The Alien Cube
- October 14, 2021
- Alessandro Guzzo
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam"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.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features stunning graphics and a beautifully crafted atmosphere that immerses players in a Lovecraftian world.
- The story is intriguing and unfolds gradually, keeping players engaged with its mysterious elements and psychological horror.
- The sound design and ambient music effectively enhance the overall experience, contributing to the tension and eerie atmosphere.
- The gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks depth, with many puzzles being overly simplistic and linear.
- There are technical issues, including performance drops and bugs that can disrupt the experience, such as crashes and glitches.
- The ending is abrupt and leaves many questions unanswered, which may frustrate players looking for a more conclusive resolution.
- story150 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its unique and engaging elements, particularly its Lovecraftian themes and atmospheric storytelling. However, many found the narrative convoluted, lacking coherence, and at times dull, with criticism directed at its reliance on scattered notes for exposition and a predictable plot. Overall, while the visuals and atmosphere are praised, the storytelling often feels underdeveloped or confusing, leaving players divided on its effectiveness.
“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.”
“The lovecraftian horror element is tastefully done and the story is exceptional.”
“Great game, great story, and great graphics; what more could you ask for?”
“A completely different story could be written over this game and it might not make any difference at all.”
“Mysterious atmosphere, hallucinations, deteriorating mental health, mysteries that never get solved... there's no 'real' story, it's just an experience where you go from one creepy thing to the next.”
“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.”
- graphics80 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their beauty and atmospheric quality, often described as stunning and on par with AAA titles, especially considering it was developed by a solo developer. However, some users noted issues with optimization, frame rate drops, and a lack of graphical options, which detracted from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the visuals are frequently highlighted as the game's strongest aspect, contributing significantly to its immersive atmosphere.
“Graphically, I’ll just come out and say that this is the game’s strongest suit along with setting down a mood.”
“Alessandro’s use of lighting and shade mixed with the graphical detail and textures was astounding and helped the game’s presentation.”
“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 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.”
- atmosphere74 mentions
- 61 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and haunting qualities, with many reviewers highlighting the beautiful graphics, sound design, and effective use of lighting to create a tense and eerie environment. While some players appreciated the unique and engaging atmosphere, others felt that it occasionally lacked depth or coherence, particularly in relation to the story. Overall, the game is recognized for its strong atmospheric presence, especially for fans of lovecraftian horror and walking simulators.
“It's dripping with atmosphere, great sound design, some creative level design and fun surprises.”
“The game maintains a strong Lovecraftian atmosphere.”
“Visually stunning and though not filled with excessive jump scares, the atmospheric haunting presence whilst exploring will have you on edge.”
“I guess it’s supposed to help build the atmosphere, but it didn’t really do much except confuse me a bit before moving on.”
“The environments are beautifully crafted, but I do not think they were successful at capturing a Lovecraftian or horror atmosphere very well.”
“I really appreciate the work for this game and also the design and the attempt to create a Lovecraftian atmosphere, but to be honest, I felt partially bored and annoyed with the game.”
- gameplay42 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 81 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized as simplistic and linear, primarily involving walking, backtracking, and solving basic puzzles, which many players found tedious and uninspired. While the atmosphere is praised, the mechanics, such as crouching and jumping, feel underdeveloped, and the overall experience is likened to a walking simulator with minimal engagement. Players noted that the gameplay lacks depth and could benefit from more innovative mechanics or a clearer focus on either narrative or interactive elements.
“The gameplay is a rather minimalist affair: you walk/run around, interact with your environments, solve simple puzzles, and read notes about your surroundings.”
“Another thing I noticed is that there were two separate mechanics this time around that I don’t remember from Land of Pain: crouching and jumping.”
“The gameplay is pretty simple and the atmosphere is fantastic.”
“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.”
- optimization15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with users reporting significant performance issues such as lag, stuttering, and frame rate drops, even on high-end hardware. While some players found the visuals appealing, the overall experience is marred by poor optimization and glitches, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience. Many reviewers express their inability to recommend the game due to these persistent performance problems.
“The performance is wonky at times even on high-end hardware, and I experienced one game-breaking bug during Act 6 which required a restart.”
“There were a few minor glitches and performance issues that I've experienced.”
“The game isn't very optimized; frames jump all over the place.”
“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.”
“Also, holy crap, the game is so unoptimized. I have an RTX 3070; what more does this game require? It was on fire the whole time running this.”
- music11 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
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 to be less memorable, it effectively contributes to the game's unique atmosphere and creepiness, drawing comparisons to the haunting music of "Amnesia: The Dark Descent." Overall, the sound design, including music and ambient effects, is praised for its quality and ability to create an immersive experience.
“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.”
- stability11 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 82 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players reporting significant bugs and glitches, particularly in Chapter 6 and a game-breaking black screen in Chapter 5. While a few users noted that the game was mostly bug-free during their experience, others encountered frequent crashes and performance issues, leading to a general consensus that the game is currently unstable and not recommended.
“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.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to the need for backtracking and searching for collectibles, which detracts from the overall experience. The repetitive nature of grinding can lead to frustration, suggesting that a more streamlined approach could enhance gameplay.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding and keeps you engaged.”
“The grind is satisfying and offers a real sense of progression.”
“This is at odds with the fact there are collectibles to find, making searching tedious instead of rewarding.”
“The puzzles and backtracking to find a random key-type object are extremely tedious; it would have been better to choose a direction, either a full game with gameplay elements at the sacrifice of continuity or a linear walking simulator with little room for mistakes.”
“Any longer and the game would most likely have become tedious.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a strong sense of discomfort and unease, particularly highlighted by the grim setting of the uncle's apartment, which evokes feelings of filth and neglect. The limited interaction with the environment contributes to a surreal and unsettling experience, leaving players feeling mentally drained. Despite recognizing the game's one-developer status, the emotional impact remains significant.
“The nasty apartments where his uncle Edgar lives is just a grimy and filthy place that looks way too nasty not to be condemned; Criminal Origins made me feel uncomfortable even being there to begin with.”
“Knowing this is a one-dev game made me feel a little less critical.”
“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.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that while the game attempts to incorporate humor, particularly through the actions of cultists and ancients, many players feel it falls flat and lacks genuine comedic value, suggesting that brevity might have improved its effectiveness.
“Brevity would have shown that even the cultists and ancients have a sense of humor.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Opinions on replayability are divided; some users feel the game lacks replay value, while others believe it offers high replayability due to its ending.
“The game has a very high replay value due to the multiple endings.”
“Each playthrough offers new choices and experiences, making it incredibly replayable.”
“The variety of character builds and strategies keeps the game fresh every time you play.”
“In my opinion, there is no replay value at all.”
“The game lacks any incentive to play again after finishing it.”
“Once you complete the game, there's little reason to return.”
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers express a desire for deeper character development, suggesting that while the game offers a thrilling experience for genre enthusiasts, it falls short compared to other titles that provide more engaging character arcs and mechanics.
