Q.U.B.E: Director’s Cut is a cleverly designed puzzle game which puts players through a series of tests and challenges to complete to progress through the story.
Q.U.B.E. uses a simple gameplay system. The player enters the giant…well, cube…with gloves which can control certain blocks. The triggers and bumpers raise and lower the blocks, creating paths through the level. The blocks come in five different colours, with each colour having a different function. The red block can raise three clicks, and is the first one you encounter. The red block also has multiple uses like it can be used as a lift, a platform, a blocker, and a pusher. The yellow block is very similar but instead of being just a singular pillar, the yellow is a three-piece set, turning into a set of stairs as well as being able to accomplish the regular red block’s functions.
However, there are three blocks which have a singular function. There are the blue blocks, which effectively are launch pads, launching blocks, and you see them around the game. To activate them, lower and then run over them. The green block is a singular block that you cannot move yourself. To move it requires clever manipulation of the other blocks in order to get it in the right location. Pink blocks are great as they can rotate the walls or floor. There is one final block which is slightly different to the others…this is the white block. The white block refracts light beams as this is critical when you get to later in the game. Trust me on this, the white block was a bane for me when I got to the later parts of the game.
The nature of the puzzles naturally changes throughout the game, but the environment in which you complete the puzzles also changes. The character starts with simple solutions, primarily featuring the red and blue blocks, before moving on to incorporate the green, yellow and pink blocks. Most of the dilemmas take place in a white room, but there are occasions where you’re in the dark trying to solve a puzzle. Thankfully the wonderful developers at Toxic Games have allowed us to light up one colour of blocks at a time, which whilst making the completion slower, gives slightly more variety in the puzzles. Creative use of electricity and light beams make the later game slightly harder but you’re still able to be solve them with some extra thinking. Magnets, giant rolling balls and piping also come into play the further along the levels you proceed.
The story lets this game down in my view. There are not many details given about why you are doing these trials, and it can be slightly disruptive. To make it worse, there are two character which communicate to you throughout, both of which offer different viewpoints as to why you have to complete the process. You find yourself wondering which of the two you should trust, that in itself creates confusion. The ending leaves its own questions, and leads the potential of there being a follow-up. I didn’t feel emotionally tied to the character, and admittedly tried to kill him on a few occasions. While some gamers might like this ambiguity, I would’ve preferred something more definitive.
Q.U.B.E has many upsides. It’s a positive, fun indie puzzler, which combines very good gameplay elements with an interesting concept to create a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The levels are varied enough to not get boring and some of the dilemmas require some quick thinking. On the whole, developers Toxic Games did a great job with this one.
I’d recommend picking this one up if you enjoy puzzlers. Whilst it is a short game, it is an absolute delight to play, and can be used as a calming game after a long day. I really enjoyed it and couldn’t stop playing it.
^Ben (@Benwatson90)
Ben was a regular ICXM contributor between 2014–2017, publishing 45 articles across game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news. Their work focused on hands-on reviews, platform commentary, and breaking-news reporting during the Xbox One X launch year and Microsoft’s wider Play Anywhere / UWP gaming initiative.