Tetris Attack

Tetris Attack is a Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy puzzle game, based off the Japanese game Panel De Pon. Despite its name, Tetris Attack has no relation to the Tetris series and was later renamed Puzzle League when the sequels (such as Dr. Mario & Puzzle League) came out.

Gameplay
The title of the game is misleading in that the gameplay is little like Tetris. Instead, square panels rise from the bottom (called the "stack") and the job of the player is to line up three or more matching panels either horizontally or vertically as the stack rises. The player controls the panels using a rectangular cursor on the screen which the player uses to switch the selected panels back and forth. Extra points are given for combinations of more than three. If the stack touches the top of the playing field while rising, the game is over.

Single Player Mode
In this game the players only opponent is him/herself. The game can be endless, provided the player is fast enough. This mode is great for practice and improving the player's skills. When they begin the game the player sets a starting level and chooses an ally; as the gamer plays, the game gets harder by gradually increasing the speed at which the stack rises. The object is for the player to play as long as they can before the stack begins rising faster than they can play, because if it touches the top, the game is over. The player will receive points for clearing panels, and will receive more points for clearing more panels at once, using either combos, chains, or skill chains (see below).

Endless
Endless mode is just that; the player will be playing endlessly, trying to get the best possible score before he/she gets a game over. The player can choose the difficulty level (Easy, Normal, Hard) and the speed level (lv. 1-99) to start out. However, the longer the player manages to stay alive, the faster the stack will start to rise.

Time Trial
The time trial mode is also similar to the Endless mode, except the player is given a time limit of two minutes and the object is to score as many points as possible before time is up.

Stage Clear
This mode is just like the Endless mode (see above) except the player must clear all the panels above the "clear line" that's drawn in the stack. The line is not visible at the beginning of the game, and is only visible when the player has cleared enough panels for the stack to rise enough. If the stack touches the top before all the panels above the "clear line" are removed, the player will lose. There's no time limit in this game mode.

There's a total of 30 rounds (not counting the "special stage" and "last stage"), with 5 rounds per level.

The "special stage" and "last stage" involve defeating Bowser with combos and chains before the stack reaches the very top. While the "special stage" is only a bonus stage to test the player's skills, the "last stage" can be repeated if the player loses.

Puzzle
In the puzzle mode, the player is given a number of panels on the screen, and he/she must clear all of them with only a limited number of switches by the cursor. There is no time limit. The player plays 10 rounds with each character from the game. Also, at the end of each round, the player is given a password in which he/she can use to come back to his/her game at a later time.

On a side note, there are some even more difficult puzzles that the player can play with if he/she has the proper password.

VS
Single player VS is a game where the player can battle the computer in a fight. To free the player's allies from a spell cast by Kamek. One by one, the player and Yoshi must break the spell over each of the player's allies by battling and defeating them by dropping garbage blocks, which resemble the Evil Ceiling from Wario's Woods, on their stack. Each battle gets successively more difficult, and as the player progresses and frees his/her allies, the player can use them in battle as well.

Inside Mt. Wickedness, the player will face off against Hookbill the Koopa and Naval Piranha on all the skill levels. On the "Normal" and "Hard" skill levels, Kamek will be the next opponent. And on the "Hard" skill level, the player will face Bowser as the final opponent.

There's also a "Super Hard" skill level, which will heavily test the player's skills. All opponents fought on the "Hard" skill level will be in this skill level.

Characters
While Mario does not make a direct appearance in this game, Yoshi plays a starring role as an ally and a tutor to teach the player the game. A multitude of other characters from the Mushroom Kingdom appear in the game as well, some as allies and some as enemies. The following characters are...

Pals

 * Yoshi
 * Lakitu
 * Bumpty (SNES version only)
 * Poochy
 * Flying Wiggler
 * Froggy
 * Gargantua Blargg
 * Lunge Fish
 * Raphael the Raven

Note: Bumpty, Flying Wiggler, and Lunge Fish can only be used in the VS game modes. There is an exception in the Game Boy version of the Puzzle game mode.

Rivals

 * Hookbill the Koopa
 * Naval Piranha
 * Kamek
 * Bowser

Note: All rival characters can only be used in the 2P Mode. There is an exception in the Game Boy version of the Puzzle game mode, however.

Other Release Formats
The Japanese version of Tetris Attack, titled ヨッシーのパネポン (Yoshi no Panepon) was released on the Satellaview. This version was a Japanese localization of the rebranded Panel De Pon with Yoshi characters. There was also an option in the menus to play the game with the characters and story dialog in English, but the menus would stay in Japanese.

The Game Boy version was also released in Japan under the same name, as a standard GB ROM cartridge.

Secrets
Below are a list of secrets that can be found. None of them stay unlocked, however.

SNES
1: Upon turning on the SNES, press the following buttons; B, A, L, L. If done correctly, the player will hear a chime. When the player does a 1 player game mode, the stack will not stop, regardless of if the player does a combo or chain.

2: In the 1P VS mode, the player can play the "Super Hard" skill level by pressing L, R, and A at the same time while the "Hard" skill level is selected. If done correctly, the lower background will turn dark red. The dark red background is a sign that the player is playing on the "Super Hard" skill level.

3: Players can use the rival characters in the 2P game modes by doing the following; player 1 and player 2 must hold the L and R buttons at the same time while on the character select screen. If done right, the "? panels" will change into the rival characters.

Options
The SNES version of the game does feature an "Options" menu, which enables the player to change the language settings, listen to sound effects and background music, and even view data about the characters.

There's also a "CPU Switch" feature, in which player 1 and/or player 2 will be controlled by a CPU player. However, this feature can't be used to view game endings in the single player game modes; if attempted, the player will get message stating that the CPU Switch must be turned off to view the ending.

Reception
The game was placed 17th in the 100th issue of Nintendo Power's "100 best Nintendo games of all time" in 1997.

Trivia

 * A minigame from Mario Party 6, called Block Star, plays almost exactly like Tetris Attack.