Cubico is a simple, yet robust open world, arcade platformer in the same vein as Super Monkey Ball and Marble Madness where the overall goal is to roll around a set of features as a living ball and reach a given location. The game uses unique and fun mechanics to form a quite memorable experience.
Story
There isn't really a story, but this also isn't really the kind of game that benefits from having a story in the first place. So, pay no mind to this section.
Gameplay
This is where the real meat of Cubico comes in. As stated previously, the goal is to roll around the map and reach a goal, constantly dodging obstacles and solving bite-sized puzzles along the way. The rolling doesn't necessarily feel as weighty as I was initially expecting, due to many of the puzzles requiring constant jumping and precise in-air control. Even with the lack of weight, the movement still felt satisfying, especially after I was able to fully grasp the camera movement and the feel of the physics.
The game features a variety of puzzles that, although relatively short, are still fun to resolve. Many of these puzzles include a gameplay mechanic centered around a sort of "box stretching" for lack of a better term. The player uses the camera and mouse to lock onto a given axis of a shape on the map and stretch out any planes connected directly to that axis. This terrain manipulation leads to a very open-ended form of puzzle solving, which is especially appreciated when many other games of the genre take a "my way or the highway" approach to puzzle solving.
Art
The art in the game is simple, comprised entirely of basic polyhedrons and flat colors. There isn't much to say about the graphical fidelity, but the world design is fun to experience and quite a bit more vast than I initially expected.
Controls
Sticking with the theme of being simple and effective, the controls are comprised of a left click for terrain manipulation, WASD for movement, and Shift for "sprinting". It allows for easy movement across the terrain and never really left me frustrated at any point.
Sound
This is probably the only part of the game that actually made me a bit annoyed at points. The music is very, very short. It also loops. Constantly. It’s not bad, it’s just constantly looping the same section over and over again. Also, when you die, it will restart the current song from the beginning. So basically, the music itself is pretty good, the implementation into the game is very poor.
Note
I should also mention that in other reviews, I was noticing people getting lost at points. Generally, the pathing is very direct, but there are points where the game will require the player to branch or follow a certain path to reach a given goal. I noticed that there will be a small, very detailed shape next to a few of the paths that will consists of many different either gray, or multi-colored layers. These shapes and the area that is colored, indicate the path that you’re following and the goal that you will complete by following the path.
Note: Review originally written in 2019
Story
There isn't really a story, but this also isn't really the kind of game that benefits from having a story in the first place. So, pay no mind to this section.
Gameplay
This is where the real meat of Cubico comes in. As stated previously, the goal is to roll around the map and reach a goal, constantly dodging obstacles and solving bite-sized puzzles along the way. The rolling doesn't necessarily feel as weighty as I was initially expecting, due to many of the puzzles requiring constant jumping and precise in-air control. Even with the lack of weight, the movement still felt satisfying, especially after I was able to fully grasp the camera movement and the feel of the physics.
The game features a variety of puzzles that, although relatively short, are still fun to resolve. Many of these puzzles include a gameplay mechanic centered around a sort of "box stretching" for lack of a better term. The player uses the camera and mouse to lock onto a given axis of a shape on the map and stretch out any planes connected directly to that axis. This terrain manipulation leads to a very open-ended form of puzzle solving, which is especially appreciated when many other games of the genre take a "my way or the highway" approach to puzzle solving.
Art
The art in the game is simple, comprised entirely of basic polyhedrons and flat colors. There isn't much to say about the graphical fidelity, but the world design is fun to experience and quite a bit more vast than I initially expected.
Controls
Sticking with the theme of being simple and effective, the controls are comprised of a left click for terrain manipulation, WASD for movement, and Shift for "sprinting". It allows for easy movement across the terrain and never really left me frustrated at any point.
Sound
This is probably the only part of the game that actually made me a bit annoyed at points. The music is very, very short. It also loops. Constantly. It’s not bad, it’s just constantly looping the same section over and over again. Also, when you die, it will restart the current song from the beginning. So basically, the music itself is pretty good, the implementation into the game is very poor.
Note
I should also mention that in other reviews, I was noticing people getting lost at points. Generally, the pathing is very direct, but there are points where the game will require the player to branch or follow a certain path to reach a given goal. I noticed that there will be a small, very detailed shape next to a few of the paths that will consists of many different either gray, or multi-colored layers. These shapes and the area that is colored, indicate the path that you’re following and the goal that you will complete by following the path.
Note: Review originally written in 2019