Game Day: kubrain

Gamebra.in’s new puzzle game, kubrain, proves that there is still room for creativity and innovation in the color matching puzzle genre popularized ages ago by Tetris. Like many other games in the category, kubrain requires players to match colored blocks as they descend onto a playing field, but there’s a mind-bending twist. The playing field is a 3D cube that players can rotate to make room for incoming blocks. The result radically changes the way you approach the game compared to other matching games creating a challenging and novel gaming experience that is fun to play and difficult to master.

Gamebra.in is well-known for its series of minimalistic, high-quality puzzle games like hocus, pocus, which I reviewed earlier this year, and voi. The family resemblance between kubrain and Gamebra.in’s other games is unmistakable while remaining a unique experience.

Blocks roll in from two directions onto kubrain‘s playing field, which is the inside corner of a 3D cube consisting of three surfaces. As the cubes approach the playing field, you need to find open spaces for them next to other cubes of the same color. Match at least three and the cubes are cleared from the game. If there’s no room for a cube when it reaches the playing field, the game ends.

Gravity plays an important role too. When you rotate the playing field, so a horizontal surface with cubes resting on it becomes a vertical surface, the cubes slide down to the new horizontal surface altering their placement. If that breaks your brain a little, it’s because that’s the point. It’s a mechanic that’s not hard to understand once you start playing, but with cubes constantly marching onto the screen, it’s also very difficult to master.

The fun of kubrain is in the way it requires you to constantly consider different 3D perspectives while under the time pressure of incoming cubes. Between the changing perspectives and impact of gravity, Gamebra.in has managed to take a familiar genre and breathe new life into it creating a fresh and fun game that will drive you crazy in the best possible way.

kubrain is available on the App Store.