Q*Bert Rebooted (2015, PS4) - Coiled Again

I love the original arcade Q*Bert game, its oddball sequel Q*Bert's Qubes, and retro revival games, so an updated Q*Bert seems like it's something that would be totally my thing. Gonzo Games and Sideline Amusements launched Q*Bert Rebooted on phones and on Steam last year, with a PS3/PS4/PS Vita cross-buy release happening this week. It includes the original arcade game as well as a new, modernized take, but it's a surprisingly lazy package.

Review - Q*Bert's Qubes (Arcade, 1983)

This review is part of a series focused on games I spent time with during my most recent trip to Funspot. To view the complete list so far, click the Funspot tag at the end of this post!

For an extensive history of Q*Bert, be sure to check out this article by Warren Davis.

After the success of Q*Bert in 1982, Neil Burnstein took over from creator Warren Davis and developed Q*Bert's Qubes, a sequel that shook up the familiar formula of the original game. Q*Bert artist Jeff Lee worked with Burnstein and created a new series of monsters to torment the rude orange blob monster hero, including a purple rat that serves as this game's equivalent of the original's snake. Meanwhile, Davis worked on his own sequel, entitled Faster Harder More Challenging Q*Bert which also introduced new enemies and new rules, but was sadly never released. While I'm a big fan of Q*Bert, I actually prefer Qubes to the original game.

Review - Q*Bert (Arcade, 1982)

 
This review is part of a series focused on games I spent time with during my most recent trip to Funspot. To view the complete list so far, click the Funspot tag at the end of this post!


For an extensive history of Q*Bert, be sure to check out this article by Warren Davis.

In 1982, Warren Davis and Jeff Lee introduced one of arcade's most iconic figures: The foul-mouthed, long-nosed orange blob monster Q*bert. Players bounce Q*bert up and down a pyramid of cubes, changing the colors of the platforms he lands on with each hop, with the end goal being to turn all of the panels a certain color. Along the way, Q*Bert is plagued by green creatures that reverse his cube coloring progress, hungry purple snakes, and the ever present danger of accidentally jumping off the side of the pyramid if you're not used to the game's controls (far more likely on console ports than in an arcade.) With each death, Q*bert belched out a hearty @!#?@!