Intelligent Qube

Infobox VG| title = Intelligent Qube


developer = SCEI
publisher = SCE
designer = Masahiko Sato (concept)
Kenji Sawaguchi (director)
Takayuki Hattori (composer)
engine =
released = vgrelease|Japan|JP|January 31, 1997
vgrelease|North America|NA|September 30, 1997
vgrelease|Europe|EU|October 1, 1997
genre = Puzzle game
modes = Single player/Multiplayer
ratings = ESRB: Kids to Adults (K-A), ELSPA: 3+
platforms = PlayStation
media = CD-ROM
requirements =
input =

"Intelligent Qube" is a puzzle game for the PlayStation. It is known as "Kurushi" in Europe.

In the game, the player controls a character who must run around a platform made of cubes, capturing certain cubes as they approach. Cubes are "captured" by marking a spot on the stage, waiting for the cube to roll on top of it, and then capturing it by deactivating the marked spot.

It received an Excellence Award for Interactive Art at the 1997 Japan Media Arts Festival. [cite web | title=1997 Japan Media Arts Festival Digital Art Excellence Prize: Intelligent Qube | url=http://plaza.bunka.go.jp/english/festival/1997/degital/000292/ | accessdate=2007-09-05]

Game mechanics

Overview

At the beginning of each level the player is put on a stage that has 23-30 rows. Then 12-16 rows of the stage are raised. Anywhere between 1 and 4 sets of rows comes at the user at one time. On the first stage, 3 rows of length 4 (12 blocks) come at the user at one time. On the last stage, 14 rows of length 7 (98 blocks) come at the user at one time. When all the blocks in one set are destroyed, more blocks are raised -- this happens 3 times, for a total of 4 block risings per level.

If at any time the cubes roll over the player, the cubes rush to the end of the stage and the player is given the same configuration of blocks on the next set with the announcer saying, "Again". Any penalties for letting normal and advantage cubes fall of the stage are incurred. Forbidden cubes also count against the player in this scenario. If the player ever falls off the stage- either by standing on the final row of the stage as it is eliminated, or by being "avalanched" off by rising blocks- the game is over.

Cube types

The cubes that approach are of three types:
* "Normal cubes" - Normal cubes are usually gray (the same color as the stage cubes you move around on), though this texture can change to some other color depending on the level reached. These cubes should be captured.
* "Advantage cubes" - Advantage cubes are green and should be captured. Capturing one of these cubes marks the captured location with a green square. This square can be subsequently triggered to capture the surrounding 3x3 area in one move. Multiple green cubes can be captured normally, and puzzles usually incorporate advantage cube chains. If a spot is marked by a green square, it cannot be marked in the normal manner until the advantage cube's special capture is triggered. Effective use of advantage cubes is the key to solving puzzles efficiently.
* "Forbidden cubes" - Forbidden cubes are black. These cubes should not be captured, but should instead be allowed to fall off the stage. For every forbidden cube captured, a row of the stage is lost, and a perfect score for that wave is no longer possible.

Additional penalties

If normal cubes or advantage cubes fall off the end of the stage without being captured, a counter is increased by 1. When this counter reaches a certain number, a row of the stage is lost (thereby reducing the number of rows the cubes have to travel to fall off). This number is equal to the width of the stage minus one. On the first level, the stage is 4 cubes wide, so the limit is 3; on the last level the limit is 6 because the stage is 7 cubes wide. If a normal or advantage cube falls off the end of the stage, that set is not considered "perfect" (see below).

Bonuses

After each set of blocks is destroyed, if the player did so without destroying any "forbidden cubes" and captured all normal and advantage cubes then they are awarded a bonus for perfection, and an additional row is added to the end of the stage (thereby increasing the number of rows the cubes have to travel to fall off the end of the stage). This is accompanied by a booming "Perfect!" from the game's announcer. Solving puzzles perfectly becomes increasingly important as the game progresses because later puzzles require more rolls, and hence more rows of running space, to complete successfully.

The perfection bonus takes into account how many cube rolls it took to capture all the cubes. From the time the first cube is captured until the time the last cube is captured, the counter increments. The immediate consequence of this is that one can mark a spot on the stage and wait to capture it until several rows of cubes roll over top of it. An initial number of rolls is set as being an "ideal" number to capture. If the player captures the cubes in exactly this number of rolls, they are given a "Brilliant" bonus of 5,000 points. If the player captures the cubes in more than this number of rolls, they are given a bonus of 1,000 points. If the player captures the cubes in fewer number of rolls, they are given a "True Genius" bonus of 10,000 points.

coring

Individual cube captures are worth 100 points. Cubes captured while an "advantage cube" is being detonated are worth 200 points each, regardless of if they are being captured by the player or the advantage cube. At the end of each level, the number of the rows left on the stage is multiplied by 1,000 and added to the score -- this score typically has a maximum of 39,000 to 50,000, depending on the level.

When the game is over, either by finishing all the levels or by falling off the stage, the total score is displayed, as well as an "I.Q". This "I.Q" is on a scale of 0 to 999, and is not indicative of a real intelligence quotient (for instance, beating the game without using a continue gives you an "I.Q" of at least 350). Total scores for a well-played game without the use of continues are on the order of 1 million points.

By beating the game multiple times, additional characters that move faster than the default character, are unlocked. Characters include Eliot (the default), Cynthia, and Spike the dog. Each complete play through of the game takes approximately two hours at Level 1 speed, or about 75 minutes at Level 5 speed.

Legacy

Several sequels were made including "Intelligent Qube Final|(IQ Final)" ("Kurushi Final" in Europe) for the Sony PlayStation, "Intelligent Qube Remix Plus|IQ Remix+" for the PlayStation 2. Several years later,"IQ Mania" for the PlayStation Portable, which contains all three previously released Intelligent Qube games, was released in Japan.

Several years after the "Intelligent Qube"'s initial release, the game is considered to be quite rare in the United States and consistently sells for more than $60 usedcite web|title=VideoGamePriceCharts.com|url=http://www.videogamepricecharts.com/game/playstation/intelligent-qube|accessdate=2008-04-08] .

Game Soundtrack

Reviewers often remark on Takayuki Hattori's soundtrack, which opts for an eerie orchestral score rather than a typical 'bouncy' puzzle game fare. It was released by Sony Music under the title "IQ Final Perfect Music File".

References

External links

* [http://www.us.playstation.com/PSone/Games/Intelligent_Qube/OGS/index2.html "Intelligent Qube" at PlayStation.com]