First impressions of The Last Cube as demoed at PAX Online! Slated for release 2021 by Improx Games.

Format: PC via Steam

Entering the first level

Every year I’m always excited for PAX and this year was no exception. With the PAX Online format, I’m pleased to be able to share with you my first impressions of several games, including The Last Cube. The Last Cube is a 3D puzzle game where players control a cube and navigate it thought a cyber-neon environment. The various sides of the cube can be empowered with symbols that act both as special abilities and mechanism keys.

Using a dash special ability

While manipulating the cube, all orientations have a purpose. Using the bottom of the cube, players can stamp symbols on highlighted squares to activate mechanisms such as bridges or lifts. The sides of the cube can be pressed against other non-player cubes to copy over symbols, such as to get other cubes to move symbols into otherwise restricted areas. Aligning a symbol to the top of the cube allows players to use the symbol’s special abilities, of which the demo shows off dashing, teleportation, and duplication.

Non-player cubes that can transfer symbols

The visuals of The Last Cube demo I find very pleasing. Largely colors are dark with points of interest outlined in pale neon colors. The atmosphere has a cyber feel with hard angles being predominate on the playing grid, but balanced by curves and natural angles in the background. The graphics flow smoothly, even during fast movement such as dashing.

Using a duplication special ability

Expectation

Overall, I think The Last Cube looks promising as a third-person puzzle game. It has good polish and promising interactions between abilities. For the demo, puzzles were laid out in a continuous stream with no restart or places to get stuck. I’m curious whether the final product follows this pattern and how deep the developers will dig into the potential difficult of the mechanics.