Hatris Overview
Hatris is a puzzle game set in a hat factory where the player stacks falling headwear on mannequins. Instead of geometric blocks, the pieces consist of various hat types, including top hats, cowboy hats, baseball caps, derbys, party hats, and crowns.
The core task involves managing hats that descend two at a time, placing them onto one of six stacks. When five identical hats are stacked consecutively, that set is cleared, shipped out, and converted into a monetary score. Progress is measured by advancing through shop levels, with higher levels introducing more hat varieties to increase the challenging nature of the stacking task. A game over occurs if any stack reaches the screen's top.
Regional versions present distinct mechanics. The NES release includes an aid system where completing sets dedicated to avatars of Alexey Pajhitnov or Vladimir Pokhilko grants special abilities. These can be stored and used later to switch column positions or remove hats from the bottom of stacks. Any unused aid at a level's end can be converted into money.
Conversely, the Famicom version lacks both the aid system and point bonuses for simultaneous set clearance. It features a sale screen between levels where players can select a hat type to remove from play, though this action does not yield extra points as it might in other releases.
