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Q.U.B.E. 2

With an increase in scope and improvements in every area, Q.U.B.E. 2 shows that Toxic Games have learnt from their experience and are doing a great job. This is an excellent title that is even better than the great game that it follows on from.
Q.U.B.E. 2 Game Cover
77%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
stability, grinding
81% User Score Based on 1,041 reviews
Critic Score 74%Based on 24 reviews

Platforms

Xbox Series X|SPCPlaystation 5Playstation 4Virtual RealityXbox OneXboxWindowsPlayStation
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Q.U.B.E. 2 Game Cover

About

Q.U.B.E. 2 is a single player platformer game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Toxic Games and was released on March 13, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

The Deluxe Edition gives players access to all released content including Q.U.B.E. 2 Main Game and the Season Pass (Two Puzzles Pack, Original Soundtrack and Glove Skin).

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Q.U.B.E. 2 screenshot
Q.U.B.E. 2 screenshot
Q.U.B.E. 2 screenshot
Q.U.B.E. 2 screenshot
Q.U.B.E. 2 screenshot
Q.U.B.E. 2 screenshot
Q.U.B.E. 2 screenshot
Q.U.B.E. 2 screenshot
Q.U.B.E. 2 screenshot
Q.U.B.E. 2 screenshot
Q.U.B.E. 2 screenshot
+8
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81%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,041 reviews
story191 positive mentions
stability24 negative mentions
  • Engaging and satisfying puzzle mechanics with a good variety and progression.
  • Visually stunning graphics with atmospheric environments and excellent lighting effects.
  • Improved story and voice acting compared to the first game, adding immersion.
  • Game is relatively short, with some players finishing the base game in under 6 hours.
  • Puzzles are generally easy and sometimes feel too linear or repetitive.
  • Slow movement speed and pacing issues detract from the overall experience, with no sprint option.
  • story
    746 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in this puzzle game series is generally seen as secondary to the gameplay, with many reviewers finding it confusing, bland, or clichéd, often serving merely as a backdrop to the puzzles. While some appreciate its mystery and atmospheric elements, others criticize its forced integration, poor writing, and lack of meaningful impact on gameplay. Overall, the narrative is considered functional but not compelling, and players mainly value the game for its puzzles rather than its story.

    • “This installment takes the block-manipulation mechanics of the first game and refines them with richer storytelling, deeper puzzles, and an atmospheric sci-fi world that feels both mysterious and grounded.”
    • “As I said in my review of the director's cut, its story felt very forced and divorced from the gameplay – hell, it didn't even tie into the ending – but this game rectifies that by making it actually interesting, expanding upon the lore and ending of the first game, and making the story and dialogue tie into the game's ending, rather than just being background noise to fill in the voids between levels.”
    • “While the story of the game is basic with only a few kernels of world building and back story, it is written well enough to keep the player invested, with the audio design and voice acting mostly carrying the story on its back.”
    • “The story is boring and not memorable. I played this game a couple of years ago and forgot everything; I could tell you at least a little bit of the story of literally every other I've played.”
    • “The storytelling itself is quite obtrusive; probably 20-30% of my playtime was needless walking to get through an exposition dump or being locked out of playing the game until the exposition dump is over.”
    • “Qube 2 feels like it's cut very short, and makes zero sense if you have voices and subtitles off: you're also forced to make a choice at the end which is determined by the story, so if you don't have any clue what's going on... yeah, it's not friendly to people who don't like the story, which is a huge disappointment.”
  • gameplay
    403 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of Q.U.B.E. 2 builds on the original with refined, mostly straightforward puzzle mechanics that introduce new elements gradually to keep players engaged without overwhelming them. While puzzles are generally well-designed, satisfying, and accessible, they tend to be relatively easy and sometimes lack depth or complexity, with some players finding the variety limited and progression slow. Overall, the game offers a solid and enjoyable puzzle experience but falls short of the complexity and innovation found in genre benchmarks like Portal or The Talos Principle.

    • “The game expertly layers these mechanics over time, introducing more complexity without overwhelming the player.”
    • “80+ puzzles make up the game, and they are all very well designed, adhering to a gentle difficulty curve which starts off extremely easy, introducing the basic mechanics and the different ways they can be used in combination with each other, and later begins to introduce new secondary puzzle elements such as moving platforms, magnets, and fans, as the puzzles grow more complex.”
    • “Each element is simple to use and easy to understand, and the ingenious ways they are used to solve levels often left me with a huge grin on my face, exclaiming out loud “that’s so clever!” despite each element’s simple functionality, the roster of mechanics is gradually built up throughout the game to provide a satisfying complement of gadgets and gizmos, forming puzzles which are greater than the seemingly simple and ordinary sum of their parts.”
    • “The mechanics have very little depth to the point that adding a new mechanic every five levels is mandatory to keep the game somewhat alive, but in turn makes it feel like a full game long tutorial.”
    • “Gameplay gets stale after chapter 8 or 9 as there are no new mechanics being shown to you after that point.”
    • “The game lacks variation in its gameplay loops and is overall slow moving without a run feature.”
  • graphics
    234 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of this puzzle game are widely praised for their beautiful, polished, and atmospheric visuals, representing a significant upgrade from the first entry with stunning lighting, diverse environments, and effective use of Unreal Engine 4. While some found the art style to be sterile or repetitive, most reviews highlight that the visuals enhance immersion and complement the gameplay without overshadowing the puzzles. Overall, the game's graphic design is considered a strong point that delivers a visually pleasing experience consistent with its thematic and puzzle elements.

    • “The Unreal Engine 4 graphics look beautiful, with soft lighting and dynamic environments that evolve as you solve puzzles.”
    • “The visually stunning levels are a feast for the eyes, presented with top-notch graphics and a nice balance of sterile and luscious environments.”
    • “Qube 2 has taken every element of the original and maxed it out: the graphics and sound are simply gorgeous, and the puzzles are plentiful, original, deftly creative and very satisfying.”
    • “While I did enjoy the game somewhat, if I'd paid for it at even a sale price I would have been highly disappointed. The graphics, although very repetitive, did showcase some very cool lighting effects, but the optimization is awful, especially considering how repetitive the maps are.”
    • “The controls are also really buggy. Every time I walked into a new area the graphics would lag and without fail my character would turn 180 and start walking the opposite direction, which if it wasn't for the extremely simple level design might have made it more than a little confusing to navigate.”
    • “The visuals, while more technologically advanced, often look far less interesting than those of the original, which is especially easy to notice if you remember some of the really cool stylish level and room transitions of the original.”
  • music
    89 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is generally praised for its ambient, atmospheric qualities that complement the mysterious and somber tone, though it is often described as subtle, minimal, or occasionally forgettable. Some players appreciate the calming, immersive soundtrack and detailed sound design, while others note that the music cuts out during puzzles or feels less memorable compared to previous installments. Overall, the soundtrack effectively supports the game's atmosphere without overpowering gameplay, but its limited presence during key moments and lack of standout themes leave mixed impressions.

    • “The voice acting is solid, particularly from the two leads, and the ambient soundtrack provides a haunting, meditative backdrop that complements the game's tone beautifully.”
    • “Whether it's the voice acting or the music, the audio used throughout the game is immersive and works to build a very atmospheric experience.”
    • “The soundtrack adds to this perfectly, it's atmospheric without being distracting.”
    • “Only complaint is that the music cuts off when solving puzzles.”
    • “The soundtrack also has a smooth, understated feel to it that aids the game's mysterious charm, though the songs only play between levels for some reason.”
    • “The soundtrack didn't match the game at all.”
  • atmosphere
    65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive, mysterious, and sci-fi vibe, enhanced by high-quality visuals, sound design, and music that effectively set a somber and captivating tone. While some find the environments less intriguing than its predecessor and note occasional immersion-breaking loading pauses, the overall mood—created through art direction, voice acting, and ambient audio—is consistently regarded as a strong and atmospheric element that enriches the puzzle-solving experience.

    • “The atmosphere was very well created, flowing between tense environments and suspiciously tranquil gardens.”
    • “Whether it's the voice acting or the music, the audio used throughout the game is immersive and works to build a very atmospheric experience.”
    • “The combination of high-quality graphics and sound really add to the game's overall atmosphere and immersion.”
    • “The atmosphere and environments you explore are a huge downgrade compared to the mysterious and ever-changing complex you find yourself in in QUBE 1, which also fits much better as a location with the cube-based puzzles and contraptions around you.”
    • “The soundtrack doesn't match the atmosphere or type of game.”
    • “There is a lot of autosaving and loading (presumably because they made this game console friendly) of new areas which can hurt the immersion and the atmosphere (game pauses briefly to load new areas after most puzzles, causing the music to halt temporarily).”
  • stability
    26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game exhibits a mixed stability experience, with many users reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and crashes, particularly in the DLC and final levels, which can hinder gameplay. While some players encounter minor visual or control issues, others face game-breaking bugs and unoptimized performance. However, automatic saving helps mitigate lost progress during crashes, and a subset of players experience minimal or no stability problems.

    • “No glitches or issues.”
    • “Runs great on my mid-tier PC”
    • “60% of your time in this game is spent slowly walking, 20% is redoing ridiculous/buggy platforming that this game clearly wasn't designed to support, but insists you do anyways, and the last 20% is actually puzzle solving.”
    • “Many users have experienced Unreal Engine crashes and the developers haven't gone beyond the most basic troubleshooting, which has not worked for most.”
    • “The controls are also really buggy; every time I walked into a new area the graphics would lag and, without fail, my character would turn 180 degrees and start walking the opposite direction, which, if it wasn't for the extremely simple level design, might have made it more than a little confusing to navigate.”
  • optimization
    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Optimization reviews are mixed, with several users praising the game’s smooth performance, high frame rates, and efficient use of modern hardware, while others criticize significant performance hits, especially with raytracing enabled, occasional freezes, and lack of options to disable intensive lighting effects. Overall, the game is well-optimized for high-end and many mid-range systems but may struggle on lower-end setups or without performance tuning.

    • “Graphics and performance are nice (with RTX and DLSS).”
    • “2 is a visually stunning puzzle game, well optimized for modern platforms.”
    • “My computer easily reached the 120 fps cap in 1440p maxed out (with a GTX 1070), and I therefore get the impression that this is heavily optimized.”
    • “Turning on raytracing has a huge performance hit.”
    • “The only thing I have to complain about is the lack of optimization and the fact that there's no option to turn off the fancy lighting. Other than that, I recommend this game to anyone with a high-end device!”
    • “This game is so poorly optimized that it melts my processor and graphics card.”
  • grinding
    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in the game is frequently described as tedious and repetitive, with slow pacing and monotonous obstacles such as excessive walking and repetitive puzzle setups. While puzzles offer some variety, many players found the overall experience boring and padded with unoriginal, sluggish gameplay elements.

    • “Only after the third try I noticed that the cube moved farther than before, making me repeat its tedious setup yet again, hoping for a blessing from the physics engine.”
    • “Seemed to lack confidence in its core mechanics, eventually resorting to padding its length with tedious obstacles, like solving puzzles in the dark, or unoriginal puzzle mechanics like redirecting lasers.”
    • “2 boxes itself in with tedious gameplay and a sluggish pace.”
  • replayability
    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Replayability is consistently rated very low, with reviewers citing the lack of additional content, secret challenges, or alternate story choices. Once the puzzles are completed and the game finished, there is little incentive or opportunity to replay, resulting in minimal long-term engagement.

    • “Replay value mainly comes from speed running the game to explore alternate pathways and endings, providing some incentive to replay.”
    • “Replayability is limited since there are no additional levels or secret challenges, but you can replay puzzles or achieve different endings by redoing the last chapter.”
    • “The game features two endings that encourage at least a partial replay to experience different outcomes, adding some replay value.”
    • “Limited replay value once puzzles are solved.”
    • “The game does not reintroduce the first game's time trial mode, nor does the campaign contain many secret challenges, leaving little replay value.”
    • “There's no replayability due to the total lack of any content creation tools.”
  • humor
    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in this puzzle game is widely noted as lacking compared to Portal, with many reviewers finding the dialogue and storytelling overly serious or unfunny. While the puzzles and design receive praise, the game misses the witty and engaging humor, voice acting, and charm that made Portal memorable. Some unintentional or odd lines provide brief amusement, but overall, the humor is minimal or absent.

    • “There are occasional moments of odd phrasing, the subtitles frequently differ from the audible dialogue, and some lines are even unintentionally funny, such as Amelia’s awestruck reaction to the advanced futuristic technology of a giant electric fan.”
    • “Even more hilarious, I couldn't understand half of what the AI was saying due to the filters they put on the voice.”
    • “Needs more funny voices.”
  • emotional
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game evokes mixed emotional responses, with some players appreciating the heartfelt and gripping story conveyed through the main character's emotional dialogue, while others find the narrative predictable and the protagonist irritating. The puzzles provide satisfying moments without frustration, maintaining engagement, but slow pacing and occasional technical issues sometimes detract from the overall emotional experience.

    • “Without spoiling the story – the main character only speaks between chambers, and does so in a quite emotional way.”
    • “You move from room to room solving puzzles with some fun twists, all while experiencing a heartfelt and gripping story.”
    • “The puzzles never made me feel frustrated or as if they’d overstayed their welcome, but they were sufficiently interesting to keep me engaged and feeling satisfied with myself for solving them as I progressed through the game at a good pace.”
    • “A surprisingly easy and short first-person puzzle game with non-frustrating and straightforward gameplay, but it suffers from a boring story and bland world design.”
    • “Very linear, slow-paced gameplay combined with a fairly boring story and a predictable ending.”
  • character development
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development is inconsistent, with some character reactions feeling illogical and key background details lacking impact. While the story is engaging, the progression of character growth, particularly early on, appears rushed.

    • “The reaction of the main character to the communications with other characters makes no sense, and background information is often dropped without any consequence or character development. For example, how does the character’s love interest, and her pregnancy, contribute to the narrative?”
    • “The story is compelling, although I had the feeling the character development happens a little fast, especially in the beginning.”
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74%Critics’ scoreBased on 24 critic reviews
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6h Median play time
13h Average play time
5-8h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 22 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Q.U.B.E. 2 is a platformer game with science fiction theme.

Q.U.B.E. 2 is available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and others.

On average players spend around 13 hours playing Q.U.B.E. 2.

Q.U.B.E. 2 was released on March 13, 2018.

Q.U.B.E. 2 was developed by Toxic Games.

Q.U.B.E. 2 has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked Q.U.B.E. 2 for its story but disliked it for its stability.

Q.U.B.E. 2 is a single player game.

Similar games include Q.U.B.E: Director's Cut, The Turing Test, The Entropy Centre, Viewfinder, Lightmatter and others.