Review: CubeTractor

Cubetractor is a neo-retroesque action-strategy-puzzle hybrid where you defeat enemies through an unconventional cube-pulling, turret-buildling mechanic. The game carries elements of a reverse tower defence and a grounded bullet-hell dodger to deliver a unique gameplay experience presented in a classic top-down perspective.

Pros:

•  Retro pixel 8-Bit graphics that are both detailed and bright and colorful.
• Saves from the demo carry over to the full game.
• Unique gameplay mechanic, Pull blocks to kills enemies, Pull blocks to together to form new structures such as guns or blockades. So yeah in short pull things around to do good and bad things.
• Game world is displayed as a world map with new levels completed, more levels unlock. Think Super Mario 3 map navigation and your there.
• Full 360 pad support straight out of the……errr download.
• Complete levels and get a rank from bronze all the way upto master. Rank is based on collectibles collected, hits and time taken.
• Game has an ongoing tutorial that consists of doing a few tutorials, usually learning a new technique. Upon completing these you then take an examination that unlocks a lot more levels.
• Upon selecting a level you will be greeted with a screen showing a list of enemies you will encounter, Any combinations of blocks you can make into structures and a brief description of each. Re playing a level will also bring up a part showing your best score so far and how far you are to the next rank.
• The game is fun to play and frustrating at the same time. For once you have mastered the art of “Pulling” you are then thrust into a world where it soon escalates into a simple looking but complicated puzzle.
• No level ever feels the same and all levels can be beaten in a variety of ways.
• Has the full “Just one more go” ethos.
• Due to the world map being how it is, You never have to be stuck on a particular level, Just simply pick a different unlocked one and carry on.
• With so many levels to unlock all increasing in difficulty, not to mention rank runs, You will easily get 15+ hours out of this title.
• Controls are minimal and easy to use. Only using a few buttons for your pulling exploits, the true control comes from eye co ordination and puzzle solving technique.
• Later levels can get eye meltingly fast and when you finish a particular tough level, Air fist pumps are the norm.
• The game has a story in that a characters will swap dialogue with each other and it very humorous.

Cons:

• Steep learning curve, More to do with the new way of playing the game. And getting to grips with how much speed and precision you need.
• Slight button lag with the pad which causes real issues later in the game when precise actions are needed.
• Game can suffer from difficulty spikes.
• Game over or retries are harsh as you will always start with the same amount of health you originally started with.

In summary, This is a great game that brings gamer’s a new way of playing games. Get acquainted with the style of play and knuckle down for a fast paced puzzle pulling fest. One of the hardest things is fighting the urge to crack a load of pulling jokes whilst writing this. The game in all seriousness is a great game and will rack your brains and having you screaming at the screen, But then it will also have you twitching a sly grin as you beat levels.