As a quick heads-up, this particular review is an experimental return to the less formal review formats of my past. I'm trying to do away with the excessively formulaic style in favor of something a little more friendly, but still easy to follow. Since the release of Portal, Valve's magnum opus of first-person puzzle gaming, plenty of other games have come out to mimic it in ways large and small. Q.U.B.E. is one of those pretenders to the throne. It is to Portal what games like the original Shadow Warrior and Duke Nukem were to Doom. Granted, it borrows Portal's aesthetic more than its mechanics, but the general shape of the two games is quite similar, right down to the twist at the end, which involves the player potentially being baked alive (although in Q.U.B.E., there is no cake). That's not to say it's a bad game; it does a decent enough job with the tools it has to hand. However, I'm not ashamed to say I was surprised to discover while writing this review that a sequel managed to happen (which you can find here). The original, while well-designed, never grabbed me in a way that some other puzzle games have, and so I suppose I just assumed that unless the game had achieved some cult status I was unaware of, I would likely stop thinking or hearing about it the moment I put it down. All things aside, if you really want to try the game for yourself, it's available on Steam at a reasonable $9.99. If you want to know a little more before diving in though, read on. I can't guarantee it'll interest you, but I'll do my best to be honest. So what makes Q.U.B.E.: Director's Cut different from the original? Well, it's the inclusion of a deeper story, where the original had you simply solving puzzles in a strange space made of identical blocks with no explanation whatsoever (and a mysterious outer-space flyby ending that raised more questions than it answered). What does Q.U.B.E. even mean, you might ask? It stands for Quick Understanding of Block Extrusion, though it's never mentioned in the campaign. That doesn't matter though; indeed, very little seems like it does. As previously-stated, the game tries to copy a lot of Portal's mystique with its sterile, minimalist environment and air of mystery. However, what it lacks is the hidden areas and Easter-egg spots that might add an element of insecurity and suspicion to the otherwise spotless environment. Suffice to say, the plot, which centers around two potentially unreliable narrators each providing a different explanation for your presence in this square-shaped hell, is rather lackluster. It doesn't help that as a Director's Cut, this newer version of the game didn't really differ in any meaningful way from the original, apart from the added voice acting. By the time you reach the end, it's clear to anyone who's been paying attention who is telling the truth and who is frothing at the mouth. It's dull and uninspired compared to the bizarre mystery of the original, where no explanation was given and the player was allowed to speculate. This is arguably a case of negative space being filled where it didn't need to be. But then I suppose they felt they needed more grounding for the sequel than "The cube was in orbit around Earth all along!", once it became clear they were going to make one. Setting aside all that however, the game itself is quite fun, if you're a puzzle aficionado. It does a good job of pacing itself (mostly), and the only real hiccups in difficulty come near the end, where a block-shifting puzzle involving wind tunnels pops up with very little warning or prior explanation of the mechanics involved. Overall, while there were very few elements to work with in terms of puzzle-crafting, the developers did a good enough job to squeeze four or five hours out of what they had. Sadly, replay value is minimal, since there's no variation and a lot of the puzzles themselves (if not all) only have one solution, so there's no real point in exploring further after you beat it. The music is soft and contemplative for the most part, though none of it is memorable (as is the case with most puzzle-game soundtracks I've found), but that's of no consequence, since the point is to be white noise mostly while you mull over your next moves. In addition, while the story itself is quite dull, the voice acting itself is very good, and does a lot to sell the plot, even if it isn't the most inspired. Its clear the makers wanted to put some real effort into building their universe, though I would again argue that in a game with such a reserved art style, the lack of clear-cut explanations would've helped more than it might've hindered. Final Verdict So, would I recommend this game? I would have to say yes, with some caveats. If you really want some fresh physics puzzles, then by all means, knock yourself out. Ignore the story, focus on the gameplay, enjoy the ah-ha! moments it brings you, and you'll have a ball. But if you're seeking something longer and more narrative-driven, push this down on your wish-list. It's a one-hit wonder without much wonder, and there are better, wilder puzzles out there to explore. Final Score: 7.1/10
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