Cube Creator X

Genre: Open-World Action-RPG / Misc.

Players: 1-4 Co-Op (Online), Online Content Sharing

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Review:

Cube Creator X is a family-friendly Open-World game with Action-RPG elements that is very clearly a knockoff of Minecraft. However, as it is my policy not to dismiss something outright just because it’s a knockoff, the question becomes, is it a good knockoff?

In terms of presentation, Cube Creator X is a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, Minecraft was never impressive in the graphics department aside from the scale and scope of what it was doing with its voxel graphics to create a massive world. Cube Creator X, meanwhile, doesn’t have quite the same sense of scale, with noteworthy pop-up and largely flat terrain. What’s more, this game simply doesn’t have the iconic characters Minecraft had, with its cube-shaped residents and simple monsters all looking fairly generic.

On the other hand, I do like the interface design here, with menus being colorful and easy to read, instructions popping up as needed, and the game is overall pretty welcoming where Minecraft can seem intimidating to a newcomer. Also, the music in this game is surprisingly good, and does a good job of reflecting the family-friendly vibe.

As for the game itself, it definitely takes some getting used to the control interface and figuring out just how everything works, especially if you’re used to Minecraft. The similarities are striking, but of course the devil’s in the details. I found the game’s enemies to be really annoying, either taking far too many hits to take down, or flying out of range and needing to be baited or waited out.

Overall, there’s just this feeling of somewhat amateurish simplicity that’s hard to put my finger on, from the lack of animations when breaking down blocks to the lack of attention to detail paid to environmental sounds, making it easy for enemies to sneak up on you.

That’s not to say that this is a low-effort affair, however – this game does try some unique things such as a sleep system and a hot-cold system, although both of these feel like tedious annoyances more than enhancements to the gameplay. There is also more of an effort here to make this game more of a narrative story, with slightly greater RPG elements, although in this area this game pales in comparison to the Dragon Quest Builders series.

This carries to another area of the game too, where players can share the content of their created worlds in a curated online exchange that Minecraft doesn’t really have anything like… but Dragon Quest Builders does.

In the end, while Cube Creator X is a decent knockoff of Minecraft, there’s nothing I can point to that it does that isn’t done better by either Minecraft or the Dragon Quest Builders games, and if you have those games, there’s very little reason to get this one. Having said that, if you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to Minecraft, Cube Creator X will suffice, though I’d argue you’re better off spending the extra money to get the superior game it’s copying.

tl;dr – Cube Creator X is a family-friendly Open-World sandbox game with Action-RPG elements that is very clearly a knockoff of Minecraft. It’s not a bad knockoff, by any means, but there’s nothing it does that isn’t done better by either Minecraft or the Dragon Quest Builders games. If you don’t mind spending a bit more, get one of those. However, if you’re short on cash and don’t mind getting a lesser product, Cube Creator X is decent, at least.

Grade: B-

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