Qix

"Qix: Do I pronounce it "Kix" or "Quix"?"

Qix is unlike any game you've seen. I had to try it out, considering its odd spelling. This is one of the oddest games I've ever played. On the other hand, it's also one of the neatest games I have played as well. There is no story; this is a puzzle. Your goal is to make blocks moving your cursor over a blank field (the blocks can have many sides, by the way), avoiding enemies, including the following:
Qix: the odd-flying thing that is made up of several lines that curve and twist
Sparx: Wall-hugging foes that even go onto blocks you make and kill you if they hit you

CONTROLS: 7/10
You move around somewhat slowly, and this gives a bit of time of Qix to get you. Sometimes, when you think you're at a corner, you try to press the button to turn, but nothing happens. Your best bet is to keep pressing the button until you can go no further on the corner, then turn. The fast-moving sparx make this even harder to do. You can finish a block with normal speed, or you can finish a block with slow speed for more points. If you start slow on a line but finish it after going back to normal speed, then you won't get the bonus. It's risky to go slow, considering how fast the Qix moves sometimes.

GRAPHICS: 7/10
Sparx look like little electric balls, the Qix looks neat, and the backgrounds on the completed blocks look good. The title screen pic is nice.

SOUND: 5/10
The sounds in this game are odd electronic sound effects. You can hear them when you finish a block going slowly or quickly (the sound gets high-pitched or low-pitched, depending on which speed you use to complete the block), and when you get killed. Though the sound is neat, it's very limited, hence the lower score.

MUSIC: 7/10
There is not much music, but the title screen theme is pretty cool. The music that plays when you finish a stage is nice too, though a bit repetitive.

GAMEPLAY: 9/10
You are trying to make blocks by moving yourself and making a line wherever you go. You have to fill the area with a certain amount of space (known as the threshold) to pass the stage. For example, if the threshold is 5, then 5% or more of the area has to be filled in with blocks for you to pass. If you or the unfinished line are hit by the Qix, you lose a life. You cannot box in a Qix; if you manage to close a box, the area without the Qix closes up. There are Sparx; touch them and you die. If you make a line and suddenly stop, a fuse at the area where you started making the line lights up and follows the trail. Keep moving to make it disappear! If you trap yourself in a line (Aka Spiral Deathtrap), the fuse will chase you down the line, hit you, and you will lose a life. In some stages you face a stage with 2 Qixes. (Qix's? Qixs? Aw, forget it!) If you can successfully make a line that separates the two Qixes, all points you get from that point on are DOUBLED!

CHALLENGE: 10/10
This game is hard. At first you'll find yourself staying close to the walls to keep you and your line from getting hit by Qix. As you get braver, you'll be able to make a bigger box and hope Qix doesn't swing over. Good luck!

REPLAY: 10/10
Addicting. You hear that? ADDICTING! You're going to get addicted to this game once you play it.

OVERALL: 8/10
You'll be playing this game a lot once you start. It's just as addicting as Tetris. If you loved Tetris, you'll love Qix, but be forewarned: you're going to get hooked! It happened to me, and it'll happen to you!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/15/04