Q.U.B.E. is an excellent indie puzzle game that deserves to be in the limelight.
Q.U.B.E. (Quick Understanding of Block Extrusion) is a 3D puzzle game made in the Unreal Engine 3 by Toxic Games. Q.U.B.E.'s gameplay is very similar to P0rtal (Valve Software), in the sense that in both you are trapped in featureless rooms and are forced to complete puzzles for your freedom. Q.U.B.E. has no narration however, and you are just left to your own devices to solve these puzzles. They always involve cubes, as the name suggests, and each colour cube does a different thing, such as yellow that makes a staircase, red that extends out of the wall or floor, blue that flings you high up in the air, and even purple that flips the world upside down and sideways. Using these cubes to get you (or a green cube, energy ball or even a laser/light-beam towards the end of the game) to the end of the level is the challenge. Since there is no tutorial or narration of any kind, you are placed into very easy tests at first for you to discover what each cube does by yourself. This type of gameplay is intuitive & ground-breaking, and I hope to see it in future games. Another interesting thing about it is that you have no special equipment that you have to hold or upgrade, just the pair of gloves that you are wearing.
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| An example of a fairly basic puzzle in which you must get the green cube to the exit. |
Q.U.B.E.'s graphics are mind-blowing for an indie dev, and are definitely at today's standards in graphic design. It has a level of cuteness and cartoonish delight, while still looking like a damn fine game. Q.U.B.E.'s music & sound is also fantastic. As you fly through the air little sounds start to play, and the music adjusts itself for each situation. It really feels like a dynamic experience, as if you had your own personal DJ sitting behind you. Q.U.B.E.'s level design is really quite great, as each room feels different to the last. The difficulty slowly ramps up the further you go, and each new element introduced has an easy puzzle or two to let the player familiarize themselves with it. Q.U.B.E. is extremely fun, but quite challenging at times - and you may find yourself rage-quitting on occasion. A level editor would be nice - or even just some more puzzles from Toxic Games, as the game is quite short.
Gameplay 10/10
Great gameplay that is fun the whole way through.
Graphics 10/10
Great graphics for an indie title, or even a AAA one!
Sound 10/10
The music is great and the sound effects are better!
Fun 9/10
Great fun to play - until it gets too hard that is.
Campaign 8/10
Nice levels, but some are hard to the point of virtual impossibility. Bit short too.
Replayability 5/10
I wouldn't play this again but some people might.
Multiplayer 0/10
No multiplayer, but it would be a nice touch. Maybe in Q.U.B.E. 2!
Control Scheme 10/10
With only 7 buttons, it is amazingly simple.
Originality 6/10
Definitely not the first of its genre. *cough, cough* P0rtal! *cough*
Extras 0/10
No extras.
Overall score: 68/100
You can buy Q.U.B.E. on Steam, Desura, GamersGate, or Playism.
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