Toxic Games is bringing back their loveable puzzler Q.U.B.E for an encore release. It's been a decade since the game originally launched back in 2012 and followed up with a Director's Cut shortly after that in 2014 offering a story element to the game. Ten years later and we now have a completely rebuilt game from the ground up in Unreal Engine 4 with the release of Q.U.B.E 10th Anniversary. Fans will be happy to know that this is the definitive way to play this game and this new edition not only comes with improved visuals but also hours of additional content. Q.U.B.E 10th Anniversary is a must-play for both fans and newcomers alike.

Story

Both versions of Q.U.B.E are playable in this new iteration. The original 2012 version just sticks to the puzzles with no story elements as well as the 2014 Director’s Cut with a fully voiced narrative. The story in Q.U.B.E can have a surprisingly dark tone which I enjoyed quite a bit. You wake up on an alien craft with amnesia and completely isolated from civilization. Your only source of information comes from a voice communicating to you from the international space station. Your goal is to unlock the mystery of the alien craft to stop it from crashing into Earth and killing all of human civilization.

I respected the effort that Q.U.B.E attempts to grab your attention with a puzzle game that has you manipulating cubes for three hours. The game creates a diverging plot by implementing another voice into the mix. This unknown voice is also feeding you information about the cube and starts to create doubts in your mind that everything you are doing and your entire purpose is a lie. These conflicting voices had me constantly guessing which one was telling the truth about my true purpose in the exotic cube.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the story given the short game length. Not knowing the “truth” until the very end was a great suspenseful feeling that I do not find often in puzzle games, which helped elevate Q.U.B.E from similar titles.

Gameplay

Q.U.B.E is a first-person action puzzler that throws the player into a 3D world and is split into multiple levels. Fans of the Portal series will feel right at home with the platforming puzzler and Q.U.B.E clearly shows it has a big influence. Using your high-tech gloves to manipulate objects in the game, the end goal is always to move on to the next level. Certain objects can be manipulated to change shape, location, and height. 

The functions of the objects are distinguished by their color. Blue cubes initiate a spring action, launching you into the air once stepped on. Yellow cubes can change shape and red cubes can increase their length. There are a ton of ways to manipulate the levels as the actual play area is the puzzle itself. Being able to twist and turn walls, floors, and objects create this dynamic feeling that is best described as living inside a Rubix cube. It's a surreal feeling that very few puzzle games I've experienced have been able to capture.

There are a total of seven sectors with multiple levels in each sector from the original title. The 10th Anniversary edition includes a brand new sector fittingly titled sector eight that adds an additional four to six hours of gameplay. The main game can take around three hours to complete, giving this package a total of seven to nine hours to complete. There are over 100 levels across 8 sectors that all felt unique and gave me great satisfaction once I figured them out.

I was happy with the puzzle difficulty in this game, not overtly difficult but there were definitely some levels here that made me hit the brakes and really try to decipher. The new additional content is accessible once the original campaign has been completed. I found some of the best puzzles in this section and thoroughly enjoyed the additional content. Long-time fans will be happy to experience these new puzzles and new players will have the pleasure of an extended game length.

Visuals and Audio

The rebuilt game uses Epic’s powerful Unreal Engine 4, making walls and floors shine like never before. Textures and shaders are at an all-time high, making Q.U.B.E look better than ever. Colors also seem to have a deeper and brighter hue, really giving the puzzler a much-needed decade-long makeover.

The Director’s Cut version still features the fully voiced narrative from 2014 but with updated visuals. It's nice to know we still get that awesome ambient soundtrack to jam to while solving the cube-littered puzzles.

Replayability

The game offers around a total of seven to nine hours of gameplay including the newly added Sector 8 once the campaign has been completed. Unfortunately, there is no multiplayer option or leaderboard, however, you can always be on the lookout for hidden collectibles scattered throughout the many levels. Speedrunners will have a field day with over 100 levels to complete for a 100% run.

There is an added developer commentary as well as full statistics for your playthroughs the keep track of stats such as total time played and distance moved. Also, the ability to play both versions of the game is a nice touch, allowing players to simply enjoy the puzzles or fully experience the story with extended levels.

What It Could Have Done Better

Q.U.B.E. 10th Anniversary does a lot right, with updated visuals and enhanced gameplay elements. The only thing missing in this package is a leaderboard. It would be great to keep track of the community’s efforts to beating different Sectors in the fastest time possible. Also, the main campaign fell a bit on the short side for me, but it was redeemed by the newly added Sector 8 content.

Verdict

Q.U.B.E. 10th Anniversary is a solid remake of the original. Not only does it offer updated visuals but it re-works some updated gameplay and offers brand new content adding to an additional four to six hours of gameplay. This is one of the best puzzle games you can play on any platform. Whether you’re a new or returning fan, this title will satisfy your puzzle-solving heart with ease.

Q.U.B.E. 10th Anniversary is available now for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam and EGS. It will release on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch very soon.