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Hatris

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In Hatris, the falling blocks of Tetris are replaced by falling hats which are top hats, cowboy hats, baseball caps, derbys, party hats and crowns. The setting is a hat factory, where hats are dropped down from a conveyor belt two at a time and must be stacked on one of six mannequin heads. Once ...

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Developer
Bullet-Proof Software

Released on
1990

Size
1–2 Players

Version
Arcade

Requirements
Arcade

Downloads
Puzzle

Publisher
Video System

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

In Hatris, the falling blocks of Tetris are replaced by falling hats which are top hats, cowboy hats, baseball caps, derbys, party hats and crowns. The setting is a hat factory, where hats are dropped down from a conveyor belt two at a time and must be stacked on one of six mannequin heads. Once five hats of the same kind have been stacked on top of each other, they fall down onto another conveyor belt below and are shipped out of the factory, rewarding the player with a cash bonus (the game keeps track of score as money, not simply points). Once you ship out enough hats out of the shop, you go up a level to the next shop. The higher shop number you get to, the more types of hats start appearing to make it more difficult for you to accomplish your task. The game ends when one of your stacks of hats reaches the top of the screen.

Hatris

Overview & History

Released by Bullet-Proof Software in 1990, *Hatris* is Alexey Pajitnov’s ingenious follow-up to the legendary *Tetris*. While it shares its predecessor’s addictive falling-block DNA, *Hatris* swaps geometric tetrominoes for a dapper assortment of headwear. Pajitnov leaned into a boutique fashion theme, challenging players to sort tumbling caps, top hats, fedoras, and sombreros into neat, vertical stacks. Though it never achieved the ubiquitous cultural footprint of *Tetris*, this arcade puzzle gem carved out a dedicated following for its unique strategic demands and quirky, sophisticated aesthetic.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Unlike standard block-droppers where you clear horizontal lines, *Hatris* requires you to stack five identical hats on top of one another within vertical columns. Once a stack reaches the magic number five, the entire tower vanishes, earning you points and clearing space on the board. The game complicates matters by introducing different hat types—such as bowlers, hard hats, cowboy hats, and crowns—each falling in pairs from the top of the screen. You must deftly shift hats between columns to match types before the playfield overflows. Special magical top hats act as wild cards that can substitute for any hat style, while cursed items threaten to disrupt your carefully curated boutique unless managed immediately with precise timing.