Q.U.B.E. 10th Anniversary Xbox Review 8/10 "Nothing to do with Vincenzo Natali" ⏹️⏹️ @qubegame #IndieGames #GameDev

When I opened the box of 78 floppy diskettes containing Toxic Games’ Q.U.B.E 10th Anniversary Edition, I was intrigued. I cradled them in my arms with all the gentleness of a new father. I was curious, however, as I was due to review a digitally downloaded Xbox game, so what did I have in my hands?

It turned out the disks were for a cancelled FMV-heavy video game adaptation of the distinctly average Canadian horror film Cube, from 1997. Shame, it could have been something special.

Once I’d unceremoniously decanted the plethora of disks into a nearby bin, I settled down to boot up Q.U.B.E instead and return to reminiscing later. As the name suggests, this is a remake of a game made ten years ago. A game that I had heard of, but never played. I’m not sure how it passed me by. I was a fan of the Portal games, and there are certainly some overlaps here, in the aesthetic and the gameplay, to an extent.

Q.U.B.E is a simple game. You roam on a linear path through a series of rooms, Crystal Maze style, solving block-based conundrums. All of the puzzles involve one or more of a set of switches, essentially. Some switches move bricks up and down or rotate bits of the room, and some are catapults that launch you through the air. The aim is always to get to a certain point in the room and escape into the next. Simple.

Well, in theory. I’m often surprised by how many possibilities there can be with only a handful of switches or levers to interact with. But there are usually just enough to make you want to tear your hair out or frisbee your controller across the room.

But, unlike some more obtuse and complex puzzle games, Q.U.B.E is a game you can use logic (and a little trial and error) to get the best of. And the feeling of finally escaping one of the tougher puzzle rooms is (unlike the puzzle itself) unbeatable.

The visuals are, despite the ten-year gap since the original Q.U.B.E, still pretty basic. We’re talking about a prettier version of Minecraft and only a limited palette. Some of the rooms made me feel like I was in an empty swimming pool, with shiny tiled blocks all around.

However, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t look good. It looks just as I would want it to. Sexily functional, with clean lines and shapes. More detail would only serve to obfuscate the puzzles. I was there to enjoy the relaxing synthy tunes and move blocks around, not for fancy mechanics and posh lighting effects.

Ultimately, this game is ALL about the puzzles themselves and, though I am unashamedly a huge puzzle fan, this one is genuinely top-grade. I can’t say how it’ll play for a fan of the first version, but I’d say ten years is enough to have forgotten what you enjoyed from 2012 and jump back in for more of the same.

For those new to the title, you’ve got lots to love here, if puzzles are your thing. It’s not the most varied game there’s ever been, but it does what it does very well.