What if you had a Rubik’s cube in space? Well, in Critical Mass, it may seem like you do – but looks can be deceiving. Instead of matching sides, you have a clever time-based puzzle game that will test your quick thinking skills. This game, from Manic Game Studios, has you racing against the clock to try and see how long you can last. The cube is slowly moving towards you and also slowly revolving. If the cube reaches you, it is game over and you will have to start over.
The concept is to keep pushing it back by matching four colored cubes together. You can turn the cube in order to revolve it faster to match the cubes together. There is definitely a lot of challenge to this game, as you will find yourself being beaten by the clock quite often. There are different modes, but they are just variations of the same concept. Some modes will actually have a clock that times you, and another will give you a limited amount of blocks. Basically though, in all modes you have to keep the cube from reaching the screen or it’s game over.
The visuals are very good in this game while being simple at the same time. A 3D cube revolving in space is basically what you are working with. I found it difficult to maneuver the cube with laptop touch controls, and it definitely works better with a mouse as speed is key to avoid a game over. There have been numerous complaints with regard to difficulty regarding this game (such as on the forums), and I did not find it that difficult. Personally, I felt the difficulty is welcome as puzzle games these days are a little too easy. I loved the design of the game, and it kept my attention for hours at a time. Critical Mass is definitely worth a try and is available on Steam currently for the price of $9.99.
There used to be an embeded media player here, but it doesn't work anymore. We blame the Tumbeasts.
[Images via Manic Game Studios]
[Video via YouTube and Manic Game Studios]
