Remember the GameCube? It’s the console that had so many hits under its belt like “Super Smash Bros. Melee,” “Viewtiful Joe” and “Luigi’s Mansion” to name a few. However, there are many interesting and unique games that flew under the radar for this beloved console and “Cubivore: Survival of the Fittest” is definitely one of them.
Developed by Saru Brunei, Marigul Management and Intelligent systems, “Cubivore” is one of the strangest and rarest video games developed for the GameCube. With its experimental game play and visual choices, it proves to be as weird as it is fun. “Cubivore” also looks nice and the way the developers executed it is pleasing to the eyes.
As one would expect from a title like “Cubivore”, the motto for the core design of everything you encounter is, “Make that a cube.” The sun is a cube, you are a cube, your limbs are flat squares, and the enemies are cubic. Some gamers might point to a high selling video game based off of mining and crafting as the inspiration for the design of “Cubivore,” but this game came out in 2002, so that would be an incorrect assumption.
In “Cubivore,” you start as a pig, flopping around on one limb attached to your cube head. You learn an interesting mechanic to change the way your limb is positioned and eventually you unlock more limbs to create stranger forms. One form, can have you walking as if the squares at your sides were legs. Another form can have your legs awkwardly hang near the top of you, giving you a different walk cycle. These forms aren’t just for show, but actually serve to alter your stats positively or negatively.
How does the player change forms? By eating the competition, naturally. You can drain the health of an enemy in order to stun them, and bite their limb off. If all of your limbs are the same color or shade, you will be able to mutate with new stats. Much of the surprisingly complex strategy involves deciding which enemies to munch on or not. In my first few hours of play-time I didn’t even know how I was mutating. It’s very fun to see what the next mutation will look like and how it will affect your game play, though.
Nowadays, if you want to get your hands on this special game, it will cost you around $260 on Amazon and that doesn’t include shipping, handling and tax. Now, “Cubivore: Survival of the Fittest” is really good, and assuming we were in a reality where it wasn’t rare and was around the $40-$45 range, I would highly recommend it! A 9 out of 10 if it was that price. But I can’t in good conscience advise spending two Ben Franklins and three Andrew Jacksons for this one.
Categories: Art & Life, TV Reviews
