Cubivore: Survival of the Fittest

"A quirky Japanese title that finally made it stateside..."

Survival of the fittest. Eat or be eaten. Both of those are mottos of the game Cubivore. Known as Animal Leader (or Doubutso Banchou, for those that speak Japanese) in Japan, it's one game in a slew of quirky titles (Cubivore, Animal Crossing, Doshin the Giant) that Nintendo of America has released recently (well, Atlus published it, but it was developed by Nintendo).

Graphics-5/10
Don't try comparing Cubivore to other titles developed for the Gamecube. Cubivore was originally an N64 game that was ported to the Gamecube. But even by N64 standards the graphics are still only so-so. Everything in the world of Cubivore is a cube. Water ripples in cube shapes, animals bleed purple cubes, and even the sun, moon, and clouds are comprised of cubes. You can count the polygons on almost everything if you actually tried hard enough. This bold style would be fine, but some of the textures are blurry and ugly. If anything they are unique, but get a bit dull and boring after playing for too long.

Sound-6/10
The sound department is comprised mostly of a 3-4 second guitar rhythm that repeats every few seconds. While some places, such as the mating room, make different noises, most of it just stays this one way. The Cubivores only have 1 or 2 signature growls, and they really don't sound the best. Overall, the over world music is repetitive, but not to the point of frustration.

Gameplay-9/10
Despite bad visuals and so-so music, Cubivore is a really fun game to play. The game starts with you as a baby cubivore. By eating other cubivores, you get stronger, change colors, or mutate. There is a whole slew of mutations to attain, and it would take a really long time to find them all. You mutate differently depending on the size and color of the cubivore you eat. In addition, by collecting certain power-ups, you can grow a tongue, grow horns, or get scars. You could play through this adventure many times but never experience all the different mutations. The controls are for the most part smooth and responsive. The only problem I had with the controls was with the camera. The camera is moved with the C-stick, but the camera is very clunky, and you're likely to have the picture stuck in a place that doesn't allow you to see all the action if you're not careful. The camera has a tendency to jump around alot. This presents a big problem during boss fights, as your timing and reflexes are very important. Overall, a worthwhile experience, if you can put up with the poor camera control.

Replay-7.5/10
Not a whole lot in the way of replay. While there are tons of mutations to get, you probably won't want to play through this one more than a few times. The game is also relatively short.

Overall-8/10
One of the ugliest, sloppiest, and silliest games I've ever played. But one of the most creative, innovative, and all around fun games too. A worthwhile purchase if this kind of game would appeal to you. Everyone else, rent first, as it is relatively short. But all-in-all, it's welcome addition to the gamecube library.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/17/02, Updated 11/17/02