Color TV Game Block Kuzushi
Maker(s): Nintendo
Date: 1979
On display: Yes
Object number: LX84.1
Credit line: On loan from a private collector
Nintendo Color TV Game Block Kuzushi
Back to exhibitionsReleased in 1979, the Block Kuzushi, or ‘Block Breaker’, was one of Nintendo’s first consoles. It belonged to the ‘Color TV-Game’ line, which Nintendo launched between 1977 and 1983.
Nintendo designed the Block Kuzushi entirely in-house at their R&D2 department, led by Masayuki Uemura in 1979. Earlier consoles were co-produced with Mitsubishi.
On the Block Kuzushi, players could choose from six different game modes, all inspired by the Atari game Breakout (1976). Breakout, in turn, drew heavy influence from Atari’s Pong (1972).
The simple idea of bouncing a ball off a moving paddle became more complex on the Block Kuzushi. Players could not only change the game mode but also adjust the speed.
1st Project for a Nintendo Icon
The Block Kuzushi’s bold orange shell made it stand out. Unlike the typical arcade joystick, it featured sliders to switch game modes, a start button, and a control knob for in-game movement.
Shigeru Miyamoto, who would later create Nintendo classics like Donkey Kong, Mario Bros., and The Legend of Zelda, famously worked on the console’s design.
One game mode, Block Through, had the ball destroy every block on its way to the top. Another, Block Lighter, focused on destroying blinking blocks. The Block Lighter mode is shown in the video below, where we have the Nintendo Block Kuzushi fully set up and working in our workshop.
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