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| Name: Qix Year: 1991 Publisher: Taito Developer: Taito Genre: Arcade Hours Played: Countless Beaten: N/A High Score: 183,668 |
Qix (sometimes written QIX and pronounced "kicks") was first released to arcades in 1981, and subsequently had numerous ports and sequels. Due to it's highly abstract nature, it can be a little hard to sum up in a couple of sentences, but I'll do my best:
The idea behind Qix is that the screen is separated into two areas, the border and open space. Sparks patrol the border, and in open space lives the Qix, a geometric pattern that darts around sporadically. Sparks can't hurt you in open space, and the Qix can't attack you while you're in the borders. The idea is to draw lines to extend the border and shrink open space. It's a little hard to explain it succulently, but at it's core Qix is a game of chicken. Stay in the borders too long and the sparks get you; stay in open space too long and risk a random charge from the Qix.
It's important to point out that Qix is a very difficult game. Like many of it's arcade ilk, it was designed to be a quarter muncher; give plays a fun couple of minutes and then shove them out the door for the next player. The result is that everything's on a timer. You can technically take as long as you want on each board, but every time the timer hits zero another spark spawns in the borders, making the level exponentially more difficult. As you progress through the levels, the game throws more curve balls at you: a second enemy type in the playing field, two Qix at once, and eventually (and most cheap) the sparks start to follow you out on your tether, making them a threat even in open space. It's like the later levels in Pac-Man when you're no longer able to eat the ghosts; it feels a little unfair.
Qix was popular enough to receive numerous ports and sequels, but not popular enough to be remembered alongside games like Pac-Man and Space Invaders. The strange and unique concept made it more of a novelty for most gamers, but those looking for a challenge won't be disappointed here.
Graphics & Animation: 1 (Bad)
It's an abstract game, so you can't ask for a lot in the graphics department. My biggest complaint is how little of the screen is used for the actual game; couldn't they have put the stats at the top of the screen and doubled the playing field?
Music & Sounds: 2 (Average)
The only music in the game is during the title screen. The original arcade game made an obnoxious noise while drawing that's absent from this version, but that's probably a good thing.
Controls & Level Design: 2 (Average)
The controls translate to the NES perfectly. One button lets you draw normally and the other button draws at half speed for extra points. I've played some Qix ports where you have to hit the button right when you want to start drawing, but in this version you can keep it depressed even when you're on the borders; this improves the game vastly.
Story & Presentation: 2 (Average)
If you've ever played Taito's GameBoy port of Qix, you know that there's cutscenes between levels where Mario dresses up as racial stereotypes (bull fighter, snake charmer, etc). Sadly, there's nothing like that here. There is, however, a great demo (if you wait at the title screen) that gives you a tutorial on how to play the game, complete with enemy introductions.
Length & Replayability: 1 (Bad)
When it comes to one screen arcade games, Qix is one of my favorite; but when you compare it to lengthy NES games like Super Mario Bros 3 or Final Fantasy, Qix is a tough sell. I've complained about this before, and I do understand it's a limitation of the technology (and that battery back-ups were expensive), but a feature that saved your high score would have went a long way towards making these kind of games more replayable.
Total: 8 (Average)
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