Cubes vs. Spheres Review
PROS
- Fun weapon variety; allows players to exploit synergies for fun combos.
- Unique level designs; enemies 'hide' in plain sight.
- Crisp visuals; elegant interface and aesthetic - easy to follow the action.
CONS
- Swipe controls can be touchy; light taps can be considered 'swipes', and heavy swipes can sometimes be ignored.
- Tilt-to-look controls feel gimmicky; amusing, but impractical without lots of patience.
VERDICT
While you may be looking for the next high-definition shooter for blasting zombies or aliens, it's worth taking a side-step to play Cubes vs. Spheres as it combines simple action based fun with a unique setting to keep things novel.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
War is hell and there are times when decisions need to be made that may be questionable, but this is about survival; survival against the evil Cube hordes. So yes, it may not be entirely 'fair' to exploit their attraction to 'pink' cubes, but dammit soldier, when they're breathing down your neck you won't have time to complain!
Cubes vs. Spheres by ShockPanda Games is ostensibly another first-person turret based shooter - albeit with flick controls - and you'd be forgiven for wondering if it brings anything new to the table. If we're being perfectly honest, it doesn't, but that's not the whole story. Instead of firing various regular projectiles at incoming zombies/aliens you'll be flicking spheres at incoming cubes.
The range of weaponry that you quickly unlock thanks to points earned at the end of each stage varies from the predictable 'explosive' to battering-ram style bowling balls; automatically homing; freezing; and yes, the lovably pink decoy cube to distract (and then explode in the face of) the enemy forces.
At first the flick controls take a while to get used to as it's possible to accidentally flick while trying to swipe and change the camera angle (tilt controls are available, though they're more gimmicky than useful), but once you're at home with the various tools in your kit you'll be wiping cubes by the dozen. Sadly point-scoring can feel a bit random as multipliers don't make much sense, resulting in scores that swing from 'perfect' to just plain 'good' once the last cube goes down.
What makes Cubes vs. Spheres so worthwhile isn't just its novel weaponry, but also its novel presentation. Set within a clean anti-aliased world of smooth shades, it's easy to be stunned by the elegance of it all. Add in to this the variety of cubes with their own quirky AI (some skulk towards you, while others boldly jump and tip in your direction) that gives character to otherwise basic shapes.
If you're attracted to short, fast and fun arcade titles, Cubes vs. Spheres is perfect for you - definitely worth checking out if you're tired of the usual gun-based turret titles currently available.
Screenshots
$0.99
