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Qix

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Arcade

In this game, you guide a marker which must draw rectangles and other weird objects in order to claim your territory, and you can either draw these rectangles fast or slow. Drawing the rectangles using the "slow" method awards you the most points. Once a rectangle has been made, it will be colore...

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Developer
Threshold Research

Released on
1981

Size
1–2 Players

Version
Arcade

Requirements
Arcade

Downloads
Action

Publisher
Taito

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

In this game, you guide a marker which must draw rectangles and other weird objects in order to claim your territory, and you can either draw these rectangles fast or slow. Drawing the rectangles using the “slow” method awards you the most points. Once a rectangle has been made, it will be colored in to show that you have claimed your territory. While drawing the rectangles, you need to watch out for Qix (pronounced “kicks”), a series of colored lines that crawl the screen. In addition to Qix, you also need to avoid the Sparks who travel around the border, as well as any lines that you have made, as well as The Fuse, who travels along the line that you are drawing. Once you have claimed enough territory, you proceed to the next level.

Qix

Overview & History

Released by Taito in 1981 and designed by the husband-and-wife team of Randy and Sandy Pfeiffer, *Qix* stands as one of the most brilliantly abstract and psychologically tense arcade games of the golden age. Eschewing the traditional tropes of shooting aliens or dodging barrels, *Qix* challenges players to conquer territory in a surreal, vector-styled void. The game features no distinct storyline or heroic avatar; instead, you pilot a humble, diamond-shaped marker known as the "Stix" tasked with carving up a dark playing field while avoiding the mesmerizing, chaotic gyrations of the titular Qix—a stick-like entity made of glowing, undulating lines that relentlessly prowls the center of the screen.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

The core objective of *Qix* is deceptively simple: fill in at least 75% of the empty playfield. You draw rectangles or enclosed shapes by tracing lines from the border into the arena. However, this minimalist premise hides deep tactical complexity driven by your two drawing speeds. Pressing the "Slow" button (or holding the secondary draw button) creates a thinner, riskier line that earns double points, while the "Fast" button draws safer, thicker lines more quickly. Danger constantly lurks: if the unpredictable Qix touches your incomplete line (the "Sparx") before it anchors back to a solid boundary, you lose a life. Further compounding the dread are "Sparx"—lethal electrical sparks that spawn at the edges and patrol your borders, forcing you to keep moving and penalizing you if you dawdle too long in safety.

Keyboard Controls

Arrow Keys / D-Pad: Move the Stix along borders and draw lines into the field
Action Keys: Hold to draw slow (high points) or fast (low points) lines
Enter: Start / Pause the game