Q.U.B.E. 10th Anniversary | PC Review

November 5, 2022 Kevin Honigford

Life’s a puzzle, and Q.U.B.E. 10th Anniversary takes that puzzle and spins it on its side over and over again. Puzzle games have not always been a pleasant experience for me, and I didn’t begin to really appreciate them until my experience with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. As such, I wasn’t in the mix for the experience of hits like Portal 2 and Unravel until well after they had been around the block. As the saying goes, “Better late than never,” and it’s very true in this instance, as puzzle games such as this have become a passion of mine in recent years. I did dabble in Q.U.B.E.’s world very little when it came to us ten years ago, but at that point in time, it just wasn’t a game for me. The premise was very intriguing, however, and when I was given the opportunity to crack into Q.U.BE. 10th Anniversary, I leapt at it.

A Puzzling Story

Perhaps the biggest change from the original release to Q.U.B.E. 10th Anniversary is the story. Or rather, the inclusion of one. The original did not have a narrative whatsoever; you were simply placed in room after room faced with puzzle after puzzle. Here you have the option to play that mode, but Toxic Games also included the Director’s Cut version, implementing a story to go along with the challenges you face. I have never seen a story created and placed into an already existing game before, and I was honestly quite shocked at how well they were able to do so here.

You awaken in a strange atmosphere, all alone, except for the voice on your comm device. This voice informs you that you are the planet Earth’s last hope for avoiding complete annihilation – at the hands of the mechanism you are currently inside. To save the planet, and all life on it, you are tasked with deciphering the puzzles that this mechanism presents, in order to disassemble it. Although daunting, this is a pretty straightforward task. Or is it? Soon another voice will enter your comm device, and everything will be thrown into question.

The story presented in Q.U.B.E. 10th Anniversary is absolutely superb, and is quite possibly the most intriguing experience I’ve had in years. While the puzzles themselves are fun and engaging, I found myself pushing for solutions not to simply get to the next puzzle, but to see what happened next with my character. Even if puzzles are only a mild form of entertainment for you, the story that unfolds here is more than worth the effort involved.

Press Here

As stated earlier, your goal is to solve the puzzles presented by the contraption that you’re trapped inside. You will do so from a first-person point of view, with gloves that allow you to manipulate designated blocks throughout. The blocks that you are able to are separated from the surrounding environment through their unique colors. Each color block has its own unique function that you can activate by using the action button on the controller. For instance, a red block can be used to extend itself from whatever surface it sits in, creating a ledge or stool, while a blue block will generate a spring-loaded mechanism, which will propel anything that touches it into the air above or in front of it. Furthermore, the goals in each room differ, varying from simply getting a power source to open a door by resting at a certain location, or having to color coordinate blocks in the right order using different tools provided. The controls feel great, and the puzzles that they are designed with are quite brilliant and extremely satisfying to solve.

Eye-Popping Distractions

Visual fidelity is not something I ever thought would be a talking point in a puzzle game, but Q.U.B.E. 10th Anniversary is absolutely stunning to observe as you play through the puzzles. The original game was quite bland, and it hurts me a bit to say that the colors and environment were a large reason that the game didn’t hold my interest for long. This version of the game doesn’t simply apply a fresh coat of paint, however. The walls around you gleam and glisten as they move in a way that is extremely pleasing to the eye. Throughout my entire playthrough, I found myself looking more at the environment around me in awe than at the puzzles in front of me.

Final Verdict

Q.U.B.E. 10th Anniversary is an absolute must play game, particularly if you enjoy puzzle games. Regardless of whether you’ve played the original or not, this experience is worth checking out, as the added story and extra puzzles afterwards make it an entirely different experience. The environment is a stunning presentation, and the story presented a suspense that I never thought I would feel while solving puzzles. Life’s a puzzle, and Q.U.B.E. 10th Anniversary is everything I wanted in life.

This review is based on a PC copy of Q.U.B.E. 10th Anniversary provided by Renaissance PR for coverage purposes. It is also available on Xbox and Nintendo Switch.