Q.U.B.E. review (PC)

I was going to try and take on this review without mentioning Q.U.B.E.’s obvious inspiration – but after careful deliberation, I realised that explaining it without referencing Valve’s iconic puzzle franchise, Portal, would just require a lot more words and time.

While it may seem a little unfair to cast the game into Portal’s shadow at the outset, I find it hard to imagine that the game would exist were it not for Valve’s masterpiece – and that doesn’t even have to be a bad thing.

Ostensibly, Q.U.B.E is a fantastic puzzler that anyone who enjoyed Portal’s core gameplay will most probably find rather entertaining.

The game’s sterile, white rooms provide the backdrop for a host of puzzles which, as you progress, become increasingly more complex. Where Portal’s puzzles revolve around the blue and orange portals that allow you to manipulate space – Q.U.B.E relies on less metaphysically jarring tools.

Different coloured cubes react differently when interacted with. Some will act as launch pads; others, staircases; while some will make the entire room revolve. The end objective of each puzzle is quite simple: to reach the end and leave the room.

Q.U.B.E

The puzzles are surprisingly well designed, and for the most part, thoroughly enjoyable to negotiate. The early puzzles are relatively easy to get through, but at the same time oddly fulfilling. Things get more complicated later on, with some levels taking place in the dark – but ultimately things never become difficult to the point of getting stuck for any noteworthy period of time.

As you progress through the game, the puzzles evolve with new ideas being introduced. This ensures that things do not get stale or boring, and I found myself pleasantly engaged from start to finish.

Part of the success here is that you never really get comfortable, and if at any point you do develop puzzle solving formulas, you often have to throw them away due to the constantly evolving nature of the rooms.

The biggest difference between Q.U.B.E and Portal is the choice to not include narrative. In many ways, the story, characters and atmosphere are what make Portal – and particularly Portal 2 – such memorable games.

Developed on a smaller budget, Q.U.B.E completely forgoes trying to build a story line into the experience, and as a result the game does not possess the richness which Portal boasts.

Q.U.B.E

Portal’s puzzles are often also more elaborate – whereas Q.U.B.E’s areas seem more self contained and in some cases more elegantly designed.

Having said that, Q.U.B.E’s puzzles lack the breadth of variety that we were hoping for, and this is largely due to the fact that the game is quite short – spanning a handful of sectors which, combined, shouldn’t take you longer than 2 hours to get through.

Of course, it’s hard to complain seeing as that the game retails for just $14.99 on Steam. If our biggest complaint is that we wish there was more of it, then Q.U.B.E must be doing something right.

When all is said and done, Q.U.B.E. is a streamlined, engaging and well-designed puzzle game.

Yes, aesthetically, it is highly derivative – but it offers enough unique level and puzzle design for me to overlook this. I had a lot of fun with Q.U.B.E, and although it’s a little short and soulless, it offers reasonable value for puzzle fans looking for a quick fix.