Qube Qross

Genre: Picross-style Puzzle

Players: 1

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Review:

Qube Qross is a Puzzle game released in 2020 on PC and ported to Nintendo Switch in 2021. This game plays in a similar fashion to 3D Picross, though it seems somewhat more simple, with puzzles that are overall much easier, though I hesitate to call this a family-friendly game because playing the game in 3 dimensions may be a tad tricky for novice players.

This is not to say that the controls here are bad or difficult, though this game doesn’t seem nearly as elegant as Nintendo’s own Picross 3D franchise, which as of this writing has not yet reached the Nintendo Switch. For example, puzzles often have blocks placed in a way that isn’t directly adjacent to another block, and apparently the only way to place these blocks is to place a block in a spot that isn’t supposed to be filled to create a bridge to the correct spot, and then delete the first block when you’re done. It works, but it’s far from elegant. Also far from elegant are this game’s menus, which are a bit slow and clunky.

Another problem facing this game is that the puzzles just don’t seem terribly difficult. A skilled player can undoubtedly blast through this game’s 100 puzzles within the span of a few hours, easily. Again, this isn’t to say that Qube Qross is bad, only that it’s limited in its appeal. At the very least, 100 puzzles for $7 seems like a decent price.

As for the presentation, this game uses fairly straightforward 3D visuals for its puzzles, against a background of a starry night sky, which makes it clear enough where you are looking in 3D space, though it’s frustrating that you cannot smoothly rotate the image, you can only look at it from isometric angles. These visuals are backed by a relaxed piano soundtrack that works well for the game’s relaxed themes.

Overall, Qube Qross is a decent 3D Picross-style game, but it’s far from a great one. It has some clunky design elements, and it’s far too easy. Puzzle game fans looking for a game to breeze through may find this to be a decent time-waster, but not much more than that.

tl;dr – Qube Qross is a Puzzle game that plays somewhat like 3D Picross, though it sadly isn’t as elegant and well-designed as Nintendo’s own Picross 3D franchise, and the game is overall far too easy. Still, this should make for a decent time-waster for puzzle fans looking for something easy and relaxed.

Grade: C+

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