''Frantix'' is a 2005

puzzle video game Puzzle video games make up a broad genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles can test problem-solving skills, including logic, pattern recognition, Sequence, sequence solving, Spatial ability, spatial recognition, ...

developed by American studio Killer Game for the

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...

. It was released in North America by Platform Publishing and PAL territories by

Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Anno'', '' Assassin's Creed'', ' ...

. The game contains over 150 levels (most need to be unlocked). The player must race against the clock in order to solve each puzzle. Some levels are tricky and the most obvious path may not be the best route to go. In each level there are obstacles, deadly traps, hazards and creatures which can delay the player from completing the level.

Features

The game includes

Sony Pictures Imageworks Sony Pictures Imageworks Inc. (simply known as Imageworks) is a visual effects and computer animation studio headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia and Montreal, Quebec, with an additional office on the Sony Pictures Studios lot in Culver C ...

' animated short film ''

The ChubbChubbs! ''The ChubbChubbs!'' is a 2002 American animated short film by Sony Pictures Imageworks. It was directed by Eric Armstrong, produced by Jacquie Barnbrook, and written by Jeff Wolverton. ''The ChubbChubbs!'' won the Academy Award for Best Anim ...

''; the film's central character, Meeper, is unlocked as a playable character early in the game.

Release

The game started development in November 2003. It was eventually released exclusively for

in North America by Platform Publishing on September 19, 2005. Published in

PAL territories Phase Alternating Line (PAL) is a color encoding system for analog television. It was one of three major analogue colour television standards, the others being NTSC and SECAM. In most countries it was broadcast at 625 lines, 50 fields (25& ...

, the game was released in 2005 in

continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous mainland of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by som ...

on December 1, the United Kingdom on December 2, and in Australia on December 8. It was also released in Japan the following year on February 23, 2006.

Reception

''Frantix'' received mixed reviews from critics. On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the game holds a score of 59/100 based on 29 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". On

GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...

, the game holds a score of 59.98% based on 45 reviews. By the end of 2005, ''Frantix'' had sold under 5,000 copies in the United Kingdom.

Notes

References

External links

''Frantix''
on

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

2005 video games Killer Game games PlayStation Portable games PlayStation Portable-only games Puzzle video games Single-player video games Ubisoft games Video games developed in the United States {{puzzle-videogame-stub