Skip to main content

About

"The Alien Cube" is a Lovecraftian first-person horror adventure, following the character Arthur who experiences disturbing visions after his uncle's disappearance. As you delve deeper into the mystery, you uncover a dark and occult reality, with the strange cube-shaped artifact at the center of it all. The game takes you on a journey through nightmarish events, testing your survival skills in a world full of terror and uncertainty.

The Alien Cube screenshot
The Alien Cube screenshot
The Alien Cube screenshot
The Alien Cube screenshot
The Alien Cube screenshot
The Alien Cube screenshot
The Alien Cube screenshot
The Alien Cube screenshot
The Alien Cube screenshot
The Alien Cube screenshot
The Alien Cube screenshot
+4

81%
Audience ScoreBased on 258 reviews
story59 positive mentions
optimization7 negative mentions

  • The game features stunning graphics and a beautifully crafted atmosphere that immerses players in a Lovecraftian world.
  • The story is intriguing and keeps players engaged, with a good balance of tension and mystery throughout the gameplay.
  • The game successfully creates a sense of dread and unease without relying heavily on jump scares, making for a more psychological horror experience.
  • The gameplay can feel tedious at times, with some players finding the pacing slow and the lack of meaningful interaction with the environment frustrating.
  • There are several bugs and performance issues, including crashes and glitches that can disrupt the experience.
  • The ending is abrupt and leaves many questions unanswered, which may disappoint players looking for a more conclusive resolution.
  • story
    164 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story, while rooted in Lovecraftian themes, receives mixed reviews from players. Many appreciate its atmospheric and intriguing elements, but criticize it for being convoluted, predictable, or lacking depth, often relying on scattered notes for narrative progression. Overall, while some find the story engaging and well-integrated with the game's visuals, others feel it falls short of expectations, describing it as generic or poorly executed.

    • “Great cosmic horror theme, the story was amazing.”
    • “The story was mysterious enough to keep me engaged to the very end to see 'the truth' and faults aside I enjoyed playing through it.”
    • “An intriguing lovecraftian story to experience with fantastic photo-realistic environments to explore.”
    • “Unfortunately, the story falls a bit short; the developer didn't manage to seamlessly weave Lovecraft's detailed explanations into the narrative.”
    • “The story is the only reason to play this game, and even that is bland and stuffed to the brim with recycled tropes.”
    • “The entire game feels like it has been stitched together from random environments, and whilst graphically pleasing, the 'story' joining these environments is paper thin and not particularly interesting.”
  • graphics
    89 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning visuals, masterful use of lighting, and atmospheric detail, contributing significantly to the overall experience. Many players noted the impressive variety of environments and the high-quality textures, often comparing them favorably to AAA titles, despite some criticism regarding optimization and frame rate issues. Overall, the visuals are considered the game's strongest aspect, enhancing the eerie and immersive atmosphere, although some players felt that the graphical options were limited.

    • “This game is a decent experience if you want a small taste of cosmic horror, and really displays a masterful use of lighting and ambience to set a tense mood and creepy atmosphere, with some parts having some seriously stunning and riveting visuals.”
    • “The graphics were beyond beautiful and it was my perfect level of exploration/puzzle difficulty.”
    • “The graphics are astounding, and the storyline is like a winding staircase that never ends, (in other words it's amazing).”
    • “Graphical options are very sorely lacking, and on top of it being very poorly optimized, it makes for an overall laggy experience.”
    • “Graphic-wise, it's pretty on the eyes, but there are sections where it's a pain to see where you are going.”
    • “The game developer wrote that many of the graphic effects like lens flare, grain, head bob, motion blur, etc. are 'coded in the game,' so you can't change them to alleviate these issues.”
  • atmosphere
    84 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its stunning visuals, effective sound design, and immersive environments that evoke a strong sense of cosmic horror and tension. Many reviewers highlight the successful use of lighting and ambience to create a creepy, engaging experience, although some note that certain gameplay elements can detract from the overall immersion. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, making it particularly appealing to fans of atmospheric and psychological horror.

    • “This game is a decent experience if you want a small taste of cosmic horror, and really displays a masterful use of lighting and ambience to set a tense mood and creepy atmosphere, with some parts having some seriously stunning and/or riveting visuals.”
    • “It's dripping with atmosphere, great sound design, some creative level design and fun surprises.”
    • “Visually stunning and though not filled with excessive jump scares, the atmospheric haunting presence whilst exploring will have you on edge.”
    • “The environments are beautifully crafted, but I do not think they were successful at capturing a Lovecraftian or horror atmosphere very well.”
    • “Some odd story choices and seemingly random jumps from place to place, but can be forgiven as the overall sinister atmosphere is done really well and maintained throughout.”
    • “Also, the chasing enemies fail to scare and destroy the creepy atmosphere in my opinion.”
  • gameplay
    49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it overly simplistic and linear, often feeling like a chore rather than an engaging experience. While some appreciate the atmospheric elements and minimalistic mechanics, others criticize the lack of depth, tedious backtracking, and poorly executed chase sequences. Overall, the gameplay serves primarily as a vehicle for the story, which may appeal to fans of the genre but leaves much to be desired in terms of interactivity and challenge.

    • “The gameplay is pretty simple and the atmosphere is fantastic.”
    • “Not only is the presentation superior and highly polished, but the gameplay in particular shed a lot of the early awkwardness and frustration with large open areas and annoying chases.”
    • “I liked the simple mechanics and ways of figuring our way out.”
    • “The gameplay consists of moving slowly and finding some type of key to unlock some type of door, tons of backtracking, the occasional jumpscare in the form of a vision or brief chase sequence.”
    • “Lazy chase scenes and broken mechanics drag out the gameplay, and punish the player for no fault of their own.”
    • “The gameplay, however, is not great even for a walking sim unfortunately; it's uninspired honestly.”
  • optimization
    16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues such as framerate drops into the teens, frequent crashes, and stuttering, regardless of graphical settings. While some users found the visuals appealing and performance acceptable at times, the overall consensus is that the game is poorly optimized, leading to a frustrating experience. Minor glitches and game-breaking bugs further exacerbate the optimization problems, making it difficult for many to recommend the game.

    • “Interestingly, there wasn't really much difference between low, medium, and high settings, neither in performance nor in visual fidelity.”
    • “Performance is acceptable for the looks.”
    • “There were a few minor glitches and performance issues that I've experienced.”
    • “Also on top of everything, I had terrible performance in this game: framerates regularly dropping into the teens and even single digits, as well as probably about a half dozen crashes throughout the 4.4 hours I played it.”
    • “Graphical options are very sorely lacking, and on top of it being very poorly optimized, it makes for an overall laggy experience.”
    • “The optimization is bad.”
  • music
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is characterized by atmospheric and eerie compositions, including slower mood pieces, horror stingers, and Gregorian chants that enhance the Lovecraftian vibe. While some players find the soundtrack effective in creating a creepy ambiance reminiscent of titles like "Amnesia: The Dark Descent," others note a lack of memorable pieces and limited sound customization options. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's unique atmosphere, despite not being universally praised for its memorability.

    • “This has not only fantastic graphics and an atmospheric soundtrack in it, but also real horror.”
    • “It's beautifully rendered and directed, with superb ambient music, sound effects, and a bit of voice acting.”
    • “The music was very atmospheric and creepy, and sometimes it reminded me a little bit of the fantastically eerie and haunting soundtrack for 'Amnesia: The Dark Descent.'”
    • “Most of the music consists of slower mood pieces, horror stingers, and strange Gregorian chants which, while always providing a decent Lovecraft vibe, doesn’t really accentuate any memorable pieces. I guess it doesn’t really need to beyond the strange shouts and whimpers.”
    • “For example, there is only one setting for sound; you can't set different volumes for music, ambient sounds, speech, etc.”
    • “I can't say it actually scared me (the only game that ever did was Outlast), but the leveled-up eeriness of the soundtrack succeeded in creeping me out more than once.”
  • stability
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The stability of the game is mixed, with some users reporting significant bugs and glitches, particularly in Chapter 6 and a game-breaking black screen in Chapter 5. While many players found the game mostly bug-free during their experience, others encountered frequent crashes and performance issues, leading to a lack of recommendation from some reviewers. Overall, the game's stability appears to vary, with a few serious issues detracting from the experience.

    • “I do recommend this game, but only because it was cheap, looks good, and was mostly bug-free for the entire gameplay, apart from a single game-breaking black screen on chapter 5 that can be solved by restarting the game.”
    • “- mostly bug-free (at least serious ones) for most of the gameplay”
    • “Chapter 6 is buggy (note: there are 8 chapters).”
    • “I got all 8, but this buggy game chose to only unlock... 2.”
    • “But it freeze-crashes the moment I try to make any movement with the character; WASD keys, jump, crouch, etc. instantly freeze/crash the game.”
  • grinding
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unfulfilling, often feeling that it detracts from the overall experience. The need for backtracking and searching for collectibles is seen as frustrating rather than rewarding, leading to a desire for a more streamlined gameplay approach. Overall, the grinding can become overwhelming, risking player engagement if prolonged.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Just becomes tedious trying to get past this and doesn't achieve anything.”
    • “This is at odds with the fact there are collectibles to find, making searching tedious instead of rewarding.”
    • “That, and the puzzles and backtracking to find a random key-type object are extremely tedious. It would almost have been better to pick a side: either a full-on game with some kind of gameplay elements at the sacrifice of continuity, or a fully linear experience type walking simulator where there is little or no room for needing to restart or go in the wrong direction.”
  • emotional
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players report a strong emotional impact from the game, with vivid imagery that evokes Lovecraftian themes and a sense of discomfort in its grim environments. The experience is intensified by the game's one-developer background, which adds a layer of appreciation despite its limitations in world interaction. Overall, the game successfully immerses players in a haunting atmosphere that resonates deeply.

    • “Playing this made me feel like I could envision Lovecraft's writing as an experience through this game; it blew my mind.”
    • “I think the lack of interaction with the world made me feel as if an ancient one was taking ice cream scoops out of my brain.”
    • “Knowing this is a one-dev game made me feel a little less critical.”
  • humor
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is perceived as lacking, with players noting that attempts at comedic elements, such as the inclusion of 'secrets' and quirky actions, often fall flat and serve little purpose in gameplay or story. Additionally, frustrations with bugs that erase progress detract from any potential enjoyment of the humor.

    • “Brevity would have shown that even the cultists/ancients have a sense of humor.”
  • replayability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's replayability is polarizing; some users feel it lacks any replay value, while others believe it offers high replayability due to its impactful ending.

    • “The game has a very high replay value because of how the story ends.”
    • “Each playthrough offers new choices and experiences, making it incredibly replayable.”
    • “With multiple endings and varied character paths, this game keeps you coming back for more.”
    • “In my opinion, there is no replay value at all.”
    • “I found the game lacks any incentive to play again.”
    • “Once you finish it, there's really nothing that draws you back.”
  • character development
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviewers express a desire for deeper character development, suggesting that while the game offers enjoyable spooks for genre enthusiasts, it falls short compared to other titles that provide more engaging character arcs and mechanics.

Buy The Alien Cube

4h Median play time
4h Average play time
4-5h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Games Like The Alien Cube

Moons of Madness Image
This game contains adult content
The Land of Pain Image
This game contains adult content
The Shore Image
This game contains adult content
The Beast Inside Image
This game contains adult content
The Medium Image
This game contains adult content
Conarium Image
Layers of Fear 2 Image
This game contains adult content
Close to the Sun Image
This game contains adult content
Still Wakes the Deep Image
This game contains adult content
Lust for Darkness ImageLust for Darkness ImageLust for Darkness Image
This game contains adult content