Video Game Review: Q.U.B.E. 10th Anniversary

Developer: Toxic Games

Publisher: Toxic Game

Reviewed For: Nintendo Switch

Also Available On: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Fans of puzzle games like the Portal series will find brain-twisting enjoyment playing Q.U.B.E. 10th Anniversary. The 10th Anniversary comes with two versions of the game: Q.U.B.E. involves solving puzzles without the story and commentary, and Q.U.B.E. Director’s Cut has the story with voice-overs along with the puzzle gameplay, making it a more immersive experience.

For those unfamiliar with Q.U.B.E., it is a first-person physics-based puzzler where the player uses high-tech gloves to manipulate colored cubes. The cubes are extended or retracted as necessary to allow the player to reach different areas of the room and advance through the 8 levels, known as sectors in the game. Each sector increases in difficulty, especially as balls and magnetic cubes are later introduced in the game.

The story in the Director’s Cut has an interesting premise. The player communicates with a strange female voice from the International Space Station who claims that the player lost their memory. She provides snippets of the player’s life before the memory loss as the player advances through each sector. This adds another layer to the game as you don’t know whether this mysterious voice is your ally or foe.

Gameplay on the Switch is very clunky as the controls make it hard to perform several actions at once. I found myself spending more time attempting to place myself in a position where I can comfortably use the controls rather than solving the actual puzzle scenarios. Playing on the PC or on controllers is definitely less awkward unless you’ve got deft fingers.

Despite the awkward controls, the puzzles are challenging and the gameplay is rather enjoyable nonetheless. Q.U.B.E. 10th Anniversary comes with enhanced visuals and hours of additional new content, so returning players will no doubt enjoy the new puzzles offered by this indie title, while new players can test their brain power and piece together the story.

While this isn’t the ideal game for the Switch, Q.U.B.E. is quite innovative and the puzzles are challenging enough to provide hours of brain-twisting action. I can see the appeal of this 10-year-old series and definitely recommend this game for new and veteran players.