'Cubes' from Manta Research
posted July 14th, 2008 11:52 AM CDT by Blake Patterson in $2.99, Puzzle, Reviews, iPhone games, iPod touch games
Manta Research has released a unique, 3D puzzler for the iPhone and iPod touch through the iTunes App Store. Cubes [App Store] takes the traditional 3D blocks game to a new dimension by presenting the player with a fully-populated 3D block of cubes (5×5x5) and challenging him/her to clear the puzzle and achieve the level's target score.
The game is played by tapping the screen to select any group of two or more adjascent cubes and then double-tapping to have the selected chain pulled out of the puzzle, causing gravity to pull the remaining cubes "down." The puzzle can be rotated in any direction by swiping so that the player can examine the remaining cubes and perform the best scoring play sequence (the more cubes per chain, the higher the score). Cubes can connect three-dimensionally across multiple faces of the puzzle block, so careful strategy is an important component to winning.
Cubes could be well described as 3D reverse Tetris with rotation. It's an easy-paced game that's fun to play and is well suited to short, broken play sessions while on the go. At $2.99 it doesn't rob the wallet too notably, either.
Game Details
Name: Cubes
Developer: Manta Research
App Store Link: Buy
Price: $2.99
Compatibility: iPhone and iPod Touch
July 16th, 2008 at 7:09 am
Looks like a good game, but I hate those deep primary colours! Needs an option to set colours or palettes.
July 16th, 2008 at 8:08 am
Please see the latest screenshots in the App Store. The colors (and graphics in general) have been completely revamped to be more appealing.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Great - I'll buy!
August 23rd, 2008 at 12:00 am
Great game!! but I have had nothing but problems with it randomly loosing high scores. Wouldn't matter but I must be able to prove I am better than my husband
August 24th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
I love this game. Have also had problems with high scores saving. Just got 47892 on level 17 let's hope it saves. Theoneandonly!!!!!
August 24th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Sorry about the save game bug. To make sure your scores are saved, please use the "exit" button from the game to quit out. This will force the scores to be saved off. We've submitted an update to Cubes which fixes this problem and introduces some new things including Global High Scores so you can compare your scores with top players from across the world! Hopefully gets approved by Apple soon
October 5th, 2008 at 10:57 am
I love this game! I steal my boyfriends iPhone all the time to play. He thinks it is stupid because he doesn't understand how to play, which makes me feel really smart, but the game actually very simple.
What I don't like is when you want blocks to fall down, but you can't see enough of that chain to select it because you must work from a side view. I know iPhones don't have gyroscopes, but there could be a way to look straight down on the puzzle and make the blocks go straight up… maybe a reverse gravity option.
Nice game, Manta.
October 5th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Hi Haley, glad you're having fun with the game! You'll want to download the latest version which was released yesterday. This version now has a "drop" button. So you can select the chain that you want, orient the cube in the direction you want it to fall, and then instead of double-tap, just click on the drop button. This will solve the problem you described. Happy cubing!
November 24th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
My husband loves this game!
Any plans for a window version?