View source for Tetris Attack

{{Short description|1995 video game}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Tetris Attack{{break}}Panel de Pon
| image = Tetris Attack box art.png
| caption = North American SNES cover art
| developer = [[Intelligent Systems]]
| publisher = [[Nintendo]]
| director = Masao Yamamoto<br>Hitoshi Yamagami<br>Toshitaka Muramatsu
| producer = [[Gunpei Yokoi]]
| programmer = Shinya Yamamoto
| composer = Masaya Kuzume<br>Masaru Tajima<br>[[Yuka Tsujiyoko]]
| series = ''[[Puzzle League]]''<br>''[[Yoshi]]''
| platforms = [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES]], [[Game Boy]]
| released = '''Super NES'''{{vgrelease|JP|October 27, 1995<ref>{{cite web |title=SUPER FAMICOM Software List 1995 |url=http://tk-nz.game.coocan.jp/gamedatabase/software/DB_NTC2_SFC1995.html |website=GAME Data Room |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919191754/http://tk-nz.game.coocan.jp/gamedatabase/software/DB_NTC2_SFC1995.html |archive-date=September 19, 2018 |language=ja}}</ref>|NA|August 1996<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/downloads/snes_games.pdf |publisher=Nintendo of America |title=Super NES Games |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611225644/http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/downloads/snes_games.pdf |archive-date=June 11, 2014 }}</ref>|EU|November 28, 1996{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}}}} '''Game Boy'''{{vgrelease|NA|August 1996<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/downloads/dmg_games.pdf |publisher=Nintendo of America |title=Game Boy (original) Games |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402190758/http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/downloads/dmg_games.pdf |archive-date=April 2, 2016 }}</ref>|JP|October 26, 1996<ref>{{cite web |title=GAMEBOY Software List 1996 |url=http://tk-nz.game.coocan.jp/gamedatabase/software/DB_NTM1_GB1996.html |website=GAME Data Room |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001143931/http://tk-nz.game.coocan.jp/gamedatabase/software/DB_NTM1_GB1996.html |archive-date=October 1, 2018 |language=ja}}</ref>|EU|November 28, 1996{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}}}}
| genre = [[Puzzle video game|Puzzle]]
| modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]], [[multiplayer]]
}}

'''''Tetris Attack''''', also known as {{nihongo foot|'''''Panel de Pon'''''|パネルでポン|Paneru de Pon|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} in Japan, is a 1995 [[puzzle video game]] developed by [[Intelligent Systems]] and published by [[Nintendo]] for the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]]. A [[Game Boy]] version was released a year later. In the game, the player must arrange matching colored blocks in vertical or horizontal rows to clear them. The blocks steadily rise to the top of the playfield, with new blocks being added at the bottom. Several gameplay modes are present, including a time attack and multiplayer mode.

''Tetris Attack'' was first released as ''Panel de Pon'' in Japan in October 1995, featuring fairies as the main characters with a mythical fantasy setting. The game was released outside Japan in 1996, with the original characters and settings replaced by those from ''[[Yoshi's Island|Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island]]''. Though international releases have the name ''Tetris Attack'', the game bears no relation to the ''[[Tetris]]'' video game series, leading [[The Tetris Company|Tetris Company]] co-founder [[Henk Rogers]] to regret giving Nintendo the license to use the name. Both ''Panel de Pon'' and ''Tetris Attack'' were later broadcast through the Japan-only [[Satellaview]] peripheral, the latter renamed to {{nihongo foot|''BS Yoshi's Panepon''.|ＢＳヨッシーのパネポン|Bī Esu Yosshī no Panepon|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}}

''Tetris Attack'' was well received by critics for its graphical style and presentation, addictive gameplay, challenge and accessibility, and multiplayer modes. It was followed by a series of sequels and remakes for multiple platforms, most of which instead use the name ''[[Puzzle League]]''. The game is referenced in other Nintendo games, such as the ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' series, ''[[Animal Crossing: New Leaf]]'', and ''[[Captain Rainbow]]''.

==Gameplay==
[[Image:Lakitu Tetris Attack.png|thumb|250px|left|[[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 the blocks in a preset block arrangement in a set number of moves. The blocks in this mode do not rise towards the top. Several multiplayer modes are also present with adjustable difficulty levels.

==Development and release==
[[File:PDPwindystage.png|thumb|250px|right|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, in North America in August 1996, and in Europe on November 28, 1996.{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}} Development was headed by [[Intelligent Systems]] and produced by [[Gunpei Yokoi]], known as the creator of the [[Game Boy]]. The Japanese version 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 that was 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 use the name. Although Rogers liked the game, he believed it "got lost in history" due to it using the ''Tetris'' branding.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Perlee |first1=Ben |title=Interview with Alexey Pajitnov and Henk Rogers on Tetris |url=https://www.destructoid.com/interview-with-alexey-pajitnov-and-henk-rogers-on-tetris-135296.phtml |website=Destructoid |access-date=15 May 2020 |language=en |date=8 June 2009 |archive-date=9 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109041403/https://www.destructoid.com/interview-with-alexey-pajitnov-and-henk-rogers-on-tetris-135296.phtml |url-status=dead }}</ref>

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]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}} ''Tetris Attack'' was later released for the Satellaview the same year, renamed ''BS Yoshi no Panepon''.{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}} The original ''Panel de Pon'' was digitally re-released for the Japanese [[Wii Virtual Console]] on November 27, 2007.{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}} It was later added to the [[Nintendo Classics]] service on May 20, 2020.<ref name="Kotaku2020">{{cite web | url = https://kotaku.com/four-more-games-added-to-nintendo-switch-online-1843470350 | title = Four More Games Added To Nintendo's Switch Online Library | first = Luke | last = Plunkett | date = May 14, 2020 | access-date = May 14, 2020 | work = [[Kotaku]] | archive-date = March 27, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230327160402/https://kotaku.com/four-more-games-added-to-nintendo-switch-online-1843470350 | url-status = live }}</ref>

==Reception==
{{Video game reviews
| EGM = 8.25/10 (SNES)<ref name=EGM86/>
| Fam = 7/10, 7/10, 8/10, 7/10<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Famicom Tsūshin]]|title=New Games Cross Review|authorlink1=Hirokazu Hamamura|first1=Hamamura|last1=Tsūshin|first2=Hada|last2=Takayuki|first3=Miki|last3=Watanabe|last4=Uchisawa|first4=Goro|issue=359|publisher=[[ASCII Corporation]]|date=November 3, 1995|p=34|language=Japanese}}</ref>
| rev1 = ''Honest Gamers''
| rev1Score = 9/10 (SNES)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.honestgamers.com/1776/snes/tetris-attack/review.html|title=Tetris Attack (SNES) review|website=Honest Gamers|date=2004-01-13|access-date=2018-01-10|archive-date=2018-01-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111165031/http://www.honestgamers.com/1776/snes/tetris-attack/review.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| Allgame = 4.5/5 (SNES)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=12485&tab=review|title=Tetris Attack Allgame SNES Review|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114212633/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=12485&tab=review|archive-date=2014-11-14}}</ref>
}}
''Tetris Attack'' was met with extremely positive reviews, earning a 90% average rating on [[GameRankings]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/snes/588787-tetris-attack/index.html|title=Tetris Attack for Super Nintendo|website=[[GameRankings]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|access-date=2018-01-10|archive-date=2017-11-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108095330/http://www.gamerankings.com/snes/588787-tetris-attack/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The four reviewers of ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'' gave it an 8.25 out of 10, commending the addictive gameplay, colorful and cartoony graphics, use of Mario characters in the North American localization, and two-player mode.<ref name=EGM86>{{cite magazine|title=Review Crew: Tetris Attack|magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|issue=86|publisher=[[Ziff Davis]]|date=September 1996|page=28}}</ref> ''[[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 described it as "a gentler, slower style of gameplay that requires learning some easy new controls, but this game's no less addicting than the original ''Tetris''."<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Doctor Devon|title=ProReview: Tetris Attack|magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=98|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|date=November 1996|page=130}}</ref> ''[[GameSpot]]'' called it "absolutely brilliant".<ref>{{cite web|author=Cameron Davis|date=2012-02-02|title=Tetris Attack Review|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/tetris-attack-review/1100-2537198/|access-date=2018-01-10|website=[[GameSpot]]|publisher=CBS Interactive}}</ref> 

''GamePro'' gave the Game Boy version a brief positive review, saying it "updates the age-old ''Tetris'' concept by inverting the basic action".<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Tetris Attack |magazine=[[GamePro]] |issue=100|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]] |date=January 1997|page=44}}</ref>

===Accolades===
''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 "[T]he simple premise makes it a game of mass appeal; its depth makes it a hardcore gamer's delight."<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Best of '96|magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |issue=92|publisher=[[Ziff Davis]]|date=March 1997|pages=86}}</ref> 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, admitting that their boss had confiscated the office copy of the game because of how much time they spent playing it.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=100 Best Games of All Time |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|issue=100 |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=November 1997|page=148}} Note: Contrary to the title, the intro to the article (on page 100) explicitly states that the list covers console video games only, meaning PC games and arcade games were not eligible.</ref> ''[[GamesRadar+]]'' listed it 87th on their list of "The 100 best games of all time", saying "you haven't lived until you've played ''Tetris Attack'' two-player and dropped an immensely satisfying five-line garbage block on your opponent."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamesradar.com/f/the-100-best-games-of-all-time/a-20110330182119708031/p-2|title=The 100 best games of all time|website=[[GamesRadar+]]|date=2011-03-31|access-date=2011-04-14|archive-date=2012-10-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014091937/http://www.gamesradar.com/best-games-ever/|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''[[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 ever made.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Jeff Cork|title=Game Informer's Top 100 Games Of All Time (Circa Issue 100)|url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2009/11/16/game-informer-s-top-100-games-of-all-time-circa-issue-100.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091119071214/http://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2009/11/16/game-informer-s-top-100-games-of-all-time-circa-issue-100.aspx|url-status=live|archive-date=November 19, 2009|magazine=[[Game Informer]] |date=2009-11-16|access-date=2018-01-10}}</ref> In 2018, ''[[Complex Networks|Complex]]'' listed the game #64 on its "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Knight|first=Rich|date=April 30, 2018|title=The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time|url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/the-100-best-super-nintendo-games/|access-date=2022-01-31|website=Complex|language=en|archive-date=2022-01-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220109005057/https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/the-100-best-super-nintendo-games/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Legacy==
''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]]'' franchise. A previously unreleased sequel,<ref>{{cite web|last=Caballero|first=David|url=https://www.gamereactor.eu/a-playable-neverreleased-panel-de-pon-64-has-been-unearthed/|title=A playable, never-released Panel de Pon 64 has been unearthed|work=[[Gamereactor]]|date=July 21, 2020|access-date=2020-10-13|archive-date=2021-12-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211219161816/https://www.gamereactor.eu/a-playable-neverreleased-panel-de-pon-64-has-been-unearthed/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Panel de Pon 64'', was later released as part of ''[[Nintendo Puzzle Collection]]'' for the [[GameCube]] in 2003.<ref>{{cite web|last=Wong|first=Alistair|url=https://www.siliconera.com/panel-de-pon-64-prototype-found-and-shared-on-youtube/|title=Panel de Pon 64 Prototype Found and Shared on YouTube|work=[[Siliconera]]|publisher=[[Enthusiast Gaming]]|date=July 20, 2020|access-date=2020-07-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200723080814/https://www.siliconera.com/panel-de-pon-64-prototype-found-and-shared-on-youtube/|archive-date=2020-07-23|url-status=live}}</ref> It was followed by ''Dr. Mario & Puzzle League'' for the [[Game Boy Advance]] in 2005 and ''[[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. These follow-ups are not tied to any external franchise. A condensed version of the 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, starting with ''Brawl,'' where it can be played on the stage ''PictoChat'' in ''Brawl'', ''Wrecking Crew'' in ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Wii U]]'', and on any miscellaneous Nintendo series stage in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''. Lip appears in the Japan-only [[Wii]] game ''[[Captain Rainbow]]'' and as a Spirit and Mii Fighter costume in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hobbyconsolas.com/guias-trucos/super-smash-bros-ultimate/todos-espiritus-super-smash-bros-ultimate-347581 |title=Todos los espíritus en Super Smash Bros Ultimate |work=Hobby Consolas |last=Hernández |first=David |date=December 21, 2018 |accessdate=January 26, 2024 |archive-date=January 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126121206/https://www.hobbyconsolas.com/guias-trucos/super-smash-bros-ultimate/todos-espiritus-super-smash-bros-ultimate-347581 |url-status=live }}</ref> A 2016 update to ''[[Animal Crossing: New Leaf]]'' adds a minigame based on the ''Puzzle League'' series, titled ''Animal Crossing Puzzle League''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Frank |first=Allegra |date=2016-11-02 |title=Animal Crossing: New Leaf's new minigames harken back to the series' past |url=https://www.polygon.com/2016/11/2/13497746/animal-crossing-new-leaf-minigames-amiibo-update |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=Polygon |language=en-US |archive-date=2024-02-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229152706/https://www.polygon.com/2016/11/2/13497746/animal-crossing-new-leaf-minigames-amiibo-update |url-status=live }}</ref>

''Panel de Pon'' was included solely in Japan as part of the 21 games rereleased on the [[Super NES Classic Edition|Super Famicom Mini]] on October 5, 2017, and was made available internationally on the [[Nintendo Classics]] service on May 20, 2020.<ref name="Kotaku2020" /><ref>{{cite web |title=ニンテンドークラシックミニ スーパーファミコン {{!}} 任天堂 |url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/clvs/index.html |website=任天堂ホームページ}}</ref>

==See also==
*''[[Wario's Woods]]''

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|date=2025-10-27|En-Tetris-Attack-article.ogg}}
*{{moby game|id=/tetris-attack|name=''Tetris Attack''}}

{{Yoshi series}}
{{Puzzle League series}}
{{Tetris}}
{{Mario puzzle games}}
{{Intelligent Systems}}
{{Portal bar|Video games|1990s}}


[[Category:1995 video games]]
[[Category:Game Boy games]]
[[Category:Intelligent Systems games]]
[[Category:Mario puzzle games]]
[[Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games]]
[[Category:Nintendo games]]
[[Category:Nintendo Research & Development 1 games]]
[[Category:Nintendo Classics games]]
[[Category:Puzzle League]]
[[Category:Super Nintendo Entertainment System games]]
[[Category:Tetris games|Attack]]
[[Category:Video games developed in Japan]]
[[Category:Video games featuring female protagonists]]
[[Category:Video games produced by Gunpei Yokoi]]
[[Category:Video games scored by Yuka Tsujiyoko]]
[[Category:Virtual Console games for Wii]]
[[Category:Yoshi video games]]
[[ja:パネルでポン#パネルでポン]]