REVIEW / Planet Cube: Edge (Steam Deck)

The original Super Mario Bros. was the first serious platformer that I remember playing back in the day and the genre has continued to be one of my favorites all these years later. These games come in all shapes and sizes, so to speak, and has been the one constant on the video game landscape for decades. While your regular run-of-the-mill platformer is fine to play, I have found that those games that require the player to utilize a more focused approach (hello Cuphead) to be the ones that keep me coming back for more. Planet Cube: Edge is just the game if run and gun precision platforming is what you are looking for. Direct from developer Sunna Entertainment and published by Firestoke Games, Plane Cube: Edge will keep you on the “edge” of your seat as you make your way through eight levels of platforming mayhem.

You take on the persona of Edge, the cube shaped protagonist of the story as he is suddenly startled from his sleep by sounds of explosions going off right outside his quarters in the underwater weapons research facility where he works. As such, you are tasked with discovering the identities of the hostile invaders that are attempting to overtake the facility before they can be successful. The complex is a huge labyrinth and Edge must make his way through while fending off all manner of attacks from the invaders. The fate of Planet Cube hangs in the balance and it will be up to you to determine the identity of the invaders and why they are attacking the planet. This is high-speed, high-skill platforming action, where quick responses and unlimited respawns will see you battle through hordes of invading enemies, dodging hazards and avoiding traps in a bid to save this world.

While Planet Edge: Cube is at its heart a platformer, there is also a good bit of shooting that you will have to do in order to defend yourself during the journey. Good thing that Edge was at the weapons research facility when the attack began as there are some very powerful weapons that he will be able to use to defend himself. Once you are able to get your bearings and help some of your fellow cube-folk escape the danger, you are presented with a prototype Photon Blaster. In addition, you quickly gain a dash ability that allows you to move a certain distance in a flash. You will need quick reflexes and all of your platforming/shooter prowess in order to progress through eight punishing levels on offer here.

Gameplay in Planet Edge: Cube is exactly what you would expect in a platformer/shooter game of this type. However, making your way through the levels has been amped up to 100 and your jumps and attacks must be precise and on point or you will find yourself dead and starting the section you died in being played all over again. You are going to die a lot, but the nice thing is that the game has a great checkpoint system so that you never have to go back very far once you respawn back onto the game board. I was thoroughly impressed as restarts took less than three seconds to get me back and playing again. Being that you will die so often, it would have been a dealbreaker if you had to wait more than a few seconds to get back to the action.

The visuals in Planet Cube: Edge are, simply put, spectacular! The pixelized art style, while it resembles the visuals of games from the original NES era, is taken painstakingly to the 4K era and allows for super high detail that gives the game one of the most unique looks this year. From the distant seascapes of the ocean floor, to minute nuts and bolts of the underwater research facility, every pixel has been placed with the utmost attention to detail. The color palette are different shades of green, and some blues for color; think the original Gameboy’s monochrome screen, boosted to take advantage of modern monitors and television screens, or in my case, the Steam Deck screen. I was immediately drawn to how the game looks and was just amazed at how good the art style compliments the theme of the story.

One other aspect of the game that really stood out to me was the soundtrack and the sound effects. The intro song that plays when you boot the game up SLAPS and I’m not ashamed to admit that on several occasions I let the song just play. It is some of the best music that I have heard in a game this year by far. In addition, the sound effects are spot on and helps to thoroughly flesh out the planet Cube. The only sound that got a little grating on my ears was the sound that the game uses when the characters are speaking; think all adults in Peanuts cartoons, but digitized. You can forward through those sections with the push of any button so that’s what I did to get around that and back to the gameplay.

Planet Cube: Edge is one of the best platformer/shooters that I have played this year by a mile. The only knock that I can give to the game is the difficulty level because there are some areas in the game that you have to be as precise as a surgeon, otherwise you will not be able to proceed forward and this may be a deal breaker for some players. The difficulty ramps up early on in the game so the designers were definitely trying to weed out those players that aren’t true precision platformer aficionados. However, if that feature in games of this nature is what you crave, then by all means, please pick this one up. Above all else, the game is really fun and has a replay value that is very high. Everything about this game was a pleasant experience and was a welcomed addition to this years lineup of great video game experiences.

This review in based on a copy of the game provided by the publisher.