Minesweeper Cubed

There are a couple of games almost everyone played at some point, due to one reason or the other. Minesweeper is a good example, because although it’s a fairly simple and repetitive game, it can also be extremely challenging if you toy with the difficulty level setting. On the other hand, most people played it when they got bored, or when the Internet didn’t work.

Minesweeper Cubed is a three-dimensional version of the classic game, which means that you have to deal with a cube-shaped minefield instead of a plane. The goal is the same, however, since you still have to click on the blocks and make sure that you avoid the mines for as long as possible. The game is still pretty early in the development phase, so it lacks additional features like a custom background, or the option to change the difficulty level.

As far as the gameplay mechanics are concerned, the extra dimension does not affect the classic formula too much. You only need a mouse in order to play, and you can learn everything there is to know about the game in a few minutes. The 3D point of view allows you to rotate the camera freely, so that you can choose the proper angle every time you make a move.

An interesting mechanic that comes in handy is the fact that you can place flags on the blocks you suspect to be hiding a bomb. This prevents you from accidentally clicking on them, and it also tells the game that you have figured out where the mines are. It is not mandatory to do so, but it definitely helps a great deal to have indicators guiding you along the way.

Each safe block displays a number after you click on it, which signifies the number of mines adjacent to it. You can use this as guidance as well, although it’s true value becomes apparent in the later stages. As far as the visual quality is concerned, the game uses Unity for graphics, but the models very simple and unimpressive. However, it’s all about the puzzle, not how the blocks look.

When it’s all said and done, Minesweeper Cubed is pretty much bug-free and optimized, although there are still some inconveniences you have to deal with. It also needs more settings and more difficulty levels, otherwise it gets boring in a rush.