As far as the sounds go, some of the zany sound effects from the arcade original made it over to the NES.
Each tile color makes a different sound as it's coming down the ramp, though some colors share the same sound. You still get the "Oooh!" and "Yeah!" sounds when you make matches of four or five titles, which are slightly muffled but still audible, as well as the funny "Wauugh!" when a tile goes over. There are some glaring submissions, such as the "Awwww" when you lose, or the "golf clap" when you clear a stage, but the sounds that are present are mroe than adequate. This game does have several background tunes you can choose from by pausing the game and pushing B to cycle through the tunes. However none of the music is any good, plus you can't hear the sound effects. The music is off by default and you just may want to leave it that way.
There really isn't much to say about the controls, which are very easy to use. You just move back and forth and drop tiles or throw them back. The game is very responsive, which helps you pull off some quick moves.
Like most arcade puzzlers, Klax does a great job in the gameplay department. This is a game that anyone can easily learn and provides a challenging yet addicting experience. There's a multitude of ways to get through each wave, giving you chances to try something different. Also the gameplay was left intact from the arcade original, so fans of the coin-op can jump right in here without any problems. The challenge level is also pretty fair, especially since you can tweak it to suit your skills. The game can be a tad frustrating at times, especially when the computer seems to intentionally withhold a tile color you desparately need, but they don't pop up all that often, plus it forces you think of other ways to succeed, adding to the challenge. While it may take several tries to get through the later levels, it has that charm that makes you want to try one more time. Also the two-player mode is good, though it would have been nice to have a versus mode, just as Tengen did with other games like Ms. Pac-Man.
Overall Klax turns out to be another great puzzler for the NES as well as another quality arcade conversion from Tengen. This game provides plenty of fun action for players of all skill levels that'll have you hooked for a while. While arcade purist might not like the face that certain sound clips are missing, the main gameplay is intact, so arcade fans will also enjoy it. It's definetly time for Klax, no matter what decade it is.
- Review posted on October 30, 2007