History Main / FallingBlocks

* The cartridge packaged with the UsefulNotes/{{SNES}} Super Scope had ''Blastris A'' and ''Blastris B''. The former was a Tetris-like where the player shot parts of the blocks off instead of rotating them, the latter was more of a Columns/Dr. Mario-like.

* Namco's UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame ''Emeraldia'' has colored blocks whose tiles connect horizontally, vertically and diagonally to form chains. These chains can be cracked and then shattered by dropping tiles of the same color on top of them.

* ''VideoGame/PacAttack'' had VideoGame/PacMan and ghosts packaged in with Tetris-like blocks.

* ''VideoGame/IrisuSyndrome'' combines this with a basic physics engine.

** ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyoTetris'' is a crossover between ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'' and ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}''. Not only can you mix-and-match gameplay types is verses matches, but it also features two entirely new modes of play:

** The series features blobs, which are arranged into groups of four or more--unlike many, they don't actually have to be lined up, just connected horizontally and vertically. ''Puyo Puyo'' serves as the template for PlayerVersusPlayer-driven puzzle games through both its Garbage Puyos ("Junk" blocks that fall onto the opponent's playing field) and its colorful cast of characters.
** ''Gorby's Pipeline'', a more obscure title also developed by Creator/{{Compile}}, can be described as ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'' meets ''VideoGame/PipeMania''.
** After Compile lost the ''Puyo Puyo'' franchise to Creator/{{Sega}}, it made a CreatorDrivenSuccessor called ''Pochi and Nyaa'', which plays rather similarly.

* ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyoTetris'' is a crossover between ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'' and ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}''. Not only can you mix-and-match gameplay types is verses matches, but it also features two entirely new modes of play:
** Swap Mode has players play both Tetris and Puyo Puyo, swapping between the two at random intervals.
** Fusion mode is an entirely new puzzle game where you have to both create lines of Tetriminos ''and'' match up Puyos on the same board. While the Tetrominoes are much larger than normal, they can squish puyos that they land on, sending them to the top of the board.

* ''VideoGame/SegaSonicBros'' uses various re-colors of VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog that are dropped onto the playfield. If Sonics of one color are arranged to enclose in a circle (using the sides of the board if necessary), they are cleared. Interestingly, it was never given a commercial release after it failed a location test in Japan.

* ''Super [[Franchise/StreetFighter Puzzle Fighter]] II Turbo'' also uses gems, but rather than just lining them up, you have to use special "crash gems" that will destroy any adjacent gems of the same color. Another twist in the game was that the Junk Blocks had a countdown, and turned into regular blocks when it ran out. This gave a struggling player the chance to make a comeback if they survived long enough. Its successor ''VideoGame/CrystalCrisis'', follows the same formula except with a few unique mechanics of its own (namely, wrapping crystals from one side of the board to the other and character-specific [[LimitBreak Limit Breaks]]).

* ''VideoGame/DrMario'' featured Mario (yes, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin as a Doctor]]) killing viruses by dropping colored pills on top of them to line up viruses and pill halves into sets of four or more.
* ''VideoGame/MarioParty9'': Castle Clearout is a puzzle minigame that appears in the Extras section of the menu that can be played with one or two players. Players drop groups of three colored marbles into a playing field, and must connect six marbles of the same color in order to eliminate them from the playing field. In the one player mode, players can play through 50 stages with the objective of eliminating marbles with stars on them, while in two player mode, the goal is to outlast the opponent. If the player creates a group of six marbles in the shape of a line, triangle, or hexagon, all marbles of the same color will be eliminated at once in one player mode, or extra marbles will fall into their opponent's field in two player mode.

* ''VdeoGame/MarioParty9'': Castle Clearout is a puzzle minigame that appears in the Extras section of the menu that can be played with one or two players. Players drop groups of three colored marbles into a playing field, and must connect six marbles of the same color in order to eliminate them from the playing field. In the one player mode, players can play through 50 stages with the objective of eliminating marbles with stars on them, while in two player mode, the goal is to outlast the opponent. If the player creates a group of six marbles in the shape of a line, triangle, or hexagon, all marbles of the same color will be eliminated at once in one player mode, or extra marbles will fall into their opponent's field in two player mode.

* The long-running ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'' series features blobs, which are arranged into groups of four or more--unlike many, they don't actually have to be lined up, just connected horizontally and vertically. ''Puyo Puyo'' serves as the template for PlayerVersusPlayer-driven puzzle games through both its Garbage Puyos ("Junk" blocks that fall onto the opponent's playing field) and its colorful cast of characters.

** After Compile lost the ''Puyo Puyo'' franchise to Creator/{{Sega}}, it created a SpiritualSuccessor called ''Pochi and Nyaa'', which plays rather similarly.
* ''Super [[Franchise/StreetFighter Puzzle Fighter]] II Turbo'' also uses gems, but rather than just lining them up, you have to use special "crash gems" that will destroy any adjacent gems of the same color. Another twist in the game was that the Junk Blocks had a countdown, and turned into regular blocks when it ran out. This gave a struggling player the chance to make a comeback if they survived long enough.
** Its SpiritualSuccessor, ''VideoGame/CrystalCrisis'', follows the same formula except with a few unique mechanics of its own (namely, wrapping crystals from one side of the board to the other and character-specific [[LimitBreak Limit Breaks]]).

** Similar to ''Klax'' is ''VideoGame/{{Audiosurf}}'', which combined the concept with levels generated from ''your'' music files.

* The long-running ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'' series features blobs, which are arranged into groups of four or more--unlike many, they don't actually have to be lined up, just connected horizontally and vertically. ''Puyo Puyo'' serves as the template for PlayerVersusPlayer-driven puzzle games, both through its Garbage Puyos ("Junk" blocks that fall onto the opponent's playing field) and through its colorful cast of characters.

* The long-running ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'' series features blobs, which are arranged into groups of four or more--unlike many, they don't actually have to be lined up, just connected horizontally and vertically. ''Puyo Puyo'' also was one of the first games to add "Junk Blocks", which are dropped onto the opponent's playing field.