According to the developers, “puzzle games are seeing a revival on consoles and Kyub is taking the lead.” What does that mean though? If you look through the Xbox Store right now, there are countless generic experiences which offer nothing more than what has been previously given to consumers. I’ve recently played and reviewed a lot of these titles and I’ll be honest, none of them really stand out. I’ve even gone as far as deleting many from my console because I’ve already played games that are basically exactly the same. Now, let’s talk about Kyub. Kyub is definitely unique and I can say that I haven’t played anything like it before. It blends action and puzzle games together because it requires quick reflexes and sound judgement to succeed. Despite its difficulty, the game is an experience I would recommend to anyone looking for a challenge.
In order to understand Kyub, you have to understand its mechanics. You basically control a cube through various levels in order to solve tricky puzzles and escape traps. Sometimes, you have to do both at the same time. You can climb walls, destroy obstacles with lasers or activate switches to reveal new paths. You can also change the cube’s state to become immune to some contraptions. I would recommend using the directional pad in order to control the cube because the game relies on a grid-based system and using the thumbsticks can cause imprecise movement.
You will die a lot in this game but the checkpoint system is forgiving so it’s not frustrating. However, there are some issues with the camera angles. You see, they’re fixed so you can only orient them in four ways. Sometimes the cube tends to go below some structures and that’s when it becomes impossible to see what you’re doing. I’m not sure why the developers incorporated this into the game because it’s an odd design decision just to increase the difficulty. It’s really not necessary.
The graphics are great but the antialiasing could use some work. It’s a gorgeous game and it really stands out on your screen. The colors are vibrant and I wish more games would pop like this one does. However, the sound design needs some work. The music seems stereotypically Asian and there could’ve been more variety in its development.
Summary
Overall, Kyub is a fantastic game that offers countless hours of gameplay even though it can seem impossible at times due to its difficulty. The title features more than eighty levels in varied worlds that introduce new challenges. There are also collectible stars which you need to progress. With a little bit of practice you can master the game. Remember to take risks because the checkpoint system won’t punish you. Only through this will you succeed and complete all the levels.
Asher is a games journalist, former News Writer (Gaming) at Windows Central. They contributed 1110 articles to ICXM between 2015–2017, focused on opinion pieces, game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news: wrote over 1,100 ICXM pieces on Xbox news, hardware reviews, and platform commentary before joining Future plc’s Windows Central in 2017.