Q.U.B.E. 2 Review Summary

Well-designed and enjoyable puzzles: The game features a variety of puzzles that are well-thought-out, challenging, and enjoyable. Players appreciate the balance of difficulty and the creativity involved in solving them.

Great graphics and atmosphere: The game is praised for its high-quality graphics, beautiful visuals, and atmospheric environments. The lighting and textures contribute to an immersive experience.

Improved storyline: The storyline is considered better than the first part, with interesting and well-developed narrative elements. Players enjoy the story progression and twists.

Improved soundtrack and sound design: The soundtrack is mesmerizing and improved, contributing to the overall atmosphere. The sound design is also noted for its high quality.

High-quality voice acting: The voice acting in the game is praised for its high quality, with outstanding performances that enhance the narrative delivery.

Story is weak and unengaging: The story is criticized for being boring, forgettable, and lacking depth. Players find it predictable, confusing, and not compelling enough to keep their interest.

Puzzles lack challenge and variety: Many players find the puzzles in the game to be too easy, repetitive, and not engaging enough. They feel that the puzzles lack depth and do not provide a significant challenge, making the gameplay experience less enjoyable.

Game is too short: The game's length is a common complaint among players, with many stating that it can be completed in just a few hours. This short duration is seen as not providing enough content for the price.

Slow movement and elevators: The slow movement speed of the character and the slow elevators are noted as frustrating elements that make the game feel tedious and slow-paced.

DLCs are poorly received: The DLCs for the game are criticized for being bad, buggy, and not worth the investment. Players feel that the DLCs do not add significant value to the game.

Diverse and challenging puzzles: The game features a wide variety of puzzles involving physics, platforms, magnetism, and movement patterns. These puzzles are challenging and require skill, offering a satisfying experience for players.

Inconsistent puzzle difficulty: The difficulty of the puzzles varies inconsistently. While some puzzles are enjoyable but mostly easy, others may pose a challenge initially but become manageable with thought.

Open-ended and story-driven gameplay: The game offers open-ended gameplay with varied paths and a story-driven narrative, providing a rich and engaging experience.

Color cube mechanics: The gameplay involves the use of colored cubes with different functions. Players activate cores and manipulate these cubes to solve puzzles.

Introduction of new elements: The game introduces new puzzle elements like fans and magnets, increasing the complexity and variety of the puzzles. Players also manipulate architectural structures to solve puzzles.

Frequent bugs and crashes: Players report various bugs, including platforming and physics issues, as well as game crashes. These issues significantly impact the gameplay experience.

Positive performance on specific hardware: The game plays well on Steam Deck and runs beautifully on certain hardware configurations, with good FPS on normal settings and epic settings with 120fps.

Graphical issues and requirements: Players mention lighting issues in some locations and moderate technical requirements. The game looks amazing with good graphics due to shaders.

4K resolution support: The game supports 4K resolution, which is noted by some players.

Recommended for puzzle game fans: The game is highly recommended for fans of puzzle games, particularly those who enjoy titles like Portal and The Talos Principle. It offers a modern and enjoyable experience with high-quality puzzles.

Consider the first game: Some reviewers recommend playing the first Q.U.B.E. game or starting with it for a better contrast and understanding of the series.

DLC recommendations: Reviewers suggest considering the purchase of DLCs for the full story or looking forward to future DLC content.

Alternative game suggestions: Some reviewers recommend playing other games like The Turing Test, The Witness, Linelight, or QBEH for potentially better puzzles and mechanics.

Play in portions: Suggestions to play the game in portions rather than all at once to fully enjoy the experience.

Community fair range: $5.00 - $10.00.

Game completion: 7.0h.

Story completion: 5.5h.

The game starts with a tutorial phase that can feel tedious, but the fun increases as puzzles become more complex and challenging. The initial phase can be slow and repetitive, but the game picks up after the first few chapters.

Reported time to anchor: 30m.

Friction: Slow movement speed; Repetitive puzzles; Tedious tutorial phase.

Unlock drivers: Increasing puzzle complexity; Introduction of new mechanics.

Casual Puzzle Enthusiast: Casual, enjoys a moderate challenge without extreme difficulty. Motivation: Enjoyment of puzzle-solving and cerebral entertainment. Stance: sale.

Puzzle Genre Veteran: Strategic, enjoys complex puzzles and immersive environments. Motivation: Seeking challenging and immersive puzzle experiences. Stance: buy.

Hardcore Puzzle Master: Intense, enjoys difficult and intricate puzzles. Motivation: Seeking highly challenging and complex puzzles. Stance: deep sale.

Steam Deck: The game has notable issues on the Steam Deck, including the need for Proton translation and problems with text display. These issues require additional tinkering and affect the overall user experience.

Linux and Proton: The game generally runs well with Proton and on Steam Deck, but there are minor issues with settings not being saved. The overall compatibility and performance are good, with minimal tweaks required.

Monetization: The reviews highlight concerns about the value and quality of the DLC content, with many users feeling that the additional content does not justify the cost. The main game and DLCs are also criticized for their short duration, which may not provide enough gameplay time relative to the price. Overall, while the DLCs offer additional challenges and puzzles, they do not significantly enhance the story, leading to mixed feelings about their worth.

Chapter selection added: A recent patch added the feature of chapter selection, which has been noted by players. This suggests that the update has brought a significant improvement to the game's user interface or gameplay mechanics.

DLC mentioned by players: Players have mentioned the DLC in their reviews. This indicates that the DLC is a notable aspect of the game that players are discussing.