Cgrundertow Qube for Ipad Video Game Review

What’s in a line? I mean, it’s just a thing you color in. Sometimes, you cross them accidentally...and if you’re a moron, you might have to walk one for a policeman. But really, is a line all that important? Well, it turns out there’s a lot more to a line than just two connected points. In fact, a simple line might’ve changed this game from frustrating to enjoyable. It wouldn’t even have to be solid. It could’ve been a dotted line, even a translucent line. Whatever kind, QUBE needs a line. A brand new App Store release, QUBE is a physics-based platformer and puzzler. Controlling an aptly named and immobile QUBE, it’s your job to get him to the door. QUBE can’t move, but he does have other properties that make this possible. Specifically, he’s kind of gooey. Gelatinous. So you move QUBE by launching him. Basically taking a page from Angry Birds, you have to touch the QUBE, pull back and release. This sends him flying at a speed and angle determined by how far back you pulled and the angle with which you did so. The idea is, again, to get the QUBE to the door. So drag, launch, find the door—the whole thing sounds pretty simple, and that’s because it is. It might also be a lot of fun, but there’s something very important missing from QUBE...and the funny thing is, an actual cube has 12 of them. This one doesn’t even have one. Of course, I’m talking about lines. See, when you pull back on QUBE, you have no visual representation of the angle and path it will take. You have to just know. You have to figure this out by the angle of your pull alone, which might make for a faithful physics simulator...but not exactly a fun game. On the contrary, it’s more frustrating than it’s worth. The problem is you have to land on these really narrow platforms, platforms that require serious precision because the QUBE will roll and bounce a little before it finally settles. That means your launch has to be perfect, and without a line to help you consider the angles and velocity, that is a prohibitively difficult task. It’s a shame, too. Because otherwise, I really like QUBE. I like the idea of a platform physics puzzler. I like the simple look. I want to like this game, but after falling off same platform a few dozen times and coming no closer to getting the angle right, you start to wonder why you’re wasting your time. There’s challenging, and then there’s this. A physics game like Angry Birds works because it gives you a visual aid that lets the game still be fun. QUBE tries to be the same kind of game, only it tries to be smarter...and ends up too smart for its own good.