There's some real polish to the look: The cubes are slightly rounded, the special rage limbs use environment mapping for a shiny look, and the textures for the heads of the cubivores are sharp even though they match the simplicity of the models they're placed on. The music is equally minimalist, with piano as the only instrument, except for the "a good thing just happened" fanfare, which is done in brass. The piano music is as odd and interesting as the visual style; while one hand plays a stilted melody, the other adds in either very deep chords or quickly played scales and trills that almost sound like other instruments. It's presented along with game effects in surround sound that sounds great. While Cubivore doesn't quite match the visual flair and quirkiness of PaRappa, it does have style, which is most evident in the 150 different mutations you can obtain.
Each mutation has a unique look and an inventive name to go with it.
Each mutation has a unique look and an inventive name to go with it. For instance, First Date has one limb underneath the head acting as a foot and the other two on one side of the head looking like the head and foot of another cubivore walking closely alongside. Mullet has a limb hanging off the back of the head. As an exercise in creativity, making 150 different creatures out of a head and anywhere from one to six identical square tiles, and naming them, is quite an interesting feat. The mutations have a wide variety of methods of locomotion--walking, hopping, slithering, flapping, or even dragging themselves along--and each animation is smooth and looks as if it would be correct if such a creature actually existed. What's also interesting is that some of the configurations have an effect on how you control them. Some of the more powerful mutations that involve the purple cubivores walk (or bounce) with their head facing backward, so in order to pounce and do damage you have to pivot 180 degrees to face your target after moving into range. The blue cubivores can pounce far but move like snakes, with their heads on the ground facing to the side, so if you pivot a quarter turn to the left instead of the right without thinking, you may end up with your head facing the wrong direction.
Cubivore does have a few flaws that will get in the way of your enjoyment of the game. Chief among these is the camera perspective. Most of the time it is far too close, placing cubivores that are in your pounce range completely offscreen. Once or twice during play a pounce knocked our cubivore off the screen as well, with the camera inexplicably focused on an empty screen for a brief moment. Control of the camera using the C stick is limited to 90-degree rotations left or right. You can also adjust the camera's elevation up and down slightly, but for some unknown reason you have to hold the C stick in place to keep the camera the way you want it, which is pretty impractical in a fight where you might want a higher camera for a more overhead type of view. Another really annoying control issue is that for some reason you can't access the in-game help if another cubivore is too close. So, if you want to remind yourself whether or not the cubivore you just spotted will help you get a new mutation, you have to back away first.
Cubivore is an interesting combination of puzzle-solving and action that's plagued with camera issues and poor difficulty tuning.
Cubivore also has a problem with its difficulty. When you start out, the first few mutations you can get aren't really strong enough to take on the bosses, who will have two or more somewhat weaker cubivores helping them out. You'll spend a lot of time running away to go find something to eat to replenish your health. Later on, though, when you have the opportunity to get the more powerful mutations before the end of a level, boss fights swing to the other side of the pendulum and become far too easy, especially since throughout the game you can collect a large number of "rejuvenators" that will instantly fill your health bar back to maximum. When we got to the final battle, we had more than 20 of these, which made for a really unexciting fight. It also didn't take very long to get there in the first place--about 12 hours. Thankfully there is a more cerebral challenge in collecting all 150 mutations.
As an offbeat conceptual piece, Cubivore is a must-have. As a game, it's slightly above average--an interesting combination of puzzle-solving and action that's plagued with camera issues and poor difficulty tuning. Whether or not it's worth purchasing, given its relatively short amount of total playing time and its full-price sticker, will depend on how interesting you find its unique qualities.
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Where to buy
Cubivore (GameCube):
$59.99
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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