Klax

aka: Midway presents Arcade Hits: Klax
Moby ID: 4642
Buy on Game Boy
$14.95 used on eBay
Buy on Game Boy Color
$22.50 used, $58.28 new on eBay
Buy on Genesis
$22.22 used on Amazon
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Description official descriptions

An action/puzzle game, the object is to catch assorted color falling tiles and create rows, columns, or diagonals of a single color. Each level requires a different pattern to be made, and the tiles fall faster, more at a time, and in an increasing number of colors as the game progresses.

Spellings

  • クラックス - Japanese spelling

Screenshots

Promos

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Credits (DOS version)

5 People (4 developers, 1 thanks)

IBM version written by
Thanks to
  • Teque for all their help
Graphics by

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 85% (based on 67 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.5 out of 5 (based on 105 ratings with 3 reviews)

Another fine example of the Lynx coin-op port legacy.

The Good
One of the few to tilt the Lynx on its side for gameplay, Klax arrived with everything intact, from the "english" on the paddle, to the graphics, to the digitzed sound. Of particular note is the stunning title tune, which is, for all intents and purposes, an Amiga Protracker module crammed into a Lynx (in stereo, no less).

The Bad
This is going to sound cliched, but there really isn't anything I personally didn't like. Some people don't like turning a Lynx on its side because most Lynx II models have uneven luminance from to bottom on the screen, which is more pronounced when you're trying to view it sideways.

The Bottom Line
A fun, frantic, fair puzzle arcade game that no-one should be without.

Lynx · by Trixter (8952) · 2003

Not recommended for addictive personality types and people who are color blind....lol

The Good
Fast game play....needing quick reflexes.....

The Bad
That know one has come out with a new version or an up to date clone.

The Bottom Line
You try to arrange different colored blocks (or tiles if you wanna call um that), into piles of 3 or more into 1 of 5 slots....the colors are random and with each level the speed of the tiles increases......You form the tiles or blocks in different patterns described by the game in each level.....very addictive.

DOS · by Toastt (2) · 2003

Always seemed more challenging and exciting than Tetris to me

The Good
The concept is simple but ingenius, and having the levels of different types makes for more variety. The warp screens allow you to customize the difficulty somewhat and ensure that the game's got more longevity.

Being able to 'trap' blocks before placing them on top of blocks you get later is a superb twist, and adds a lot of strategy and skill.

The controls are responsive and the small area to deposit the bricks is ideal, as it means there are less fluky combos than in Tetris or Columns

The Bad
Not A1200 compatible, although there may've been a patched version later.

The Bottom Line
A puzzle game in a similar vein to Tetris and Columns, different coloured blocks fall from the sky in one of five columns, and must be trapped using a paddle you move form left to right before being dropped in one of five storage areas, each of which has space for five blocks, to try to create rows, columns and diagonals (diagonals score the most points)

There are 99 levels, each of which sets increasingly difficult challenges. On some you must score a set number of any type of Klaxes (the term for those sequences of 3), but on others they must be diagonal or horizontal, requiring specific strategies, and on others you must score a set number of points or survive for a certain number of tiles.

You don't have to play every level to complete the game. At the start, and after every 5th level, you can choose to move on 5 or 10 levels. The reward for taking on harder levels is two-fold - firstly, you get a points bonus if you complete the first of those levels. Secondly, you lose a level if more than a certain number of tiles drop past the paddle (or if the playing area becomes full) - that certain number is higher if you use the warp.

The paddle can store up to 5 tiles at a time, allowing you to plan ahead for where to place each tile. You can also flip tiles back up, giving you a little more time before they come back - but be careful not to have 2 tiles coming back in different lines at a time, because you won't be able to catch them both.

Amiga · by Martin Smith (61) · 2003

Trivia

1001 Video Games

Klax appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Arcade version

Strictly speaking, this isn't a coin-op conversion per se, as the home and arcade versions were developed alongside each other. The top home versions (PC, Amiga and ST) are identical to the arcade game.

Atari 2600 version

According to AtariProtos.com, this was the last game released for the Atari 2600 by Atari. Although it was ported to the NTSC format, it was never released in that format.

Awards

  • Amiga Joker
    • Issue 01/1991 – #2 Best Dexterity Game in 1990
  • Amiga Power
    • May 1991 (Issue #00) - #26 in the "All Time Top 100 Amiga Games"
  • Commodore Force
    • December 1993 (Issue 13) – #67 “Readers' Top 100”
  • Commodore Format
    • July 1993 (Issue 34) - Modern Classics: Oddities
  • Power Play
    • Issue 01/1991 - Best Puzzle Game in 1990 (Amiga, Atari ST and C64 versions)
  • ST Format
    • Issue 01/1991 - Best Puzzle Game in 1990

Information also contributed by LepricahnsGold

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Servo.

Lynx added by keth. Atari 5200 added by chirinea. Amiga added by Rebound Boy. TurboGrafx-16 added by RKL. Genesis added by muesli. BBC Micro added by Sciere. Atari 2600 added by Sha1tan. Arcade, Game Gear, SAM Coupé, Game Boy, Sharp X68000 added by Kabushi. ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC added by Martin Smith. SEGA Master System, Atari 7800, Game Boy Color added by Игги Друге. MSX added by koffiepad. PC-88, PC-98 added by j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】.

Additional contributors: Alaka, Martin Smith, j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】, Patrick Bregger, Jo ST, FatherJack.

Game added July 31, 2001. Last modified February 23, 2024.