Author
Josh Cox
Price: $.99
Publisher: SketchyMonkey
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen an iPhone/iPod Touch game like Mr. Kubus before and if I have then it obviously didn’t leave an impact. This 2D left to right scroller is a mix between a puzzler and a strategy game. The object of the game is to reach the finish line with as many red hearts as possible. As you move through the level you can gather hearts, and also lose them by running into obstacles.
The trick to this game and what makes it difficult is that you move Mr. Kubus by selecting one of the four colors of one of his four sides then he jumps to that color. For example if his green side is down and you select green he will jump four spaces. If you select the color that is on his left then he will jump three spaces. Get it yet? The colors on his sides are always in the same place, but since he rotates every move you will have to figure out which color selection will make him jump the amount of spaces you want.
As you progress through the game you will encounter a number of obstacles that you will have to jump over, this is where quick thinking comes into play and you must figure out which color you need to select to get Mr. Kubus to clear the obstacles. You will also want to collect as many red hearts as possible; the black hearts take away your red hearts, so avoid them. If you run out of hearts or time then you die and must restart the level.
Visually the game consists of bright colors and graphics that look like they were drawn with crayon, making it look like a kid’s game. With that said this would be a great game for kids. It’s not difficult to learn but employs quick thinking and reaction. The first time I played I found the concept easy to grasp but still challenging enough to make it fun. Once you get into a rhythm you can really fly through levels, but as soon as you get comfortable the game throws more obstacles your way keeping you on your toes.
Mr. Kubus comes with 20 levels which doesn’t seem like a lot of gameplay but most levels will take you a few times to get through. To add more gameplay the developers at Sketchy Monkey put four keys in random levels and paired them with a number of hearts that you must obtain before you unlock Mr. Kubus’ special features. At $.99 this game is worth taking a look at, especially if your kids are always borrowing your phone and playing games. Plus, you might like it as well.
Overall Value for it’s $.99 price point
Overall: 3.5 out of 5.0 stars Graphics: 3.0 out of 5.0 stars Sound: 2.5 out of 5.0 stars Controls: 2.5 out of 5.0 stars