THE CUBE, SAVE US

About

THE CUBE, SAVE US is a single player and multiplayer survival hack and slash game with a post-apocalyptic theme. It was developed by XLGAMES and was released on March 17, 2026. It received negative reviews from players.

The Cube, Save Us is an action-packed, close-combat extraction game set in a post-apocalyptic world. Pass each of the cube gates that presents its own surroundings and monsters. Survive the mutants and fellow raiders in close combat and come out on top by escaping the cube.

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32%

Audience ScoreBased on 314 reviews

graphics11 positive mentions

optimization13 negative mentions

The game has a unique and interesting core concept with shifting cube-shaped environments that create unpredictable and tense exploration and combat scenarios.
Visual and character design is generally praised, with high-quality graphics and artistic environments that contribute to immersive atmosphere.
The gameplay loop is addictive for some, especially the extraction mechanics combined with melee combat, offering quick and intense matches suitable for casual play.

Combat system is widely criticized as clunky, sluggish, and lacking depth, with poor responsiveness and missing mechanics like blocking or parrying.
Technical issues severely impact experience, including poor optimization, frequent crashes, laggy servers, matchmaking problems, desynchronization, and hacking/cheating prevalence.
The game suffers from lack of polish and content depth: repetitive and bland gameplay, minimal tutorial or guidance, unbalanced economy, frustrating UI, pay-to-win elements, and insufficient meaningful progression, especially in PvE.

gameplay
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
64%
18%
The gameplay features a core extraction-style loop involving scavenging, combat, and survival mechanics that some find promising and engaging, especially once understood. However, many players criticize the combat as clunky, repetitive, and unsatisfying, with poor animations, unresponsive controls, and lack of depth, resulting in a gameplay experience that feels flat and quickly dull. The game also suffers from unclear tutorials and balance issues, limiting its appeal despite its unique shifting environments and visual style.
- “The core gameplay loop is solid, the visual style is distinct, and the survival mechanics are engaging from the get-go.”
- “The core gameplay loop follows the now-familiar extraction format: players enter a hostile zone, scavenge for resources, engage with enemies, and attempt to escape with their loot intact.”
- “The shifting areas keep gameplay unpredictable.”
- “The gameplay is flat and dull, and that's literally the core of the game.”
- “Absolutely abysmal combat and gameplay loop.”
- “The combat feels stiff and unresponsive, the world is bland and lifeless, and the core gameplay loop is abysmal.”
optimization
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
61%
32%
Optimization is a major concern, with many users reporting poor performance, inconsistent frame rates, crashes, and lag, particularly in crowded areas or on older hardware. While some players experience stable and smooth gameplay on high-end systems, overall optimization remains inconsistent and in need of significant improvement to ensure a smoother and more polished experience across a wider range of setups.
- “I haven't experienced any of the performance issues that other reviewers are complaining about. It runs fine for me (7800x3d/4070ti), and the matchmaking is usually pretty quick.”
- “Performance-wise, I didn’t run into any optimization issues at all, which was a nice surprise.”
- “I saw people talking about performance, but the game runs well for me (ultra settings, ultra performance mode, steady 144 fps).”
- “Starts game in 4k and the highest possible settings with the once again worst optimization I have ever seen.”
- “Running an RTX 3070ti and DLSS on performance mode, the game runs terribly, especially in the main world/lobby where the game puts way too many players around you, which absolutely kills your frames.”
- “Bad optimization can't even get consistent 60 fps with optimal settings, and it's just not polished like the gameplay, UI, and everything.”
graphics
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
48%
11%
The game's graphics receive generally positive remarks for their quality and art style, with several reviewers calling them solid, nice, or even stunning. However, some note optimization issues such as frame rate drops and occasional jankiness. Overall, while visuals are a strong point, technical performance and gameplay feel often detract from the experience.
- “[11/10] graphics - holy crap this game is gorgeous.”
- “The graphics are stunning, and the various types of weapons keep the game interesting.”
- “Graphically, despite what some may say, I really like this art style, even though there is clearly an optimization problem.”
- “The graphics and surface details need significant improvement.”
- “The game is just bad: the zombies have too much health, the combat is trash, the graphics are mid, and the game loop is stupidly long. You have to go on a zone but it takes forever to finish a fight with just one zombie, and after 3 minutes you die because the time runs out. Also, I have 40% less FPS with the same settings as other games.”
- “The only thing this game does right is the graphics.”
story
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
70%
13%
The story element is largely seen as underdeveloped, with intriguing hints and world-building but lacking a cohesive, engaging narrative or cinematic presentation. Quests are plentiful and varied, yet often feel generic, grindy, and poorly integrated, with limited tracking and minimal immersion due to weak NPC interactions and story context. Players suggest improvements such as better quest accessibility in single-player, more meaningful story hooks, and enhanced quest design to maintain engagement.
- “I like how each run tells its own small story.”
- “The quests are fruitful and numerous, there is vendor rep to grind, gear to find, cash to farm.”
- “The world-building here hints at a larger narrative, with fragments of lore suggesting the origins and impact of the cube, but much of the story remains abstract and loosely defined.”
- “There’s no story at all, nothing to keep you engaged or interested.”
- “It lacks a story or something to hook you to the game.”
- “If the cube wants to stand out and keep up with the quality of other extractions, they need to keep players engaged; I think it should start by implementing a stronger, and more noticeable story.”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is widely described as tedious and overly time-consuming, with players needing to gather vast amounts of low-value materials for minimal rewards. Inventory management and random dungeon layouts add complexity, while hackers and forced seasonal resets further frustrate progression. Despite some enjoyment in short sessions, the grind-heavy nature and frequent crashes significantly detract from long-term engagement.
- “It makes trying to do anything extremely tedious.”
- “This game crashes way too much and progression is way too grindy for it to be a wipe every season.”
- “That's like 4 weeks of grinding for a single weapon if you're lucky, I mean full-day grinding.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The atmosphere is consistently praised for being dark, immersive, and tense, effectively creating a gripping and edge-of-your-seat experience. It stands out as a strong element that complements the game's theme despite technical and design issues.
- “The atmosphere is dark and immersive.”
- “The atmosphere is surprisingly strong.”
- “Verdict: a promising PC action-survival title with a gripping atmosphere, currently held back by severe technical instability and design imbalances.”
- “The atmosphere stands out as well; the environments feel deliberately designed to keep you slightly on edge, which fits the theme nicely.”
- “The atmosphere is tense.”
monetization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The monetization in this game is widely criticized as overly aggressive and greedy, with a heavy focus on microtransactions like skins and battle passes rather than improving gameplay. Many players feel the developers prioritize revenue over addressing core issues such as gameplay balance and cheating. Overall, the monetization approach contributes to a negative perception of the game's priorities.
- “The idea to explore shifting landscapes is a great concept but the combat is clunky, the controls are awful, unbalanced gameplay, cheaters everywhere with no way to report them, big focus on oversexualization and monetization (but not very surprised coming from Korean).”
- “I give it the 'come back in 6 months' stamp of approval because if the devs haven't done anything to it but fluff up the microtransactions, then you will have a general idea of how intelligent they believe you are.”
- “In my opinion, this game is just a cash grab and they aren't really worried about getting things right with their playerbase.”
- “However, the monetization feels even greedier, and the hacker situation has only gotten worse.”
- “Instead of concentrating on gameplay optimization and PvP movement, they’ve already added skins and a battle pass. This game is just another cash grab.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The music in the game effectively builds tension, especially during intense moments like character death or enemy cloaking. However, the player hub lacks music and feels empty, detracting from the atmosphere. Overall, while the soundtrack can enhance certain scenes, the absence of consistent music and other technical issues contribute to a less engaging experience.
- “Soundtrack builds tension.”
- “I love PvE; I heard a song when my character is dying, similar to Dead by Daylight, especially when the wraith is using the bell to cloak and uncloak.”
- “The combat is very dull and boring, the game feels extremely unfinished. The player hub/town or whatever is empty, no music, just the sound of wind. Game crashes, fps stutters, and it gets boring very fast due to the boring combat.”
- “Also, considering I love PvE, I heard a song when my character is dying, like in Dead by Daylight. Same when the wraith is using the bell to cloak and uncloak.”
- “Xlgames, Jake Song would be mortified.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from frequent bugs, inconsistent frame rates, and optimization issues that disrupt immersion and highlight its unfinished state. Combat mechanics remain notably buggy, impacting overall stability.
- “Second looks like PUBG character on Cyberpunk 2026 in a desert. I mean, it's cool but there are a lot of bugs in this game.”
- “Issues such as inconsistent frame rates, optimization problems, and occasional visual glitches can detract from the immersion, highlighting the game’s unfinished state.”
- “The combat is just as broken and buggy as it was before.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
Character development is criticized for its lack of originality, with multiple recolors of the same outfit rather than unique designs, despite praise for the overall world and character aesthetics.
- “It makes up for a beautiful world and character design.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game emerges mainly from the chaotic and amusing multiplayer chases, adding fun to the squad experience, though the game lacks the depth to deliver a genuine melee combat feel.
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users feel that the abundant protected storage creates an emotional connection, making the system feel like a source of comfort and support.