Brick breaking and pinball, together at last, in Cube Cat

Cube Cat is a fun Windows 10 game that combines elements from a pinball game and a brick-breaking style game. You play the role of a hero cat who must battle wave upon wave of enemy units. Armed with a collection of CatBalls, you shoot them at the enemy, using the walls of the battlefield to ricochet your shots to maximize the damage. Pinball paddles are replaced with a force field to allow you to keep the CatBall in play.

Graphics are colorful and full of detail, gameplay is easy to learn and Cube Cat has an excellent level of difficulty to prevent the game from growing stale too quickly. There are plenty of upgrades and CatBall styles to allow your arsenal to keep pace with the challenges of gameplay.

Available for Windows 10 PC and Mobile, the free game is a fun option to consider when you have a little down time to waste.

Cube Cat

Cube Cat launches with an extensive tutorial that covers the basics of gameplay, upgrading your CatBalls and unlocking new weapons for your Cat arsenal. The game eventually transitions to a proper main menu that holds options to access the game's settings, access to the gaming store, access to gaming achievements and a display of your gaming stats.

The game's store offers you the option to purchase boosters and resources needed to upgrade your CatBalls with the currency you earn during gameplay. Gaming stats cover your currency count and token count. Tokens are used to launch gameplay and replenish over time or through in-app purchases.

Gameplay is mapped out across 51 levels, with each level containing multiple waves of enemies to defeat and culminating in a nasty boss battle. The gaming screen loosely resembles a pinball table with your Cube Cat positioned at the bottom of the screen and your enemies scattered about the top of the display.

Cube Cat

You begin the game armed with only one style of CatBall (RocketCat) and as additional balls become available, you can rotate through your arsenal by tapping the button in the bottom right corner of the gaming screen. CatBalls vary in abilities and can be upgraded to increase the damage they can inflict on your enemy.

There is also a Fever Meter in the bottom left corner of the gaming screen that increases as you defeat the enemy units and when maxed out, allows your attacks to go hyperactive.

The mechanics of play is simple. Tap the screen where you want to shoot your CatBall. The CatBall bounces around the screen like a pinball, bashing into the enemy units. Some enemy units require multiple strikes to defeat, while others go down quickly after one hit. Instead of using pinball paddles to keep your CatBall into play, there is a force field positioned just above the Cube Cat that catches the ball and allow you to launch it back at the enemies.

Now Cat Cube isn't just a game where your bash your enemies at your leisure. Each wave must be defeated before a timer runs out, and it's further complicated by enemy units have the ability to shoot missiles, rocks and other items at the Cube Cat. You need to act without haste to defeat your enemies and use the CatBalls not only to destroy your enemies but also to intercept any incoming projectiles that could harm the Cube Cat.

Each level concludes with a boss battle that can be rather demanding. You need to keep your CatBall bouncing around to inflict the maximum amount of damage and use your boost attacks with the fever meter regularly. Completed levels earn you game currency and other resources needed to unlock or upgrade your CatBalls.

As you progress through the gaming levels, new enemies and features become available. Cube Cat does a nice job of displaying pop-up windows to detail these new additions to the game to minimize any surprises. Gameplay does start off slow during the tutorial sessions but picks up in speed nicely once you get past these introductory levels.

Graphics are colorful with plenty of animations. While the game has a lot of features, it does not have an overwhelming feel. The free game is an entertaining option for when you need a little help passing the time, but I wish it did not have the token system to regulate gameplay. There is an addictive pull to Cube Cat and if you run out of tokens, it can be a real downer.

Download Cube Cat from the Windows Store

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George Ponder

George is the Reviews Editor at Windows Central, concentrating on Windows 10 PC and Mobile apps. He's been a supporter of the platform since the days of Windows CE and uses his current Windows 10 Mobile phone daily to keep up with life and enjoy a game during down time.