"Everyone says this game is odd... and I agree..."

Qix is indeed an odd game. I have yet to encounter another game similar to it. That isn't necessarily a bad thing; but it means that this game will only be entertaining to some people, instead of appealing to a larger audience. That's okay with me, as long as the game is good.

How is the best way to describe the gameplay? What you see on your screen is a screen-sized square. You are a little dot that moves around the outside lines of the square. Inside the square is an "entity", that looks a lot like the bars you see on a cell phone that lets you know if you get service in that area (ie, a little line, next to a slightly larger line, next to a slightly larger line, etc.). This entity moves around inside the square and is your primary foe. You essentially want to "trap" this thing by cutting down the amount of space it has to move. When you have cut down the amount of space it has to move to 25% or less (conversely, you have filled the square 75% or more full), then you advance to the next level.

Sounds a bit confusing, especially since I haven't told you how this is accomplished. Your little dot can move into the square all it wants. As it does so, it creates a line (like the lines did behind the vehicles in Tron). If the entity (known as a "Qix," hence the title of the game), touches your line before you complete a shape, you "die."

To avoid this and accomplish your goal, you make a line into the square, and then turn your dot around and touch another part of the square. When you do that, the area you created gets filled in, and the Qix can no longer move through that space. Now your dot is no longer confined to the outer square at the beginning, but can now move along the lines of the shape you created. You will continue to make shapes and cut down the space available to the Qix until you have filled up 75% or more of the screen.

The game is quite difficult. The learning curve is really quite low, as once you have made a single shape and seen how it works (it only takes a second), then you understand what you need to do. The difficulty lies in the fact that the Qix is very... well... quick. It can change direction and zap the lines you're making before you can finish 'em. To add to the challenge, little sparks are added after a while each level which follow along the inner lines of the square and the shapes you have made. They follow the same track that you do. So not only do you have stay away from them, but you need to make more shapes and avoid the Qix. Just to add to the fun, after a couple of levels, you take on multiple Qix as well as the sparks!

All in all, the game is not terribly confusing. After playing it once, you will understand exactly how it is played. You will start making squares and more squares and more rectangles and confining the Qix as you go.

As far as graphics go, the game doesn't have much. The Qix is a bunch of lines. You are a dot moving around the screen. The sparks are circles with jagged edges on 'em that follow you around. After a few levels, you will see a city scene with fireworks every now and then. That's about it. There isn't much to speak of. Then again, Tetris doesn't have much in the way of graphics, either, but the gameplay is addicting.

There isn't much sound, either. The Qix has an odd, synthetic, "humming" sound as it moves around. Your dot makes a sound as it creates lines. There is a "dying" sound if a Qix hits one of your lines as you are making a shape or a spark hits you. The fireworks make small popping sounds as they explode. That's about it, other than the meager "music" for the game, which is only heard at the beginning and ending of every level (no "in-level" music. Mostly just the Qix humming).

So the game comes down to gameplay. It won't appeal to a lot of people. It appealed to me, but none of my friends (for more than a half an hour). It does get a bit repetitive, even when there are multiple Qix on the screen at once. It is fun to taunt the Qix, especially when it is right next to you and you want to make a line. Sometimes you feel like the Qix is taunting you, too. It can get a bit hectic after level 5, and the fast paced action is really what people want.

So in conclusion, Qix isn't too bad a game. It is nothing stellar to look at or listen to, and it isn't as addictive as Tetris. It isn't a bad game, though, if you like the kind of gameplay it provides. You can probably find this game for under $5, and for that price, why not give it a shot? If you can try it out first before you play, definitely do so, as it will only take a couple of minutes to see if you like challenging the Qix or not.

I know I do.

Overall Score: 6.8 (Rounded up for reviewing purposes).

Peace.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 02/09/07