The world of dexterity gaming has been getting a fair bit of recent attention from designers of late, which is a good thing.
No luck games are favoured by this gamer, and using skill doing some finger flicking is one no luck area of games in general.
The game this week is Cube Quest: Clash for the Crown from game designers Oliver and Gary Sibthorpe.
For some feel for the game the back of the box hints at the fun; "Mobilize your fingers for the ultimate six-sided skirmish! Field an army of cubes and then place them strategically on the board. Each cube has special powers: Strikers and Skulks are strong on the attack, while Grunts are better for defense. Once your cubes are in position, sound the trumpets and let the flicking begin! Try to knock your opponent's king off the board, aiming carefully not to get caught behind enemy lines. Triumph in your quest and crown yourself the Cube King!"
With Cube Quest players are basically flicking rather small, light, plastic game cubes. They look very much like six-sided dice.
On each face of the cubes is an applied paper sticker. They vary in artwork, with the artwork determining a particular skill/ability the cube has when the face is showing on the game board.
The cubes are finger flicked across a custom rubber mat, which acts as the game board.
The mat looks a lot like a large computer mouse pad, and is one of the nicest aspects of the game.
Cubes which leave the mat are defeated.
Play alternates until someone wins by defeating the enemy king.
Cubes also risk defeat in enemy territory. If they land 'shadow' face up they have been captured and must be rolled, like dice, to determine if they escape.
You get the idea that the game is pretty light in terms of flicking, with a small light cube being very difficult to control in terms of how it comes to rest in terms of which face is up. That actually tosses a lot of luck into things with Cube Quest, but it works in the sense the best laid plans in any clash of swords and men is as likely to go awry as they are to succeed.
As noted, the cubes have different strengths and special abilities, such as extra flicks, immobilizing enemy cubes, reviving lost cubes and hiding before strategic re-positioning, based on the face/sticker which is in play.
Cube Quest does offer a nice added element in terms of a flicking game.
Cubes, depending again on stickers, have varying strengths and weaknesses and based on that have been assigned point values.
The game allows for custom army building, using that point system. Pre-battle setup involves a selection of cubes worth a total of 40 points maximum to fight alongside their king.
Each player also chooses how to position their cubes, creating individual attack and defense formations.
Overall Cube Quest is rather light in game terms. Cubes, especially light ones, are hard to flick in terms of having any clue how they will land, especially after coming into contact with an opposition piece. The idea of the vagaries of battle make the lack of control understandable, but it grows tedious too.
The army building aspect is a great feature, and the game board is top drawer.
Overall, Cube Quest is a fun enough game, but with growing flicking options, it won't likely be the first choice off the shelf.
Check it out through www.gamewright.com
