Fortix Review
If you're familiar with a relatively obscure classic arcade game by the name of Qix, then you'll pretty much know what to expect from Fortix. Fortix adds a fantasy theme and nice graphics to the minimalist vector graphic original, but the core gameplay remains essentially the same. This gameplay works quite well for a portable game, and makes you wonder why Qix hasn't inspired more games like this before.
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You could probably pick up the game and figure out how to play it in less
time than it takes for you to read this, and certainly in less time than it took
me to write it. However in the interest of completeness, here goes. Your goal is
to capture a set percentage of the game's play area by encircling (or rather
"en-squaring" since you can only make right angle turns) sections of the screen
with your knight. As you move your knight a line is drawn behind him, and when
you close off an area it becomes captured. It's not so easy as simply running
around the screen to your heart's content, though; there are various enemies and
dangers to contend with as well. As long as your knight is moving along the
edges of your captured areas he's safe, but when he ventures forth to draw a new
line and capture a new section of the screen he becomes vulnerable. If he takes
one hit from an enemy before capturing a new section, he's dead, the line he was
drawing disappears, and you lose one of your limited number of lives. Dangers to
the knight come in different forms. Among other things, at the center of each
level sits a castle with gun towers that fire projectiles at your knight and
dragons fly around the open areas. You're not entirely defenseless, though. If a
dragon is within an area when you capture it, the dragon is eliminated. Also,
there are catapults on the screen and when these are boxed into a captured area
they will fire a shot at the castle and take out one of its cannons. Power-ups
also occasionally appear on the screen, and boxing one in unleashes its effect
such as temporarily freezing the dragons or giving your knight a speed boost.
That's about all there is to the gameplay, but like a lot of classic arcade games this is one of those simple games that somehow manages to be a lot of fun. Each level is essentially infinitely replayable, because the same level will never quite play out the same way twice. It also makes for a great portable game, as you can play through a level in a few minutes and easily come back later to play again. Fortix is recommendable to anyone who enjoys a good arcade-style challenge, even if you've never heard of Qix.
In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated:
80%. Qix goes medieval on your PSP.
