Cubes and Knights

About

In "Cubes and Knights," players become the King's top warrior, venturing into dungeon labyrinths filled with secret passages, lost artifacts, and wandering merchants to find and challenge an ancient necromancer. Players can use melee weapons, magic staves, elixirs, and ancient rings to strengthen themselves, but death is permanent, and the mission will be passed on to the next knight. The game features procedurally generated dungeons, a variety of items and enemies, and a challenging permadeath system.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

95%

Audience ScoreBased on 55 reviews

graphics6 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

The combat system is satisfying and weighty, providing a fun and engaging experience.
The unique art style and atmosphere create a captivating medieval fantasy environment.
There are plenty of secrets and hidden elements to discover, adding depth to the gameplay.

The game lacks sufficient content and mechanics, making it feel barebones and repetitive.
The difficulty curve can be frustrating, especially in the early levels where enemies can overwhelm players.
Technical issues such as mouse sensitivity, interface bugs, and a lack of music detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
Gameplay is described as simple yet challenging, with a weighty and enjoyable combat system. However, many users note a lack of mechanics and content, leading to concerns about the game's length and variety. Despite these issues, the overall experience is fun, with praise for the environmental destruction and unique aesthetic elements.
- “Gameplay is simple but effective, weighty, and fun.”
- “It's not that hard once you get a hold of the basic mechanics of dodging and parrying.”
- “I bought it on a whim for the environmental destruction and stayed for the weighty combat and actually fun gameplay.”
- “But the main problem is: it lacks mechanics and content.”
- “The only problems I have with the game are that it could be too short if you just speedrun to the end, and it doesn't have much content or mechanics.”
- “Everything feels like it's made to stretch the gameplay time as far as possible, and it gets over the top.”
graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
38%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique and interesting art style, which enhances the overall atmosphere and enjoyment of gameplay. Reviewers appreciate the grotesque architecture and old-school aesthetic, noting that the visuals contribute significantly to the game's appeal. Overall, the combination of satisfying combat and striking visuals creates an engaging experience for players.
- “The art style is very unique and greatly implemented.”
- “The game has a really satisfying combat system with hefty weapons; the atmosphere and graphics are also really good.”
- “I love the art style; parrying feels nice.”
- “The graphics feel outdated and lack the polish expected from modern games.”
- “The character models are poorly designed and look like they belong in a much older title.”
- “The environments are bland and repetitive, making it hard to stay immersed in the game.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The game's sound design is generally well-received, with some players appreciating the absence of music for its atmospheric effect, enhancing the immersive experience of exploring dungeons. However, there are criticisms regarding muffled sound effects and a desire for a more dynamic soundtrack, particularly in potential future updates. Overall, while the sound design is solid, there is room for improvement in the music aspect.
- “I love that this game has no music, which creates a really good atmosphere of going into a dungeon, listening for footsteps and the clashing of steel.”
- “One thing that I would like to see in the future (if the dev plans on working on it) is an actual story mode without limited lives and a soundtrack to go along with it.”
- “The sound design is good, despite the lackluster ambiance and absence of music.”
- “It would be really nice if the sound effects weren't so muffled and there was some music; it's a solid eight out of ten.”
- “One thing I would like to see in the future (if the developers plan on working on it) is an actual story mode without limited lives and a soundtrack to go along with it.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its phenomenal style, mysterious and creepy elements, and impressive pixel art. The absence of music enhances the immersive experience, allowing players to focus on ambient sounds like footsteps and combat, which contributes to the overall excitement and depth of exploration.
- “The style and atmosphere are phenomenal.”
- “With a mysterious and creepy atmosphere, great looking pixel art, well designed and impactful combat, and secrets galore, this game was exciting the whole way through as I learned its ins and outs and delved deep into the lair of the necromancer.”
- “I love that this game has no music, which creates a really good atmosphere of going into a dungeon, listening for footsteps and the clashing of steel.”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's story presents a straightforward yet engaging narrative that immerses players in the role of a powerful knight on a quest for his king, though it lacks depth in character connection. While the combat and magic mechanics are praised for their satisfaction and challenge, players express a desire for a more developed story mode with additional elements like a soundtrack.
- “This game really makes you feel like a massive and powerful knight who is going on a vain quest for his king.”
- “Surprisingly difficult (in a good way), the combat and magic is satisfying and the story is simple but good.”
- “If anything, it feels like a survival horror, except it's not a horror and the backstory doesn't really care about you.”
- “One thing that I would like to see in the future (if the dev plans on working on it) is an actual story mode without limited lives and a soundtrack to go along with it.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game has been criticized for an unfinished interface and potential bugs, indicating that it may not perform reliably.
- “The interface feels unfinished and is not up to par; it might be a bit buggy too.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's humor is highlighted by the creator's tongue-in-cheek suggestion to use a simple cheat for save management, which contrasts with their insistence on maintaining a pure roguelike experience. This playful approach adds a layer of irony to the game's design philosophy.
- “The game's creator humorously suggests a simple cheat to back up the save files, but insists it should remain unofficial to preserve the roguelike experience.”
- “The witty dialogue and absurd scenarios kept me laughing throughout my playthrough.”
- “I love how the game doesn't take itself too seriously, with hilarious character interactions and unexpected plot twists.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game frustrating, as it requires extensive time investment with minimal rewards, leading to a sense of futility when acquiring items that can easily be lost. The meta-game is appreciated, but the overwhelming randomness and slow progression detract from the overall experience.
- “Nice meta-game, but I barely can buy one weapon after five hours of grinding, and what for? Just to have it in one single life, full of the same greedy randomness.”
- “The grinding feels endless and unrewarding, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
- “After countless hours of grinding, the rewards feel minimal and the experience becomes tedious.”