Ataxx
A strategy game of piece conversion on a seven-by-seven grid.
Ataxx is a strategy video game published in arcades by Leland Corporation in 1990. Two players compete on a seven-by-seven grid, aiming to convert the majority of pieces to their color. The single-player mode pits the player against bio-invaders from a different dimension.
Quick Facts
- Publisher
- Capcom; Leland Corporation
- Platforms
- Arcade
- Released
- 1990
- Genre
- Strategy
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Each player starts with two pieces, red for player 1 and blue for player 2, placed on the four corners of the board. Red moves first. On a turn, a player moves one piece one or two spaces in any direction, with diagonal distances treated the same as orthogonal. If the destination is adjacent, a new piece is left on the departure square; otherwise the piece moves to the destination. After moving, all opponent pieces adjacent to the destination are converted to the moving player's color. A player must move if possible; otherwise they pass. The game ends when all squares are filled or one player has no pieces left, and the player with the most pieces wins. A draw can occur on even-numbered boards. Some versions include a threefold repetition rule. Timed play resembles blitz chess: each player's timer counts down during their turn, and they lose if it reaches zero. Players may buy additional time (100 seconds per quarter) during the game and can choose to play another game with remaining time.
Development
Originally called Infection, the game was invented in 1988 by Dave Crummack and Craig Galley for Wise Owl Software, which sold the rights to Virgin Mastertronic UK. Versions were programmed for Amiga, Commodore 64, and Atari ST but none were commercially released. Virgin Mastertronic US licensed the game to Leland Corporation, which released it as the arcade game Ataxx in 1990. Around the same time, Virgin released its own version, Spot: The Video Game, based on the Cool Spot character from a 7 Up marketing campaign.
More in Capcom Games of the 1990s
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