Trix, by Public
Pocket Games, $5.99
Reviewed September 2002
Trix is hardly the first game in
its genre. Qubix, by AIM Productions, for example had the
same game play, but Trix offers more dynamic game play
than any of the similar games. Developed by Public Pocket
Games, Trix takes the battle for real estate to the space
where you control a space shuttle and hunt down the alien
UFOs.
Before you jump in the space suit,
here is the story you should know. At the end of the 20th
century, some scientists received faint signal from space.
The message was from some unearthly civilization far away
in the galaxy. We send a big spaceship to make contact,
but of course we lost contact with the spaceship. Now,
you are the rescue party and your mission is to find the
lost spaceship, but soon you will find what’s waiting
for your out there are countless mean alien UFOs.
The dynamic game play in Trix mainly
comes from the versatile movement of the space shuttle
you are piloting. The goal of the game is to occupy the
map as much as you can without crashing into enemy UFOs,
spy ships or space mines. There are no restrictions in
friendly or enemy territories, which makes it easier for
you to try and execute different strategies or just simply
rely on your reflexes. This free flight feature also, of
course, increases your chance to run into dangerous objects.
It is important to know the moving patterns of each type
of enemy spacecraft and plan your flight pattern to avoid
collisions. The power-ups also add more dynamics to the
game. You can increase or decrease the speed of your shuttle
or enemy spacecraft; you can pick up extra lives, extra
time or bump into Reverse, which will reverse the directions
of your control. There are 4 difficulty levels; each level
has 10 maps for you to complete and 4 game speeds. You
beat the game by completing the hardest levels, though
you can start from the easiest levels or the hardest levels.
I find all the levels a bit too easy. The game gives you
10 lives to start. I managed to finish the extreme hard
level on the first try.
The graphics are sharp and the movements
are smooth, even the smallest objects are easy to see.
The design of both in-game graphics and menu screens is
highly stylish and polished. If you are a fan of celestial
navigation, you will like the interesting celestial maps
with marks of star positions. The sound effects are fun
and music tracks add atmosphere. I did have trouble bringing
the sound back after I turned off the sound control on
my iPAQ.
If you like to control your games with
stylus, you are out of luck-- there is no stylus control
option. If you are a fan of using the D-pad, this game’s
control is right on target. Responsive and smooth piloting
makes your flight in space a piece of cake, leaving you time
and energy to deal with the enemies who are supposed to make
your life hard. Trix supports both ARM and MIPS, takes less
than 2 MB memory.
For the low price, Trix offers fun game
play, good-looking graphics, 40 levels of fighting for territory,
and 4 game speeds. It’s a good price for a good quality
game, although I wouldn’t mind having more difficult
levels and maybe some gunners installed on my shuttle.
Playing Hints and Tips
If you choose to play from easier levels, you will eventually make to
the end of the game. The game upgrades you to a higher difficulty
level once you’ve completed 10 maps in the easier level. Make
sure you try all 4 game speeds. Read the power-up description before
you pick up unwanted items.
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