There are a surprising number of games that focus on the old cube. We’ve had Cube Raiders, HardCube, CUBERS: Arena, RogueCube and even The Lost Cube release on PC and console in recent months. Very soon though there will be another addition to work in – The Last Cube.
An atmospheric adventure, The Last Cube will be releasing on Xbox (expect Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S), PlayStation (similarly, we’ll go PS4 and PS5), PC and Nintendo Switch later this year. it comes from the Finnish team at Improx Games as they prepare to showcase their skills with a brain-teasing puzzle adventure.
The Last Cube sees us thrown into a series of surreal otherworldly landscapes, leaving you to discover the history of this mysterious alien civilization. it mostly focuses on guiding a cube through a plethora of moody, monolithic chambers as you uncover the story behind this peculiar world. But it will mean much more than that as you get the chance to explore a wide array of brutalist architecture ranging from foggy nightmarish abysses, to oppressive lava lit factories, to uplifting natural landscapes full of golden rays of sunshine glistening against mountains.
If you then throw in a pretty epic soundtrack that will enrich the atmosphere, and a bit of an abstract story of a dying world on the cusp of ruin, then you’ll fast understand what The Last Cube is about – a moody, mysterious puzzler that fully immerses you in its derelict world.
There should well be a decent amount of content to get to grips with too as in each of The Last Cube’s stages players will be introduced to a new type of sticker you can latch onto a side of your cube, which in turn allows the use of an entirely new mechanic. Some will allow you to dash through barriers, others will create makeshift stairs, and more still will grant the ability to teleport over bottomless gaps or conjure temporary, but useful cube friends. Being able to position your cube to acquire the desired stickers on the correct surface is going to be key here, with opportunities ranging from pleasingly simplistic to masochistic head scratchers. When you consider there are more than 100 levels in play, that’s a lot of brain teasing action.
Expect The Last Cube to offer up a sturdy old challenge, but it should be one that rewards the most dedicated players as they look to begin to uncover all of The Last Cube’s bevy of collectibles and bonus stages littered throughout the adventure.
“We’ve identified the audience who loves atmospheric puzzle games with lightweight narrative – we ourselves love these games. The Last Cube is an experience that delivers exactly that, while the unique mechanics also bring a whole novel aspect to it”, said Max Samarin, creative director at Improx Games. “You might have played certain cube games as a kid, but not executed like this. And it’s not just about the puzzles – it’s also a cosmic adventure through a varied, alien world full of mystery and wonder that draws players from outside the puzzle genre as well.”
As always we’ll be sure to let you know once that release date for The Last Cube on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch and PC is known. For now though you could do a ton worse than to check out the trailer below, or hit up The Last Cube’s Steam page – if only because the demo which is available there will give the very best insight.
