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Tetrisphere

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Tetrisphere
Tetrisphere box art
Developer(s)H2O Entertainment
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Composer(s)Neil D. Voss
Platform(s)Nintendo 64
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Tetrisphere is a falling block puzzle video game for the Nintendo 64 (N64) console. Developed by Canadian company H2O Entertainment, a nearly complete version of the game was originally slated for release on the Atari Jaguar in early 1995. After Nintendo obtained its publishing rights, Tetrisphere was reworked for the N64 and released on the platform in North America on August 11, 1997 and PAL regions in February 1998.

Tetrisphere is a variant on Tetris in which various shapes are shifted across a wrapped three-dimensional grid resembling a sphere, and then destroyed. The objective of the game changes depending on the mode, but generally consists of removing layers of shapes to reach the playing field's core. Despite very little domestic advertising, Tetrisphere enjoyed moderately good sales and a mostly favorable critical reception. Reviewers praised the game's originality and the musical score composed by Neil D. Voss. [3]

Gameplay

In most Tetris titles, a player's score is incremented as a result of completing "lines", where a row of brick pieces that is without gaps is removed from the 2D playing field. This both earns points and removes the completed row, making room for further pieces. However, in Tetrisphere, the goal is instead to remove bricks by forcing three of the same type of piece to touch as a result of a "drop". A drop is achieved when any brick falls, either as a direct result of the player releasing the currently held brick, or when the brick which supports it from below is removed by any method. When three bricks of the same type touch, this triggers a "reaction". When a reaction occurs, the three bricks will glow brightly and implode, removing themselves from the field of play. Any other same-shaped blocks which are touching that reaction will also be removed in a chain reaction. For example, if a player has lines of nested "Z" pieces, and then drops another "Z" directly on top of one of the nested "Z"s, the one which was dropped will cause the piece below to implode, in turn causing all identical pieces touching that piece to explode, and so on. The only exception is that the pieces involved (including the original three) must abide by the rules which dictate which pieces are "touching". For example, any two matching pieces which are stacked must be exactly on top of each other, if they are both to be removed. Laterally, each piece obeys the rules specific to its shape. As an illustration of this point, "O" pieces (a 2x2 square, colored blue) and "I" pieces (a 3x1 or 1x3 rectangle, colored green or yellow) must have full contact on one side with one full side of another piece of the same shape, but all other pieces are considered "touching" if any part of them is in contact with another of the same shape.

In Rescue Mode, the player must destroy layers in order to reach the sphere's core and free a trapped robot.

There is a penalty incurred each time a player drops a brick without starting a reaction. The player may be penalized three times during a given play period, after which the round ends. While the player is scrutinizing the playfield, searching for likely reactions, a green timer slowly counts down. When the timer reaches zero, a new yellow timer starts and the player begins to move towards the sphere at an increasingly fast pace (moving back to the default position for each piece dropped). That timer may also expire, causing a new and final red timer to begin, which moves the player towards the playfield even faster than the yellow timer. There is no penalty if the final timer reaches zero, but if the player gets too close to the playfield, the piece is dropped, causing a penalty if there is no reaction. The timer is slightly refilled for every piece removed, and is reset to a full green timer when a penalty is incurred. Removing 20 or more pieces will provide access to progressively more powerful assistive (or "magic") devices such as sticks of dynamite or rockets, that the player may employ at any time to remove large sections of the surface. Each type of explosive has its own pattern of removal, area of effect, and drawbacks. This also multiplies the player's score for each piece removed.

There are several modes of play available in Tetrisphere. The foremost single-player mode is "Rescue", which challenges the player to free a robot from the core of a sphere. As levels increase, the number of layers, size of the trapped robots, and types of pieces present increase. "Hide + Seek" has the same objective, and consists of a mix of different challenges, such as exposing a picture imprinted on the sphere's core. The "Puzzle" mode removes the drop timer, the combo weapons, and the infinite and random natures of the pieces supplied to the player. Instead, players must remove all blocks from the surface of the globe, given a finite number of sliding moves and drops of select pieces. The "Vs. CPU" and the two-player "Vs. Player" feature split-screen race to reveal a number of core squares. "Time-Trial" and "Practice" modes, as well as a training tutorial, are also available. Finally, a hidden "Lines" mode exists, where pieces cannot be dropped. Instead, blocks implode by themselves if three of the same type are lined up with each other.

Development

Tetrisphere was developed by H2O Entertainment, which was based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The game began as an Atari Jaguar game entitled Phear and was on display in Atari's booth at the Consumer Electronics Show in 1995 where Nintendo reportedly secured the rights to the game.[4][5] Phear was later announced as a Nintendo 64 release at Nintendo Space World that same year.[6][7] H2O, which had completed a reverse takeover with Canadian Entech Resources Inc., began working exclusively for Nintendo during the game's development.[8] Originally scheduled for a winter holiday 1996 release, H2O worked diligently under Nintendo's direction to update Tetrisphere for the new console. The framerate was increased, allowing for a two-player mode not present in the first version.[7] Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov contributed to the game's design while working at Microsoft.[9] The North American release of Tetrisphere was ultimately delayed until August 1997, when it became the first puzzle game available on the Nintendo 64.[10]

The techno-style soundtrack for Tetrisphere was composed by Neil D. Voss. He began the project as a freelancer when it was on the Jaguar, then signed on as an audio director when it moved to the Nintendo 64.[11] Voss was the sole producer, composer, and sound engineer, but had help from in-house programmer David Pridie and staff from Silicon Graphics. Beginning with a cyberpunk style, the team transitioned to the techno genre due to the "uniqueness" of Tetrisphere as a puzzle game.[11] Voss explained that Tetrisphere features only stereophonic sound because "[...] for a game where the action is all around you, it could enhance gameplay and the immersive experience." Voss was also able to simulate surround sound.[12]

The composer frequently[11] used samples during production, specifically in the tracks "Extol", "Martist", and "Hallucid"[11]; for instance, "Extol" uses a chorus of Balinese singers from a stock sample CD. The song titles were chosen as they would be if released on an album. Vozz elaborated, "'Azule Lux' was supposed to be 'blue light' relating to one of the level backgrounds that impressed me visually. 'Snowy Mushrooms' is a drug reference and equally a reference to Nintendo's penchant for mushroom imagery. 'Phony' is because I felt that track was too close to Liam Howlett's (of the Prodigy) (me being phony). 'Extol' means to praise, which I felt was appropriate... Things like that."[11]

Reception

Tetrisphere was distributed for sale among a network of 17,000 retailers in North America and Europe.[22] Despite little advertising in the United States,[23] Tetrisphere managed to sell 335,000 copies in the region between its August release date and December 31, 1997.[24] Out of 42 titles, Tetrisphere ranked at number 27 in terms of sales for Nintendo games in 1997.[25] H2O Entertainment announced that the game had sold 430,000 copies worldwide as of March 31, 1998.[22]

Nintendo Power ranked Tetrisphere at number 50 on its list of "100 Best Nintendo Games of All Time" in September 1997.[26] The magazine also gave it an award for "Best Soundtrack" for its annual awards for that year.[27] IGN considered the game's soundtrack to be the fourth best of any N64 game.[28]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Tetrisphere: It's Out Of This World" (Press release). Redmond, WA: Nintendo of America. August 7, 1997. Retrieved 2011-01-15.
  2. ^ a b "Nintendo Review: Tetrisphere". Computer and Video Games (195). Future Publishing: p. 64. February 1998. {{cite journal}}: |page= has extra text (help)
  3. ^ Nintendo Power, Issue 104, January 1998
  4. ^ "Next Wave: Tetrisphere". Electronic Gaming Monthly (98). Ziff Davis: 102. September 1997.
  5. ^ Brandon Sheffield (January 11, 2006). "Tetrisphere on the Jaguar!". GameSetWatch. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
  6. ^ "Featuring U64". Next Generation Magazine. 2 (14). Imagine Publishing. February 1996.
  7. ^ a b IGN staff (March 10, 1997). "Tetrisphere Rears its Puzzled Head". IGN. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
  8. ^ Tam, Michael (August 20, 1997). "H2O Entertainment Announces Personnel Change". AllBusiness.com. Retrieved 2010-03-28.
  9. ^ Ali Almaci, Hasan (December 5, 2007). "Interview: Tetris - The Making of an Icon: Alexey Pajitnov & Henk Rogers Interviews". Video Games Daily. Retrieved 2010-03-28.
  10. ^ "Nintendo: Tetrisphere". Nintendo. Archived from the original on 1998-02-05. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
  11. ^ a b c d e IGN staff (June 15, 1998). "Composing Tetrisphere". IGN. Retrieved 2010-03-28.
  12. ^ IGN staff (June 16, 1998). "Interview With Neil Voss (Part II)". IGN. Retrieved 2010-03-28.
  13. ^ "Reviews: Tetrisphere". Electronic Gaming Monthly (98). Ziff Davis: 50. September 1997.
  14. ^ "Reviews: Tetrisphere". GameFan. 5 (9). Metropolis Media. September 1996.
  15. ^ "Pro Reviews: Tetrisphere". GamePro (96). IDG Communications. September 1996.
  16. ^ Horwitz, Jer (August 19, 1997). "Tetrisphere Review for Nintendo 64". GameSpot. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
  17. ^ "Review – Tetrisphere". Game Informer (40). Sunrise Publications. 1997. Archived from the original on 1999-09-09. Retrieved 2010-03-25. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  18. ^ Cheung, Kevin (April 1998). "Games of the Rising Sun: Tobal 2". Hyper (54). Next Media Pty Ltd: pp. 54–5. ISSN 1320-7458. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  19. ^ Perry, Doug (August 13, 1997). "Tetrisphere - Nintendo 64 Review". IGN. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
  20. ^ "Now Playing". Nintendo Power (100). Nintendo of America: 106. September 1997.
  21. ^ "NG Reviews: Tetrisphere". Next Generation Magazine (35). Imagine Publishing. November 1997. Archived from the original on May 8, 1999.
  22. ^ a b "H2O Entertainment Corp. -- Tetrisphere Sales Figures". Business Wire. May 14, 1998. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
  23. ^ IGN staff (August 29, 1997). "Tetrisphere Sales? They Ain't So Bad". IGN. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
  24. ^ "H2O Entertainment Tetrisphere Sales Figures". Business Wire. February 6, 1998. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
  25. ^ IGN staff (February 2, 1998). "The Most Popular Games of '97". IGN. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
  26. ^ "Now Playing". Nintendo Power (100). Nintendo of America: p. 95. September 1997. {{cite journal}}: |page= has extra text (help)
  27. ^ "1997 Nintendo Power Awards". Nintendo Power (104). Nintendo of America. January 1998.
  28. ^ IGN Staff (June 14, 2000). "The Top 25 N64 Games of All Time: #11-15". IGN. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
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