Sights & Sounds
- After discovering Newgrounds in the early 2000s, I spent hours upon hours delving through the "popular" and "top rated" games pages. Many of my favorites were room escape games. It's clear that the visual design of Rusty Lake games pay homage to that era
- That is to say, nothing in the Cube Escape Collection looks visually stunning. Not sure the artstyle is really my preference either. Everything looks a little clumsy. The various rooms and settings are interestingly themed, but it takes a minute to look past what I'll charitably call its aesthetic
- The music is serviceable, but not noteworthy, and the sound design can best be described as "present"
- All in all, the presentation leaves a lot do be desired
Story & Vibes
- The fact that the devs bothered including a story--even if it's just impressions and hints--in a game like this is noteworthy, and it's interestingly-told to boot
- The story is meted out in bits and pieces as you go along. Sometimes it'll feel like a cutscene is presented to you at random. Other times, you'll find a code from one of the later games in the collection and go all the way back to an earlier one and enter it somewhere to get a meatier lore drop. Fitting the narrative pieces together is a puzzle on its own
- Not sure how to feel about the vibes. I usually appreciate a creepy or unsettling tone in a game, but it came off as a little edgy and try-hard here. It's not consistently annoying, but I did roll my eyes at a few of the attempts made to shock the player. At its best (for example, in the excellent "Arles" and "Harvey's Box" levels), though, it feels quirky and offbeat in the best way
Playability & Replayability
- But you're probably not looking at reviews for a game like this because you're interested in art or music or story. It's either because a) you like puzzles, or b) the game is dirt cheap. For the purposes of this review, let's assume the former
- If my assumption is correct, you're in for a treat. The puzzles in here are top-notch. If you were ever a fan of those Flash-era escape room games, the ones that comprise Cube Escape Collection are among the finest you'll experience
- Of course, with 9 games/levels, there's going to be some variability in quality. For example, the central puzzle of "The Lake" doesn't require much rigor to crack, but the absolute weirdness and absurdity of "The Mill" will take a bit of trial and error
- I'd highly recommend retreading the game with a guide after finishing the game's challenges. Getting through the puzzles you're already solved is quick work, and it's fun to see the paths you overlooked during your playthrough
Overall Impressions & Performance
- When shown a game with lamentable presentation and a heavy-handed tone-setting, I tend to shy away. No such case here. The puzzles are just too fun. I love the interconnected nature of the puzzles and plot. It's ambitious and interesting enough that I'm willing to overlook a few blemishes
- The game played perfectly well on the Steam Deck using the trackpads. Probably still easier to play it with a mouse, but I didn't feel like sitting at my laptop for that
Final Verdict
- 7.5/10. If you're down for a collection of some devilishly clever and challenging puzzles with a zesty dash of lore, you could do far worse than Cube Escape Collection. Hard to argue with the price, too
- After discovering Newgrounds in the early 2000s, I spent hours upon hours delving through the "popular" and "top rated" games pages. Many of my favorites were room escape games. It's clear that the visual design of Rusty Lake games pay homage to that era
- That is to say, nothing in the Cube Escape Collection looks visually stunning. Not sure the artstyle is really my preference either. Everything looks a little clumsy. The various rooms and settings are interestingly themed, but it takes a minute to look past what I'll charitably call its aesthetic
- The music is serviceable, but not noteworthy, and the sound design can best be described as "present"
- All in all, the presentation leaves a lot do be desired
Story & Vibes
- The fact that the devs bothered including a story--even if it's just impressions and hints--in a game like this is noteworthy, and it's interestingly-told to boot
- The story is meted out in bits and pieces as you go along. Sometimes it'll feel like a cutscene is presented to you at random. Other times, you'll find a code from one of the later games in the collection and go all the way back to an earlier one and enter it somewhere to get a meatier lore drop. Fitting the narrative pieces together is a puzzle on its own
- Not sure how to feel about the vibes. I usually appreciate a creepy or unsettling tone in a game, but it came off as a little edgy and try-hard here. It's not consistently annoying, but I did roll my eyes at a few of the attempts made to shock the player. At its best (for example, in the excellent "Arles" and "Harvey's Box" levels), though, it feels quirky and offbeat in the best way
Playability & Replayability
- But you're probably not looking at reviews for a game like this because you're interested in art or music or story. It's either because a) you like puzzles, or b) the game is dirt cheap. For the purposes of this review, let's assume the former
- If my assumption is correct, you're in for a treat. The puzzles in here are top-notch. If you were ever a fan of those Flash-era escape room games, the ones that comprise Cube Escape Collection are among the finest you'll experience
- Of course, with 9 games/levels, there's going to be some variability in quality. For example, the central puzzle of "The Lake" doesn't require much rigor to crack, but the absolute weirdness and absurdity of "The Mill" will take a bit of trial and error
- I'd highly recommend retreading the game with a guide after finishing the game's challenges. Getting through the puzzles you're already solved is quick work, and it's fun to see the paths you overlooked during your playthrough
Overall Impressions & Performance
- When shown a game with lamentable presentation and a heavy-handed tone-setting, I tend to shy away. No such case here. The puzzles are just too fun. I love the interconnected nature of the puzzles and plot. It's ambitious and interesting enough that I'm willing to overlook a few blemishes
- The game played perfectly well on the Steam Deck using the trackpads. Probably still easier to play it with a mouse, but I didn't feel like sitting at my laptop for that
Final Verdict
- 7.5/10. If you're down for a collection of some devilishly clever and challenging puzzles with a zesty dash of lore, you could do far worse than Cube Escape Collection. Hard to argue with the price, too