Hexic
Encyclopedia
Hexic is a puzzle game where the player tries to rotate hexagonal tiles to create certain patterns. The game was designed by Alexey Pajitnov, best known as the creator of Tetris
. It was developed by Carbonated Games
and is available online as part of MSN
Games, as well as a downloadable deluxe edition. A variation of the game called Hexic HD comes preinstalled on all Xbox 360 hard drives, it was previously only available by calling Microsoft's Service Center but is now available on the Xbox Marketplace as a free download.
The objective of Hexic is to rotate hexagonal pieces of various colours and clear them from the playfield by forming clusters or flowers. Clusters are formed when three pieces of the same colour touch each other. Pieces above the cleared pieces fall, potentially forming more clusters and causing chain reactions, and new pieces appear at the top of the playfield. Bonuses are awarded for clearing more than three pieces at a time, and some pieces contain bonus stars, which yield extra points and can clear larger groups of pieces depending on how they are cleared.
The player can create a "silver-star" by arranging six like-coloured pieces into a hexagon or "flower", surrounding a piece of a different colour or type. The surrounding pieces are cleared, and the center piece is replaced by a silver-star (unless the center piece was already a silver-star, in which case a new silver-star drops from the top). A silver-star allows the player to rotate all surrounding pieces clockwise or counterclockwise. Forming a flower of silver-stars changes the center piece into a black pearl, which allows the player to move three surrounding pieces in a Y or inverted Y pattern. The ultimate goal of the game is to form a cluster or flower of black pearls, after which the game will end.
Bombs appear occasionally throughout the game. A bomb is coloured like other pieces on the board and can be defused by rotating it into a cluster or flower of the same colour. The counter on the bomb counts down with each move, and if allowed to reach zero, it explodes and the game is over. Defusing a bomb by clustering it with at least one multiplier piece of the same colour causes all pieces of the same colour as the bomb to instantly clear from the playfield.
Hexic offers two variations on the standard Marathon mode: In Timed mode, a timer constantly counts down toward zero, and the game ends when time runs out. The amount of time increases with successful clears, and resets to its maximum value when the player forms a starflower. Creating starflowers also increases the maximum amount of time available, up to two minutes.
Survival mode
challenges the player to completely clear the playfield. Unlike in Marathon and Timed modes, clearing pieces from the playfield does not automatically cause new ones to fall from the top. Instead, the player forms clusters and flowers until no more moves are possible, then any remaining pieces are locked in place and all open spaces are filled with new pieces. Clearing clusters with bonus stars causes nearby locked pieces to become unlocked. Forming a flower unlocks all pieces on the board and causes all pieces the same color as the center piece in the flower to clear from the board. If the player successfully clears the entire playfield or survives fifty rounds, they win the game. The game is over if all pieces on the playfield become locked.
The background music is 'Lapland' by QPE off their album Gentrifried.
online service in July 2003. Hexic HD was later developed by Microsoft Game Studios
and Carbonated Games
for the Xbox 360
, and comes preinstalled on all Xbox 360 hard drives as part of the Xbox Live Arcade
service. This version features online leaderboards and support for high-definition
.
In August 2007, Microsoft released Hexic 2
on Xbox Live Arcade for 800 Microsoft points
, providing new gameplay features and a competitive two-player mode. Additionally, Hexic Deluxe for Tablet PC was released for Windows XP
Tablet PC
Edition as part of the Tablet PC
Education Pack, allowing players to rotate pieces using a stylus.
Hexic comes with the Zune
version 3.0 firmware, released September 16, 2008.
Tetris
Tetris is a puzzle video game originally designed and programmed by Alexey Pajitnov in the Soviet Union. It was released on June 6, 1984, while he was working for the Dorodnicyn Computing Centre of the Academy of Science of the USSR in Moscow, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic...
. It was developed by Carbonated Games
Carbonated Games
Carbonated Games was the first-party game developer studio for Microsoft Casual Games in Microsoft Game Studios. It was founded and run by Joshua Howard, and was active from 2004 until its disbanding on March 27, 2008. Carbonated Games developers were located in Redmond, WA; Hyderabad, India; and...
and is available online as part of MSN
MSN
MSN is a collection of Internet sites and services provided by Microsoft. The Microsoft Network debuted as an online service and Internet service provider on August 24, 1995, to coincide with the release of the Windows 95 operating system.The range of services offered by MSN has changed since its...
Games, as well as a downloadable deluxe edition. A variation of the game called Hexic HD comes preinstalled on all Xbox 360 hard drives, it was previously only available by calling Microsoft's Service Center but is now available on the Xbox Marketplace as a free download.
Gameplay
The player can create a "silver-star" by arranging six like-coloured pieces into a hexagon or "flower", surrounding a piece of a different colour or type. The surrounding pieces are cleared, and the center piece is replaced by a silver-star (unless the center piece was already a silver-star, in which case a new silver-star drops from the top). A silver-star allows the player to rotate all surrounding pieces clockwise or counterclockwise. Forming a flower of silver-stars changes the center piece into a black pearl, which allows the player to move three surrounding pieces in a Y or inverted Y pattern. The ultimate goal of the game is to form a cluster or flower of black pearls, after which the game will end.
Bombs appear occasionally throughout the game. A bomb is coloured like other pieces on the board and can be defused by rotating it into a cluster or flower of the same colour. The counter on the bomb counts down with each move, and if allowed to reach zero, it explodes and the game is over. Defusing a bomb by clustering it with at least one multiplier piece of the same colour causes all pieces of the same colour as the bomb to instantly clear from the playfield.
Hexic offers two variations on the standard Marathon mode: In Timed mode, a timer constantly counts down toward zero, and the game ends when time runs out. The amount of time increases with successful clears, and resets to its maximum value when the player forms a starflower. Creating starflowers also increases the maximum amount of time available, up to two minutes.
Survival mode
Survival mode
Survival mode is a video game mode in which the player must survive by keeping their character alive or preventing the enemy from reaching a certain location for as long as possible, while the game sends waves of enemies to the player that become stronger with each subsequent wave. Another variant...
challenges the player to completely clear the playfield. Unlike in Marathon and Timed modes, clearing pieces from the playfield does not automatically cause new ones to fall from the top. Instead, the player forms clusters and flowers until no more moves are possible, then any remaining pieces are locked in place and all open spaces are filled with new pieces. Clearing clusters with bonus stars causes nearby locked pieces to become unlocked. Forming a flower unlocks all pieces on the board and causes all pieces the same color as the center piece in the flower to clear from the board. If the player successfully clears the entire playfield or survives fifty rounds, they win the game. The game is over if all pieces on the playfield become locked.
The background music is 'Lapland' by QPE off their album Gentrifried.
Releases
Hexic was originally released on the MSN GamesMSN Games
MSN Games is an online games site devoted primarily to casual games, both stand-alone and multi-player online games. Games are available in free on-line versions, trial versions, and full feature pay-to-play versions...
online service in July 2003. Hexic HD was later developed by Microsoft Game Studios
Microsoft Game Studios
Microsoft Studios is the video game production wing for Microsoft, responsible for the development and publishing of games for the Xbox, Xbox 360, Games for Windows and Windows Phone platforms. They were established in 2002 as Microsoft Game Studios to coincide with the release of the Xbox, before...
and Carbonated Games
Carbonated Games
Carbonated Games was the first-party game developer studio for Microsoft Casual Games in Microsoft Game Studios. It was founded and run by Joshua Howard, and was active from 2004 until its disbanding on March 27, 2008. Carbonated Games developers were located in Redmond, WA; Hyderabad, India; and...
for the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, and comes preinstalled on all Xbox 360 hard drives as part of the Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
service. This version features online leaderboards and support for high-definition
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
.
In August 2007, Microsoft released Hexic 2
Hexic 2
Hexic 2 is the sequel to Alexey Pajitnov's puzzle game Hexic, developed by Carbonated Games. It was released on August 15, 2007.-Gameplay:...
on Xbox Live Arcade for 800 Microsoft points
Microsoft Points
Microsoft Points are the currency of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Games for Windows - Live Marketplace, Windows Live Gallery, and Zune online stores. The points allow users to purchase content without a credit card and to reduce the number of small credit card transaction fees, which Microsoft would...
, providing new gameplay features and a competitive two-player mode. Additionally, Hexic Deluxe for Tablet PC was released for Windows XP
Windows XP
Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
Tablet PC
Tablet computer
A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a complete mobile computer, larger than a mobile phone or personal digital assistant, integrated into a flat touch screen and primarily operated by touching the screen...
Edition as part of the Tablet PC
Tablet computer
A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a complete mobile computer, larger than a mobile phone or personal digital assistant, integrated into a flat touch screen and primarily operated by touching the screen...
Education Pack, allowing players to rotate pieces using a stylus.
Hexic comes with the Zune
Zune
Zune is a digital media brand owned by Microsoft which includes a line of portable media players, a digital media player software for Windows machines, a music subscription service known as a 'Zune Music Pass', music and video streaming for the Xbox 360 via the Zune Software, music, TV and movie...
version 3.0 firmware, released September 16, 2008.