Indie developers have been extremely creative lately when it comes to the Wii U. It seems there is no limit to the amount of imagination developers have while they produce innovative games for Nintendo’s latest home console. The indie company, 3 Sprockets from Melbourne, Australia, developed a sequel to Cubemen and this time around the customization is endless. Cubemen 2, published by Nnooo, for the Wii U is a 3D strategy game for those who are looking for a test of brain power.
At first glance, Cubemen 2 looks to be a Minecraft-like game. They both use the popular block design for territories and characters. After taking a longer look at the screenshots and trailer, the fog lifts and a customizable game of pixel warfare stares back at you through blocky eyes.
Being able to swap out the design of the level allows the individual player to take full control of their visual experience within the game. 3 Sprockets allows the player to change the background song too! Since the level structure is against a plain-colored background and the only shape is a cube, the aesthetic options ensure every players’ experience of Cubemen 2 is unique.
By changing my level pattern to the Medieval set and using the ninja skin for my cubemen, I set up my own story of rabid pink-clothed ninja’s fighting off an enemy invader. The beauty of this simplistic looking game is imagining and creating your own battles. Having twenty skins for my units of cubemen, a player can make spacemen fight in ancient Egypt or have green shirted cowboys fight in a digital city.
As much as the level patterns and unit skins have an impact on the visual aspect of Cubemen 2, it is the strategy that takes the stage of this production. Building a level with floating terrain, teleports and health stations is a fun way to dream up a gruesome battleground. Playing against AI is the best way to practice and plan out battles before playing with real players. You must position your men quickly since enemies can destroy your tower in the span of three minutes. There is a limit to how many which cubemen you use. The only way to use a cubeman is by purchasing one with in-game currency: cubes. Each new level gives you a limited number of cubes and the only way to earn more cubes is by blowing up opposing cubemen.
Unfortunately, there is a disappointment with the unit skins. With twenty alternate options, not a single one is a female version. Technically the ninja, mummy and spaceman could be females but a pirate girl or a princess would be a nice welcome. Besides the lack of female skins, there is no reason to keep the TV set on since the entire game can be played from the GamePad. Having the same exact image on both screens is not necessary for Cubemen 2 because everything happens on the touchpad. Using the stylus you move specific units to their positions and you can design your own level by dropping blocks on the grid. The television screen could show different angles of the level while fighting or have close ups of units battling.
Using the complexity of chess and mixing it up with a new board and pieces, 3 Sprockets have improved upon their first Cubmen game. With seven various game modes, there is never ending strategy battles for the strong hearted. Cubemen 2 is also avaliable through Steam for Mac, Windows and Linux in addition to iOS devices. Cross-platform play is a plus for those who want to battle their friends without using the same systems. Being only $7.99 in the U.S., it is worth the money and time to play for those who love strategy.
Cubemen 2
Pros
- Customizable Options
- Challenging Strategy
- Ability to Create Levels
Cons
- No Female Skins
- Plain Background
- No Use for TV Screen
