Cubway
- August 12, 2016
- armnomads
"Cubway is a single-player pinball game with a unique and symbolic story of rebirth, called Samsara. It features 55 levels with 3 alternative endings across 3 difficulty levels. The game offers a variety of obstacle interactions, animations, and sound effects, with text story localized in 8 languages."
Reviews
- The game features a beautiful art style and fantastic ambient music, creating a relaxing atmosphere.
- It offers a unique and challenging puzzle experience that can be satisfying once completed.
- The minimalistic design and simple gameplay mechanics make it accessible and enjoyable for players who appreciate abstract art.
- The gameplay heavily relies on trial and error, which can lead to frustration and a lack of engagement.
- Some levels have tight timings and can feel unfairly difficult, leading to repeated failures.
- The story and messages between levels are often perceived as pretentious and lacking depth, detracting from the overall experience.
- graphics16 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some users criticizing them as shallow and pretentious, while others appreciate the abstract artwork and minimalistic environments that create a relaxing atmosphere. Many agree that the visuals improve between levels, complemented by beautiful animations and a captivating soundscape, making for an aesthetically pleasing experience despite the gameplay's simplicity. Overall, the graphics are described as simple yet effective, contributing to a unique and immersive atmosphere.
“Other users praise the abstract artwork, the minimalistic environment, the relaxing atmosphere, and such.”
“A simple yet addicting game, with beautiful visuals, relaxing music, and a vague yet interesting plot going on.”
“Good graphical style with a really fascinating and immersive soundscape.”
“Some users called this game pretentious, since the story looks random and shallow with little effort employed in the graphical sector, while the gameplay itself isn't really even an arcade/puzzle - rather, it's just a simple platformer with few movement options.”
“All in all, the graphics get better and better between the levels, but I agree with those who say that the game is pretentious since it's no philosophical masterpiece. The graphics are nice (not in the minimalistic levels themselves, but rather in the animations in-between), yet they don't elevate the overall experience.”
“Minimal visuals and gentle, atmospheric music during gameplay along with only a couple of timed levels makes it a nice relaxing experience, but the graphics lack depth and variety.”
- gameplay14 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily a simple platformer with limited movement options, lacking engaging arcade or puzzle mechanics, which some players find pretentious and shallow. While the game features a stylish aesthetic and gradually introduces new mechanics, it relies heavily on trial and error, leading to frustration for some. However, it offers a relaxing experience with minimal visuals and atmospheric music, appealing to those who appreciate artistic design over challenging gameplay.
“New mechanics are added as you progress through the levels, making the game more challenging.”
“Game mechanics themselves are very simple and nice, but it's the artsiness and style that is the most attractive element of this game for me.”
“Minimal visuals and gentle, atmospheric music during gameplay, along with only a couple of timed levels, makes it a nice relaxing experience with no pressure.”
“Some users called this game pretentious, since the story looks random and shallow with little effort employed in the graphical sector, while the gameplay itself isn't really even an arcade/puzzle - rather, it's just a simple platformer with few movement options.”
“Stylish looks, but the trial and error gameplay with failure constantly restarting you makes this a no-go for me.”
“Puzzle mechanics is absent.”
- music12 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 8 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for creating a relaxing and immersive atmosphere, complementing the beautiful visuals and enhancing the overall experience. While some find it a bit repetitive, many appreciate its ambient qualities that contribute to the game's zen-like feel. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, adding depth to the gameplay and aesthetic appeal.
“Design and music create the relaxing 'zen' atmosphere the developers were obviously going for.”
“A beautiful puzzler with fantastic ambience and entrancing music!”
“Such great music, and an amazing atmosphere; it's a whole new perspective and I enjoyed it. I urge that anybody can find something they like about this game!”
“The music is a little boring.”
“The authors probably got their inspiration from suprematism and abstract art; they successfully managed to convey moody images of nature and elements through simple geometrical forms interaction, combined with sound design and ambient music.”
“Minimal visuals and gentle, atmospheric music during gameplay along with only a couple of timed levels makes it a nice relaxing experience with no pressure.”
- story9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's story is criticized for being shallow and pretentious, relying on random stock footage and vague new-age themes, with poor localization in the Italian version. While some players find the overarching journey concept intriguing and appreciate the relaxing visuals and music, others feel the narrative lacks depth and coherence, making it feel more like a simple platformer than a meaningful experience. Overall, opinions are mixed, with some enjoying the loose narrative connection while others see it as a missed opportunity.
“Metastory behind each level and the whole journey idea is also nice!”
“A simple yet addicting game, with beautiful visuals, relaxing music and a vague yet interesting plot going on.”
“I enjoyed playing it and liked the loose story that tied it all together.”
“Some users called this game pretentious, since the story looks random and shallow with little effort employed in the graphical sector, while the gameplay itself isn't really even an arcade/puzzle - rather, it's just a simple platformer with few movement options.”
“The 'story' is basically randomly selected stock footage with thoughtful-ish text and a fancy Instagram filter laid over it.”
“The story is paint by numbers new age pseudo-wisdom.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its relaxing and zen-like qualities, enhanced by minimalistic visuals and soothing music. Players appreciate the abstract artwork and the overall chill experience, although some find the narrative elements occasionally preachy. Overall, the game creates a pleasing and immersive environment that appeals to a broad audience.
“Minimal visuals and gentle, atmospheric music during gameplay along with only a couple of timed levels makes it a nice relaxing experience with no pressure.”
“Such great music, and an amazing atmosphere; it's a whole new perspective and I enjoyed it. I urge that anybody can find something they like about this game!”
“Other users praise the abstract artwork, the minimalistic environment, and the relaxing atmosphere.”
“Design and music create the relaxing 'zen' atmosphere the developers were obviously going for.”
“It's a very chill atmosphere, and very simple to play.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, likening it to a memory game that requires repetitive and monotonous execution.
“Basically, it's a memory game with tedious execution.”
“The grinding feels endless and lacks any real reward.”
“I spent hours doing the same tasks over and over, and it just became boring.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game features 36 levels that can be completed in about two hours, but it lacks replayability due to the absence of multiple difficulty settings.
“Currently 36 levels (~2 hours) with no replay value due to only one difficulty setting.”
“Once you complete the game, there's little incentive to play through it again.”
“The lack of varied difficulty options makes replaying the game feel pointless.”