Hatris (Game Boy)

Hatris
Developer(s)	Bullet-Proof Software
Publisher(s)	Bullet-Proof Software
Platform(s)	Game Boy
Release	WW: 1991
Gameplay info
Next pieces	1
Playfield size	6 × ?
Hard drop	Yes

Fire and Helmets

In addition to the 2x scoring bonus, clearing a hatris also awards one Fire stock. If the player has Fire stocked, they can press the B button to change the right-hand hat in the upcoming pair into a fireball. A fireball burns the topmost hat set in the column it is placed, but cannot burn crowns.

The maximum Fire stock is two; if the player would earn a third Fire stock, the Fire stock is reset to zero and the right-hand hat in the upcoming pair is changed into a helmet. Helmets are somewhat analogous to blue fireballs featured in some other Hatris games; the helmet crushes all hats in the column they are placed until it is stopped by a crown or the playfield floor. However, unlike blue fire, the helmet is a seventh hat type that remains in the playfield. Clearing a stack of helmets is worth 5000 points.

2 Player mode

There is a two-player versus mode using the Link Cable. The players engage in a "tug-of-war" with a segmented limit line; when a player clears a set of hats in a given column, it raises the corresponding segment of the limit line on their playfield and lowers that segment of the limit line on their opponent's playfield. In addition to the limit line tug-of-war, a player can also win a round by being the first to clear 40 sets of hats.

The 2 Player mode differs slightly in how it handles Fire and Helmets. Each player starts with a Fire stock of 3, and there is no limit at which Fire stock is exchanged for a helmet. Instead, helmets are included as one of the hat types that can appear in the random pairs. Clearing a set of helmets greatly advances the position of all segments of the limit line.