Tetris was a pack-in title included with the Nintendo 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. Video games are categorized into genres based on their gameplay. ... A puzzle is a problem or enigma that challenges ingenuity. ... In computer games and video games, single-player refers to the variant of a particular game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... For the entire Game Boy series of handheld consoles, see Game Boy line. ... Nintendo Company, Limited (任天堂 or ニンテンドー Nintendō; NASDAQ: NTDOY, TYO: 7974 usually referred to as simply Nintendo, or Big N ) is a multinational corporation founded on September 23, 1889[1] in Kyoto, Japan by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards. ... For the entire Game Boy series of handheld consoles, see Game Boy line. ... 1989 1989 in games 1988 in video gaming 1990 in video gaming Notable events of 1989 in video gaming. ... Alexey Pajitnov Alexey Pajitnov (Алексей Пажитнов, born 1956, Russia), whose last name is sometimes transliterated Pazhitnov, is a Russian computer engineer, who developed the popular game Tetris while working for the Computer Centre of the Soviet Academy of Sciences, a Soviet government-founded R&D centre. ... Tetris (Russian: ) is a falling-blocks puzzle video game, released on a large spectrum of platforms. ... The Game Link cable is an accessory to the Game Boy line of handheld video game systems allowing players to connect two games of the same type, or part of the same series for multiplayer gaming, or to unlock hidden features, such as characters, which require it to access them. ... The Game Boy Color , shortened to GBC) is Nintendos successor to the Game Boy and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan and in November of 1998 in the United States and 1999 in Europe. ...

Gameplay

Screenshot of gameplay in Tetris

In principle, the Game Boy version of Tetris plays identically to versions released on other platforms. The basic premise is that the player must rotate and stack tetrads (blocks of varying shapes, each one made up of four squares) in such a way that the blocks form complete horizontal lines. Once such a line is completed, the blocks vanish, and all blocks above it fall one line. The player accumulates points by placing pieces and successfully clearing lines. A "Tetris" is scored when the player clears four lines simultaneously. The only way to score a Tetris is by stacking the blocks in such a way that all four lines can be cleared using what is sometimes referred to as the "Tetris piece," the I-shaped tetrad which is the only shape capable of extending through all four lines. The player can normally see which block will appear next in a window off to the side of the playing field. However, this function can be toggled off by pressing the select button during the game to increase the challenge. screenshot Game Boy Tetris by me This is a screenshot of a copyrighted computer game or video game. ... screenshot Game Boy Tetris by me This is a screenshot of a copyrighted computer game or video game. ...

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 selected 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.

Scoring

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 battery is still in working condition.

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. Mario ) is a video game character created by Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto and the official mascot of Nintendo. ... This article is about the Nintendo character. ...

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 features backwards 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 two-minute time period. In "40 Lines," players are timed on how quickly they can clear 40 lines of play. The Game Boy Color , shortened to GBC) is Nintendos successor to the Game Boy and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan and in November of 1998 in the United States and 1999 in Europe. ...

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.

• A-type: Korobeiniki (v1.1) by Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov
• A-type: Troika (v1.0)
• B-type: Csikos Post by Hermann Necke
• C-type: French Suite No. 3 in B-Minor, BWV 814: Minuet by Johann Sebastian Bach
• Music off

Due to the popularity of Tetris, "Korobeiniki" has appeared in numerous media in popular culture.^{[citation needed]} Korobeiniki, also called Korobeyniki and Korobushka (Russian: ), and The Peddlers, is a Russian song based on a poem with the same name written in 1861 by Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov and printed in the Sovremennik magazine in 1861. ... Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov (November 28, 1821 - January 8, 1878 {O.S.: December 28, 1877}) was a Russian poet, best remembered as the long standing publisher of Современник (The Contemporary) (from 1846 until July 1866, when the journal was shut down... The Seasons, op. ... Csikos Post is a classical song by Hermann Necke. ... “Bach” redirects here. ... Popular culture, sometimes called pop culture, consists of widespread cultural elements in any given society. ...

Image File history File links Music_A.ogg‎ A music sample from the Handheld game console Game Boy. ... Image File history File links Music_B.ogg‎ A music sample from the Handheld game console Game Boy. ... Image File history File links Music_C.ogg‎ A music sample from the Handheld game console Game Boy. ...

Trivia

• Although very few are aware, more than one version of Game Boy Tetris was released. Often referred to as the ‘Troika’ release, version 1.0 sports different A-type music, although no official name of the song has been determined due to little knowledge of it outside Japan.^{[citation needed]}