The classic Q*Bert arcade game from yesteryear gets a facelift from Sideline Amusements/Gonzo Games on PC and Consoles (Xbox One). It’s a simple game of jumping on coloured squares whilst avoiding many hazards keen on squashing our orange hero. The rebooted version follows the same principle of the original except replaces cubes with hexagonal shapes and gives the overall presentation a more modern lick of paint. However, the gameplay execution leaves little to be desired.
The original arcade game can be played from the main menu so for a bit of nostalgia you can play and play again until your fingers bleed. Lead Q*Bert across many stages whilst changing the colours of each cube he steps on. Once all cubes are the correct colour then you can move on to the next stage and so on. The hazards come in the form of snakes, balls and other nasties which if touched will take away one of Q*Bert’s few lives. So the key is to change all the colours whilst tactically avoiding the pitfalls. Talking of which, if Q*Bert jumps off the map he falls to his doom.
The biggest issue with Q*bert: Rebooted lies with the controls. You can see from the original game that the analogue stick control was limited but functional. However, instead of tidying up this element, the reboot makes them worse by introducing a manual jump button and a placement marker where you aim before you jump. On paper this might sound like an improvement but in practice becomes a royal pain as it’s a requirement to instinctively move fast rather than look at where you’re going to land and then press a button. Sadly the directional analogue control is poorly implemented where wrong directional jumps occur far too often in the heat of things resulting in too many unforced errors and loss of life. Cue plenty of pad throwing moments and tearful tantrums.
Aside from the less than favourable control scheme and if you have the patience, the game can be relatively fun to play in either its old school form or the new one. It’s not overly hard to understand what is required. However, there’s not really much variation so after repeating the same thing over and over does become a little tired. Essentially it’s not a game to sink hour upon hours in a single session, rather come back to it for a short play and move on. That said unlocking the numerous themed characters takes quite a bit of time even if they are pretty much cosmetic changes. There’s also additional challenge for beating stages within a time limit or gaining a set score but these are mere extras to strive for if you’re really looking to get the most value from the investment.
Q*bert: Rebooted is a cute and colourful looking reboot with a soundtrack that might get on your nerves after so many hours playing. It’s not the most in-depth of arcade games but the charm lies in its simplicity. For short bursts you’ll get much more enjoyment, although the dodgy controls are highly likely to get the better of you even if you’ve patience of a saint. The game is simply completely demolished by its dire execution making for painfully frustrating experience that’s best avoided unless you’re a glutton for unnecessary punishment.
Score 3/10
Review code supplied by Microsoft Xbox
