Game Review by Kenneth Andrews
Game Rating = 2/5 Balls
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Since their inception, computer games have tried to give us the virtual experience of real life activities, from war to sport, from car-jacking to crime-solving. Cubme adds shovelling snow to that list.
In a normally warm town, cubes of snow have suddenly started falling from the sky. Everyone’s pleased to see it but they’re not quite sure how to deal with it. Enter the player, a plucky little guy with a big nose and a shovel. His job is to clear the snow, in a variety of missions, and quite probably solve snow-based puzzles while he’s at it.
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Gameplay
With a choice of either a 3D or top-down view, your little chap takes centre stage as he shovels away at cubes of snow. Very slowly. The game is controlled primarily with the cursor keys and spacebar, with extra commands given to you during the tutorial to switch between cameras, restate tasks and things. I found the controls clumsy. You can only turn 90 degrees at a time, and can only move forwards or backwards, which seems too restrictive in this day and age. It takes too long to shovel a cube of snow, which is a problem given it’s the game’s primary activity. A little animation plays every time a cube of the stuff goes up in the air, and you can’t start to shovel another cube until the first one’s settled.
By the second level, the puzzle element is already beginning to kick in, as you have to pile the snow in specific places. I found the game’s lack of pace maddening by this point, and I was tempted to give up.
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Graphics and sound
The 3D world in which all this snow-based fun is contained is commendably solid and detailed. Passing pedestrians wave at you, little cars chunter around the snowy streets, it’s all very jolly, but I couldn’t help thinking that everyone in this winter wonderland was having a lot more fun than me. The sound is limited to bleeps and bloops and some commendably crunchy snow effects, but it’s nothing special.
Creativity and innovation
I am going to name Cubme as the world’s first (and hopefully only) snow shovelling simulator. Don’t think for a minute that I’m going to see if there are any others out there. For what it’s worth, Cubme has ploughed a new furrow in snow-based puzzle games. If future updates can address the control system and add a bit of energy to the game, it could be a lot of fun, but the release as it stands needs work.
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Is Cubme worth $9.99? I’m not sure that it is. It’s a nice idea, but the execution is so leaden that its innovation frankly counts for very little.
Buy Cubme if you:
* Are waiting for death
* Enjoy shovelling snow with a worrying passion
* Like puzzle games
Don’t buy it if you:
* Require any kind of excitement in your life
* Prefer to see a bit of action
* Have even a slightly old computer
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Buy The Game Now $ 19.95
