Story

Elixir's Origin

A game rediscovered four decades later.

40+ years ago — 1983 to be exact — I played a mesmerizing strategy game my brother’s best friend had written for the IBM PC. It ran from a 5¼-inch floppy disk. This was a full year before Tetris became a sensation.

My whole family was hooked on El-Ixir.

You know how Tetris players talk about closing their eyes and seeing falling blocks? Elixir does that too. I’d lie in bed and see the grid. I’d play positions in my head. I still do.

This is much more than fitting blocks — it’s constant strategizing. Offense and defence is the same move. You're never just reacting. You're thinking.

Four decades later, I still thought about that game.

Then one day, cleaning out old boxes in my parent's garage, there it was. An old friend from a simpler time. Dusty. Bent. The box art looked like it came from another dimension.

Electric — I literally got a charge, jumped up, and banged my head on some shelves.

I tracked down the creator and told him I wanted to bring it back. He handed me the keys with excitement.

An intriguing game of skill and chance — since 1983.

Shoutouts:

Saied Nesbat — El-Ixir 1983 Dev and Design / Original Creator

Behzad Tabatabai — 2026 Reboot Dev and Design