Previous Next

Qix is back in town, and better than ever! No matter how widely tastes may differ among the games-playing fraternity, you'd be hard pushed to find anybody who doesn't enjoy a game of good old Qix. Its appeal is universal because it's so simple and addictive, and like Breakout, its gameplay has stood the test of time. What Volfied (converted from Taito's coin-op) represents is a 90s version of the original classic - it is to Qix what Arkanoid was to Breakout, keeping the original framework intact, but adding lots of pretty backdrops, power-ups and extra features.

For the most part, it's much the same - draw boxes around the screen to fill up 75% or more of the screen area without the fusewire which makes up the line itself getting hit by any of the marauding enemies - which, instead of the old gyrating line, now takes the form of a giant mothership that roams about spitting about bullets, and a couple of pesky little helpers. Lasers and speedups are among the collectables, while high-tech backgrounds and SFX provide the aesthetic overhaul.

Since Qix-style games are so thin on the ground. Volfied, with its classy execution and uncluttered gameplay is a welcome addition to the software scene - and if you've got any sense and admiration for the classics, you'll add it to your collection too.