Fortix is a Qix variant with a medieval fantasy theme. The game takes places in the land of Fortiana where the reign of evil forces have turned the place into a desolate wasteland. The player takes control of the heir of the late king, Knight Fortix in his attempt to reclaim the land from the dark ruler.
The kingdom consists of twelve shires, each a level in the game. Each level has one or several enemy buildings and the goal is to conquer all of them. As in Qix the player can move around the borders of the playfield safely. By moving inwards and leaving the base line the player draws lines. This makes him vulnerable towards the enemies. By connecting his line with the base line the player can conquer land. Any enemy that is encircled will be killed. The monsters of Fortix are different kinds of dragons with different capabilities. The player also has to watch out for towers that shoot pellets whenever the player leaves the base line. These can be taken out with the use of catapults. These are triggered when the player encircles an halberd icon. There is one catapult for each tower on the map. Towers can also be taken out by conquering the land they are on.
There is different kinds of terrain in the game which impacts the movement speed of the player. Walking on grass is fast while water and swamps are slower to traverse. There is also walls that the player can’t move through and has to find a way around. The player will find power ups scattered around the levels which he can pick up by encircling them. These can do many things from increasing the player’s speed to freezing the monsters for a short time.
