Everyone loves a good puzzle game. I know I do. I beat both Portals on multiple platforms and games like Pnuema: Breath of Life both satisfy and infurate me. It’s these puzzle games that make you feel foolish when you can’t solve a puzzle, but give one of the greatest feelings of satisfaction once you figure it out. Q.U.B.E. has a simple premise: use high-tech gloves to move bits of your environment and solve a puzzle. What makes this game unique is how such a simple premise can be showcased with complexity.
The game does a fantastic job of having you learn the basics: move the environment, get to the next point, move the environment, continue. As soon as you start feeling like you’ve gotten the hang of things, that’s when Q.U.B.E. starts to get tougher and before you know it, you’re solving some of the most difficult physic puzzles and platforms you can think of. Controls are easy to pick up and novice players won’t have any problems diving right in and solving puzzles. This is good for anyone who’s into puzzle games wether you’re new to puzzle games or an expert.
Graphically Q.U.B.E. looks fantastic. The contrast between light and dark fits right at home and helps sell the sense of being alone.There were plenty of times where I thought I heard something or saw someone in the background. That could also come from the solitude of walking around by yourself and trying to solve brightly colored puzzles.
To add to the feeling of solitude Q.U.B.E. has a minimal soundtrack. Music comes in when it needs to and the echoes of your footsteps are a reminder that in this environment, it’s just you. The movement of the walls and objects have this metallic grinding noise which acts as a character itself.
The narrative is almost non-existent. You wake up in a white room and from there, you start moving things. Every once in a while you hear transmissions coming through but they’re broken up and only last a few seconds. This interesting take on a narrative allows the player to create their own narrative and story. Without getting too spoilery from what I can tell, you are a human(?) on a ship and you’re forced to solve some puzzles and tests. Every once in a while the transmissions come through but there doesn’t feel like a real story. Maybe some DLC or a sequel will help fill that void.
The Xbox One and ID@Xbox program are bringing some amazing games to the Xbox One library. We got Pnuema: Breath of Life, Unmechanical: Extended, and so many more. Q.U.B.E. offers great puzzles and immense satisfaction once you figure out a solution to those puzzles. If you’re looking for a puzzle game to get lost in, Q.U.B.E. is perfect from all angles.
