Klax
System: NES
Release Date: September 1990
Developer: Dave Akers
Publisher: Tengen
Genre: Puzzle
It may not be the 90s anymore, but there’s still time for Klax! It’s all about the Klaxes and racking up as many points as you possibly can. Do this by matching three or more like colored blocks and defeating the mission of each wave. If you’ve watched my video of the TurboGrafx-16 version, don’t expect anything new… except the ratings and something clever at the end, maybe.
At the top of the screen is a conveyor with five belts. Colored blocks are regularly sent down the belt, which you then catch on your paddle. You drop the top block of your stack with a press of the A Button. You have a 5 by 5 box that you drop them in. You can clear the blocks by having 3, 4, or 5 in a row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Sometimes the block on top isn’t what you want, so you can throw it back on the conveyor belt by pressing Up. Be careful though, because your paddle can only hold five blocks at once.
If a block falls off the conveyor belt, but not on to your paddle, it’s counted as a drop. Too many of these leads you to try again. Before you lose too many blocks, you have to complete the goal of the wave. This might be to score a certain number of Klaxes. Three in a row counts as 1 Klax, 4 in a row counts as 2, and five in a row counts as 3. You may need to earn a certain threshold of points. Or you may need to earn a number of a specific orientation of Klax, like diagonal.
As the number of colors of the blocks increase, it becomes more difficult to manage your gameplan. There are wild color blocks that can help you out in a pinch. It’s very easy to start a plan and then mess it up with one mistimed placement. You can start on higher waves right away for bonus points and more allowed drops. New to the NES version is Blob Ball, which is a bad one person Pong variant where the blob doesn’t behave as a ball would.
Graphics: 1.5
I think I prefer the blocks on the NES version, but it’s still not anything pleasing.
Sound: 2.0
There’s music this time around and it’s so intense, I find it entertaining.
Gameplay: 2.5
It’s still addictive to play, forcing me to try a level many, many times.
Difficulty: 3.0
There are no game overs, you can take your sweet time trying a level over and over again.
Fun Factor: 2.5
I enjoyed myself, but it’s not my favorite puzzle game out there. I got confused by the top block getting dropped more than once.
Overall Rating: 2.3
Klax earns a C+. What difference some music can make in an overall grade. If you were sticking around for something clever, my paddle was full and I dropped this one.