Platforms
Atari/Tengen has published official Klax® brand games for at least the following systems:
Homebrew game publisher Pin Eight plans to introduce an unofficial version for the Game Boy Advance called "Convey" in 2003. Further details are unavailable as of this writing.
I find the NES version to have the best control among all versions I've played. In addition, it's one of the few versions to have real background music during gameplay; the others have only sound effects.
Screenshot
___________
/ \
__
/ / | |--\ \
SCORE /__ ' ` \
281230 |__| \
/ , . \ <= Conveyor belt with
KLAX LEFT ___ three tiles on it
2 / / |___| \ \
_______ ___ _______
[__(X)__|___|__(_)__] <= Paddle holds 5 tiles
| | (in front of drop meter)
| |
|_________________|
/| |\
|| ||
/|| ___ ||\ <= Bin holds 25 tiles
/ ||__/___| || \
/ /___|___|__________|| \
WAVE 06 |___|___|___|___\___\ \
\___________________________/
There are actually at least eight colors of tiles, plus a flashing wildcard tile.
Controls
- Joystick left, right: Move paddle
- Joystick down: Advance tiles faster
- Joystick up: Throw top tile halfway up the conveyor
- A: Drop tile into bin
Advancing levels
A 3-in-a-row of the specified type counts as one KLAX for advancing to the next level. A 4-in-a-row counts as two, and a 5-in-a-row counts as three. This does not increase in chains. Some levels require the user to survive n tiles or to score n thousand points.
Making a KLAX stops the conveyor belt for about two seconds. Thus, it is possible to make a vertical 4- or 5-in-a-row. You can make a horizontal or diagonal KLAX chain to a vertical 4-in-a-row, or you can "manual combo" by placing three tiles in one place, then finishing a vertical 4- or 5-in-a-row before the conveyor starts again. (Manual combo works in Klax and in Magical Drop but not in Tetris Attack.)
Scoring
Most games give 5 points per tile caught. Points are also awarded for KLAXes:
- 3-vertical: 50; 4-vertical: 10,000; 5-vertical: 15,000
- 3-horizontal: 1,000; 4-horizontal: 5,000; 5-horizontal: 10,000
- 3-diagonal: 5,000; 4-diagonal: 10,000; 5-diagonal: 20,000
Making one KLAX and then making another KLAX through chain-reaction or manual combo earns 2x points for the second KLAX, 3x points for the third, 4x points for the fourth, etc. Making two KLAXes at once (such as a horizontal and diagonal) scores 2x; making one KLAX and then two (e.g. a horizontal that chains to two verticals) scores 1x and then 3x. In general: In each step of a chain, you get the basic number of points for the KLAXes made in that step times the total number of KLAXes made so far in the chain.
In points waves, any points scored over the requirement count double.
Want examples of high-scoring combinations? See http://dlh.net/cheats/snes/english/klax/faq.html
At the end of a level, you get 200 points for every empty space in the bin and 25 points for every tile on your paddle or on the conveyor. There's also a substantial bonus for using the warp at the end of every fifth wave.
Initial waves
Wave Requirement
01 3 KLAXes
02 5 KLAXes
03 3 Diagonals
04 10 K Points
05 40 Tiles
06 10 Klaxes
07 3 Diagonals
08 55 Tiles
09 25 K Points
10 5 Horizontals
11 15 Klaxes
12 13 Diagonals
13 75 Tiles
14 25 K Points
15 10 Horizontals
16 15 Klaxes
17 13 Diagonals
18 75 Tiles
19 30 K Points
20 13 Horizontals
(continued on http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~QK3A-YJM/RGG/KLAX/HINT.HTM )
Make a big X on wave 11 for a warp to wave 56.