3D Tetris
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''3D Tetris'' is a 1996
puzzle A puzzle is a game, Problem solving, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together (Disentanglement puzzle, or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to arrive at th ...
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developed by
T&E Soft was a Japanese-based video game developer founded in 1982. Although they have made games with a wide variety of genres, they are primarily known in the U.S. for their golf and puzzle video games. The original company exists today under the name ...
and published by
Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...
for the
Virtual Boy The Virtual Boy is a 32-bit tabletop portable video game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. Released in 1995, it was marketed as the first console capable of displaying stereoscopic "3D" graphics. The player uses the console like ...
. It was released on March 22, 1996, in North America. Players control multiple falling blocks, rotating and positioning them to clear layers in a three-dimensional environment similar to ''
Tetris ''Tetris'' (russian: link=no, Тетрис) is a puzzle video game created by Soviet software engineer Alexey Pajitnov in 1984. It has been published by several companies for multiple platforms, most prominently during a dispute over the approp ...
''s gameplay. The game contains multiple modes and variations thereof, as well as different difficulty settings and levels. Parts of ''3D Tetris'' are rendered as 3D
wire-frame model A wire-frame model, also wireframe model, is a visual representation of a three-dimensional (3D) physical object used in 3D computer graphics. It is created by specifying each edge of the physical object where two mathematically continuous ...
s. A version of the game entitled was set for release in February 1996 in Japanese markets, but was never released. The game received mostly negative reviews with critics panning it for a lack of originality.


Gameplay

''3D Tetris'' is a puzzle game that uses a three-dimensional playing field as opposed to the traditional two dimensions used in most other versions of ''Tetris''. The play field, called a well, contains 5 vertical layers that players fill with falling three-dimensional blocks. These blocks can be rotated horizontally and vertically, as well as positioned in four different directions. Each block displays a shadow underneath it which indicates where it will land. The game's camera continually adjusts itself, but players can manually readjust it. The
HUD Hud or HUD may refer to: Entertainment * ''Hud'' (1963 film), a 1963 film starring Paul Newman * ''Hud'' (1986 film), a 1986 Norwegian film * ''HUD'' (TV program), or ''Heads Up Daily'', a Canadian e-sports television program Places * Hud, Fa ...
displays a radar which provides information about each of the well's five layers, as well as the next block to fall, which is represented by a character. The game contains multiple different modes: 3-D Tetris, Center-Fill, and Puzzle, each having variations in how they play. Players can modify the difficulty in these modes as well as the rate by which the blocks fall. In the 3-D Tetris mode, a layer disappears when it is filled with blocks, scoring players points which are displayed in the HUD. If blocks stack over the top of the well, the number of layers will go down by one. The game is over when the final layer is lost. One game mode is based on accumulating points, while the other mode requires players to complete multiple levels by clearing all five layers in each. In the Center-Fill mode, players place blocks in symmetrical patterns around center blocks placed in each well's layers. If a block is placed in a layer's center block, it disappears, and any other blocks in the layer will also disappear, if they have been successfully placed in a symmetrical pattern. Points are gained based on the number of blocks in, the complexity of, and the height of the symmetrical layer. A symmetrical pattern is indicated by a symbol shown in the HUD's radar, as well as the player's score. Like the 3-D Tetris mode, layers will be lost if the blocks go over the top of the well, and the game ends when all layers are lost. One variant requires players to complete as many layers as possible, while the other is the same except with obstacles added. The variant Clear It! requires players to clear ten symmetrical layers on each stage to progress to the next stage. In the Puzzle mode, a shape is displayed in the well at the beginning of each stage. Players are tasked with getting to the highest stage possible by placing blocks in the displayed shape to progress to the next stage. At the end of each stage, a stage-ending animation is displayed. If an incorrect shape is placed, the game ends. ''3D Tetris'' includes an option to save high scores and names entered from the 3-D Tetris and Center-Fill modes, along with progress in the Puzzle mode, to a battery backup.


Development and release

''3D Tetris'' was developed by
T&E Soft was a Japanese-based video game developer founded in 1982. Although they have made games with a wide variety of genres, they are primarily known in the U.S. for their golf and puzzle video games. The original company exists today under the name ...
and published by
Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...
in North America. A version was planned for Japanese markets entitled ''Polygo Block'', which was to be released in February 1996, but was never released. Like all other Virtual Boy games, ''3D Tetris'' uses a red-and-black color scheme and uses
parallax Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight and is measured by the angle or semi-angle of inclination between those two lines. Due to foreshortening, nearby objects ...
, an optical trick that is used to simulate a 3D effect. The game contains 30 different block types, and renders each one as a 3D
wire-frame model A wire-frame model, also wireframe model, is a visual representation of a three-dimensional (3D) physical object used in 3D computer graphics. It is created by specifying each edge of the physical object where two mathematically continuous ...
until they fall to the bottom of the well, where they are filled in. It was the last game released on the Virtual Boy in North America.


Reception

''3D Tetris'' received mostly negative reviews. Aaron Curtiss, writing for the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'', said that ''3D Tetris'' adds nothing to the ''Tetris'' experience and leaves players feeling "cheated". He criticized the control scheme and brushed off the 3D effects as superfluous. Staff for ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' had even harsher criticism, criticizing it as "eye-straining" and comparing it unfavorably to the video game ''
Blockout ''Blockout'' is a puzzle video game published in 1989 by California Dreams. It was developed in Poland by Aleksander Ustaszewski and Mirosław Zabłocki. American Technos published an arcade version. ''Blockout'' is an unlicensed, 3D version of ...
''. A reviewer for '' Next Generation'' panned the game, feeling that it demonstrates the inherent issues of the Virtual Boy. He found all of the different game modes to be poor reworkings of the ''Tetris'' concept, lacking the series' "simple elegance" while being harmed by the 3D perspective. A reviewer for the magazine ''VideoGames'' also found that the game was less appealing than ''Tetris'' due to the 3D perspective, though felt that the perspective did have value and was executed well. ''
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''s "Scary Larry" found the sound and visuals nondescript and the controls frustrating, though he still felt it was addictive. Staff for ''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...
'' felt the idea of a 3D ''Tetris'' had potential, but it was not executed well, criticizing its slow pace. A writer for ''
Nintendo Power ''Nintendo Power'' was a video game news and strategy magazine from Nintendo of America, first published in July/August 1988 as Nintendo's official print magazine for North America. The magazine's publication was initially done monthly by Ninten ...
'' felt its button configurations were user-friendly and made it "easy to master." In a retrospective review, ''
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'' writer Jaz Rignall was highly critical, comparing it to getting
pepper spray Pepper spray, oleoresin capsicum spray, OC spray, capsaicin spray, or capsicum spray is a lachrymatory agent (a compound that irritates the eyes to cause a burning sensation, pain, and temporary blindness) used in policing, riot control, cr ...
ed. ''
GamesRadar+ ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', ''Edge'' and '' Computer ...
'' editor Brett Elston felt that ''3D Tetris'' visuals were "appalling" and found it hard to tell what was happening as a result. Echoing ''Entertainment Weekly'', writer Jeremy Parish found it to be a knockoff of ''Blockout''; he criticized its visuals and gameplay for failing to find a middleground between too complex and too slow. Mark Long, CEO of
Zombie Studios Zombie Studios was an American independent video game developer. It was formed in 1994 as Zombie, LLC by Joanna Alexander and Mark Long, formerly of the Sarnoff Research Center. Alexander and Long founded Zombie after they completed the design o ...
, preferred ''3D Tetris'' to ''
Tetris ''Tetris'' (russian: link=no, Тетрис) is a puzzle video game created by Soviet software engineer Alexey Pajitnov in 1984. It has been published by several companies for multiple platforms, most prominently during a dispute over the approp ...
'' on the
Game Boy The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same ...
, regarding it as the best game on the Virtual Boy. Dave Frear of ''Nintendo Life'' felt that it was boring if one starts at level 1 difficulty, but that starting from a higher difficulty makes it much more fun.


See also

*
List of Virtual Boy games The Virtual Boy is a 32-bit tabletop video game console developed and designed by Nintendo, first released in Japan on July 21, 1995 and later in North America on August 14 of the same year. The following lists contains all of the games released ...


Notes


References


External links

* {{Portal bar, Video games, 1990s 1996 video games Nintendo games North America-exclusive video games T&E Soft games Tetris games Virtual Boy games Single-player video games Puzzle video games Video games developed in Japan