Quarth is a 1989 NES puzzle-shooter from Konami, originally released in arcades as Block Hole. The twist that sets it apart from every other shooter of its era: your bullets do not destroy blocks, they extend them. Irregular block clusters descend from the top, and you fire upward to fill them out into solid rectangles — once a cluster completes a perfect rectangle, it clears the screen.
How to Play
Move your ship left and right along the bottom of the screen and shoot upward to add cells to descending blocks. A block clears only when it forms a complete, solid rectangle — partial fills just grow the shape. Keep the field clear before any block reaches the bottom.
Keyboard controls (Player 1 only):
- Arrow keys — move
- X — shoot (A button)
- Z — B button
- Enter — Start
- Shift — Select
Tips
- Plan the rectangle before you fire: picture the completed shape before committing shots, especially on wide or irregular clusters.
- Clearing two rectangles in one burst earns a combo bonus — look for blocks that share a boundary.
- Blocks fall faster each stage; tackle tall or fast-moving clusters early before they push you into the danger zone.
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