Developers Nemesys have announced that Knight Fortix 2, the handheld spin-off of its popular PC classic, Fortix 2, will be released in North America as a PSN Mini via the Playstation Store on Tuesday 8th May.

The game, already released in Europe, will be cross-compatible with both the Playstation 3 and Playstation Portable consoles, allowing players to play either on a big living room screen or on the move. Described by the developers as as cross between Qix and a “backwards turret defense game,” in which you play as the poor sod having to fend off enemy sentries and snipers, Knight Fortix 2 is based around the concept of conquering territory in order to lift a curse placed on the landscape by Xitrof, an evil dark wizard.

Knight Fortix 2 boasts thirty levels set in four different geographical environments, each of which are designed to test the player’s tactical awareness and physical reflexes. Skilled players will also be able to try their hand at some mightily taxing difficulty modes, including the aptly named ‘Impossible Mode,’ which ought to both delight and frustrate punishment gluttons in equal measure.

For more information on Knight Fortix 2, check out Nemesys’ official website.

DIY’s Erik Johnson covered Fortix last year, who happened to throw Qix out there to help describe the game. While at first glance, IGC-DICE finalist Fortix 2 aesthetically reminded me of Hoard, the gameplay description and other videos clearly show Hungary studio Nemesys Games‘s homage to the classic Qix. The Qix gameplay involves an initial edge safe zone that expands as players claim more area. Players expand the zone by using the character icon to draw outline some shape and complete the shape by touching back on some part of the safe zone. The annexed land’s edges become part of the safe zone.

Throw in some reverse turret defense mechanics, and gamers have a sensory overload that seems to have been a big enough success to warrant a sequel with a Steam release! The developers recently posted a trailer to celebrate Fortix 2′s release:

The updates to sequel include the following:

- New and trickier enemies
- Levels have a much better variety (green, icy, dark mountains)
- New boss fight
- New towers
- More challenging achievements
- Hidden mini games in the menu

Fortix 2 is on sale for $8.99 on Steam and is available now. Has anyone played the first Fortix or its sequel? Please share your thoughts on Nemesys’s title below.

The 2011 Indie Game Challenge finalists have been announced for the professional and non-professional categories. The collective dirty dozen are battling it out for gamers’ votes. The winner in each category will take home $100,000. For those solo indies, that could mean support for their present games and future titles. When gamers vote, they can enter for a chance to win a trip to L.A., $1,000 spending money, and more. The Indie Game Challenge winners to be will be announced February 11th at D.I.C.E.

Professional Category

• Vanessa Saint-Pierre Delacroix And Her Nightmare (Bad Pilcrow)
• Fortix 2 (Nemesys Games)
• Limbo (Playdead)
• Monaco (Pocketwatch Games)
• Spirits (Spaces of Play)
• Confetti Carnival (SpikySnail Games)

Non-Professional Category

• Hazard: The Journey of Life (Alexander Bruce)
• Solace (One Man Down)
• Subsonic (Team Height Advantage)
• Inertia (Team Hermes)
• Q.U.B.E. (Toxic Games)
• Symon (ZZZ Games)

There are several nominees who are also up for 2011 IGF awards. Hazard: The Journey of Life is a finalist for the Nuovo Award (and honorable mention for Technical Excellence). Confetti Carnival is a finalist for Technical Excellence. Solace is a Student Showcase finalist. Spirits earned an honorable mention for Best Mobile Game. Looking one year back, Limbo and Monaco were 2010 IGF winners. In sum, Indie Game Challenge represents the best of indie games: something old, something new, something borrowed (from IGF’s 2011 finalists), and with splashes of brilliant color from games like Solace and Hazard, something blue! Good luck! VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!

Nemesys Team Studio has released a new update for its arcade strategy game Fortix, now available for download on Steam.

The patch brings language support for Russian and Hungarian as well as bringing updated keyboard controls, an improved leaderboard menu and a retry button at the pause menu.

The file can be had on Steam for owners of the game. The title is currently 20% off and runs just $4 instead of the standard $5. From the change log:

Fortix Update

Added Russian localization

Added Hungarian localization

Updated keyboard control (the player can now use WASD keys to control the knight)

Updated “Leaderboard” menu to sort scores by friends

Added a Retry button to “Game Paused” window

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Nemesys Team Studio has rolled out its action arcade title Fortix onto digital distribution channels, now available for purchase and download.

Compared to the 1980′s arcade game Qix, Fortix has players trying to get back their ancestor’s land, reclaiming forts from dangers including dragons, blood bats and cannons.

The title goes for $4 on GamersGate and the Steam version (which carries both achievements and leaderboards) costing the same with the launch week discount, though the title will go up to $5 on Valve’s digital distribution hub Wednesday, April 21. From the description:

Can you reclaim your ancestors’ land? Evil forces have taken over the once fertile land of Fortiana. You are the only one who can storm the castles and claw it back from the demonic hordes. Experience a new type of strategy and arcade game. Fence off parts of the battlefield to corner your enemies. Collect catapults and power-ups to besiege the fortresses and take on dragons. But beware! As you progress through the levels it gets harder and harder. The fortresses become much larger and the monsters more vicious. Can you emerge victorious and reclaim the land of your ancestors? You are knight Fortix, the sole hope for the desolate and tortured land of Fortiana to become the fertile land that it was before.

Key features:

• New, yet familiar gameplay
• Fantasy setting
• 22 levels of increasing difficulty
• Family-friendly / no violence
• Simple controls suitable for all ages
• Easy-to-learn, hard-to-master
• Likeable, cartoon-like characters
• On-line high score chart

Nemesys Team Studio has announced the release of Fortix for the PC and PSP as a mini through the Playstation Network. The game is a remake of Qix, the popular 80′s arcade title, featuring “new enemy’s, catapults and power-ups, a beautiful fantasy setting and online scoreboards.”

In the strategy game the player attempts to fence off his enemies into corners and then attack. The full game goes for $5 and can be downloaded on the official site for the game. A demo is available there and on GamersHell as well.