"BON APPÉTIT!"

À TABLE...

Did you know that in Japan the picky experts at Famitsu rated Nintendo's Animal Leader 37/40, the same score bestowed upon Super Mario Sunshine? Yet, who knows Animal Leader / Cubivore outside of Japan? Who knows that it was produced by Miyamoto himself, anyway? Then again, who doesn't know Sunshine by now? The fact is: Cubivore truly shines! Highly underrated here (when rated, that is...), to my humble opinion.

FACTS…

I finally snapped at a chance to catch CUBIVORE right away, before being eaten alive myself by Metroid Prime's menacing hype. I had mulled it over and over, gradually convincing myself that Cubivore would certainly be among the most endangered species here on the hostile Wild West store shelves... I'm now delighted to have wisely gotten my paws on Cubivore, mind you, for this unconventional chicken nugget in the rough - grilled in North America by ATLUS (thanks, by the way) - turns out to be as tasty & addictive as a sweet chewing gum.

STORY, GAMEPLAY, THAT KIND OF STUFF…

Not much story... But you're this cube, right? At the start, in a vivid Animal Kingdom made up of cubic polygons, your only defense against the many threats takes the shape of a single pale-colored panel. So basically, you grow one limb at a time by eating other creatures of different colors at the bottom of the food chain. Through various mutating & mating sessions, you try to make it to the top alive! Simple, right? It's a classical tale of courage, of survival spirit, presented in the form of a huge multi-levels, multi-factors puzzle, and spiced up with a pinch of salt & pepper (platformer / fighter elements)... Cubivore reminds me a lot of ''Space Station: Silicon Valley'' ( N64) by DNA Design (GTA III). It's that CRAZY. AND GOOD! Some people may argue that Cubivore’s gameplay / purpose is closer to EVO: Search for Eden (SNES), but the cute, humorous, intentionally simplistic look and finely tuned, intuitive gameplay remind me all too much of SS:SV to avoid mentioning it somewhat. Your call!

MY SCORE…

Some non-Japanese reviews I've read lately have turned out rather lukewarm, others on the contrary have varied from slightly positive to “Work of art” labeled; the game is exactly this, neither hot nor cold, neither good nor bad. It's a bizarre philosophical experience presented in an artsy, poetic manner that I'm not about to forget! After having spent over 20 hours in the wilderness of Cubivore so far, I'm still impressed by how great, fun, original, different, addictive, and replayable this game is. It may have taken me a good 30 minutes to really get into it, but then I.. well, umm.. couldn't stop playing. Pure mind game!

WARNINGS…

Too weird for some, with good enough reasons I should add, the whole 'let's call it a game' is well-balanced and makes quite a lot of sense in the end. The sounds (made up of piano, guitar, violin tunes, water falls, birds, roars…) and graphics (cubes all over, the rippling water, the sun, the moon, the clouds, the animals of course) may turn off MANY gamers because of their voluntary simplicity, but the animations are awesome, bringing in fact this PUZZLE to life. Cubivore certainly isn’t your ordinary game. If you intend to truly appreciate the experience, PLEASE avoid renting it for a day ‘cause you’ll definitely need more time. Instead, encourage Atlus with your wallet and get your own copy. This is a precious game to keep in a collection, since it's one of Miyamoto's weirdest so far. It’s also a ''Work of art'' indeed! The way I see it: it's like an intelligently built puzzle, with streaks of poetry shining through concepts, words, and music. If you think of this game this way, it's gorgeous. If you think of it otherwise (as a pure platformer / fighter, for instance), it may be disappointing.

The lack of a multiplayer mode and a somewhat problematic 3D camera keep the game from getting an even higher score, but other than that, this is top as far as puzzle / platformers go. If the GameCube left you hungry for some truly original design lately, get this game. This is the sleeper hit of the year.

BON APPÉTIT!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/19/02, Updated 11/19/02