Cubivore: Survival of the Fittest

"I can mate! I can mate! (Actual game line)"

Cubivore!

Game Flow
This game is so odd, you people didn't buy it. In the Gamecube game, you start out as a pig head with a single flap of meat, or limb. You hop along until you meet a Tigerjack, an equally pathetic creature. Then, you fight to the death. The music changes to a drumbeat, and roars fill the area. The two of you pounce at each other, producing blood. Finally, you knock it out. With one final pounce, you rip of it's only flap of meat, killing it. Then, you transform! You become a Tigerjack yourself. Doing this, you are now king of all Tigerjacks. So you hop along, dominating a few more species (100 in total). Then, you see the boss. The Shoplifting Cubivore! This fearsom Sentaur has 2 limbs! Besides that, he has the power of Raw Paw, giving great speed. Adding to the mayhem, he has two one-limbed lackeys. Boss fight!

Boss fights in this game are incredibly unique. This first boss is fairly normal, but he's the only one. In one fight, the boss and 20 clones are in a huge field. All are weak, so instead of one strong fellow, you have to rip apart 20 weak ones, while they all pound on you. In another fight, the boss attacks you in the beginning of the level, and you have to run from him, and three brutal Greyodon lackeys, while gathering enough strength to beat him. In one fight, the boss is rather weak, but his lackeys are super-strong, making the bigger threat. Anyway, back to the Shoplifting Cubivore. After dominating him, you rip off his meat, and the following happens.

''Gooooot! Raw Paw!
<Trumpet starts playing>
With the power of Raw Paw, I can dash!
<You dash across the screen>
And...
I CAN MATE! I CAN MATE!
I have...Raw Paw! ''

So, you travel to the next level. Lo and behold, mating grounds! The more Cubivores you conquer, the more females you attract. (In my game, I'm so buff, I get 15!) So, a bunch of 'em give birth. You pick your favorite form, and you start a new level, but with two limbs! That's the basic flow of the game.

Gameplay (7/10)
While most of the fighting consists of pouncing, it's still a blast. In a normal fight, you'll have to choose the best enemy to assault, get just the right amount of meat from him, and attack the others. But, that's not to say it's perfect. First, the camera is horrible. It simply cannot keep up with the action, and points downwards too much. Still, it manages. Besides that, the combat is all good. You also get to hunt for stat increases, to get the biggest horns and humps possible.

Sound (10/10)
In this area, Cubivore puts most other games to shame. First off, it supports surround sound. Still, you can tell this world is really alive. The birds chirp, the dogs bark, and various other sounds. You always know what's trying to brutally murder you by it's battle screech. Also, the music is great. In a normal field, it's soft piano music. In a boss fight, it changes to a tense song. In a major fight, you get hard rock. Then there's the main song, played during the press start screen; if you get this game, take a second to listen to it. It sets a perfect mood for the game.

Graphics (On one level, 1/10. On another, 6/10.)
I have a love-hate relationship with Cubivore's graphics. On one level, everything is a cube. Everything. The clouds, the sun, the moon, ripples in the water, grass, blood, everything. This is quite ugly. On another, the graphics are super-smooth. There are no jaggies, and it runs at 60 FPS, with no slowdown. Also, it's a very artsy style, that works very well with the mutation aspect. So, it depends on this one.

Replay (7/10)
Minor Spoilers:
This game has great replay. In fact, once you beat it, you have to replay until you become king of 100 out of 150 Cubivores. Besides that, replaying this game is just fun. Many of the puzzles revolve around mutating, and you'll miss them and a lot of details on your first time through.

Weirdness (20/10)
''I can mate! I can mate!'' 'Nuff said.

Overall
Pros:
-Very weird
-Quite original
-Mutating is fun
-Plenty of replay
-Great sound
-Runs super-smooth

Cons:
-Very weird
-Blocky graphics
-Horrible camera

Overall Score (8/10)
If you're into Japanesy games, and don't mind the weirdness, get this. If you seem hesitant, just rent. If you're a graphic whore, skip entirely.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/26/03, Updated 05/26/03