Gameplay Today - Because You're Always Gaming

I realize explaining what Fortix 2 plays like is a little hard to comprehend for some people. Most gamers haven't played or heard of the old series Qix. Instead you may recognize the game play in the game Bully. Rockstar's sandbox game about delinquents featured an Art class mini game that was a simplified version of Qix.

If you're still lost imagine a rectangle where you need to capture a majority of the playing field. This is accomplished by creating boxes starting from the borders of the level. The objective in Fortix 2 is to grab every shield token and destroy every guard tower. To oppose you the AI will be firing cannonballs or flaming death at you from those guard towers you need to wreck.

There are also 8 creature types that inhabit levels. The bone and black dragons being the absolute nastiest of this group. Both hunt you down as soon as you attempt to capture, and the black dragon blasts you with fast traveling fireballs. The only way to defeat anything in the game is by capturing more of the map. Capturing enemies that aren't boxed in can get a little tricky. I've had dragons get captured many times by being near areas I captured, other times that didn't work out. Though you can complete levels without killing all creatures if you can manage to avoid them.

Early on you can be very quick and grab areas as you please. The pace of every level slows down, in very late levels you'll be scrambling to grab any small bits of land without dying. As enemies start to hunt you and guard towers start firing quicker at you, the game drastically shifts. Much of the levels get sectioned off from you requiring keys or the flying power-up. Add in a lot of nasty enemies to contend with and the game becomes much slower paced.

Each level gives you five lives to start with but allows you to get more through high score or power-ups These power-ups are crucial to getting advantages in slow moving levels. Stopping or destroying enemies are some of the better power-ups available. Fly for instance I used once in the second to last level, otherwise it was just easier to take land around impassable zones.

Most of the stages can be finished with a little patience and planning. The final stage is an absolute terror. There is a lot going on in the stage, most of the terrain is slow traveling, magic orbs on the sides prevent capture and all of the key cannons to fight back with are in the center. I have to admire any game that throws the kitchen sink at the player on the very last stage.

There is a great secret mode hidden in the game by taking your mouse cursor and rubbing the pink bird on the title screen quickly. This unlocks the Zombie Mode which features zombies constantly rising from the gravestones you need to collect to complete level. The zombies can get to be overwhelming and offers a new spin for those that completed the game wanting more.

While Qix hit a spot of not knowing how to evolve Fortix 2 blended the concept with enough puzzle and tower defense to make an addicting experience. Fortix 2 tests your patience and makes you feel incredibly regretful for stepping out into the danger zone when you get vaporized. When you are able to steal a portion of the map after barely dodging fire and dragons coming to eat your line, you really feel invincible until you realize how little that got you. It is quite a rush though.

The game offers 35 levels and various difficulties including the hidden Zombie Mode. In today's market of more bang for your literal buck it isn't enough to keep gamers satisfied. I was able to get through the game in just under 5 hours. Aside from the murderous final stage, I really wanted more of the game but it just ends there. For $9.99 Fortix 2 is an extremely better deal than Qix++ on the Xbox Live Arcade.