Project Cube

03 Jun 2009 at 22:53:13 by Tim McDonald

Square-Enix are doing a lot of interesting things these days, most likely because of the attempts to break even further into the Western market. I could write a big long preamble about the acquisition of Eidos and the implications of all of this, but we'll skip to the end and talk about Project Cube.

Project Cube is the working title for an Xbox Live Arcade game in production. It plays out like Robotron or Geometry Wars, with an enclosed arena and a top-down view, and a lot of enemies. And blood. Lots of blood.

Left analogue stick moves around, right analogue stick shoots, and shooting results in a hell of a lot of blood. So far, so Geometry Wars, but you have a health bar rather than a one-shot death, and the emphasis is on what the trigger buttons do. The left trigger is a Dodge move that teleports you a short distance in one direction, and “confuses” enemies. Confused enemies die a lot faster and generally mob in the wrong direction, and it really is essential, both for moving around quickly and for staying alive.

The other trigger works as a Shield, which actually stores the shots that enemies fire at you. Releasing the trigger then sends those shots back, allowing for a massive boost in firepower in short order. On top of this, you've got reams of powerups (more powerful shots, slower shots firing behind you leaving a trail of electric megadeath, and a screen-long instant-death constant-firing laser that obliterates both enemies and their bullets) but it's the Dodge and Shield that make this special.

And it is special. The five minutes I spent with Project Cube this morning was actually one of the more fun experiences I've had here. Once you get the hang of both mechanics, it's an interesting twist on the Geometry Wars formula. It's got fairly stiff competition on Xbox Live Arcade, but it offers enough that's different and comes at a good enough time that – depending on how close it stays to this build when it's released, as this may be little more than a prototype – it's likely going to be worth picking up.

Also, the screen is splattered by a geyser of blood when you die, which I something I heartily approve of.

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