Tetris Attack

Lakitu's background in Endless mode. The backgrounds change as the player progresses in Puzzle or Stage Clear mode.

Tetris Attack is a puzzle video game. The player must use an on-screen cursor to arrange colored blocks into horizontal or vertical rows — matching together three or more blocks of the same color will destroy them. Any blocks above cleared lines will fall, which can be used to cause chain reactions if they touch other matching blocks. The player can also earn combos clearing more than three blocks in a single move. As the stage progresses, the blocks will begin to rise steadily towards the top of the screen, with new blocks generating from the bottom. Should the blocks touch the top of the playfield, the game will be over.

Several different gameplay modes are included. Story Mode pits the player against a series of computer-controlled opponents. In Endless Mode, the player is challenged to play as long as possible with a continuously rising stack of blocks, which increases in speed over time. Timed Mode challenges the player to score as many points as possible within a two-minute time limit. Stage Clear mode takes the player through a series of stages in which the objective is to clear all blocks underneath a "boundary" line. In Puzzle Mode, the player must clear all of the blocks in a preset block arrangement in a set number of moves — the blocks here do not rise towards the top. Several multiplayer modes are also present with adjustable difficulty levels.

Windy's background in Endless Mode; in Tetris Attack, this is changed to Lakitu's background, pictured above.

Tetris Attack was released in Japan on October 27, 1995, August 1996 in North America, and November 28, 1996 in Europe. Development was headed by Intelligent Systems and produced by Gunpei Yokoi, known as the creator of the Game Boy. The Japanese version of the game is titled Panel de Pon, featuring fairies as the main characters with a fantasy setting. International versions instead replace these with characters and settings from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, a game released earlier in 1995. Though international releases have the name Tetris Attack, the game has no relation to the Tetris video game franchise, leading to Tetris Company co-founder Henk Rogers saying in a 2009 interview he regrets giving Nintendo permission to using the name. Although Rogers liked the game, he believed it "got lost in history" due to it using the Tetris branding.[1]

A Game Boy version of Tetris Attack was released in 1996. Two years later in 1998 a special version of Panel de Pon was broadcast through the Satellaview peripheral for the Super Famicom in Japan, renamed BS Panel de Pon - Event '98 as part of a contest by St. GIGA. Tetris Attack was later released for the Satellaview the same year, renamed BS Yoshi no Panepon. The original Panel de Pon was digitally re-released for the Japanese Wii Virtual Console on November 27, 2007. The original version of Tetris Attack was added to the Nintendo Switch Online service on May 20, 2020 under its Japanese title Panel de Pon.[2]

Tetris Attack was met with very positive reviews, earning a 90% average rating on GameRankings.[5] The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave it an 8.25 out of 10, lauding the addictive gameplay, colorful and cartoony graphics, use of Mario characters in the North American localization, and two-player mode.[3] GamePro gave it a perfect 5 out of 5 in graphics, control, and FunFactor, and a 4.5 out of 5 in sound. The reviewer commented that it has "a gentler, slower style of gameplay that requires learning some easy new controls, but this game's no less addicting than the original Tetris."[6]

GamePro gave the Game Boy version a brief positive review, saying it "updates the age-old Tetris concept by inverting the basic action".[7]

Electronic Gaming Monthly editors named Tetris Attack Super NES Game of the Year, Hand-Held Game of the Year, and Puzzle Game of the Year, commenting that "The simple premise makes it a game of mass appeal; its depth makes it a hardcore gamer's delight."[8] In 1997 Electronic Gaming Monthly editors ranked the Super NES version the 16th best console video game of all time. They cited its accessibility and addictive quality, confessing that their boss had confiscated the office copy of the game because of how much time they spent playing it.[9] GamesRadar+ listed it 87th on their list of "The 100 best games of all time", stating "you haven't lived until you've played Tetris Attack two-player and dropped an immensely satisfying five line garbage block on your opponent."[10] Game Informer featured it on its own best games of all-time list at 96 and called it one of the most addictive puzzle games made.[11] GameSpot called it "absolutely brilliant".[12]

Tetris Attack was followed by several sequel games, most using the name Puzzle League in western territories. The first of these were Pokémon Puzzle Challenge for the Game Boy Color and Pokémon Puzzle League for the Nintendo 64 in 2000, featuring characters from the Pokémon anime series. A previously unreleased sequel,[13] Panel de Pon 64, was later released as part of Nintendo Puzzle Collection for the GameCube in 2003,[14] followed by Dr. Mario & Puzzle League for the Game Boy Advance in 2005. Planet Puzzle League was released for the Nintendo DS in 2007 (renamed to Panel de Pon DS in Japan and Puzzle League DS in Europe), featuring online multiplayer support via the now-defunct Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service and touch-screen controls. A similar game for DSiWare, Puzzle League Express, was released in 2010 for the Nintendo DSi with many of the same features as Planet.

Several Nintendo games reference Tetris Attack and Panel de Pon. The "Lip's Stick", the primary weapon of the main character of Panel de Pon, appears throughout the Super Smash Bros. series since Super Smash Bros. Melee, poisoning the opponent. Super Smash Bros. Brawl features multiple Panel de Pon 64 characters and a red-colored block as collectible stickers. A remix of Lip's theme song appears in multiple series entries beginning with Brawl. Lip 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 adds a minigame based on the Puzzle League series, titled Animal Crossing Puzzle League. Completing the minigame will award the player a costume based on Lip.

Panel de Pon was released on the Nintendo Switch Online service on May 20, 2020, including in international regions for the first time.[2]

• Wario's Woods

• Tetris Attack at MobyGames