When developers visit the well of classic game ideas to resurrect they often walk away with sludge rather than water. But sometimes a Pac-Man Championship Edition or a sparkling Space Invaders Infinity Gene bounces to the surface and glistens refreshingly in the sun.
Knight Fortix 2 is a Qix clone, but it does a bit more with the basic concept by layering on extra gameplay ideas, making the whole thing feel a little more relevant again.
You've probably played this type of game before: you guide a heroic knight around the screen by tracing a line. Starting on the edge of the playfield, you venture out into the space before you and attempt to connect two points on the map. This effectively divides the map into two areas, the smaller of which is removed from play, destroying enemies trapped inside.
The Blood Bats is the name of my new rock bandSporting a Saturday morning cartoon-style mediaeval theme, Knight Fortix 2 manages to be more than a run-of-the-mill clone thanks to its changes of pace.
Most Qix clones are fairly frantic, but here the going is methodical. You're given more time to judge your next move, assessing the traps that lie ahead. These come in the form of dragons that fly about the map looking to hunt you down, ogres that stumble about haphazardly, and towers that fire artillery at you should you dare approach.
Though you can't take any direct action against them yourself, you can destroy towers indirectly by capturing nearby catapults.
Meanwhile blood bats and other fantastical beasties patrol the perimeters of the areas you've captured, and - again - you can kill these by filling in the areas of the screen that they occupy. They prove an unexpected threat, since your attention is always pointed at the unexplored areas of a level.
Ye olde skooleLarge walls impede progress to different areas - to get past them you have to obtain coloured keys, which are usually situated in hazard-filled spots. To help you there are power-ups that stop enemies momentarily or give you a speed boost of speed or an extra life, Like the keys, these are generally hard to get.
Knowing when to brazenly venture forth and when to play it safe adds a strategic element to an otherwise shallow game, and it proves a welcome inclusion. With plenty of maps and several difficulty levels to boot, Knight Fortix 2 is a sizeable title, even if each session of play takes just minutes to finish.
It's an old skool game executed in a modern way, expanding on the game from which it takes its inspiration until it resembles a light strategy game as much as a pounding arcade title. Though it won't necessarily amaze you with its innovation, it's still a refreshing twist on a familiar recipe.