Q.U.B.E. Review

Okay, let's cut right to the chase. Q.U.B.E. is a first person puzzle game, no more and no less. It lacks narrative and it lacks personality. What it doesn't lack is good looks and more importantly, clever puzzle design. In this game, solving problems is its own reward. There's no humor and cake to ease the pain, it's just you and the obstacles you have to overcome. You will occasionally come across vague hints of a story, but the sad fact of the matter is that due to time constraints, it wasn't implemented. Pity, because I believe that puzzle-wise, Q.U.B.E. outshines Portal, but as a whole, it's not even in the same league. This is not surprising, seeing as how Q.U.B.E. was developed by a core team of three newcomers, while the latter was supported by the developers of Half-Life 3. (Oh shut up! A man's got a right to fantasize!)

I'm getting dizzy.

Hm, puzzles aside, this looks like one kick-ass nightclub.

I expect you don't want me to waste your time by describing how the puzzle solving works when you can get a better idea by watching a trailer or by playing the demo. I'll only mention that I solved a few by using only part of the given elements, so I don't know if there are multiple solutions to certain puzzles, or the developers tried to confuse me, the little devils. In the second half of the game I often thought to myself that there must have been some seriously intelligent people working on the mind challenges in this one. My first reaction to each new puzzle was something along the lines of: "Well, this will be a pain in the ass," but I figured it out eventually, and when I was finished, I couldn't help but feel admiration for whoever thought it all up. Some puzzles were so difficult, but also elegant, that I still find myself thinking about them two weeks after finishing the game. There's a certain puzzle located in one of the last rooms, where you have to slide two large and two small cubes into beams of light by using magnets. Now, I realize many people disliked the magnet puzzles, although the aforementioned one was absolutely brilliant.

The audio effects are as sleek and sexy as the graphics. The whole game has this sterile and futuristic vibe and the sounds support that feeling with perfection. It's hard to talk about the music, because there isn't much of it in the game. The minimalist approach ended up being too minimal and the only time you'll hear anything worth noting is during the finale and the credits. Those two songs are great, but impossible to find. If anyone knows how to get them, please let me know in the comments.

Am I doing this right?

Damn, you brain... C'mon!

A final word of warning: Q.U.B.E. isn't the type of game you relax with after work. From a certain standpoint, Q.U.B.E. actually is work. It will test your mind and your patience, but if you'll survive without looking at a walkthrough, your intelligence will be enhanced and hot nerdy chicks will come a-flocking (What more could you want out of a game. - Ed. Vader). You'll also get to see the game's intriguing ending and that is when you'll really start to regret that it was released in its current 'bare bones' state. There are some rumors that the story will make a late appearance via DLC, but Q.U.B.E.'s replay value is very low and I'm not sure many would be that interested in giving it another go.

If you're a fan of puzzle games, you can go and buy Q.U.B.E. now. If, on the other hand, Portal is the closest you ever came to the genre and if you can live without Portal's charm and are willing to take on a more challenging series of brain teasers, then, by all means, go for it. The presentation is top-notch and I felt the game's length was satisfactory. Here's hoping for a meatier sequel (Amen. - Ed. Vader).