Last Cube, The Review (Xbox One)

STAFF REVIEW of Last Cube, The (Xbox One)

Thursday, March 24, 2022.
by Peggy Doyle

There is something to be said for games that don’t take themselves too seriously. Games that don’t pretend to be some obscure and profound piece of artwork just to distract you from the lack of substance or content you’re about to consume. Sadly, a lot of games fall into the trap of trying to elevate themselves to something more than they are, to put on a pretense that they are more than the simple sum of their parts. If you think that sounds like I’m about to criticize The Last Cube by Improx Games, you’d be wrong - it’s entirely the opposite.

There is a story set up for you, sort of. You are the last of your kind, the last cube from your cube home world, and there are optional tidbits of lore (collectible baby cubes) to pick up through the game. You are searching for others, or wandering to see if any others find you? Something to that affect. I wasn’t really able to piece together the whole plot and narrative, but that’s not why I was interested in the game. I was all in on the idea of a fantastic looking indie puzzle game. You are playing as the titular cube, solo maneuvering through multiple levels trying to get from A to B using a variety of skills learned in each level. Master the skill over 3 stages to each level, move on, learn a new skill and combine it with those previous learned. Repeat.

The Last Cube is a game that a lot of people would be quick to overlook. Some will see its reliance on simple geometry and basic mechanics as a game lacking in substance. Its screen shots don’t so the game any justice either. The levels are colourful and vibrant but desolate. The gameplay is simplistic in design but can become quite complex in its application. You are a cube, a 6-sided 3D object moving around in a 2D space. You roll like a die to get from A to B. Easy.

I recommend using the D-Pad for movement in the game, as often the thumb sticks sensitivity worked against me. Now we start introducing skills via ‘stickers’. As you tumble over these stamp/sticker spots on the ground, the symbol stamps to the side of your cube that is facing it. Sometimes this is on the ground, sometimes it’s attached to a wall, or maybe even another tumbling cube. There are 6 different stickers that each grant you a separate ability. Each one of these skills can only be activated when they are on the top facing side of the cube. It is also important to note that each level is designed so that you are never able to get stuck. There is always a solution to where you are and a way to backtrack. There is no way for you to hit a dead end with no way to correct an error and having to restart the level. There are, however, wrong moves that can set you back in your progress of getting to the exit teleporter at the end of the level.

To begin, things are straightforward. You start with a sticker denoted as a blue ‘X’. This skill allows you to rotate your cube while in place vs tumbling. Not a particularly useful skill on its own, but invaluable later on in the game. As you unlock more skills you start to use them in combination and it makes more sense. The simple puzzles become more complex and really start to test you. It’s not about what sticker you need to pick up, but also what side does it need to be on. Some of the later puzzles will have moments where you need to flip the cube quickly between 2 sides to open things. There is a yellow plus sign that allows you to boost 4 squares in a single direction, a red circle that allows you to drop to lower platforms using a staircase like mechanism, a purple sticker allows you to teleport small distances, etc.

My favourite skill was the orange sticker. It allowed you to move diagonally across 2 corners of areas that weren’t attached. It wasn’t the skill I was in love with, but the fact that your cube tilted up onto one of its corners and wobbled like walking on tippy toes. It was adorable. Your job is to use the skills available to you to activate switches, redirect lasers, make use of other tumbling cubes in the area (by transferring stamps to their sides), or your own cloning skill to solve the puzzles. You also need to contend with hazards in the levels, as certain squares on the map will erase the stickers you have on your cube. Water zones wash away a single side facing down and laser squares delete your entire cube. You also need to plan your way around their areas as parts of the puzzle. How will you get the sticker you need to the other side of the trap?

The Last Cube really tested my brain during later levels. None of the puzzles felt cheap or unfair and I had many ‘ah ha’ moments in the game when I finally figured out what I needed to do after being stumped. I found The Last Cube to have a fairly consistent rewarding gameplay experience.

For a simple puzzle style game, the campaign was fairly lengthy and there are over 100 puzzles in the game to solve throughout the multiple levels. You can also open bonus levels if you collect enough of the lore cubes throughout the game. Each level is also given some replayability as once you complete it, you open a challenge that encourages you to play again. This could be something like a time challenge or finding a way to complete the level only using a certain number of moves.

Despite being a very minimalistic game visually, I found The Last Cube to feel full and dynamic. Using various colours for each level, corresponding to the sticker colour you are learning to use, helped fuel the feeling of progression as well. I love puzzle games and have played so many as to think I’d seen every mechanic possible until I met The Last Cube. I didn’t anticipate enjoying it as much as I did. It was well paced, had good layers of complexity and a sense of accomplishment tied to it. It was colourful and although didn’t really have much of a story, I developed a sort of attachment to my little cube, wandering through the universe alone. Since completing the main campaign I’ve thought about the little baby lore cubes I’ve left behind in levels and I can see myself going back to collect them to unlock further bonus levels as well.

**The Last Cube was provided by the publisher and reviewed on an Xbox Series X**

Overall: 8.4 / 10
Gameplay: 9.0 / 10
Visuals: 8.0 / 10
Sound: 8.0 / 10

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STAFF REVIEW of Last Cube, The (Xbox One)

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