Tengen Tetris (Prototype A)

A prototype of Tengen Tetris for the NES.
==Notes==
* Has a totally different and much more basic-looking intro screen, with a more basic logo. There is no menu music.
** There are no animated fireworks on this screen, in this version.
** In the copyright text, "(C)1987 ACADEMYSOFT-ELORG." begins with a "TM", in this version. Instead of the "(C)1988 TENGEN" line, the following lines appear at the bottom of the screen:
 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 LICENSED BY
 NINTENDO OF AMERICA INC.
* The screen border is visually very different, and is green and red instead of blue. This also differs from later builds.
* The main menu also contains some licensing information which entirely differs from what was used in the final:
 TETRIS LICENSED TO
 ANDROMEDA SOFTWARE LTD.
 SUBLICENSED TO MIRRORSOFT
 LTD. AND SPHERE INC.
* The main menu is totally missing its logo.
* There is no autodemo at this point in development.
* The only options on the main menu are "1 PLAYER" and "2 PLAYER" - there are no cooperative or versus computer modes.
** In each of these modes, instead of selecting a level, the following options are available:
 BEGINNER
 INTERMEDIATE
 ADVANCED
 EXPERT
* The difficulty modes screen also contains three lines crediting the developers, which are normally split onto different menus:
 CONCEPT BY ALEXEY PAZHITNOV
 DESIGN BY VADIM GERASIMOV
 PROGRAMMED BY ED LOGG
* There are no handicap or music menus, and only one track (Loginska) plays in-game.
* The HUD at the top of the screen in the menus is missing the "LEVEL" line.
* The menu sound effects differ from the final.
* The blocks all have a different look, with each block being represented by a unique pattern. The blocks look much more primitive than they do in the final as they lack defined borders or a 3D design. Additionally, the blocks use different patterns to the later builds.
** The block stats on the right half of the screen do not feature images of the blocks underneath; instead, they're identified by that respective block's unique pattern.
* The Tetris logo in the in-game HUD looks different.
* The "STATS" text is lower than it is in the final, and it's red instead of white.
* The "HIGH SCORE" section of the in-game HUD is missing, and instead the HUD appears the same as it does in two player mode.
* The "PAUSE" text does not have a red border around it, in this version.
* The music continues on the pause screen.
* The "GAME OVER" text has a blue border instead of a red one. The usual game over theme is missing. Any button can be used to exist the game over screen, rather than just the start button.
* There are no Russian dancers or bonus screen each level increase - instead, the game continues as if nothing important had happened. 
** Also, the level increases every 10 lines, instead of every 30.
* Blocks hold the same colour and pattern when they drop, rather than changing to a different colour like they do in the final.
* The block dropping sound differs from the final.
* Blocks often cannot be turned when they are pressed against the wall.
* There is no high score screen after gameplay.
* Score numbers for individually placed blocks are not displayed.
* The score calculation is very basic - it starts on 1 and increases by 1 for every block placed and every line cleared. Additional points are awarded for multi-line clears.
* Lines clear instantly without any visual effects.
** Unlike Prototype C, when multiple lines are cleared they all disappear simultaneously, like Prototypes B and D.
** They also do not show text indicating how many lines have been scored ("SINGLE", "DOUBLE", etc).
** The blocks do not clear from left to right as they do in the final, instead all blocks in a row clear simultaneously.
==Screenshots==
Tengen Tetris (Prototype A) 2021-05-21 14-50-13.png|Title screen
Tengen Tetris (Prototype A) 2021-05-21 14-50-51.png|Main menu
Tengen Tetris (Prototype A) 2021-05-21 14-50-56.png|Main menu
Tengen Tetris (Prototype A) 2021-05-21 14-23-13.png|1 Player
Tengen Tetris (Prototype A) 2021-05-21 14-24-32.png|1 Player
Tengen Tetris (Prototype A) 2021-05-21 14-52-48.png|2 Player
Tengen Tetris (Prototype A) 2021-05-21 14-57-08.png|2 Player
Tengen Tetris (Prototype A) 2021-05-21 15-03-56.png|2 Player
==Files==
==Acknowledgments==
Special thanks to Frank Cifaldi at the Video Game History Foundation and the anonymous donor for this part of the lot! A huge thanks to Hwd45 for researching this prototype! 
==See also==
* New Years 2022 (January 1, 2022)
* The Cutting Room Floor (TCRF)
* Internet Archive (IA)
* Video Game History Foundation (VGHF)