3D Tetris is a 1996 puzzle video game developed by T&E Soft and published by Nintendo for the Virtual Boy. It was released on March 22, 1996, in North America. Players control multiple falling blocks, rotating and positioning them to clear layers in a three-dimensional environment similar to Tetriss gameplay. The game contains multiple modes and variations thereof, as well as different difficulty settings and levels. Parts of 3D Tetris are rendered as 3D wire-frame models. A version of the game entitled was to be released in February 1996 in Japanese markets, but was never released. The game received mostly negative reviews with critics panning it for a lack of originality. Gameplay 3D Tetris is a puzzle game that uses a three-dimensional playing field as opposed to the traditional two dimensions used in most other versions of Tetris. The play field, called a well, contains 5 vertical layers that players fill with falling three-dimensional blocks. These blocks can be rotated horizontally and vertically, as well as positioned in four different directions. Each block displays a shadow underneath it which indicates where it will land. The game's camera continually adjusts itself, but players can manually readjust it. The HUD displays a radar which provides information about each of the well's five layers, as well as the next block to fall, which is represented by a character. The game contains multiple different modes: 3-D Tetris, Center-Fill, and Puzzle, each having variations in how they play. Players can modify the difficulty in these modes as well as the rate by which the blocks fall. In the 3-D Tetris mode, a layer disappears when it's filled with blocks, scoring players points which are displayed in the HUD. If blocks stack over the top of the well, the number of layers will go down by one. The game is over when the final layer is lost. One game mode is based on accumulating points, while the other mode requires players to complete multiple levels by clearing all five layers in each. In the Center-Fill mode, players place blocks in symmetrical patterns around center blocks placed in each well's layers. If a block is placed in a layer's center block, it disappears, and any other blocks in the layer will also disappear, if they have been successfully placed in a symmetrical pattern. Points are gained based on the number of blocks in, the complexity of, and