Tetris 2 (1993 video game)

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Tetris 2, also known in Japan as Tetris Flash, is a 1993 puzzle game developed by Tose and published by Nintendo for the NES. It was later released on the Game Boy (1993) and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in 1994 (with Bullet-Proof Software handling the Super Famicom release in Japan).

Gameplay is a twist on the original Tetris. Blocks fall from the top and you don’t clear lines. Instead, you must color-match the falling blocks with blocks already on the board. When three blocks of the same color touch, they disappear. Some squares in the tetrominoes aren’t connected by edges, only by corners, making placement trickier.

The game offers single-player and multiplayer modes. Two-player play is available on the SNES and the Game Boy versions (the Game Boy version supports two players using a link cable).

Release and reception summarize its impact. In the United States, Tetris 2 was a top-selling NES and Game Boy game in January 1994 and a top Game Boy title in February 1994. In the United Kingdom, it was the top-selling NES game for much of 1994 and also a top-selling Game Boy game in August 1994. Reviews were mixed: the NES version was criticized for weak graphics and was seen as not as strong as earlier Tetris games; the SNES version was praised for its graphics and two-player mode, though some missed the original music’s Russian theme. Nintendo Power regarded the SNES version as the best Tetris experience on any system at the time, while noting the Game Boy and NES versions were solid but less distinctive. Game Players found the NES version disappointing for puzzle fans.