I fell in love with Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords. Quite honestly it came at a point in time when the PSP was feeling drier than Carrot Top's comedic routine. When I heard that D3 was releasing yet another puzzle title I was naturally excited. Could lightning strike the PSP twice in the span of months?

Unfortunately Cube doesn't quite capture the sheer simplicity or addictiveness of Puzzle Quest. In this twist on the old roll-the-marble-around puzzle genre you'll be rolling a cube through well-over a hundred brightly colored levels trying to get to the finish line. Along the way you'll have to rotate the stage, dodge missiles, avoid bombs, and solve puzzles up the yin-yang if you want to succeed. Sure it sounds kind of silly but fortunately it controls better than the time you tried rolling your brother down Dead Man's Hill in a cardboard box.

Gameplay:

When you fire up Cube's single player mode you're presented with a few difficulty options that offer many stages for each. These are all color coordinated so when you start to play the "pink" levels don't be surprised if you feel like you're lost in the Barbie aisle at Toys R Us. Overall there are three difficulties and a training that await you. If you're new to the game (and why wouldn't you be) you'll definitely want to start on the training to learn the basics.

The fundamentals are explained to you right from the start but for the most part you can figure things out. The ease of picking up and playing comes from the simplistic mechanics that work towards Cube's success. Frankly all you do is move a block around a 3D environment as quickly as possible and figure out how to get to the end icon. That's really it.

Well, ok, there's a little more to it than that. In addition to finding your way to the finish line you'll have to collect a specific amount of keys while keeping in mind that you're pressed for time. It sounds easy enough but once you add the element of obstacles and puzzles like switch hitting into the mix it can become pretty complicated as you unlock some of the harder difficulties.

With the clock counting down the gameplay can become quite frantic as you make your way from one trap to the next. This will keep you playing but in all fairness the gameplay becomes quite repetitive despite how varied each stage is. Add to this the fact that many areas involve many practice runs and you have an experience that is equal parts frustrating and fun.

Points do have to go toward Cube's favor for offering a somewhat unique experience and the camera certainly offers a dramatic perspective. Unfortunately it also creates some problems. The view presented by the game is a little too close to the cube for comfort. Due to this you can expect to hit traps that you didn't expect on the opposite side of your environment. A camera system that was freer would have worked great here and while Cube still offers a functional mechanic it does get frustrating sometimes.

Overall Cube is an interesting entry into the puzzle genre but it's not as fine tuned or realized as it could have been. The gameplay is solid, yet repetitive, and I found myself getting bored after extended periods of play. The camera is also not as user-friendly as it could have been which leads to some frustration. Fortunately a solid multiplayer inclusion, amount of levels, and the ability to create levels add plenty of longevity to the game. If you want a new puzzle game to pass the time on a road trip Cube is truly a decent pick. It may not be as polished as one would hope but it offers enough variety to keep things interesting for a while.

Graphics:

Ok. You're a cube and you roll around in brightly colored environments with a very limited amount of obstacles in your way. Needless to say Cube doesn't have a lot going for it graphically and unfortunately the quality follows suit. Truly the game is just plain boring to look at. Cubes here, cubes there, oh look a spiky thing! The textural detail is very light and the animation isn't particularly lifelike (granted you are a block). Very little in this title will help keep your eyes open and the over-saturated colors certainly do not help.

Sound:

The sound in Cube won't keep you going into the wee hours of the morning either. The music is more like ambient noise rather than anything else. There really needed to be a more upbeat selection to keep things lively. Hearing the cube flop around the stage didn't impress and like the gameplay it got repetitive quickly. Overall the sound direction is passable but dreadfully boring.

Conclusion:

The PSP seems to be perfect for the puzzle genre. With titles like Puzzle Quest and Lumines leading the way is there room for Cube? Yes, but the game's flaws keep it from joining the ranks of "must have" titles. I liked the design of the game and the idea behind everything but the repetitive gameplay, annoying camera, and lackluster presentation did little to make me want to keep going with it. Puzzle junkies will find more to appreciate than the average gamer but even then this one winds up as a rental.