Review written by Corn Bread
[Editors note: While eSoft Interactive is still producing excellent games, Cubeex is no longer on their website and hence this review is now in the archive collection. However, you may well be able to get hold of the game by sending them an email.]
Another Bubbles clone? This is what I thought when I first saw the screenshots of eSoft Interactive’s latest game, Cubeex. But I was pleasantly surprised to find out that there was definitely more than meets the eye.
The object of the game is very simple - you must prevent the cubeexes from reaching the top of the screen by clearing them out. To clear a cubeex, you have to tap on a cubeex that has 3 or more adjacent cubeexes of the same color, and the more cubeexes you clear out with just a tap, the more likely that you’ll make it to the next level. It's not as simple as it sounds, however, because the cubeexes can reach the top of the screen before you know it, and in the later stages, the colors are so jumbled up that it's hard to get a good combo.
Luckily, there are a few special cubeexes that can help you along the way. The mirror cubeex can clear out a full horizontal row of cubeexes fast, while the bomb cubeex enables you to blast the surrounding cubeexes. There’s even a rotating cubeex that can alter the colors of the on screen cubeex, thus increasing the chance of you coming up with more combos. Be warned, however - not all special cubeexes are helpful: if you see a skull cubeex, don’t tap it!
On the bottom of the screen, you’ll see a meter that will gradually be filled with cubeexes. Once this meter is full, the cubeexes will be pushed a row higher. This will go on until either the cubeexes hit the top of the screen (game over) or when you manage to fill up the required quota of rows on the level that you are playing. If you manage to fill up the required quota, you then proceed to the next level. How fast the meter fills up is dependent on the difficulty level you choose and the level of the game.
The interface is exceptionally simple in that the stylus is all you need to navigate and play the game. The available options are very limited as you only get to toggle the sound off/on and adjust the difficulty level from easy to hard. A high score chart is also available in the game.
Cubeex is very enjoyable as it can get very hectic and exciting in the later stages, and playing it is almost akin to playing a Bubbles game that is on steroids. My main gripe with the game, though, is that it really doesn’t require you to use your brain a lot. You can get reasonably far into the game by simply tapping your stylus on every part of the screen without even looking at it. Of course, having said that, you’ll get much further by studying the board and tapping strategically rather than relying mostly on pure luck.
Graphically, Cubeex looks great. The colors are very much "alive" and vibrant, and I really like the "shining" effect that you see from time to time. The sound, on the other hand, seems somewhat lacking in comparison, for there is no in-game music and the game has only a few sound effects. The only time you actually hear any sound is when the cubeexes are gaining height or when you tap on one of the special cubeexes. Some might say that sound isn’t really all that important in a puzzle game, but I prefer to hear some sort of music or loads of wacky sound effects.
With the puzzle game genre being saturated with clones and cheap imitations, playing Cubeex was a breath of fresh air. The game mechanics are simple and very basic, yet eSoft was able to add enough surprises and subtle tricks to make this game stand out from the rest. True, the game relies heavily on luck, but that doesn’t detract from the fact that this here is an exciting and very entertaining title.
Cubeex is available for all major Pocket PC's and is sold for $8; you also have the option of purchasing both the Pocket PC and desktop versions together for $14. The game can be installed in either the main RAM or onto a storage card, and you will require 1.2MB of storage memory.
Pros:
-
Very easy to get into, almost no learning curve required.
-
Good graphics.
-
Fast paced and exciting.
Cons:
-
Limited sound effects.
-
Too much reliance on luck.
Overall Score: 8/10
Many thanks to eSoft Interactive for providing us with our review copy.
You may wish to search for more reviews of games from eSoft Interactive. Alternatively, you can view all the reviews written by Corn Bread.
