The series began with Panel de Pon in Japan, named Tetris Attack in North America, and has since been adapted to many other consoles.
The core gameplay of each version is the same in each game, but branding, presentation details and console-specific features have varied.
Players cannot directly move blocks vertically or diagonally, though in most game modes, they can raise the entire puzzle more quickly.
With skill and planning, the player can cause multiple contiguous clears to occur one after another, scoring a higher chain count and progressively larger bonuses.
In several modes of play, rectangular garbage of various widths and heights can drop onto the player's stack, and can even extend above the top of the playfield.