About this game
The Famicom Tetris published by BPS in December 1988 was the first console version of Tetris ever commercially released — and it sold over two million copies in Japan, making it BPS's best-selling title. This version is separate from the better-known Nintendo NES Tetris (1989, North America): both used the same underlying game design from Alexey Pajitnov, but the BPS Famicom version was the first to reach living rooms, arriving two months before the Game Boy version and over a year before the NES cartridge.
The Story Behind
The licensing rights to Tetris were legally contested: Robert Stein had sold BPS's founder Henk Rogers the console rights under a misinterpretation — Stein thought 'computers' covered consoles. When Nintendo acquired worldwide console rights directly from the Soviet agency ELORG, BPS's Japanese console rights were retroactively authorized through a sub-license from Nintendo. This complex legal battle became the subject of the 2023 film Tetris starring Taron Egerton as Henk Rogers.
Tricks & Tales
The BPS Famicom Tetris was the first Tetris version anywhere to include the iconic 'Korobeiniki' melody (the famous 'Tetris Theme') in a home release. Composer Hiroshi Taguchi's original piece 'Technotris,' written for this game, later appeared in Super Tetris 3 (Super Famicom) and Puyo Puyo Tetris 2. The game sold out repeatedly after launch; BPS had difficulty keeping up with demand.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
Japan exclusive Famicom release. The North American NES Tetris (1989, Nintendo) is a separate product with different music and presentation.
Maintenance Tips
The gold-plated edge connectors on Famicom and NES cartridges pick up skin oils and oxidation over decades — a gentle wipe with a cotton swab dampened in 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol, stroking along the length of the pins rather than across them, is the accepted standard. Let the alcohol fully evaporate before reinserting. The old habit of blowing into a cartridge is folklore: the moisture in breath causes slow corrosion of the contacts over time, and any improvement you felt came from the act of re-seating the cart, not from the breath itself. Nintendo eventually updated its own troubleshooting guidance to say explicitly: do not blow into your Game Paks.
Going deeper
More on keeping a Family Computer (Famicom) / NES alive, and what to check before you buy one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Tetris copies regularly.
How do I know if a Famicom or NES cartridge is authentic and not a reproduction?
Authentic Nintendo cartridges have security screws — a proprietary gamebit pattern, not standard Phillips heads. The PCB inside should have a copyright year and 'Nintendo' etched directly onto the board. The back label of genuine carts has imprinted stamped characters (such as 11A or 03); reproductions typically have no imprint at all. If screws look jagged or the board inside is undersized with no Nintendo branding, treat it as a repro. When in doubt, ask the seller for interior photos.
My Famicom cartridge won't start — what should I try first?
Clean the edge connector with a cotton swab and 90%+ isopropyl alcohol (IPA). Do not blow into the slot. If cleaning does not help, re-seat the cartridge firmly and try again. Persistent read failures on a NES may also be caused by worn-out 72-pin connector pins on the console side, which is a separate repair.
Can I play Famicom games on a NES, or NES games on a Famicom?
Not without an adapter. The cartridge shapes and pin counts differ (60-pin for Famicom, 72-pin for NES). A 60-to-72-pin physical adapter allows Famicom carts to run on a NES. In the other direction, NES-format carts are too wide for the Famicom slot and cannot be inserted at all.
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