A puzzle game of matching colored blocks with rising stacks.
Tetris Attack is a 1995 puzzle video game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released in Japan as Panel de Pon with fairy characters, while international versions replaced them with characters from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Despite its name, the game has no connection to the Tetris series, a decision later regretted by Tetris Company co-founder Henk Rogers.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Intelligent Systems
- Publisher
- Nintendo
- Director
- Masao Yamamoto
- Hitoshi Yamagami
- Toshitaka Muramatsu
- Producer
- Gunpei Yokoi
- Programmer
- Shinya Yamamoto
- Composer
- Masaya Kuzume
- Masaru Tajima
- Yuka Tsujiyoko
- Series
- Puzzle League; Yoshi
- Platforms
- Super NES, Game Boy
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
In Tetris Attack, the player uses an on-screen cursor to arrange colored blocks into horizontal or vertical rows. Matching three or more blocks of the same color destroys them, and blocks above cleared lines fall, potentially causing chain reactions if they contact other matching blocks. Combos occur when more than three blocks are cleared in a single move. As a stage progresses, blocks rise steadily toward the top of the playfield, with new blocks generating from the bottom; the game ends if blocks reach the top. Several modes are available: Story Mode pits the player against computer opponents; Endless Mode challenges the player to survive a continuously rising stack that speeds up; Timed Mode awards points within two minutes; Stage Clear mode requires clearing blocks below a boundary line; and Puzzle Mode tasks the player with clearing preset arrangements in a set number of moves without rising blocks. Multiplayer modes with adjustable difficulty are also included.
Development and release
Tetris Attack was released in Japan on October 27, 1995, in North America in August 1996, and in Europe on November 28, 1996. Intelligent Systems handled development, with Gunpei Yokoi, creator of the Game Boy, serving as producer. The Japanese version, titled Panel de Pon, featured fairies in a fantasy setting, while international versions replaced these with characters and settings from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, released earlier in 1995. Despite the Tetris Attack name, the game is unrelated to the Tetris franchise; Tetris Company co-founder Henk Rogers stated in a 2009 interview that he regretted granting Nintendo permission to use the name, believing the game became lost in history due to the branding. A Game Boy version followed in 1996. In 1998, a special Satellaview broadcast of Panel de Pon, BS Panel de Pon – Event '98, aired in Japan, and Tetris Attack was later broadcast as BS Yoshi no Panepon. The original Panel de Pon was digitally re-released on the Japanese Wii Virtual Console on November 27, 2007, and added to the Nintendo Classics service on May 20, 2020.
Reception
Tetris Attack received extremely positive reviews, earning a 90% average rating on GameRankings. Electronic Gaming Monthly gave it an 8.25 out of 10, praising its addictive gameplay, colorful graphics, use of Mario characters in the North American version, and two-player mode. GamePro awarded perfect 5 out of 5 scores for graphics, control, and FunFactor, with a 4.5 out of 5 for sound, describing it as a gentler, slower style of gameplay that is no less addicting than the original Tetris. GameSpot called it absolutely brilliant. The Game Boy version received a brief positive review from GamePro, noting it updates the Tetris concept by inverting the basic action. Electronic Gaming Monthly named Tetris Attack Super NES Game of the Year, Hand-Held Game of the Year, and Puzzle Game of the Year, citing its mass appeal and depth. In 1997, the same publication ranked the Super NES version the 16th best console video game of all time, noting its accessibility and addictive quality. GamesRadar+ placed it 87th on its list of the 100 best games of all time, highlighting the two-player mode. Game Informer featured it at 96 on its best games list, calling it one of the most addictive puzzle games ever. Complex ranked it 64th on its list of the best Super Nintendo games of all time in 2018.
Legacy
The Puzzle League series, known as Tetris Attack in some regions, continued with several follow-ups. The first two were Pokémon Puzzle Challenge for the Game Boy Color and Pokémon Puzzle League for the Nintendo 64, both released in 2000 and featuring Pokémon characters. A previously unreleased game, Panel de Pon 64, later appeared as part of the Nintendo Puzzle Collection for the GameCube in 2003. Dr. Mario & Puzzle League came out for the Game Boy Advance in 2005, followed by Planet Puzzle League for the Nintendo DS in 2007, which offered touch-screen controls and online multiplayer through the now-defunct Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service. A condensed DSiWare version called Puzzle League Express arrived in 2010. These sequels are not tied to any outside franchise. References to the original Panel de Pon appear in other Nintendo games. Lip’s Stick, the main character’s weapon, has been in the Super Smash Bros. series since Melee, where it poisons opponents. Super Smash Bros. Brawl includes stickers of Panel de Pon 64 characters and a red block. A remix of Lip’s theme song appears in Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Lip herself appears in the Japan-only Wii game Captain Rainbow and as a Spirit and Mii Fighter costume in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. A 2016 update to Animal Crossing: New Leaf added a minigame called Animal Crossing Puzzle League. Panel de Pon was included on the Super Famicom Mini in Japan in 2017 and became available internationally on the Nintendo Classics service in 2020.
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