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Death By Cube Review for Xbox 360

Death By Cube Review for Xbox 360

Another Shooter on the Pyre

Death By Cube (DBC) is yet another analog stick shooter for the XBLA. While the console has seen a number of quality stick shmups over the years, Death By Cube is not one of the platform’s sterling offerings. That being said, you could do a lot worse. In the end, the game is probably worth the $10 price tag because it offers a unique take on the genre and serves up a grueling challenge. On the other hand, when compared to some of the other top titles, Death By Cube doesn’t quite uphold its end of the bargain.

Death By Cube screenshot

In DBC, you’ll play as a robot that has forgotten its memory. In order to reacquire the data, you’ll have to shoot your way through level after level collecting chips. Along the way you’ll acquire new upgraded suits, increase your firepower, unlock loads of levels, earn ranks, and set high scores. On the surface, DBC has everything an arcade shooter must have to keep the faithful glued to the game.

Gameplay in DBC is very straightforward: kill enemies and avoid being killed. You’ll maneuver around the tiny arenas with the left stick and shoot at enemies in 360 degrees with the right stick – pretty standard stuff. Enemies consist of various cubes and robots, each with a characteristic threat behavior that you’ll have to fend off. Whether shooting lasers at you or just swarming you incessantly, you’ll be hard-pressed to get through levels without dying at least once. Thankfully, you’ll have lots of lives and a few tricks up your robot’s metal sleeve to get the job done.

Of course, your robot comes equipped with lasers of its own to blast through the waves of baddies, and as you advance, you’ll even be able to unlock new suits that have beefed up stats or specialize in dealing with a certain game type. As you kill your foes (I say kill because they explode with red gore that looks an awful lot like blood), they’ll drop power-ups that will level up your arsenal, making it far easier to unleash hot death. You can also activate a dash and shield power. Both powers can be used repeatedly but have a very short duration. Dashing at or away from enemies will let you bash into them and evade the swarm, but it will also leave behind a decoy that will confuse them. Confused enemies are slow and easy to kill, plus they’ll help your point multiplier. The shield skill is a force field that surrounds your robot, allowing you to collect enemy projectiles and shoot them back at your foes. The combination of shooting, dashing, and shielding, as well as evading with well-timed movement, is the formula for success in Death By Cube.

Death By Cube screenshot

Just when you start to get the hang of dealing with the massive amount of danger thrown at you, the game ups the ante with even more baddies. In truth, the game is extremely challenging. Getting bronze and even silver ranks in a particular level isn’t too bad, but achieving gold typically takes umpteen replays and oodles of patience. This can definitely be a very frustrating game. At its worst moments, it doesn’t feel rewarding or even winnable. Of course, diehard, highly-skilled arcade shooter enthusiasts will relish the challenge.

For the rest of us, if you persevere and continue to grind your way around levels, or even go back to previous levels you know you can easily dominate, you’ll be rewarded with chips for your performance. As the chip totals accumulate, you will then have to decide whether you want to spend those chips unlocking a new set of levels, or if the currency is better off spent on an upgraded suit (which makes it far easier to open up silver and gold ranks in the current levels – further enriching your chip count). Typically, going for the suit option is best, as you’ll save yourself a lot of frustration. While I enjoyed the challenge tough levels presented and the cat and mouse mental game of deciding whether I should advance or beef up my robot, after several levels it feels like I’m grinding with no real purpose other than getting strong enough to advance – almost like I was playing an old Final Fantasy title. Graciously, different victory conditions, depending on the level, tend to mix up the formula just a bit. Rather than just defeating all enemies, surviving with one life as long as you can, defending and attacking bases, etc. make the game somewhat more interesting.

Death By Cube screenshot

In terms of presentation, the game is really well organized – it’s very easy to navigate the menus and unlock all of the content. On the downside, the diversity of the visuals and sounds is quite poor. Though your robot skins are nice, the lack of creative enemy types and the super-confined, uninspired, arena-style levels make DBC look amateurish. In fact, the best part of DBC’s visual presentation is the gore-filled explosions. Otherwise, levels essentially look like a jumbled mess – it really can be quite difficult to concentrate on what you’re supposed to do because there is often far too much action on the screen at one time. The aural complements actually fare even worse. The only noteworthy sound effect, and not because of its quality, is when you get close to death; a shrill warning effect is unleashed – you’ll recognize it as the busy tone during phone calls. Sampling from the public domain in this way lends no credence to the game’s final polish.

Death By Cube screenshot

The tide of downloadable games that hit XBLA week in and week out means many praiseworthy and even more lackluster titles are often neglected. Such is the case with Death By Cube, making the multiplayer side of the title essentially unplayable. Hooking up with eight players online in games of deathmatch and domination could conceivably be decent fun, but when there are only a few players hopping on at any given time, the action is decidedly dull. This is a shame for those who’ve purchased the game and have grown tired of the repetitive single-player. Hopefully consumers of Death By Cube will eventually be rewarded for their purchase with a thriving, competitive community. However, as it stands right now, plan on honing your skills in single-player for awhile longer.

Death By Cube is unique and challenging, which will undoubtedly go a long way toward giving this title initial and lasting appeal for many arcade enthusiasts. I, unfortunately, became bored quickly, making the majority of the game feel like a repetitive and unrewarding slog. I guess, in the end, it all comes down to your taste in gaming. If you are a patient connoisseur of stick shooters, there is probably a lot to like in Death By Cube. However, if you are simply looking for a great arcade game to fill the gaps between AAA titles, you’ll definitely want to pass this one up in favor of other proven gems on XBLA.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 3.0 Graphics
The visuals are crisp, but the uninspired level and character design are poor. Also, the confined arenas make for an overly stimulating spectacle. 4.0 Control
Shooting, dashing, and shielding your way through the levels is effectively executed, though it does take some time to get used to. 1.5 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Absolutely barebones. 2.8 Play Value
There are a lot of levels and unlockables to discover. Also, earning ranks and setting high scores could keep you busy for days. However, the multiplayer component is not well supported, and gameplay soon gets dull and repetitive. 2.7 Overall Rating – Average
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Over-the-top action: Faced with an overwhelming number of enemies, retaliate with formidable weapons.
  • Defensive abilities: The main character Leo has a special power called “Force.” Absorbed bullets can be unleashed as an attack!
  • Unlockables: When each stage is completed, you’ll get chips that can be used to unlock new player characters. Each player character has a unique characteristic and choosing which character dramatically affects your strategy.
  • Online play: Join with up to eight players divided into two teams and fight against each other. Modes include Deathmatch, Domination, and High-score challenge.

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