Tetris FAQ/Strategy Guide
By El Greco
For GameBoy
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Written by : El Greco
Created : November 15, 2003
Version : Final
Updated : November 16, 2003
E-mail : REMOVED
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WHAT'S NEW?
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First and LAST version of the guide. All sections are completed. Unless a
glaring error is pointed out in this document this is will be the first and
last version of the guide.
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| LEGAL NOTICE |
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This document is Copyright 2003-2004 Don Fleming. It may not be reproduced
nor retransmitted in any form without prior consent from the author. It may
not be altered, published, sold, given as an incentive to buy, etc. without
advance permission from the author. All outside sources which have contributed
to the making of this guide in some form have been cited in the guide.
Violation of the above terms can and will result in a lawsuit.
This guide is intended solely for use on GameFAQs.com. If you wish to host my
guide on your website contact me and I will most likely give you permission,
under the condition that the guide is in its complete and original form and
proper credit is given to the author.
Ignorance to the law does not excuse you from any responsibility for your
actions. If you steal this guide you have broken the law.
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| CONTACT INFORMATION |
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If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or contributions to
make then you can e-mail me at the address provided below. I will only
accept questions, comments, suggestions, and contributions if they
abide by the guidelines outlined below. I do not think that I am
asking much by doing that, but if you do have a problem with that then
I ask you just not send me anything at all.
E-MAIL : REMOVED
SUBJECT LINE : Tetris
DO
--
- Point out errors
- Give me strategies for parts of the game that you feel you know lots about
- Write legible sentences
- Include good grammar
- Ask for help about things not already answered in this guide
- Look through the guide before contacting me to make sure I haven't already
answered your question
DO NOT
------
- Send me viruses
- Spam me
- Insult me
- Use excessive profanity
- Use background colors, e.g. yellow font against a black background
- Send irrelevant e-mails
- TyPe lIkE tHiS, tHiS ReAlLy PisSEs mE OFF!
- Ask questions that are answered in this guide
- Add attachments to your e-mail
- NO 1337 SPEAK
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01) Contents
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01) Contents
02) Version History
03) Introduction
04) Game Overview
Game Concept
Controls
Game Screen
The Pieces
Game Modes
Scoring
05) Tips and Strategies
06) Secrets
07) Frequently Asked Questions
08) Conclusion
09) Legal Disclaimer
___________________________________________________________________
- Navigating the Guide -
The entire guide is broken up into sections, sub-sections and so on. There
is one general idea or section and then the section within it are more and
more specific to that particular subject.
You can easily access any of the parts in the guide; all you have to do is
highlight the search code for the section copy it, open the Find function in
your browser and enter it in. Or you could just highight, press CTRL+C,
CTRL+F, CTRL+V, ENTER. That should immediately take you to the desired
section.
The main walkthrough is divided into separate parts to help you find your
place more easily. Just refer to the listing above and find the place that
you are at in the game. Then copy the code next to it and paste it into the
search function (CTRL+F). After you press ENTER or click on "Find Next" you
will be taken to the appropriate section of the walkthrough.
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02) Version History
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------------------------------
Version Final, 11/16/03, 32 kb
------------------------------
First and LAST version of the guide. All sections are completed. Unless a
glaring error is pointed out in this document this is will be the first and
last version of the guide.
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03) Introduction
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Most people who have played a video game at least once in their life knows
the game TETRIS. This is probably one of the simplest yet popular of the
original GameBoy games. I myself was addicted to it for quite a while when
I first started playing it.
I find that this game is simple in appearance yet intensely exciting when it
is played. I will attempt to capture some of the strategies that have helped
me become a good player (at least to me). I will outline the basic concept,
some simple strategies, tips, and I will throw in whatever else I feel.
I feel that I have covered everything that I should. But if you find that I
haven't done that then simply send me an e-mail informing me about this along
with a correction. Any errors in the document are completely my fault. Now,
let's do... er... make some lines!
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04) Game Overview
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______________________________________________________________________________
Game Concept
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
P U Z Z L E
to solve a difficult situation
1. To offer or represent to a problem difficult to solve or a situation
difficult to resolve
2. To challenge mentally; also : to exert over such a problem or situation
3. To solve with difficulty or ingenuity
Tetris is a puzzle game in which you must fit a sequence of shapes into an
area where they create lines of blocks. When there is a complete line in
the building area the line will disappear and you will get points. Simple,
yet incredibly addicting.
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Controls
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Directional Pad
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D-Pad Up.............no function
D-Pad Down...........move piece down
D-Pad Left...........move piece left
D-Pad Right..........move piece right
Buttons
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A....................rotate pieces
B....................no function
Start................Pause Game
Select...............depends
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Game Screen
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_______________________________
| | |
| | 5 |
| |__________|
| | |
| | 4 |
| |__________|
| | |
| 1 | 3 |
| | |
| |__________|
| | |
| | |
| | 2 |
| | |
|____________________|__________|
1 : Building area
2 : Preview next piece
3 : Your score
4 : Current level
5 : Lines
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The Pieces
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The Square
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____ ____
| | | - This piece is probably the_most_useless piece in the game. It
|____|____| will not fit into most places because your building area will
| | | most likely be full of odd protrusions and angles where a
|____|____| symmetrical piece will not fit. However it does have its uses
but these do not come that often. Example below of what a
useful situation would be.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
|_|_|_|_| |_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_ _|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
See? The square piece will fit right in there. Two lines for
you.
Rotations
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_ _
|_|_|
|_|_|
or
_ _
|_|_|
|_|_|
or
_ _
|_|_|
|_|_|
or
_ _
|_|_|
|_|_| Well... that was kind of obvious.
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The L
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____
| | - This piece is easily confused with its brother the J. The L
|____| can be rotated so that it will fit right in many places. One
| | of the most common situations will be what is shown below.
|____|____ have only one space to fill in the row to complete it and this
| | | piece is coming up next. So place it in there so that the
|____|____| one-block arm of it fits right into the hole. Problem solved.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
Rotations
---------
_
|_|
|_|_
|_|_|
or
_ _ _
|_|_|_|
|_|
or
_ _
|_|_|
|_|
|_|
or
_
_ _|_|
|_|_|_|
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The I
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____
| | - The long, skinny piece. Elusive and useful. Perhaps not one
|____| of the most uncommon pieces but you will rarely find yourself
| | coming across one when you need to. This piece is most useful
|____| for gaining those lovely little bonuses called a "Tetris". It
| | fits in nicely with any pieces that provide it with a straight
|____| space to fit in. When you have the circumstances below and you
| | have an I coming up, make sure you handle it correctly so that
|____| you get the Tetris bonus. Or even if you have two or three
spaces you will still get a handsome reward.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
|_|_|_|_| |_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_| |_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_| |_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
Rotations
---------
_
|_|
|_|
|_|
|_|
or
_ _ _ _
|_|_|_|_|
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The T
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____
| | - The T use probably the most useful piece in the game, or at
|____|____ least from what I have seen. It will fit into almost any
| | | place you want or set you up for another location for pieces to
|____|____| slide into. You will find this out soon enough when you play.
| |
|____|
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
|_|_|_|_| _|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
Rotations
---------
_
|_|_
|_|_|
|_|
or
_ _ _
|_|_|_|
|_|
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The J
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
____
| | - Similar in shape to the L piece this one will fit almost any
|____| duty that you find fitting for the L.
| |
____|____|
| | |
|____|____|
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
|_|_|_ _ |_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
Rotations
---------
_
|_|
_|_|
|_|_|
or
_
|_|_ _
|_|_|_|
or
_ _
|_|_|
|_|
|_|
or
_ _ _
|_|_|_|
|_|
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The S
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____ ____
| | | - The S piece is a brother of the Z piece. It will fit
____|____|____| into a few places but it will be of little use unless
| | | there is just the right shaped niche for you to place it
|____|____| in. When that does happen you will only get a single or
at most a double bonus.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
|_|_|_| _|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_ _|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
Rotations
---------
_ _
_|_|_|
|_|_|
or
_
|_|_
|_|_|
|_|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Z
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____ ____
| | | - The Z piece is even more commonly confused with the S
|____|____|____ than the L and the J. It will fulfill all the functions
| | | of the S piece, except of course, that it will be able to
|____|____| fit into different places than the S.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
Rotations
---------
_ _
|_|_|_
|_|_|
or
_
_|_|
|_|_|
|_|
______________________________________________________________________________
Game Modes
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Game Mode A
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This game mode will only end when the player either quits the game or the
blocks reach the top height of the building area. When you complete a line
there will be a score given to you based on the difficulty and number of lines
completed in that moment. For every ten lines you complete the speed will
increase. 5 is relatively fast, 10 is FAST, and 20 is well... impossible for
me. Don't play this game up to that level if you have heart problems, or
high blood pressure.
Game Mode B
-----------
This is perhaps the more challenging game mode. When you start out the screen
will be filled partially with an assortment of random blocks. You must work
with that to achieve a total of 25 completed lines. When you get the 25 lines
the game will end. You can choose a number for the amount of random blocks.
If you choose 0 there will be no random blocks, if you choose 5, it will be
almost completely filled.
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Scoring
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In TETRIS, when you complete a line, you will receive a score based on two
things: the level and the number of lines you completed.
Level Single Double Triple Tetris
=======================================================
0 40 100 300 1200
1 80 200 600 2400
2 120 300 900 3600
3 160 400 1200 4800
4 200 500 1500 6000
5 240 600 1800 7200
6 280 700 2100 8400
7 320 800 2400 9600
8 360 900 2700 10800
9 400 1000 3000 12000
10 440 1100 3300 13800
Thanks to GerkIIDX for pointing out an error in my scoring chart.
REWARDS
-------
Yes you do get rewards for achieving high scores in this game. They are
somewhat unsatisfying but they will have to do.
100,000 points : You will get a little animation of a rocket taking off.
200,000 points : A rocket that looks somewhat similar to the Space Shuttle
will take off.
300,000 points : I have yet to get this but apparently you can see an
animation of a HUGE rocket taking off.
Mode B rewards
--------------
Complete on level 9 : You will see a short clip of Russian dancers doing a
silly little dance.
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05) Tips and Strategies
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* Try to get double or triple bonuses whenever possible.
* Make towers of blocks. For example, stack all the S pieces you have in one
place and all the Ts in another place. The pieces that are harder to fit
in many places will now be organized into neat little columns for you to
use.
* Use the preview box at all times, this way you can stay one step ahead of
the game. This is especially useful on the higher levels when you have
little time to think and strategize.
* An easy way to get a Tetris combo is to line up you blocks so that there is
one slim column on the side of the screen where there is no blocks. Then
you can slide and I piece in there when you get it.
* If you are just beginning then just work on eliminating rows one by one.
This allows you to slowly chip away at your line count and get used to the
controls, pieces, and formulate some of your own strategies.
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06) Secrets
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Disable the "next" box
----------------------
To disable the box where the next piece is displayed just hold down select.
Harder game
-----------
At the title screen hold down START and press the DOWN button on the D-Pad.
You will know that this worked when you see a heart appear by the level. Now
the game will run faster than it did before.
Slow motion
-----------
Hold UP and turn on you GameBoy. Continue holding UP and then press START.
When you play the game now the game will run slowly.
In-Game Reset
-------------
While in the game hold START, SELECT, A, and B. The game will then restart.
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07) Frequently Asked Questions
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Q : (insert question already answered in this guide)?
A : Go back and look in the guide. You will find your answer there.
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Q : Who created Tetris?
A : Tetris was created by Alexy Pajitnov, in 1989. Apparently he got the idea
after purchasing a set of pentominoes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q : What is your high score?
A : I have no idea of an exact number. I imagine that I have scored somewhere
around 230,000 points once or twice and gotten 150 or so lines.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q : What is the rarest/most common piece?
A : I think that the most common piece is either the S or the Z. The rarest
would have to be the I piece, as it never appears when you need it the
most.
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08) Conclusion
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This is where we say goodbye and go our separate ways. Thank you for reading
this and I hope that I helped at least a little bit. Check out my other FAQs
for the Metal Gear Solid series and the Half-Life series.
--> El Greco
http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/36558.html
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09) Legal Disclaimer
*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~
This document is Copyright 2003-2004 Don Fleming. It may not be reproduced
nor retransmitted in any form without prior consent from the author. It may
not be altered, published, sold, given as an incentive to buy, etc. without
advance permission from the author. All outside sources which have contributed
to the making of this guide in some form have been cited in the guide.
Violation of the above terms can and will result in a lawsuit.
------------------------------------
SITES WHERE THIS GUIDE MAY BE HOSTED
------------------------------------
- GameFAQs.com
http://www.gamefaqs.com/
- Gamespot.com
http://www.gamespot.com/
- Neoseeker.com
http://www.neoseeker.com/
- IGN
http://faqs.ign.com
----------------------------------------
SITES WHERE THIS GUIDE MAY NOT BE HOSTED
----------------------------------------
- CheatCodeCentral
http://www.cheatcc.com/
^ Yes, I am pointing directly at your site, Dave, and not with my index finger
either.
______________________________________________________________________________
Copyright 2004 Don Fleming
