Wait, There's a Tetris 2? | A History of Strange Tetris Sequels - The Golden Bolt

Tetris needs no introduction, it's the highest-selling game of all time after all. What would you say, though, if I told you that there's a Tetris 2? How about if I said that Tetris 2 wasn't even the second Tetris game? With over 50 official sequels and spinoffs in the past three decades, there are a LOT of weird Tetris games out there, including titles like Hatris, Wordtris, and even a Tetris Battle Royale game now! With so many forgotten Tetris games out there, it's about time somebody took a look at them. Join me in today's video as I highlight some of the strangest Tetris games ever released!
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#Tetris #Tetris99 #HistoryofTetris

[@TheGoldenBolt]

Fun fact: Today is this channel's third birthday! If you wanna help me celebrate, sharing the video is _greatly_ appreciated!

[@BladeBlur]

Same day as the Switch!

[@StuffWePlay]

They grow up so fast

[@GodfatherRobert]

6 years in Now!

[@Painocus]

"99 is the most hectic Tetris imaginable" *Tetris: The Grand Master 3 would like to know your location.*

[@ThatTravGuy]

"The pieces get small, and you get Ｔｈｉｃｃ "

[@TheGoldenBolt]

I'm waiting for Thicctris to come out next year but when I do I'm gonna have thighs the size of the earth

[@DrewPicklesTheDark]

"Tetris 2? I knew about that like in the 90s!" _Watches video some_ "FACETRIS!?"

[@hdofu]

But did you know about Tetris 2 & Bomblis, Super Tetris 2 & Bombliss, Super Tetris 2 & Bomblis Genteiban, Super Bombliss?

[@GumshoeGamer]

Good video dude! I think Tetris will never die but we all know that “Mean Bean Machine” is the best puzzle game ever so whatever

[@TheGoldenBolt]

Puyo Puyo Tetris was a game I almost included, actually! If not for Tetris 99 I probably would've, but 99 gave me an excuse to hide how bad I am at Puyo Puyo! I'm, like, _really_ bad at Puyo Puyo.

[@jackiexkh]

The Golden Bolt What about Pac-Attack?

[@zionxxv]

Mean bean machine is puyo puyo

[@gamin9wizard945]

Who is not bad at PuyoPuyo xD The Game is so difficult, I struggle even pulling off 5-chains after like 6 months of practice. Edit: I'm trying to express tbhat nobody in their right mind would judge a guy for being bad at Puyo

[@CassiusStelar]

Mean bean machine is the worst version of Puyo, what is wrong with you.

[@SnDFrostey]

Tetris Plus is interesting too: both the campaign and vs mode involves having to prevent an archeologist from getting trapped inside the puzzle. Good video!

[@davezanko9051]

And even the classic mode in that is a standout, because it's based, mechanically speaking, on Sega's original Japanese arcade version, not Nintendo or BPS's versions. Which makes sense since it too was a Japanese arcade version originally. In fact, it's use of the Sega style was what directly inspired the first of the Tetris: The Grandmaster series, which is often held by hardcore players as the best Tetris series.

[@StuffWePlay]

I'm really loving this style of video! Now we just need a follow up focusing on Tetris & Dr Mario and Puyo Puyo Tetris and the like!

[@TheGoldenBolt]

There's a few sequels I can definitely put together in a sequel video to this sequels video, if there's enough demand for it!

[@savageduck2613]

Luminies?

[@mrgoodname7297]

Well there was a Super Mario bros version but not dr mario

[@Doommaster1994]

At 9:30, you mentioned that the ? block in Wordtris only reveals the letter once it's fallen. Actually, you can use the L or R buttons to select a letter. This is of course easier in the computer versions because all you have to do is type the letter you want.

[@nate9962]

you're the only person I've seen actually talk about tetris effect! great video

[@TheGoldenBolt]

Thank you! I'll keep shouting its name from the mountaintops if I have to, Tetris Effect needs more love!

[@gamin9wizard945]

19:20 Fun Fact - the zone ability lets you clear up to 23 lines, a feat which is being referred to as "infinitris" - Only like a douzen people have done it thus far. I am stuck at 18 lines, once I got 19 but - Also, if you wanna unlock all achievements in the game, getting 18 lines at least once is a must.

[@JomasterTheSecond]

Tetris 2: *_THE SQUEAKQUEL_*

[@Zubatticus]

I still can't believe there's 99 Tetris games. I don't think anything will ever top Tetris 12: Revenge of the L Block, though.

[@TheGoldenBolt]

That one was banned in Russia!

[@oneish7454]

Wow, I never knew there were so many Tetris derivatives. This was very informative!

[@TheGoldenBolt]

This video, like all good things, started with a Google binge. There are a good 50 other Tetris games that I could've touched on, although not all of them would've been that strange!

[@hdofu]

this is just the tip of the iceberg,

[@ryanr27]

What’s also weird is Tetris Attack, WHICH ISN’T EVEN TETRIS! It’s just Panel De Pon!

[@imthischair]

Adding one of my favorites to the list, Wetrix. Such a fun take on the formula

[@PKMNwww411_MkII]

Tetris & Dr. Mario has 2 games in 1 with Mixed Match combining the two games. Tetris Battle Gaiden is a head-to-head affair with colorful characters that have different abilities. Tetris DS multiplayer give you items to use. Puyo Puyo Tetris has many game modes (including trials during the adventure) Big Bang has timed fever/lucky attack where higher score means more damage dealt to opponents, Swap alternates between Puyo Puyo and Tetris, Fusion combines both in the same play field, and Party where players compete for the highest score with items thrown in the mix. Tetris Blast/Super Bombliss is where you blow up the blocks. The more lines/cascades the bigger the explosions and the higher the score. I would keep going, but you get the idea.

[@chaoticwes462]

I am mortified at the concept of Facetris. Out of all of these I would definitely play Tetris 99 for a few minutes before raging at how much I suck at video games. This was a really good video, I am glad you dressed for a worldwide audience.

[@TheGoldenBolt]

Faces...tris III is a fever dream come to life, I swear to god.

[@russianmansmwc]

when I saw "History" part I thought of Gaming Historian, but this is just a bunch of reviews of weirdes tetris games. Where "just a bunch of reviews" is a good thing! Also happy birthday The Golden Bolt The Channel! :tada:

[@TheGoldenBolt]

Actually that's a good point, I didn't think about that when I titled the video! I was sort of aiming for like a little bit of history and a little bit of analysis, so the chronological focus made "history" feel like a good title. But hey, to be compared to Norm in any way is more than fine by me, dude's amazing!

[@bland9876]

Love me some indiana Jones Tetris aka tetris plus where you have to get the Professor to the bottom of the screen before he's crushed

[@gold_lightning]

Another weird but good one is Puyo Puyo Tetris.

[@TheGoldenBolt]

There's actually another, earlier Tetris game that had a similarly weird story! I ended up cutting Puyo Puyo mainly because of Tetris 99 overtaking it, but also because I'm _very_ bad at Puyo Puyo lol

[@Darkfire0507]

Great video! I would like to see more about the weirdest games of the franchise! :)

[@TheGoldenBolt]

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I'll try to follow up with another if I can down the road!

[@DrWellRound]

Tetris effect, is the best game I’ve ever played. I love it! And I will never forget playing it.

[@creepercraftytT99]

22:03 the best thing you can do at top 10 is hope that all players left are targetting you, so you can put on Attackers mode and attack all 9 players at once (you're the 10th) with a huge damage boost that will turn that "10" in the place counter to a "2" or a "1" in no more than 2 minutes if you're lucky enough

[@RetroBreak]

Great video! After Tetris Effect last year and Tetris 99 this year I’ve been on a bit of a Tetris and Alexey Pajinov binge! Thinking about doing my own video on the topic but looks like you already covered everything! XD

[@TheGoldenBolt]

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Trust me, there's a lot left with Tetris to cover for sure, so you can definitely still do it!

[@TheAlby87Project]

Well, in Facetris you can swap the falling blocks, and, also, the idea that a block can not pass trough a placed block is one of the mechanics told in the manual!

[@Indead]

Sad he didn’t show The New Tetris for N64. I adore that game.

[@TheGoldenBolt]

I came close to including it, but it didn't have much that made it particularly weird, at least compared to the other two N64 ones I included! That one's just a good ol' Tetris game

[@saifal-badri]

Very accurate tetris effect review, loved it ❤

[@OtterSou]

This video is really good and informative! I can't believe the video has less than 10,000 views

[@OtterSou]

Fun fact: The font in Tetris 64 (Soei Kaku Poptai) is basically the equivalent of Comic Sans in Japan. If you want to give it a try, download MS Office Japanese language pack.

[@billepperson2662]

I just recently saw that the 1st ever "Hatris" world championship tournament was held not long ago. I learned about it from a video that agamescout did (The yt creator that covers competitive Tetris, I highly recommend checking out his channel if you're not already familiar with him)... Anyone else think that Alexi deciding to change points to "money" & games to "work days" in that title, was perhaps a subtle dig @ the people he had to fight in court with, over the dispute regarding his Tetris royalties?

[@bralenmurphy1991]

I recently got a gba and picked up tetris 2 as I wanted a tetris experience. Its actually super fun

[@tropixx_xlr1549]

Puzzle games are so expansive, especially tetris, that is what makes it special!!

[@RodrigoPalmer91]

I love your reviews, and this style of docummentary videos are great! Happy birthday of the channel!

[@TheGoldenBolt]

I'm glad you think so! This style feels like it flows better to me, and it's a bit more fulfilling creatively than the reviews - this is something I'm hoping will be the bread and butter of my larger videos going forward, with individual reviews still sprinkled in of course!

[@RodrigoPalmer91]

@@TheGoldenBolt your series about the untold story of the "Playstation All stars battle royale" game was superb. It's good to see more videos in that line. PD: That shirt it's soooo cool!

[@TheGoldenBolt]

Yeah, something like that was a monster to edit, but I was able to crank out this video relatively quickly once I started production. I think this is something I can definitely manage a lot more of going forward, I've already got another dozen ideas like this in my head ready to go! And thanks! It was a gag gift that I was told I needed to wear in at least one video, so I figured I may as well use it now lol

[@theironduck2524]

I found a copy of Tetris 2 for game boy at a retro game store and it was 7 dollars so i thought why not and its actually surprisingly fun

[@pengoobanana5848]

You deserve SO MUCH subscribers

[@reallycool]

Better than Dunkey, tbh.

[@calebchristiansen3065]

Dunkey is funnier, but this is a lot more in depth and more informative

[@TheGoldenBolt]

I'll take it!

[@GodfatherRobert]

Microsoft has a very fun Tetris that was on windows phones only I absolutely love it and still have my old phone to play that Tetris

[@Zylotic83]

No Magical Tetris, no Tetris Attack, no Mega Drive Tetris?

[@TheGoldenBolt]

Magical was the most "normal" of the N64 Tetris games, that's mainly why it fell short compared to Tetrisphere and 64. I just didn't wanna overload on N64 games! As for Tetris Attack, it's only a Tetris game by name in the West! In Japan it's just the first game in the Panel de Pon/Puzzle League series, which is how it's been named every time except for that first one - IIRC one of the Tetris Company's upper brass wasn't happy with the decision to license the name out here, because of the mixed signals it sent!

[@hdofu]

@@TheGoldenBolt Try the Game Boy Color version of Magical Tetris Challenge on Quest mode. As for Tetris Challenge, Panel De Pon/Puzzle League or Challenge deserves its own video.

[@Gehrich_]

How could you not include Wetrix? It's not official, but it's also one of the weirdest Tetris games, by far.

[@hdofu]

"You're probably pretty confused" no.... not really as someone whose been obsessed with tetris over 2 decades and remembers the days where you could walk into computer shows and walk out with cds full of tetris shareware for 3 bucks.

[@BugsyFoga]

No one would've expectd Tetris attack being a yoshie game with its game cover .

[@TheGoldenBolt]

Tetris Attack is one that I ended up cutting early in the scripting process, specifically _because_ it's not even Tetris! I even had a bit of footage recorded just in case I wanted to go down the Tetris Attack/Pokemon Puzzle League series wormhole lol

[@Pianoman-gi9mv]

you forgot to mention that super tetris 2 has 2 variations on the same game released in japan for the snes

[@BagOfMagicFood]

Gosh, I remember a PC Tetris clone from the early 1990s that had those funny kitty-corner-connected tetrominoes like Tetris 2, and it might have even had the "bomb" blocks, but I want to say all the blocks were beige-colored. And I can't find it again because I never learned the title, and there were lots of Tetris clones! Who would be cool enough to make a Tetris 2/Tetris Flash clone like that?

[@davezanko9051]

Perhaps you're thinking of Super Tetris, Spectrum HoloByte's follow up to their PC version, which also had bomb blocks. Funny how many of the early sequels thought Tetris needed explosives.

[@hdofu]

Also in Japan there was a different Tetris 2, called Tetris 2 + Bomblis released on the Famicom, it was the introduction to Bomblis before it originally came to the US for the first time as Tetris Blast (if you watch through the credits it credits the Famicom game)

[@davezanko9051]

Meanwhile Nintendo's US Tetris 2 was released in Japan as Tetris Flash. It's fascinating how different the Tetris lineup was in the two territories.

[@hdofu]

@@davezanko9051 it got even weirder in Russia with the Dendy where Tetris 2 + Bomblis was changed to Tetris 3 + Bomblis and Tetris 2 became Tetris 2.0

[@MykonosFan]

I hope you cover Tetris 100 next time, that's my favorite one

[@TheGoldenBolt]

We don't talk about that one...

[@TheDanTheManShow]

It’s funny that the weirdest Tetris game I’ve played is Tetris CD-i. What weird is that it’s a good CD-i game.

[@TheGoldenBolt]

That's gotta be a first. I didn't know any good CD-i games existed!

[@hdofu]

I’d say it was awesome cause it’s a great game that marries Tetrinomios with the game play of Dr. Mario to make a truly fun game (Tetris 2). Welltris/ 3d tetris and all of its variants over the years continues to frustrate me with their game play. Facetrs never played, kind of glad I didn't. Hatris I really enjoy, used to play it all the time on the game boy the mesage asking if you can figure out how to get a super hatris still leaves me stumped to date though (how do you clear 3 stacks at a time, does it involve helmets?). That said of my Favorite Weird Tetris games, got to give it to Tetris Battle Gaiden and Magical Tetris Challenge the Game boy Color version for its game that could be described best as combining a simplified pokemon style game with several unique variants of Tetris with a really great capcom chiptune soundtrack. Tetris DS also brings in some really weird modes and some classic NES game inspired backdrops and music remixes. For the most uncomfortable and weird Tetris out there that has to tie with Final Tetris and Sega Tetris arcades (Sega Tetris having a dream cast port as well) Weird for reasons of its history Tengen's version of Tetris with its weird legal gray area at its time of release was not that strange as a game save for its intelligent computer mode and also having a cooperative mode for both 2 players and the computer. The original Tetris for the famicom deserves weird points 2 just for having some of the most counter intuitve controls to any tetris player including those of use who played ztetris on the ti-8x calculators with button choices that made no sense. Akira while making, solid versions of Tetris, were weird for their rabid and over the top crusades to monopilize their control of the series during the Tetris the Grandmasters series run including puting special code in card captor sakura tetris to make it not work on anything but the right playstation hardware and a agressive effort to send cease and desists to any and all things with tetrinominos that weren't official at the time.

[@afaelr]

KZbin suggested this video out from nowhere.

[@Maco70]

What about PuyoPuto Tetris? It’s my favorite of all the most recent games.

[@CassiusStelar]

"if tetris is so good why isnt there a tetris 2"

[@ducksareurlords3782]

Well... There is actually over 200 tetris versions out there 😁

[@BladeBlur]

To head... to head... to head... to head...

[@TheGoldenBolt]

Some say he's still saying "to head..." to this day...to head...

[@minimme]

The pieces will get small and you’ll get t h i c c

[@TheGoldenBolt]

The Tetris Company has denied my suggestion of Squatris :(

[@TGAProMKM]

I think there is also another tetris 2 that was released on Apple 2 on 1988 Itself....

[@joseagripino8664]

Great video!

[@TheGoldenBolt]

Thank you as always, my friend!

[@Digdugduggie101]

What about Magical Tetris Challenge? That game is awesome!

[@TheGoldenBolt]

That's _another_ really interesting one! I didn't end up including it mainly because I didn't want to cover three of the N64 Tetris games in the same video, and it was the closest to normal of the three worth mentioning. If I end up doing a follow-up video down the road, you can bet that'll be there!

[@OveReAction10]

@@TheGoldenBolt That game is on PS1 as well.

[@colonial345]

Tetris is timeless

[@TheGoldenBolt]

Absolutely, if there's any game that could be called a "perfect" game, Tetris might just be it!

[@itsjuanpacheco]

I bet after making this video, all you could see were blocks everywhere...

[@TheGoldenBolt]

Honestly, playing as much Tetris 99 as I have would've done that already, but I'm STILL imagining Tetris games in my head. Help me

[@itsjuanpacheco]

Well, my friend that's the Tetris effect. It's a real psychological term. So play something with circles in them... or flower. I don't know how those two connect, but you know it'll get your mind off Tetris.

[@echeaux]

Dude Not Tetris 2, Hatetris, Pentris, and Futilitris will blow your mind

[@mizu_yt]

In tetris effect's zone mode you can actually clear up to *20* lines at once making an Ultimatris Also the tetris 99 mechanics are not so strange, to a modern tetris player at least

[@DrWellRound]

I love Tetris effect. But Tetris 99… too stressful.

[@autumn_basil]

lol i remember playing tetris 2 when i was bored

[@billepperson2662]

4:51 "So when you make a mistake, it's permanent"... Not unlike real life. Perhaps a mechanic more gamers could benefit from? 🤷

[@davistalhone9482]

The fact that they didn't just name it Facetris was the first bad sign. I always felt they could have solved 85% of the problems if only one face tile fell at a time rather than two and rotating it reveal a random backside part. How they managed to get it all so wrong is mind boggling. Then the fact that Tetris 2 (which in my opinion is vastly superior to Dr. Mario) came after FACES...TRIS III - could they have tried any harder to convolute this franchise? Then Nintendo came along and made Tetris Attack - which had nothing to do with the actual IP or gameplay whatsoever. Just a shit show. And glad you included Wordtris.

[@southpawcyclops]

There was a mobile version called Tetris blitz

[@magolor-3100]

where is puyo puyo tetris? (fusion mode is one of the strangest things in the tetris series)

[@Nokia3310do]

Good roundup video. The SNES version of Tetris 2 is a matter of taste for presentation though. You seem to quite like it but I have that down as possibly the worst looking Nintendo release on the SNES. The Game Boy version is my favourite.

[@timinou9915]

Awesome review(s) and shirt 😹

[@TheGoldenBolt]

Thank you! I was told I must wear the shirt in at least one video when it was given to me. I've succeeded!

[@timinou9915]

@@TheGoldenBolt It didnt go unoticed thats for sure 😉 Now I want one !

[@fusionsigh]

What about Tetris 2 for the gameboy

[@Vasco1001]

Do a sequel!

[@TheGoldenBolt]

There's still a lot left to cover, so if I can find time between other upcoming projects I absolutely will put something together!

[@Vasco1001]

@@TheGoldenBolt nice

[@themaskedwarriah683]

Been on the fence about picking up tetris effect for awhile now. Ive kept hearing that VR is the best way to play tetris effect and I dont and probably will never have a PS VR so is it still worth it even if I dont have one?

[@TheGoldenBolt]

It's absolutely _better_ in VR, but it's still a great game on a TV. If you're interested in it I wholeheartedly recommend it, although maybe try and grab it for $20-30 instead of the full $40. Also, if you have headphones or earbuds (ideally surround-sound), absolutely use them for better effect!

[@bluecoolboy4755]

Tetris 2 is no longer exist in the future

[@bland9876]

Tetris world's is only weird because it has an intro that involves destruction of the world game plays pretty good the game boy advanced version of tetris worlds has better music in my opinion though

[@TheGoldenBolt]

It also has a bunch of unique or mostly-unique modes that I've yet to see in any future or previous Tetris, like Line and Cascade Tetris! IIRC it's also the first Tetris with the official, standardized block colors - before that it was a wild west for the tertraminos' colors!

[@bland9876]

​@@TheGoldenBolthaving different colors and graphics makes the older games unique.

[@ebboy53]

5:26 Didn't the garbage blocks below that face you just finished disappear?

[@TheGoldenBolt]

You're correct, the ones _directly_ below are removed when a face is made, but if you make a mistake mid-face or just HAVE to place a bad piece somewhere thanks to RNG, anything below is irreparable until you start a new game. That was poor wording on my part!

[@ebboy53]

@@TheGoldenBolt Ah, that's fine. While I have you I just wanted to say that I subscribed a long time ago but I didn't really watch anything, but now that I've gotten around to watching your stuff I can tell you that I think it's pretty good and keep up the good work.

[@Um_Canal_Qualquer_]

I know some versions of tetris

[@PowerCamp8123]

Nice shirt

[@TheGoldenBolt]

Thanks! It was a gift that I didn't want, given to me under the condition that I wore it in a video. Mission accomplished!

[@Gizmo_goober]

i got a copy of tetris 2 i play it on my gameboy color

[@austin.lewis77]

no tetris blast? 😩

[@davezanko9051]

It's mentioned briefly when he talks about the Japanese Tetris 2 for the Famicom. That featured two modes. The first was a new version of Tetris with an improved control scheme; the first Famicom version illogically used down in the D pad for rotate and A as hard drop (the only type of drop like the other early computer versions), while the new game included soft drop (which debuted in both arcade versions and Nintendo used for the Game Boy and NES version) and the much more logical control scheme. The second mode was Bombliss, which proved popular enough that it was also released for the Game Boy in stand-alone form (since the Game Boy Tetris didn't need improving). That Game Boy version was released on the US as Tetris Blast, after Nintendo's Tetris 2 was released. (That was released in Japan as Tetris Flash.)

[@NickBLeaveIt]

Why does Faces... Tris III remind me of Hong Kong 97?

[@TheGoldenBolt]

Oh no, I had almost forgotten about that game. Damn you!

[@PhillipRaymondGoodman]

You forgot wetris

[@overthemountain90]

Tetris 2 is amazing, Way better than the original.

[@bland9876]

Where's Puyo Puyo Tetris? Also i have won tetris 99 bitbthat was when it first came out so I doubt I could win it now. (Im not paying for online f off)

[@walnuttv1999]

featured in top 10 videos of the day on walnut.tv/channel/curious

[@minimme]

I want ur shirt

[@TheGoldenBolt]

Fun fact: It's actually printed backwards, which actually works really well when shown on a camera.

[@ducksareurlords3782]

Tetris effect isn't the best tetris game 😒

[@TerminallyNerdy]

I dont like weird. *downvote*

[@TheGoldenBolt]

The madman did it!

[@TheVonzilla]

What are you wearing? Jesus Christ man.

[@TheGoldenBolt]

A gag gift! I was told to wear it in a video, so I did.

[@PaulVanced-jl5gk]

Good job