Qix

Platform: Game Boy Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo NA Release date: May 9, 1990 Genre: Action Media: 2 megabit cartridge

History:

Originally, Qix was released in the arcades in 1981 by Taito. It was ported to a number of systems before it was ported to the Game Boy including Atari 5200, Commodore 64, DOS, Amiga and Apple IIGS. It was developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy in 1990.

Gameplay:

In Qix, the player must fence off the playfield piece by piece until 75% of the playfield is fenced off. The player does so by controlling a character that draws lines around the playfield border, and then connects the line back to the border again. Once that is done, the player has won that piece of the board and can travel on it as they try to take more pieces. The player must avoid the Sparx while claiming areas. If the player comes in contact with a Sparx, which travels around the borders, a life is lost. In addition, a Qix travels in the open space inside the border that the player has created. If the player comes in contact with a Qix while trying to complete a block of the playfield off, a life is lost. In the later levels, the game becomes more challenging including multiple Sparx and faster Qix.

Review:

The graphics in the Game Boy version of Qix are very weak but that’s not where the game shines. The game is all about gameplay and lasting appeal. In my opinion, the gameplay is almost as addictive as Tetris. The Game Boy version of Qix features Mario in some cutscenes where he’s in the desert.