Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Astraware Cubis 1.21 mini review
Cubis is an online block-sliding puzzle game from Freshgames that was converted to the Pocket PC platform a while ago by Astraware. I played a little with this gem before I moved to a Windows Mobile 5 device and that was the last I could play this addictive little game due to a lack of WM5 compatibility. Well this title has been updated to make it fully compatible and so it is time to take another look.
I almost forgot how addictive it can be but my first game brought everything back to me. The premise behind this game is simple; slide the blocks to match the colours and clear the required number of cubes before time runs out. Think of it as a kind of 3D isometric Puzzle Bobble style of game on a flat grid. There are two modes of play on offer; Arcade which is a timed game in which you need to remove a preset number of cubes, and Puzzle which differs in that you need to remove a number of strategically placed star cubes. Both game types feature the same 50 well designed levels and an excellent tutorial showing you how the game is played and the effects the different types of cubes have.
Game play is simple to pick up but the puzzle element quickly draws you in and makes progression through the game a one man crusade against Cubis and all it can throw at you. Some levels appears simple to solve whereas other seem almost impossible but of course almost means there is a solution however sometimes you are waiting on one type of coloured cube to show up and help you with the solution. These are the times when you need to exercise patience but still think quickly indeed as the timer is relentless in its ever decreasing role.
Visuals are well realised with three distinct themes serving up some lovely graphics however these are scaled on a VGA device so won’t look quite so good as a QVGA device. Movement is fluid and the whole gaming screen is well laid out with the relevant information easy to digest.
Audio features a good musical score and sound effects and both of these can be adjusted independently. The downside to the audio is that the music does become repetitive after a while and the effects remain the same regardless of which theme you have selected.
There is a handy practice mode that lets you try out any level and I think this will prove handy for the majority of players as the levels do become more complex the further you progress and the time limit seems to decrease to add to your frustrations which leads me to my only real issue with Cubis; you seem to get so far and then hit a brick wall and need to start from scratch again instead of picking up where you left off. This does increase the longevity of the game and make it all the more addictive in a truly obsessive fashion.
I have to say that this is a well designed and entertaining game and will prove a treat for all puzzle lovers out there. It is crying out for true VGA graphics and this is hopefully something that will appear in a later revision or even better Cubis2? If you are after a genuinely addictive challenge then Cubis is for you.
For more details and screenshots, please visit the Astraware website.
I almost forgot how addictive it can be but my first game brought everything back to me. The premise behind this game is simple; slide the blocks to match the colours and clear the required number of cubes before time runs out. Think of it as a kind of 3D isometric Puzzle Bobble style of game on a flat grid. There are two modes of play on offer; Arcade which is a timed game in which you need to remove a preset number of cubes, and Puzzle which differs in that you need to remove a number of strategically placed star cubes. Both game types feature the same 50 well designed levels and an excellent tutorial showing you how the game is played and the effects the different types of cubes have.
Game play is simple to pick up but the puzzle element quickly draws you in and makes progression through the game a one man crusade against Cubis and all it can throw at you. Some levels appears simple to solve whereas other seem almost impossible but of course almost means there is a solution however sometimes you are waiting on one type of coloured cube to show up and help you with the solution. These are the times when you need to exercise patience but still think quickly indeed as the timer is relentless in its ever decreasing role.
Visuals are well realised with three distinct themes serving up some lovely graphics however these are scaled on a VGA device so won’t look quite so good as a QVGA device. Movement is fluid and the whole gaming screen is well laid out with the relevant information easy to digest.
Audio features a good musical score and sound effects and both of these can be adjusted independently. The downside to the audio is that the music does become repetitive after a while and the effects remain the same regardless of which theme you have selected.
There is a handy practice mode that lets you try out any level and I think this will prove handy for the majority of players as the levels do become more complex the further you progress and the time limit seems to decrease to add to your frustrations which leads me to my only real issue with Cubis; you seem to get so far and then hit a brick wall and need to start from scratch again instead of picking up where you left off. This does increase the longevity of the game and make it all the more addictive in a truly obsessive fashion.
I have to say that this is a well designed and entertaining game and will prove a treat for all puzzle lovers out there. It is crying out for true VGA graphics and this is hopefully something that will appear in a later revision or even better Cubis2? If you are after a genuinely addictive challenge then Cubis is for you.
For more details and screenshots, please visit the Astraware website.
