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V-Tetris

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V-Tetris
Developer(s)Locomotive
Publisher(s)Bullet-Proof Software
Director(s)Norifumi Hara
Producer(s)Takehiro Moriyama
Designer(s)Toshiaki Kamiya
Programmer(s)Yuji Hatanaka
Artist(s)Tomonori Matsunaga
Composer(s)Takashi Kumegawa
SeriesTetris
Platform(s)Virtual Boy
Release
  • JP: August 25, 1995
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player

V-Tetris[a] is a 1995 puzzle video game developed by Locomotive and published by Bullet-Proof Software in Japan for the Virtual Boy. Its gameplay involves the player clearing horizontal lines by moving pieces of different shapes that descend onto the playing field by filling empty spaces in order to make completed lines disappear and gain points across three modes of play.

Designed by Toshiaki Kamiya and headed by Takehiro Moriyama, V-Tetris was developed under supervision of Bullet-Proof Software by staff at Locomotive Corporation who would later work on both Virtual Fishing and SD Gundam Dimension War, with the team wanting the game to feel fresh and new with its additional content while keeping the familiarity of the original Tetris. BPS felt that producing a Tetris game for the Virtual Boy would appeal to a wider audience and wanted to keep the game's simplicity to respect the original's legacy. Gameplay was altered to make use of the system's 3D hardware capabilities to create a sense of depth. It was intended to be released as a launch title and feature support for the then-upcoming Link Cable peripheral, which was never released due to the console's short lifespan.

V-Tetris was met with mixed reception from critics.

Gameplay

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Gameplay screenshot of type-C mode

V-Tetris is a falling-tile puzzle game similar to previous Tetris titles on other platforms with three modes of play.[1][2][3][4] In type-A mode, the player must clear horizontal lines by moving pieces of different shapes that descend onto the playing field by filling empty spaces in order to make completed lines disappear and gain as many points as possible, while avoiding having the playfield full and the game's speed increases after clearing every ten lines.[2][3]

In type-B mode, the player is required to clear a determined number of horizontal lines with pieces filling the playfield and proceed to the next level.[2][3][4] In type-C mode, called "Loop Tetris", the player can scroll the cylindrical-esque playing field left or right by pressing the L and R buttons respectively and clear multiple horizontal lines.[1][2][3][4]

Development and release

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V-Tetris was developed under supervision of Bullet-Proof Software by staff at Locomotive Corporation who would later work on both Virtual Fishing and SD Gundam Dimension War, with Toshiaki Kamiya acting as designer.[5][6][7] Production was headed by Takehiro Moriyama alongside co-directors Norifumi Hara and Makoto Hijiya, while Hijiya also acted with Yuji Hatanaka as co-programmer.[7] The visuals were designed by Tomonori Matsunaga, while both sound effects and music were made by Takashi Kumegawa.[7] Bullet-Proof public relations spokesperson Tanaka Shutsuho recounted the project's development process in a 1995 interview with Japanese magazine 3D Virtual Boy Magazine, stating that BPS felt that making a Tetris title for the Virtual Boy would appeal to a wider audience and wanted to maintain simplicity in order to "respect" the legacy of the original game, while gameplay was altered to make use of the console's 3D hardware capabilities to create a sense of depth.[5] The team wanted the game to feel fresh and new with added content but keeping the familiarity of the original Tetris.[5]

V-Tetris was announced at E3 1995 under the working title V1-Tetris.[8][9] The game was intended to be released as a launch title and feature support for the then-upcoming Link Cable peripheral, which was never released due to the short lifespan of the Virtual Boy.[5] The title was released by Bullet-Proof Software in Japan on August 25 of the same year and was housed in a four megabit cartridge.[10][11] Though it was never officially released in North America, copies of the game were imported by Electronics Boutique in 1996 and sold alongside other Japanese-exclusive titles for the console, while all the in-game text is in English.[4][12]

Reception

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V-Tetris received a mixture of opinions from critics prior to and since its release,[14][15] though retrospective reviewers gave it a positive recommendation.[16][17] Famitsu's four reviewers gave the game a very mixed analysis.[10] The Japanese book Virtual Boy Memorial Commemorative Guidebook gave the title a low overall rating.[18] Nintendojo's Nathan Heckel felt that the elven motiv could be "disturbing" for players over 10 and that the type-C mode did not take avantage of the system's 3D capabilities. However, Heckel referred to the latter mode as "mind-bending" due to the ability of rotate between stacks and scoring opportunities but regarded its gameplay to be standard and remarked that the music did not compared to previous Tetris games.[13] Nintendo Life's Dave Frear stated that "V-Tetris gains absolutely nothing from being on the Virtual Boy as the 3D effect is only really used for the backgrounds. The music could have been better and it's harmed by not having a save feature for the high scores. However it's still Tetris, which is as simple and addictive as it's ever been and mode C is excellent."[2]

Notes

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  1. ^ Japanese: V・テトリス, Hepburn: Bī・Tetorisu, also known as Virtual Tetris[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Virtual Boy - Virtual Tetris". Nintendo Magazine System (Australia). No. 30. Trielle Corporation. September 1995. pp. 50–51.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Frear, Dave (April 27, 2009). "V-Tetris Review (VB) - You know what to do…". Nintendo Life. Nlife Media. Archived from the original on 2019-05-29. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  3. ^ a b c d V-Tetris 取扱説明書 (Virtual Boy, JP)
  4. ^ a b c d Marriott, Scott Alan (1998). "V-Tetris [Japanese] - Overview". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 2014-11-14. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  5. ^ a b c d "VBでも定番リフトを目指しています! - 開発よもやま話" [Aiming at another lift of a classic with the VB! - Small Talk on Development]. 3D バーチャルボーイ Magazine [3D Virtual Boy Magazine] (in Japanese). No. 1. Tokuma Shoten. June 16, 1995. p. 31. Archived from the original on 2019-05-30. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  6. ^ "『テトリス』!! - V-テトリス". Dengeki Super Famicom (in Japanese). Vol. 3, no. 9. MediaWorks. June 9, 1995. p. 12. Archived from the original on August 7, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c Locomotive Corporation (August 25, 1995). V-Tetris (Virtual Boy). Bullet-Proof Software. Level/area: Staff.
  8. ^ "Virtual Boy - It's Virtually Here!". Nintendo Power. No. 73. Nintendo of America. June 1995. pp. 72–75. Archived from the original on 2019-05-30. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  9. ^ "E-3 The Biggest And Best Electronic Entertainment Show Ever! — '95 Next Generation Software Listing: Virtual Boy - Bullet-Proof Software". GameFan. Vol. 3, no. 7. DieHard Gamers Club. July 1995. p. 41.
  10. ^ a b c "NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: V-テトリス". Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 350. ASCII Corporation. September 1, 1995. p. 32. Archived from the original on 2017-12-28. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  11. ^ "Virtual Boy World: V-テトリス". Marushō Super Famicom [ja] (in Japanese). No. 14. Kadokawa Shoten. September 8, 1995. p. 83. Archived from the original on 2019-05-30. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  12. ^ Backel, Al (February 2003). "Collector's Closet - Collecting Virtual Boy". Tips & Tricks. No. 96. Larry Flynt Publications. p. 94.
  13. ^ a b Heckel, Nathan (2003). "Reviews: V-Tetris (Import)". Nintendojo. Archived from the original on 2004-06-12. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
  14. ^ "Dengeki 電撃王 Special: V-テトリス". Dengeki Oh (in Japanese). No. 31. MediaWorks. July 1995. p. 126. Archived from the original on 2021-08-07. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  15. ^ "Impression - V・テトリス". Jugemu [ja] (in Japanese). No. 5. Media Factory, Recruit Holdings. September 1995. p. 11. Archived from the original on 2019-05-30. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  16. ^ "Virtual Boy: More Than Meets The Eye — Japan-Only Releases - The Virtual Boy's Home Territory Boasts Some Real Collector's Items: V-Tetris". Retro Gamer. No. 102. Imagine Publishing. April 26, 2012. p. 49.
  17. ^ Parish, Jeremy (2021). "V-Tetris: Red blocktober". Virtual Boy Works. Limited Run Games. pp. 60–63. ISBN 9781955183000.
  18. ^ "世界の絶滅動物シリーズ - バーチャルボーイ 全ソフト一覧 (96年8月現在): V – テトリス" [World’s Extinct Species Series - Virtual Boy List of All Software (As of August 1996): V-Tetris]. バーチャルボーイ追悼記念ガイドブック [Virtual Boy Memorial Commemorative Guidebook] (in Japanese) (改訂第ニ版 [Revised Second Edition] ed.). Toyo Baphomet Council. January 31, 1998. p. 6. Archived from the original on 2019-05-29. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
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