Qube: Director's Cut Review

"A Different Sort of Test Chamber"

Campaign

I originally heard of Qube quite awhile back though I never really looked too much into it at the time, while reviewing the Director's Cut I was more than pleasantly surprised and found that I definitely should have checked this out right at original release. Now from what I've seen looking the differences online this campaign is far more robust in terms of more puzzles and a longer experience. The cut also has an additional speed area where you collect medals based on performance though I won't make this mode the main focus of my review and will just mention it with that. The actual campaign which is the bulk of the game has you awaken in this sort of weird cube world that's just a blank white. As you progress more differing colors and shapes appear in the world around you that allow for manipulation in order to solve the various puzzles you come across. These puzzles all vary in complexity, but rarely make you get permanently stuck in thought as it's meant to have a certain speed to it. I found most of these systems to actually be quite great in terms of making me just think for a second before acting. Later on there are some questionable magnetic parts which were slightly out of place, yet I didn't find them to annoying. When a puzzle is solved you of course move on and the worlds shift as you go onto the next one. After every few sets have been solved you will get some back story with conflicting characters talking to you. It creates this weird feeling of wonder as you are going along doing your work. Not in the sense of Portal which this game feels like, but does move away from that with a completely different vibe. The voices as I was saying seem along the lines of Portal mystery without them being sarcastically depressing towards you. The back story to your puzzles was awesome in the game right to the very which was a great journey.

Gameplay

Qube feels a lot like Portal, but distinctly puts itself away from that with a different take on puzzle solving. The movement of various colors, walls and manipulation of the environment was fascinating. Every area played solid with the environment itself looking great despite being of similar color scheme. This was even more prevalent once reaching the destroyed section of the building and at its best during a colorful dark room sequence.

The Conclusion

If you played Portal you will get right into Qube easily, even if you haven't the solid gameplay will set you on the right course. Playtime is limited, though of fair length depending on your ability to solve puzzles and there's a bunch of sectors for you to clear. The story was great and a nice diversion from usual Sci-Fi stories. Qube and especially this Director's Cut are definitely worth your time. From the atmosphere to the puzzles and that story it all came together perfectly.

Qube: Directors Cut for PC
Review code provided by Kiss Ltd

Rating Overall: 8.6