Intelligent Qube

"Disarmingly simple, yet distressingly difficult."

Kurushi is a puzzle game for hardcore puzzle fanatics. The premise is incredibly simple, but actually playing the game for prolonged periods is insanity-inducingly hard. Almost as difficult, in fact, as actually finding a copy of this game. I picked mine up in an online auction and it cost me the equivalent of an arm, and indeed, a leg. It's a good thing that the limbs in question were merely proverbial, as I needed both hands intact to pour myself a stiff drink whilst still maintaining my grasp on the controller.

Kurushi is one of the most addictive games I have ever come across. As something of a fan of the puzzle genre (but quite how this came to pass is anyone's guess), I have collated an immense catalogue of puzzle games. Since purchasing Kurushi, I have barely touched any of them when the puzzle game mood has struck me, instead favouring this disturbingly under-rated sleeping classic.

The object of the game is to survive - simple enough. You are a man. At least, I think it's a man. I play on a small screen, so it could be a maggot... No, I think it's a man. It must be a man - maggots don't wear clunky noisy shoes; at least, they never used to. So - survival. Surely there must be obstacles that get in the way of your survival? Well of course there are, or else there wouldn't be a game. This man, which is you, lives on top of a large rectangular platform thing with no obvious source of food, water, shelter or ecosystem. He is all alone in this world. His only friends are some large cubes, of various colors (more about those later) which hurtle towards him at an alarming pace and which he must destroy in order to avoid being either crushed to death or thrown off the edge of the platform world thing which he inhabits. Pity him, for only he has the power to stop them.

So then, these blocks. Well, there are grey ones, green ones and black ones. The green blocks detonate and dissolve all the blocks around them. The grey blocks must all be destroyed. The black ones must be left intact. If you allow a black one to be destroyed, the rectangular platform loses a row... There are a limited number of rows, so you really don't want this to happen. If you fall off the edge or run out of room, then it's game over. To succeed, you have to build up a high score, and the best way to do this is to complete the above goals with the lowest possible number of detonations and leave the grid perfectly cleared.

Now, Kurushi provides something of a challenge. There are so many different factors to take into consideration which are essential for success here that this is a game designed really for those with efficient minds. You need to be able to focus on several different things at once in the truest possible sense. This is not an easy thing to do but it is an incredibly useful skill to have, and Kurushi provides excellent brain exercise and practice. The difficulty level commences innocently enough and gradually increases, but to get beyond the first few levels you really will need to be an adept thinker. There are very few games out there which are designed with cognitive fluidity in mind, but this is certainly one of the best. You will need to think fast and adapt swiftly.

The graphics are basic, but that's all that is required here. Kurushi isn't supposed to be visually stunning - it's a puzzle game! Everything is easy to see, and that's all you need. Likewise the sound - basic, but perfect for the type of game. You don't need anything else. The controls are comfortable and easy to use. There are no major glitches in game play that I have found.

Overall, I would strongly recommend Kurushi to fans of the genre. It takes some locating, but it is worth it. Perhaps the difficulty level makes it rather inaccessible to those who are looking for a first venture into the realms of the puzzle game, but if you're looking for a good, genuine challenge, then here it is.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/22/03, Updated 04/22/03