Review: Cube

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Cube
Metia Interactive

Reviewed On: PSP
Street: 04.30

It’s going to be hard for me to review Cube, the new portable puzzle plaything from Metia Interactive without mentioning Mercury Meltdown, a recent puzzler from Ignition Entertainment because so many of the ideas are the same. Each game is divided into dozens of mini-puzzles which are small, three-dimensional obstacles for the player to make their way through. What sets Cube apart is that you can utilize all six sides of the puzzle on your way to the finish line, making for some very interesting tactics to get around the traps and blockades each level presents. In Mercury Meltdown you had to fight gravity and momentum but now you must think about the outside of the box, so to speak. But that’s not to say that Cube is in any way itself outside of the box. The most challenging thing about Mercury Meltdown was controlling the momentum of the little infuriating blob as you made your way around the obstacles. Without that constant threat of ‘falling off’ the course Cube does fall a bit short in the anxiety department. Another problem I’ve experienced with Cube is that since you can roll you box character onto any side of the floating puzzle the point of view can and will get weird. Controls are in place to help you manipulate the camera angle but sometimes it’s just plain hard to tell what is going on since the puzzles are mostly built from identical cubes strung together. It’s easy to get confused and possibly pissed off. If you loved Mercury Meltdown or if you like games that are easy to pick up and play for anywhere from 30 seconds to 30 minutes then Cube will be worth a shot. Cube stands along side few others on the PSP in this department, making it one of a fairly rare breed of much needed puzzle games for the portable console. However, Cube does stand a bit shorter in the fun department than many of the other games in this category so unless you’re getting a bit desperate for a puzzler you may want to wait for something a bit tastier. 3 out of 5 Magic Sugar Cubes.