Cubixx - Not About Robots, But Still for Everyone

As of this writing, I am still playing Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, but the time the game shipped to my house combined with school has caused it to take longer than expected, and I may still be playing it by the time Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance comes out, a game which we plan to cover. As such, I have decided to write up a quick review of another game so that I at least still have something posted on this blog in the meantime. The name of the game is Cubixx, developed by independent studio Laughing Jackal. I became curious about this game while playing around with my PlayStation Vita, deciding to take advantage of it being offered for free in the Vita's PSN store. After playing it for a bit while waiting for Sly 4 to arrive in the mail, I took me a while before I could put it down.

The gameplay of Cubixx is similar to the arcade game Qix (which some of you may recognize as being the basis for the Art Class mini-game in Bully). The goal is to control a small point of light that cuts lasers on the outside of a cube, each cut further revealing what's inside until you reach a percentage goal of how much area you're supposed to erase (maybe this is the source of Peter Molyneux's fascination with cubes?). You must do this while also trying to avoid hazards such as squares of light that bounce around within each side as well as other points of light that will chase you along the edges of the cube, including where you are cutting. You gain points based on how much space you clear up at once, bonus points if you clear up a large area on more than one side at the same time. And don't worry if you cut off your only way back to the edge, for the remaining section you didn't cut will simply fall towards the edge of the cube so you can continue. It may not sound like much to a more complex-minded player, but even this simple task can be addicting as hell, especially for someone like me who enjoys a good puzzle challenge.

Navigating around the cube is very simple, in that you only use the D-Pad or the right analog stick. This is all that's needed for a game like this, although I will admit there was at least one moment where it seemed like the controls were acting up a little while I was on one of the cube's edges, costing me one of my lives. Despite this occasional hiccup, I had a really great time with this game, getting further with each try, and for a while I simply did not want to stop.

Cubixx is a great game for people who want something quick to play on the go. If you own a Vita and are looking for something simple and enjoyable, I would definitely direct you towards this game. It may even become your (next) Angry Birds if you get into it enough.