Title : [ Tengen Tetris ] Typed by : [ Brandon Marks ] E-mail : [ blazemore@earthlink.net ] {} = Braces like these indicate a comment ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (inside front cover) OBJECT OF THE GAME/GAME DESCRIPTION: This intense battle of wits is the first Soviet game software to breach the Iron Curtain. It's a dynamic puzzle that has proven to be delightfully irresistible: Rotate and move geometric blocks into unbroken rows. When you completely fill up a row, it disappears from the screen and your score increases. When enough rows vanish, the blocks descend faster and faster. But you have to move fast! TETRIS won't wait around for you to fiddle with one block before it throws another at you. And when you can't find a way to fill the rows, and more blocks tumble down faster and faster, you'll wish you had ten hands - and ten brains! PROBLEMS? It is recommended that you carefully read this instruction booklet to learn and master the operation of this game. By doing so you can have hours and hours of fun with your family and friends! However, if you have any problems or questions about playing this game or any of Tengen's games, please call a Tengen game counselor at (408) 433-3999 Monday through Friday from 8:30am - 6:00pm Pacific Time. PRECAUTIONS: 1.This is a high precision game. It should not be stored in places that are very hot or cold. Never hit or drop it. Do not take it apart. 2.Avoid touching the connectors, do not get them wet or dirty. Doing so may damage the game. 3.Do not clean with benzene, paint thinner; alcohol or other such solvents. Note: In the interest of product improvement, specifications and design are subject to change without prior notice. TM & (C) 1987, AcademySoft-Elorg. All Rights Reserved. Tetris licensed to Andromeda Software Ltd.; and sublicensed to MIRRORSOFT LTD and Sphere, Inc. (c) 1988 Tengen Inc. All Rights Reserved. Original concept, design and program by Alexey Pazhitnov and Vadim Gerasimov, respectively. Nintendo and Nintendo Entertainment System are trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (page after inside cover) TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION ........................................ 1 II. GETTING STARTED .................................... 2 III. USING YOUR CONTROLLER ............................. 2 IV. SELECTING OPTIONS .................................. 3 V. THE TETRIS CHALLENGE ................................ 5 VI. END OF GAME & CONTINUATION ......................... 7 VII. VARIATIONS ........................................ 7 VIII. STRATEGY ......................................... 8 IX. SCORING ............................................ 9 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (page 1) I. INTRODUCTION It's better than caviar, as colorful as a St. Petersburg carnival, more laughs than a barrel of Mongolian devils wearing babushkas. It's Tetris, the new Soviet import that will keep you entertained for hours. This is the game to end the cold war. Watch many-sided shapes tumble onto the screen while you move and rotate them, trying to get them to stack without leaving any holes. Every time you fill up a horizontal row, the row disappears. If you leave holes, the shapes stack up until they reach the top of the screen and the game's over. Watch the paced, controlled action turn into a madhouse as you try to wrestle the shapes into place. Chess-masters, move over. You haven't seen real strategy at work until you've played Tetris. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (page 2) II. GETTING STARTED With your Nintendo(r) system set up and connected, insert the Tetris game pak into the control deck. Then press the power switch to turn on the control deck and start the game. Note: Press the reset button at any time during play to start a new game. III. USING YOUR CONTROLLER [A Button] Each touch rotates a shape 90 degrees clockwise. [B Button] Each touch rotates a shape 90 degrees counterclockwise. { controller diagram here } Controller 1: used by first player to { } select game-play variations and play { } the left side pieces. { } { } Controller 2: used by second play to { } select game-play variations and play { } the right side peices. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (page 3) [CONTROL PAD] {directional diagram here} { } { } { } { } { } Note: Pressing the Left and Down ubttons or the Right and Down buttons at the same time will result in no movement. This is for your protection. IV. SELECTING OPTIONS SELECT BUTTON Press this button to scroll through the options. A marker appears next to the selected option. (You can also scroll by pressing the Up or Down square on the control pad.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (page 4) START BUTTON Press this button to go to the next option screen. Press it again after the last option screen to start play. During a game, press this button to pause; press it again to resume play. "GAME PLAY SELECT" ÄÄ Game-Play Variations { picture of game } 1 Player: One player using controller 1. { } { } 2 Player: Two-player competition, using both { } controllers. Both players receive the same shapes { } in the same order. { } { } Cooperative: Two-player cooperative. Both players { } receive the same shapes in the same order. { } { } Versus Computer: One player against the computer. Both the player and the computer receive the same shapes in the same order. With Computer: One player cooperating with the computer. Both the player and the computer receive the same shapes in the same order. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (page 5) Level Select {picture of game} Choose a game difficulty level from 0 through 9. The { } higher the level, the faster the shapes tumble. In a { } two-player game, both players press their select key in { } order to choose individual difficulty levels. { } Handicap Select {picture of game} Choose from a number of lines: 0, 3, 6, 9, or 12. When { } the game starts, that number of horizontal lines will { } already be stacked on screen. In a two-player game, both { } players press their select key in order to choose { } individual handicaps. Music Select {picture of game} Either player can select the background music desired. { } { } { } { } ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (page 6) V. THE TETRIS CHALLENGE Whether you're a first-time player or a game champ, Tetris will challenge your skill at speed and maneuvering. As the colorful pieces descend, you have only seconds to rotate them to fit into the puzzle of shapes below. Maneuver the shapes into position to fill all holes in the horizontal rows below. Once your piece is aligned, hold down the Down button on your control pad to drop the piece faster into place and double its score. As pieces fall into place, the tower of shapes stacks up. Every time you fill a row, the row disappears. The game difficulty level increases and the pieces fall faster when a certain number of lines is reached. Note: When you're playing a one-player game, the other side of the screen keeps track of the pieces you've used so far. Screen Adjustment: Some televisions may not show the entire bottom or top row of the game screen. If your TV is like that, press the Up or Down buttons on both control pads simultaneously when the title screen (pictured on page 1) is showing. Doing this moves your screen display up or down. The change stays in effect until you turn off the power or adjust the display again with your control pads. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (page 7) VI. END OF GAME AND CONTINUATION Keep filling the rows to lower the tower and you'll stay in the game. If the tower reaches the top of the screen, the game's over. Pressing the A and B keys at the same time whenever GAME OVER is shown will restart a player with the same pieces, level and handicap. (This will not interfere with the second player in a two-player game.) VII. VARIATIONS When playing a two-player game, there are several ways to determine a winner. You can play to the highest score, or race each other to a predetermined number of lines. For another game variation, play a timed game to see who can get the highest score or number of lines filled in a set length of time. Use the handicap feature to make your winning variations even more challenging. The most popular variation is to use the handicap feature and race each other to see who can remove all the "holes" first. This is excellent practice to improve your game, even in a one player game. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (page 8) VII. STRATEGY First watch the computer play in the demonstration mode. Next try a few practice games before playing Tetris in earnest. Concentrate on learning how to fill ines before trying for high scores, and watch the self running demonstration game for hints. While you're still learning the game, keep the top level of your tower as flat as possible. Deep pits are difficult and sometimes impossible to fill. Avoid building narrow holes that are two or more squares deep. These can only be filled with the L-shaped pieces or red bars. It sometimes pays to stack up odd pieces along the sides, since the middle of the tower is easier to fill. Keep an eye on the next piece to come. It will help you decide where to put the piece that's falling. Sometimes you should fill a hole, rather than wait forever for the right piece. Only experience can tell you when to do this. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (page 9) IX. SCORING Each piece earns a score when it drops into the puzzle. Scoring is based on the difficulty level and the horizontal row the piece drops into. Rows are numbered from the bottom up. The higher your row and difficulty level, the higher your score. {picture of the game} Tetris has a total of 18 difficulty levels (although { } level 9 is the highest level you can start at). { } During play, your difficulty level will increase when { } you reach 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 200, 250, etc. lines. { } When either player reaches a new difficulty level, game play will stop to award the players with a bonus for every single, double, triple and Tetris scored. For every single line deleted 100 points are awarded. 400 will be awarded for double lines deleted, 900 for triples and 2500 for a Tetris. As you can see it is very advantageous to score a Tetris. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (page 10) In addition to a bonus, dancers will enter to entertain the player. The number of dancers depends on the number of triples and Tetris scored. The player may abort the bonus scoring and dancers by pressing any button. {picture of the game} The game will maintain a high score table with 15 { } scores and initials. If your scores are good enough, { } you may enter your initials by using the Left and { } Right buttons on your control pad. Press A or B will { } advance to the next initial. Select will reset the process and is used if you make a mistake. Note: þ It is possible to enter more than one set of initials at the same time. þ All initials will be lost when the power is turned off. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (page before inside of back cover) COMPLIANCE WITH FCC REGULATIONS {you can find this in all manuals} ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (inside back cover) TENGEN 90-DAY LIMITED WARRANTY ----------------------------------------------------------------------