Yahoo! Cubis 2 Review

How to Play Cubis 2

The goal of Cubis 2 is to clear away a certain number of colored blocks from the board within a specific amount of time. Blocks come in six colors: blue, yellow, orange, green, purple, and pink. If a cube touches two or more other cubes of the same color (either vertically or horizontally), the cubes vanish. Players get randomly-colored cubes to shot onto the board to match up with other cubes. By shooting a cube into another, they can push that cube forward one square. This can be used to push cubes out from under other cubes, as well. If a cube is stacked on top of another and the bottom cube is matched up, the cube falls to the board and cracks. A cracked cube will shatter if you shoot another cube through it.

There are several different types of special cubes that appear randomly throughout the game. These cubes allow you to quickly delete cubes or gain a lot of bonus points.

Cubi-what?

Players score a "Cubis" if they cause a chain reaction of cubes. This is especially easy to do on levels that start with a lot of cubes piled up on top of each other. By making the bottom row vanish, players can cause the upper cubes to fall down and line up in groups of three or more, which causes them to vanish as well. The more cubes taken out and the longer the chain, the more points you gain.

Game Modes

The online game has two different game modes: Arcade and Morph-Fun Arcade. The two play exactly the same with one exception. Morph-Fun Arcade includes the morph cube, a phantom block that randomly moves around the game board and is very difficult to get rid of.

Special Cubes

There are eight different types of special cubes that players will come across during the game (seven in Arcade mode).

Star Cube

The Star Cube is a special cube that is worth 750 points, much more than the regular cubes. However, if you leave a Star Cube on the board, you will be penalized 250 points, so deleting all of the Star Cubes on each level should be one of your main goals if you want a high score. Other than the point bonus, Star Cubes act exactly like normal cubes, although they do not crack when they fall to the board. Players never get Star Cubes to shoot onto the board.

Lift Cube

The Lift Cube looks and acts just like a wedge, lifting whatever cube it hits on top of it. This allows you to make vertical stacks of up to three cubes. If a Wedge Cube hits a stack of three, it turns into a regular cube beside the stack instead of pushing the stack up. Players only get Wedge Cubes to add to the board; they never appear in the initial layout. Once they push a stack upward or hit a stack they can’t lift up, Wedge Cubes turn into regular cubes.

Cracked Cubes

Cubes crack when the fall from a stack. If you shot or push another cube into a cracked cube, it will shatter. Also, cubes shoot into Cracked Cubes continue going forward instead of stopping. Other than that, Cracked Cubes act just like regular cubes.

Morph Cubes

Morph Cubes appear as a blob in your row of cubes to add to the board. When a Morph Cube hits another Cube on the board, it oozes into that cube, turning it into the same color as the Morph Cube and pushing it up, adding another cube of the same color under it if there’s room. If the cube in question is the bottom cube of a stack three cubes high, the Morph Cube just changes its color. Essentially, Morph Cubes create a stack of two cubes of the same color, making it very easy to use them to make groups of three. Morph Cubes can even be used to change the color of Star Cubes or Cracked Cubes. Shooting a Morph Cube into a Dual Cube changes the Dual Cube to a solid cube of the same color as the Morph Cube.

Dual Cube

Dual Cubes are two cubes merged together. Half of the Dual Cube is one color, half is another. When one half of the Dual Cube is matched with two cubes of the same color, it vanishes, leaving behind a solid cube of the other color.

Stone Cube

Stone Cubes are a solid grey color and can only be removed by Lasers or Bomb Cubes. Stone Cubes stop any cube that hits them, and they can’t be lifted up using Wedge Cubes or changed with Morph Cubes. Basically, they are completely impervious to anything except Lasers of Bombs. You’ll see Stone Cubes on some of the later levels.

Bomb Cube

The Bomb Cube is one of the new cubes in Cubis 2. When players get a Bomb Cube to shot onto the board, they need to aim it carefully. It will completely obliterate any cube it hits plus some of the surrounding cubes, and cubes on top of nearby cubes will be flung into the air. Bomb Cubes can even destroy Stone Cubes, making them especially useful on certain levels.

Lasers

A Laser allows you to destroy one cube on the board regardless of its color or type, including Stone Cubes. Lasers can be used to take out cubes that are in the way, and some levels require you to carefully aim the Lasers in order to get all the cubes cleared away.

Morph Cube

The Morph Cube only shows up in Morph-Fun Arcade Mode. Morph Cubes appear on the board randomly each turn and also move around the board, making it hard to match them up with two other colors. Unfortunately, Morph Cubes also carry a hefty score penalty if they are left on the board, so you’ll want to try to chase them down despite the difficulty.

Scoring

You’ll gain points every time they make a group of three cubes vanish and for creating chains of cubes. You also gain extra points for the remaining time and for every Star Cube and Morph Cube you delete. Finally, you’ll land a ton of bonus points if you manage to clear away the required number of cubes and leave no cubes left on the board (a Perfect round).

You’ll be penalized, however, for every cube left on the board, and you’ll get an especially high penalty for each Star Cube and Morph Cube left behind. Left-over Stone Cubes, however, do not count as a penalty.

Gameplay

The graphics of Cubis 2 aren’t anything amazing, since the game is played with multicolored squares. However, the backgrounds are very colorful and creative, complementing the colors of the cubes without drawing too much attention to themselves. The sounds, likewise, are pretty basic, with a fun noise being played when cubes are deleted or fall.

Conclusion

Cubis 2 is a fun, addictive little game that will keep you entertained for quite a while. If you like puzzle games, Cubis 2 is definitely for you. It also has a good replay value despite only having 20 levels in the online version. You’ll want to play through the game a few times, at least, to get an idea of how to most efficiently clear each level. The addition of Morph-Fun mode also adds an extra dimension to the game for players who have mastered Arcade mode. All in all, if you like puzzle games, you’ll like Cubis 2.