Certain robots are more suitable for various level types but be ready to die. A lot. By World 2 or 3 it becomes nearly impossible to last very long without taking damage. This is exacerbated by certain units that can destroy you with one hit of a giant level-spanning laser. Others will drop mines that detonate and destroy you if you are in the blast zone. What makes it worse is that dying resets the score multiplier. Since clearing a level is dependent on a high enough score that is only available via a large multiplier, instant death means instant frustration.
The music is the best thing about Death By Cube. It fits the action and sci-fi feel. However, the incessant “pause and restart” because you died makes it impossible to enjoy the entire score. I did enjoy leaving the game on the menu just to hear the music; that’s probably the best return for your investment for this game.
I tried on several occasions to find an Xbox Live multiplayer game but none were ever available. Don’t expect to play this online unless you call a friend in advance and set up a game yourself. There are a few different online modes, but it will be difficult to find any available. As such, don’t purchase this game expecting an online multiplayer component since most (if not all) players have abandoned this ship.
Death By Cube had great potential for enjoyable mayhem. It even flies under the Square Enix umbrella. The problem is that it’s just not fun. Acceptable descriptions might include an “exercise in patience” or “painful” but rarely fun. There are a few glimpses offered at enjoyable ideas but they are pummeled by everything else that goes wrong. Spend your Microsoft Points on any of the better alternatives out there and save yourself the endless frustration that is the sole offering of Death By Cube.
D
Boring graphics, clichéd story, and extreme difficulty make this title hard to recommend to anyone. It's sad to see a game with so much potential fall flat on its face.
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