Mystery Circle for SFC

Image: MobyGames

Mystery Circle

Qix Tetris

Genre: puzzle - blocks

Publisher: K Amusement Leasing

Year: 1992

System: SFC

Gameplay Score: 0

Gameplay Notes:

The objective is to use you cursor, which is ostensibly a spaceship, to trace the edges of tetris blocks that are falling from the ceiling. This is not fun, to put it mildly, and to make matters worse there's no easy way to move across the solid areas of the blocks. You can disengage from the surface you're on to fly around in a straight line but you snap to whatever block you come into contact with so it's hard to go where you want. Very quickly the entire area becomes filled with blocks so invariably you need to go across the solid mass of blocks but doing so is like trying to swim through a pool of honey. Your ship slowly and inconsistently plods over, sometimes zooming into another block that you then have to try back out of. It's truly awful. All in all the game works for a few seconds but after after 1 or 2 minutes you lose, guaranteed. Just terrible.

Level Design Score: 1

Level Design Notes:

There's only one mode with a 2P option, but it's just an endless mode with no difficulty or speed configs. Take it or leave it.

Theme Score: 1

Theme Notes:

You're a spaceship. I guess. No personality whatsoever.

Art Style Score: 1

Art Style Notes:

The barest of bones. The background is someone's pixel drawing of a solar flare. The blocks are a uniform color of blue. Nothing else stands out. Even the menu is as plain as could be.

Audio Score: 0

Audio Notes:

Quite possibly the worst music in a puzzle game. The track is about 4 notes played on repeat. It will drive you absolutely bonkers.

Overall Score: 8

Review ID: 1760