To be filed under the "simple but highly addictive" category is this latest game by Max Abernethy of flecko.net. Simplistic but challenging is Cubefield, a strangely beautiful dodge-the-obstacles type of game hosted at Newgrounds.
You are but a grey arrow, controlled by the left and right arrow keys, travelling at a speed at which you have no control and through a gigantic plane dotted with cubes that you must avoid. Sound simple? It is until the action begins to speed up and the cubes become more plentiful. As with most of these games, your score is solely dependent on how long you survive.
Analysis: While the action does not stop until you die, the game feels very much like it has levels for a number of reasons. The first is that every so often you are drawn into a tunnel-like system from which you cannot escape. Emerging from the tunnel gives the impression of a brand new level. The second is that after a while the game changes colour scheme and style. This gives the impression of an even larger new level. Also, every so often the arrow speed increases. These all give the game the feeling of being leveled, even if there is no explicit new level indication.
The 3D is quite impressive, and the fact that the game plane leans into turns is a nice touch that helps increase the sense of immersion. Although there is no high score list, the "Top Score" feature remembers your personal best and is useful to know how you're doing, as is the press-p-for-pause function. Also, on the starting page you can press space, as opposed to needing to click New Game, to play. Little features like this help to make a game something that you might be willing to play for hours, as opposed to minutes. Max does not include music or sound effects, because as he says, it's nice to listen to your own MP3s as you game. Overall, an excellent play and highly addictive. Click.
jay adds: Although I enjoyed playing this game, the decision to omit sounds was a bit short-sighted and reduced my overall satisfaction with it. I say short-sighted because the simple inclusion of a sound-off button can accomplish the same thing for people who wish to listen to their own mp3's, while giving someone without any music to play something to listen to. Even better would be to have sound effects on a separate control from the music so that the sound effects can be heard along with any mp3 the game player is listening to, if desired. I am also disappointed that a player's Top Score is not saved locally, a relatively simple feature to add that pays a sizable dividend.
For Flash game developers interested in the 3D techniques used in this game, Max has made some of the Actionscript 2.0 source code available with an explanation of how it works on his site. Finding that page is also how I discovered that Max is (was) a neighbor of mine at the University of Rochester, just a couple of miles from me. He is also the author of Madness Interactive, an over-the-top violent game released back in 2003 and that received critical acclaim. A review of it does not appear on Jayisgames due to the level of graphic violence it contains, though you can download it, along with source code, at Max's site.
213325 is my high score! Beat it!
Wow, that was pretty cool.
419725
hey! this is like that game.. Jet Slalom except that JetSlalom has triangle thingies instead of cubes!
I got a highscore of 215855!! lol i beat u ricky
High score: 696XXX Went through 3 speed ups.
I thought the coolest color scheme was the black blocks on the blank background. Looked like some Matrix scene!
A problem I had with it is that, after passing the tunnel the first time, you can just hold right or left and you'd never get hit. I broke a million that way.
A little nice bug...
Once you can hold the RIGHT key without crashing into any box, you'll never lose.
Just keep holding RIGHT while you pass through every levels... Not really funny, but a little bug to help you getting the high level! =)
499170
I wonder what the other color scheme's (level themes?) are.
I died on the black boxes. darn splitting section =P
Jetslalom was an awesome game, back in the days when Java ruled the online gaming world. Even though the graphics were a bit more rudimentary than this game, there were the checkpoint feature, the daytime feature, the different courses, and the explosion sound when you crashed. I liked that game a bit more than this one. Have you seen that one, Jay?
lol alexandre i figured that out too! i got up to like 2 million points or more!
Using the hack posted above the themes are:
Grey floor, yellow/red blocks, white sky
Black floor, matrix-y blocks, matrix star sky
White floor, black clocks, white sky
White floor, pink blocks, weird stuff in the sky
No, Popsman, I don't believe I have. Do you know of a link for Jetslalom?
lol i beat all of ya 964160
links to two versions of jetslalom for the jaymeister:
http://www.kdn.gr.jp/~shii/java/JSlalom/
http://www.freeclassicgames.com/arcade/slalom/index.shtml
Cubefield is still a very fun game to play, though.
Thanks, Popsman. =)
I will give it a try just as soon as I deliver this AJAX & SVG 2-player board game for class. It's due Sunday at midnight(!) Yikes.
a paperweight plus a day of uni = score of 800 million hehe, it didnt even have time to generate the blocks anymore, just blank the whole time... appart from the wierd cloud things, infact at that point it wasnt even possible to hit anything... invulnerable... but i guess that stops people registering those bogus scores seeing as they cant end the game ;)
Pretty good. But, like Jay said, it would have been much better with music. Preferably that sped up and changed styles according to what was happening in the game.
Agreed, Wulfo. That would be an excellent touch and it would improve immersion even more.
By the way, I sent Max an email about the 'cheat' that people have discovered, and here is his response:
It took a bit of dying right away to get the hang of the speed i moced at, but once I did, it was pretty enjoyable.
1. it would have beenn nice to have some kind of sound...back ground music or sound effects.
2. It also would have been nice to have a keyboard button to press for a new game. I use the same hand for my mouse and my arrow keys, so i have to click new game with my mouse, then quickly move my hand to my arrows. It would be nice to just be able to click "n" on my keyboard instead...so my fingers would be ready on the arrow keys. Just a small thing, but if there's going to be a "next version"...thought I would add my thoughts.
Hmm. I don't get the little triangle to show me where "I" am. I think it makes the game a lot harder.
glommie- somebody hasn't read the review! Both your points are mentioned in there already. I do agree with the first point though, and the second point is already in the review: press space. Just thought you might like to know. ;-)
I was just going to come here to mention Jet Slalom. I haven't played it in years but I like it far better than Cubefield -- not just the day/night cycle, but the gameplay: this may sound silly for a game so rudimentary, but with Jet Slalom I really "feel like I'm flying" and that the jet moves much faster without being more difficult. Cubefield is more irritating experience, and despite the vector graphics isn't as pretty.
Now, when someone creates one of these with all three dimensions, then I'll be sold. Let me fly over trees and under bridges.
AP- yeah, that would make it harder! What browser are you using? Also, do you have Flash 8?
grant0, that was indeed the problem. Upgrading from Flash 7 to Flash 8 (in Firefox) resurrected my little triangle dude. Much easier this way.
Now that I've gotten to play the game a bit, there is one thing that feels a little off to me. I keep expecting the controls to have a little momentum to them. It seems strange that after banking hard one direction that letting up on the key just stops the turning, and that it's just as easy to head off in the other direction. I find myself often tapping the opposite control in a perceived need to "correct" the course.
(Clearly not a complaint, just an observation about a toy I'm quite enjoying)
649730 is my new high score! Beat it!
i stopped at 2019425 beacuse its so boring when you can cheat like that
The bug is worse seeded than that. Eventually you don't have to hold right at all because the blocks move so fast they just skip right by your cursor. My score is 46,517,590 and rising and I'm not pressing anything.
Not that different to 3D Deathchase for the ZX speccy. Now that one was a classic.
Hoffy, I think you're right. There's no action when you cheat. It gets boring.
My first score is 258,165. For some reason I can't see a grey arrow when i play so its a lot harder.
i died at 604,730 like two seconds before the third speed up, and i was so excited to see what the field after the black and white zone would be
Rpodnee- go get Flash 8 now!
umm.. it wont let me play it says:
Error - We do not allow direct links to this page because it bypasses the author credits and information.
Please go to this page to find the content you are looking for. Please go back and try again.
499490 w/o cheating =)
912,415 without cheating. after the pink field it goes back to the beginning.
Lol i am bad at this game, I only scored 473620 without cheats lols. :)
503230 hit the side on the black/white level
916,265. Level 5 just in sight of the second set of tunnels.
Just broke 1,000,000 - i'll give it up now.
hey! im really confused. whats the cheat for cubefield?
Whooo! 499055!!
I found a little trick that makes the game a bit easier...
When you are going through the wavy path, there is a gap that you can fit through and then just drive around without anyblocks for a while
i dont get the cheat.
what is the cheat for cubefield? i tried clicking the "show spoiler" button but it didnt open anything...could someone explain it in text please?
Yea my score is 748449 and the last color i think is white with pink blocks
I tried the "hold the right key down" trick... But it didn't work! what am I doing wrong?
I got 976789 beat that the colour turns all black and the boxes have a white lining and so does the space craft
I got 4196375 using cheat but then i got bored and stopped at that
i got to 7006885 beat that!
i got 9008501 i like to see people beat that.... hahaha...
752815 i thinks its a respectable score plus i lost because i blinked no joke
This is a real score 507725.
ok i beat most of you all that is if you didnt cheat i got 1035780 HA!!! 6 speed up and i didnt cheat :)
I beat all of you without any cheats 1019665
please answer!!! what is the cheat??
268190, ha ricky!
7,000,679! Ha beat that!
How do you use the cheat?? I have tried various ways but it never works.
Ahh, only 1,001,149
my top score is 43 764 127, and i got it photo with my mobilephone (i cheat)
499,345...my highscore
I'm trying this bug, but I can't get it to work. When exactly are you supposed to start [holding the RIGHT arrow key?]
mine is 970225 and i hate the 2nd red,orange, and yellow level
im on 7737000000 using the cheat and still going.
i think this may be the highest score ever
how do you use the cheat?
yeah i got 1,786,285.
Here is Information on the Cheat.
You must press the RIGHT arrow key as soon as possible after the first tunnel. It took me a while to get it and I tried the game on a bunch of different sites but I got it to work on this one:
http://www.dabontv.com/game63.html
Happy Cheating!
omg thats so stupid! i did the cheat and it worked until i got to the second black level, score of 1,380,660 and then i ran into a cube! i swear i never let go of the arrow key!
I found that the cheat only works on the website. Has any1 got the cheat to work on the downloadable version?
i used the glitch and i am on 215******* i cant count the rest its moving to fast!!!! i wont stop the blocks keep wizzing past
hahaha 687908 beet it
4 speed ups 4th being a pink backround with flighing cloud like objects realy goood
top score 732,565
833,785 is my high score, beat that guys
Mine is 55605
this game is sooooo easy!!!!! I got like 6 million points and could have gotten more but i got bored. There are several different ways to do it but the best way to rack up points without getting bored is every time that you die, push the space bar immediately before the new game button comes up and it will start the game over but you will still have all of your points(but you have to press space bar RIGHT AFTER you die)
my high score is 159667687...no cheats!!!!!!!!!!
pplllease sombody help me
is there anyway anybody can give me a way of getting a really high score on cubefield on mindjolt games of facebook
it would be very much appriciated
THANKS
highest score: 501315:)
beat thaatt <3
i had tape on the right key lol
i got 190362885 ok it the ist time because i forgot it was running and opened a new page. it then crashed.
I have
9,700,000 points now
and its running without me!
lmao ownt, glitches ftw
yeah does anyone know a way to cheat in cubefield on the mindjolt application on facbeook??
i know how to do the right key thing but it doesn't work on the application
does anyone know a way to get a higher score another way?
please help, and thanks so much in advance!
1,072,030 Hacks.... i win
http://i27.tinypic.com/2a6t9ms.jpg
ahaha. my high score is 499490. beat THAT
I beat all of you...1085555 without any cheats or hacks!!
My high score is more than a trillion
I NEED A CHEAT FOR THE FACEBOOK/MINDJOLT VERSION OF CUBEFIELD. Holding down the right key doesn't work, i've tried everyglitch/hack i kno of and other then getting out of the occasional tunnel, i cant beat 1 mil!!!!!!!!!! HELP!!!!!!!
Yieha beat this everybody!!!
my highscore: 190048725
good luck
Cube Runner was just released for the iphone and ipod touch!~ it is the same thing as cubefield
498650! top THAT!! Now it's black and white... o.0
My high score is 147834256799. Can you beat it?
highscore 754951
I know an awesome cheat!
if you press space bar, it makes you temperarrily invisible and you go back to the beginning, but you keep your score. It's boring, but great for getting points
Ha i got 19953278366239016483545736 if u can beat that i will do it again and beat u! btw i didnt use cheats
557140 is mine, who can do better
Here are some cheats: Holding the right arrow key usually works. Continually pressing the space bar also works, or press the spacebar IMMEDIATELY after you die and you will start again but keep you score. Good luck!
Now there is this for the iPhone- and it has sounds :P
well i finished the game 6 times(finished pink lvl 6 times and other seven times)
beat the score of 1500156934
498765
best level is the black cubes and white backround.
if you go to onemorelevel.com you can just go right the whole time and wont die.
if you search cubefield id google and click on the one that has [flash] next to it and press the space bar, the game restarts and points keep going up. and if you press it really quickly................ you find out i cant type anymore!! =P
oh ya 503230 beat that
without any cheats, 945375
beat this : 490058271365! wow! its so hardddd!
score 8851675
3504055 wow go me go go go me
to pass the levels over and over again and get a score like mine all ya have to do is.....as soon as you come out of the first tunnle press the right key and just keep holding it down simple as dat and also press space bar as soon as you die and it will bring you back to the start but we still got your points pretty cool hay?
You can get this on itunes as and iphone/ipod touch app. It's free and is called "Cube Runner".
my high score is 799810
Wait. What's a tunnel in cubefield?
501085 pts
my high score is 499575...
holding down the right key doesnt always work sometimes you still run into the cubes
513235 points. Beat THAT.
Ricky, I beat you 300000 +
my highscore is 2824819327 ps i didnt cheat
Hmm, I like jet slalom but I reckon it's harder to steer than the 'Cubefield' game.
I made it 2 pink and white.....
no cheats 678 million if you bont beleive me look in the world record book for 2003
506855 without cheating...The black 'n' white bit is too hard!
way i beat you all 3336742! (no lies)
Ok so after the (hold right arrow button and never die cheat) during it when you get to the 3rd time seeing the first stage but you are really fast you can vere off corse and go through all the cubes=)
i got highscore 1000000+ i'm serious
My highscore is: 453265. :P Beat that! Wait, my friend has xD he got 509 thousand something something something. :P Yea, but you beat mine :)
hello my score is 939250432749 try to beet that
LOL
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