By Brad Cook

The “match three and drop them from the board” paradigm is a staple of many puzzle games, but Cubis 2 takes the concept to a new dimension, literally. In this fast-paced game where you’re up against the clock, colors can match up and down as well as across, thanks to the ability to stack cubes. Four gameplay modes, as well as a variety of special cubes that perform all sorts of tricks, add even more dimensions to the fun.

The action begins on a 7-by-7 grid, where a predetermined group of cubes awaits you, depending on the game pack and level you’ve selected. Slide a block into place, pushing the cube it strikes into an unoccupied square, if one exists in that direction. If clearing a group of three or more same-colored cubes creates another match that also disappears, you’ve pulled off a cubis. Clearing the second match could create a third match, and so on.

Blocks on top of those that have been cleared drop down a level and will sometimes crack when they hit the game board. Cracked cubes immediately disappear when a block slides into them, unless that block is an osmosis cube, which transfers its color to any block it touches, or a wedge cube, which slides under the cube it touches and lifts it up. If the wedge cube hits a pillar three cubes high, it simply stops next to it and becomes a normal cube.

Extra Dimensions

Three other special cubes also aid your strategic thinking: dual cubes display two colors and can match adjacent blocks of either color; bomb cubes destroy adjacent cubes and knock others in the vicinity in random directions; and laser cubes shoot fireballs that destroy their targets. Bomb and laser cubes don’t remain on the board after they’ve been used.

You’ll also encounter three other types of cubes that you can’t place on the board but which affect the game: stone cubes that are immovable, unless destroyed with bomb or laser cubes; ghost cubes that randomly teleport onto the board during morph-fun mode and are worth bonus points if you eliminate them; and star cubes that cost you points at the end of the level, if they’re still hanging around.

Morph-fun mode is a variant that exists for each main game style, arcade and puzzle, randomly teleporting a ghost cube onto the board after each move you make. In arcade mode, you must get rid of a certain number of blocks before time runs out, and in puzzle mode, you must eliminate all of the star blocks before the clock winds down. In-depth tutorials explain all four gameplay modes, as well as all of Cubis 2’s basic concepts.

The Rule of Three

Cubis 2 comes with three game packs — FreshFun, CubeOlicious, and Bet You Can’t — that each contain 50 levels. You can play each one in any of the four game modes, and you can tackle those brainteasers in one of three difficulty settings.

The theme of threes continues with three visual options to choose from — high plains, rain forest, and sea heaven — along with three styles for the cubes: classic, jewel, and metallic. A Color Blind Friendly setting lets those afflicted with that condition play the game without frustration.

So what are you waiting for? Time to get stackin’.

Tips and Tricks

• Cubes will slide into an empty space next to them even when they have one or two blocks on top of them.
• Likewise, cubes won’t drop if the block beneath them is destroyed by the laser, allowing you to slide a matching block under them, assuming there’s an adjacent cube to stop it there. Each cube you place on the board slides along a column until it reaches the edge or it runs into another cube.
• The lower left-hand corner of the screen displays the next three cubes available to you, so use that information to plan your strategy.
• Cubes left on the board lose you points at the end of the level, so try to clear all of them, not just the number you need to eliminate. You’ll also get a bonus if you clear the board.

iPod Games FAQ

Do you have questions regarding any of the iPod games available from the iTunes Store?

Stack ’Em and Match ’Em. That wedge cube will elevate the yellow cube it’s headed toward, creating a match with the adjacent yellow block.

Click to see price.

• Site: Cubis 2
• Publisher: Apple Inc.
• Developer: FreshGames
• Genre: Puzzle & Trivia

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