Game: Quixo

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swuyau — 2008-05-26T10:58:49+00:00

Game components

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Meat — 2007-10-14T06:15:54+00:00

Quixo Mini Cubes

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Meat — 2007-10-14T06:14:47+00:00

Two Quixo Mini Cubes

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Meat — 2007-10-14T06:13:36+00:00

Quixo Mini Box Back

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Meat — 2007-10-14T06:12:02+00:00

Quixo Mini Box Front

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Terraliptar — 2007-07-28T22:32:54+00:00

Detail shot

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Yugblad — 2007-06-19T20:59:52+00:00

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2007-05-13T13:21:23+00:00

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2007-05-13T13:21:07+00:00

Thread: Re: Very interesting hybrid

Geosphere — 2007-01-17T22:00:36+00:00

My 4 year old daughter seems to truly enjoy this game now. If I don't think ahead, she does pretty well.

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Ceryon — 2006-12-28T23:30:31+00:00

"classic"?

Thread: Re: Very interesting hybrid

Geosphere — 2006-05-05T14:55:37+00:00

Yes, but Quixo plays faster than GIPFy games, and is easier for non-gamers to grasp.

Thread: Re: Very interesting hybrid

generalpf — 2006-04-30T06:49:41+00:00

This is really strange... a friend picked this up at a thrift store this week for $2, and here you went and wrote a review not one week earlier!

I felt exactly the same way. Nothing noteworthy at all. Certainly two players could play each other often and get better at it, but exploring the depths of Quixo would probably be unrewarding.

Better to explore a GIPF game or something similar, no?

Thread: Very interesting hybrid

Geosphere — 2006-04-24T13:47:58+00:00

The version of Quixo I have has a plastic base and pleasant wooden cubes of fair quality. Each cube has an X on one side (with a dot on one edge) and an O on one side (with a dot on one edge).

The dots are used for multiplayer games, where the dot indicates the owner. The multiplayer variant is too random, with the board shifting too much to be able to secure a decent strategy.

The game is an interesting hybrid. The goal is that of tic-tac-toe / go-moku. Line up 5 of your pieces in a horizontal/diagonal/vertical.

The mechanic, however, is that of Amazing Labyrinth, which is pick up a cube, place it on the opposite end of the row/column you took it from, and shift the entire row/column. This can be used for offense or defense, breaking opponent's lines, or setting up yours. Good moves work both ways.

Mechanically and physically, this works beautifully.

There are restrictions. You cannot manipulate a cube just manipulated. The board starts blank, and if you use a blank cube, you turn it to your face when placing it, small details like that.

In play, it is an interesting fluid variant on a tile laying game (they aren't tiles, but that doesn't affect the mechanic).

I had difficulty deciding on a title for this review, because I kept thinking 'wonderful little puzzle game', and it is, I truly feel that. The mechanic is fun, play is fast, tactics are very intriguing, but it simply doesn't hold up as a wonderful game. Yes, it is a good game, yes, it is a lot of fun and yes it comes out to the table every now and then, but I believe this might be due to the speed of play and the simplicity of teaching it. It kind of works like a filler with some depth.

In the end, it is fun, but something about it isn't wholly satisfying. When you're done, there is no major sense of winning, or a great story unfolding (yes, that can happen in abstracts), or some incredible tactical coup that you will remember in the future.

It is a good game. It is solid, easily learned by all and pleasant. I never regret playing it and would probably miss it as a quickie to introduce to people who want to try something new and cool but don't have lots of time. It does well sitting on a table at a gathering because you can just sit someone down and have a good quick game.

I think I want to love the game more, but in the end it feels like something is lacking. Again, it is far from a bad game.