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1440440cookie-checkWarcube Review: A Cube Sized Game That Packs A Big Punch
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2017/01

Warcube Review: A Cube Sized Game That Packs A Big Punch

I was recently given a key to play and share my thoughts on Haven Made’s Warcube, and If you are looking for a cube-sized war game sporting humorous tones and clever mechanics, I think it’s worth sticking around to better your vision on whether it’s a game worth trying or skipping.

Firstly, I would like to say that Warcube is, as the title of this review reads, a cube-oriented game that packs a big punch. As lighthearted and warm-welcoming as the game’s graphics  may seem, with humorous tones sprinkled throughout, the game also tacks on a challenging combat system that’s easy in practice, but hard to master as more enemies flood the screen.

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All of the above is brought to the player in a very straightforward manner, which also includes the options and its settings. There are some options to change but nothing too in-depth at the moment. This includes options like graphics being set on low or high, resolution settings, AO on or off, full screen mode, Antialiasing on or off, and if Map Shadows are present.

The sound is pretty good in the game and could use a few light tones when talking to an NPC, nothing harsh on the ears but something to add to the atmosphere when talking to characters around and about the land. As for the sound in the options menu you’ll find basic options like Master Volume, Music, and SFX.

Looking over to the gameplay in the options you will find features like Epic GIF on or off, which can be turned on by pressing a key to activate it (which is for capturing cool in-game moments) and Cursor Visibility. The final option in the gameplay menu is to reset the game.

A feature I would love to see in the gameplay options menu is Aim Assist/Sticky Reticle for folks who don’t always have good reaction time. I know some people who play games with Aim Assist, although I’m not fond of the feature, it would be a nice addition to help newcomers hovering the mouse over hordes of enemies to attack them easier.

Speaking of gameplay, I do like how the game introduces players with quick sessions that detail gameplay mechanics. In the beginning of the game a tutorial guide tells players that they can help a certain NPC by either sneaking around and taking enemies out quietly, or by going in sword blazing. This lays out an infrastructure as to how the game can be played, leaving room for players to add their own approach to any situation encountered.

Looking over to another spectrum of the game, Warcube sees players taking forts and areas by traveling a world map that features skirmish battles whilst traveling. During a battle the player can set off alarms if too noisy, and can simply avoid huge conflicts by exploring nicely crafted maps that support different play styles, with a list of weapons to wield that span from spears, daggers, swords, crossbows and more.

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Once a fort is under your control it will turn from red to blue and will be displayed on the world map. If you die during the fort siege you can either go back to the world map, or continue fighting enemies that get stronger based on how many times you die — which enforces knowing your enemies and when to strike to emerge victorious.

In Addition to the forts and battle scenes, the maps provide a nice array of scenery or what the game is capable of providing landscape wise, and ranges from beaches, wooded areas, forts to open grasslands — which I’m sure more locations are coming down the pipe-line.

Each area also contains destructible/interactive environments that can hurt enemies like burning arrows through camp fires, knocking wooden or stone objects over on to enemies and more.

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Looking over to the combat, which is one of the main shining points in this game, you’ll find a lot of fun dashing through enemies at high-speeds (especially wielding the dagger), using arrows to strike enemies to add on to your growing hit combo, and parrying attacks when surrounded by a cohort of enemies, which plays out nicely if you know what you are doing. The combat in this game is very nice, although I would like to see some special enemies (that are few in number) use zig-zag or backflip moves when trying to attack them to add to the complexity of harder enemies.

As for glitches and other bugs I’ve encountered during my playthrough… they consist of a few that could be considered minuscule. The only major glitch that I came across while playing was going through a ladder into the wall, but I was able to walk around off a nearby ledge back to the location I was attempting to reach. Aside from that the only thing you’ll encounter regularly is certain heavy items flying away with sporadic physics, but besides that the game functions quite nicely from my experience.

If you like dynamic combat, exploring and finding equipment that reflects on RPG elements, I think that Warcube is a game that has a lot of potential. Sure you may reach a lack of content after the five hour mark depending on if you are a speed-demon, but seeing that Warcube is in Early Access there’s no doubt that much more content will be pouring in sometime soon. With that said, I think folks looking for something humorous, challenging and dynamic, Warcube is something worth checking out.

Warcube is out now for PC via Steam Early Access and runs for $9.99, however until February 3rd you’ll be able to get the game 10% off for $8.99.TryIt2

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