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Hatris

TurboGrafx-16

TurboGrafx-16

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
1991

Size
1 Player

Version
TurboGrafx-16

Requirements
NEC TurboGrafx-16

Downloads
Puzzle

Publisher
Micro Cabin

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 in 1990 by Bullet-Proof Software and ported to the TurboGrafx-16 in 1992, Hatris was designed by Alexey Pajitnov, the visionary creator of Tetris. Moving away from geometric blocks, Pajitnov conceptualized a puzzle game themed entirely around fashionable headwear. The TurboGrafx-16 version delivers crisp, vibrant pixel art and a whimsical, jazz-infused soundtrack that elevates the simple tile-matching premise into an addictive arcade experience. While it never achieved the ubiquitous cultural footprint of its predecessor, Hatris carved out a beloved niche among puzzle enthusiasts for its unique logical demands and charming aesthetic presentation.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Unlike standard falling-block puzzlers, Hatris presents players with five distinct columns where different styles of headwear—including top hats, baseball caps, fedoras, cowboy hats, and hard hats—tumble downward in pairs. The objective is to catch and stack five identical hats in a single column to make them vanish. However, the game introduces a fiendish layer of complexity: hats only clear when stacked from largest to smallest, or smallest to largest, depending on the specific hat type's stacking rules. As you progress through stages themed after fashion capitals of the world, the drop speed increases drastically, requiring split-second spatial calculations and immediate adaptation when unwanted items threaten to choke your columns and trigger a game over.

Keyboard Controls

Arrow Keys / D-Pad: Move falling hat pairs left or right, and press down for fast drop
Action Keys: Rotate or cycle the position of the falling hat pair
Enter: Start / Pause