Grey Cubes - Cubes That Are GreyGrey Cubes is another incarnation of the classic game genre of Brick Breaker. It is offered on Steam, and judging by the User Interface as well as the controls, is probably compatible with mobile devices as well. The game has some classic features of the genre, such as power ups and down grades to collect as you break the bricks ( or cubes, if you will ), but also adds some new mechanics to keep things fresh. For those who aren't familiar, Brick Breaker is the type of game where you control a pad at the bottom of the screen, and you use it to bounce a ball upward in to a designated area, the goal being to destroy every brick in said area by hitting it with the ball. You can use the pad to determine the trajectory of the ball, and certain bricks can be more difficult to destroy than others. Any ways, on to the review!
Graphics 7 / 10 -- First things first, the graphics in this game are by no means mind blowing. Though that said, they look pretty good for what the game was trying to accomplish. The ball has a nice glimmer to it, leaving a trail of light behind it as it moves across the screen. The 3-Dimensional aspect in the game is beautiful, as each different cube is displayed brilliantly as they some times move or tumble. The lighting effects are also nicely done, providing a good deal of detail in the few shadows that are present, as well as the many sources of light. On the down side, the game is some what bland visually, as indicated by the color in the title. There is virtually no color, excluding shades of blue, grey, and also red which is used exclusively for the down grades. I chose to give the Graphics a 7/10, if only for presentation.
Sound 5 / 10 -- Sadly, this is probably where the game is most lacking. The game features a very futuristic feel to it, in both effects and music. The effects are very lack luster and the noise for when the ball makes contact with a cube is a little too high pitched for my tastes. It got some what difficult to listen to just under an hour in. The music is there simply for ambiance, as it should be, but it is also quite mediocre in my opinion. Though it has a very high tech sound to it, it's easily over looked for some thing from your own personal library, or what ever you may choose to listen to for recreational purposes. This is just one of those games that are better off being played with out sound, or while playing some thing else entirely, that is if you're playing for any extended period of time. I was forced to go with a 5/10 for Sound.
Addictiveness 7 / 10 -- I want you to keep in mind this perspective is entirely from some one who greatly enjoys the Brick Breaker genre. This is a very fun game to play over all. The power ups and down grades are typical of what you'd see in a game like this, featuring ones for increasing / decreasing pad size, splitting the ball in play in to 3 balls, having a magnet on the pad to pull the ball in if you happen to miss it, and a few others. Some of the levels even have a special gimmick to them. For instance, level 3 has 4 padded areas along the walls of the area containing the bricks, and each time you hit one of those pads, it will dispense 3 cubes right next to that pad. Each pad must be hit 4 times for every cube in that section to be released, and as the cubes are dropped, they can tumble down over or on top of one another, using an excellent physics engine might I add. As the game progresses, these interesting mechanics are constantly appearing in all different kinds of ways, which really adds a unique feel to the game. Although this genre is classic, this game manages to keep things new and interesting to a good extent, earning the Addictiveness a 7/10.
Story -- N / A Depth 6 / 10 -- This is another game that is some thing of a mixed bag when it comes to depth. The game features 60 levels, many of them consisting of more than a single board to clear. In terms of sheer game play, I'd say the game could probably be finished in roughly a few hours. I know that doesn't seem like much, but considering the genre, that's actually pretty darn good. Now for the down side. The game doesn't feature any kind of alternate modes or bonus content out side of the core game play. This is to be expected from this genre, but at the same time doesn't exactly help it's case in the criteria of depth, let alone the over all experience. Not much else I can say that hasn't already been said, so the Depth gets a 6/10.
Difficulty 6 / 10 -- I really enjoyed how this game presents it's challenges. The progression in which the difficulty increases is perfect, allowing the player to really get a feel for how the game works, and really build their skills as the game goes on. The amount of power ups will also slowly dwindle, and the number of down grades that fall will slowly rise in number per level. The unique mechanics I mentioned before, like the padded walls that drop in cubes, can be a little random when it comes to how difficult they are to over come, but that most likely varies depending on the player's ability to handle certain challenges. Completing the game feels very satisfying, but overly frustrating to accomplish. I think of it as a positive that this game could be just as easy to learn for some one new to the genre to learn from as any other, but also provide a moderate challenge to a seasoned veteran. I'm giving the Difficulty a well-balanced 6/10.
Overall 6.5 / 10 -- This game makes a great way to casually kill time. It's another solid entry in to the Brick Breaker genre, and accomplishes most of what it tries to moderately well. If you really enjoy this type of game, or are looking to try them out, you can't go wrong here. You're also not missing any thing spectacular by looking the other way, just to be entirely fair.
Hope you enjoyed the review :)
Graphics
7 Sound
5 Addictive
7 Depth
6 Difficulty
6
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