In my mind the name Irem has always been associated with R-Type. It’s no secret why; R-Type is one of the most influential shooters of all time. But that one seminal game did tend to overshadow a lot of their other works. On the NES alone they released many underrated classics. Metal Storm is one of the greatest NES games of all time in my opinion but also on that list would be Kickle Cubicle. This arcade port is truly excellent with solid mechanics and brilliant puzzle design.
Originally released in the arcade in 1988 Kickle Cubicle tells the tale of the fantasy kingdom. One day Kickle wakes up to find the Fantasy Kingdom completely frozen in ice by the Wicked Wizard King. As the only unaffected Kickle must rescue its citizens who have been imprisoned in dream bags and save the kingdom.
Games like Kickle Cubicle are why I miss video game publications so much. I was raised on a steady diet of platformers and side scrolling action games and gave most other games little thought. But the Nintendo Power spread on Kickle Cubicle convinced me to give it a try and I loved it. That budding interest in puzzle games would carry over to games like Mendel Palace, Fire and Ice and the Adventures of Lolo. It has kept a low profile all these years but Kickle Cubicle deserves better.
The mechanics of the game are pretty simple. Kickle can breathe ice that can freeze enemies in their tracks or turn them into ice blocks. These ice blocks can then be kicked, smashing enemies in the process or turning into a platform when sunk in water. Blocks are temporary; eventually the enemy will thaw unless kicked around. He can also create an ice pillar to block enemies or stop kicked objects. There are no power-ups aside from extra lives because they aren’t needed. The play mechanics you start with are perfectly adequate.
The solid mechanics are joined by excellent level design. The object of every stage is to collect the three dream bags within the generous time limit. Most levels involve manipulating the blue noggles to create bridges to collect all of the dream bags. This simple task is complicated by any number of objects; water holes can’t be filled while varying terrain requires different approaches. Aside from noggles there are eleven other enemies with their own behavior. Max is a bird who can kick your blocks and break your pillars to keep pursuit. Shades possesses your same abilities and needs to be dealt with differently. While you want to avoid them sometimes you’ll need to trick them into helping you complete certain levels!
Each land features new objects and enemies to interact with to achieve your goal. Cannons relentlessly fire in your direction. Hammers swing around and can take out enemies or punt ice blocks. Springs….are self-explanatory. Their arrangements become incredibly complex later and I’ll admit to looking at a faq once or twice. Each land is capped off with a boss battle, a bit uncommon for the genre. While novel these fights are simple and could have been removed with nothing lost in the process.
Next to its mechanics the game’s pacing is also excellent. Each land is comprised of 15-20 individual levels. For the most part these increase in difficulty but there are plenty of simpler puzzles thrown in to break it up. It’s almost as if the designers are apologizing after putting you through the ringer with a particular head scratcher. I like it. As much as I appreciate escalating difficulty in puzzle games it can be overbearing at times. An easy gimme puzzle not only motivates you to keep going but also helps you recharge. The introduction of new enemies and objects in each level helps avoid repetition although I will admit each land could be a little shorter. That’s not an indictment on the game; just my personal feeling.
There are some significant differences between the Japanese and American versions of the game that really affect the game’s flow. The most profound is the stage order; the US version has a set order to each world. The Eastern version allows you to tackle all four worlds in any order. It’s a major change although I will say Irem did a good job of aligning them from easiest to hardest. While I would have liked that freedom to tackle the game as I please it really only benefits players who are already familiar with the game.
The other would be the difficulty. There are fewer enemies populating each individual level. The puzzles alone can be intimidating as is; adding more enemies in the mix just seems cruel. Taking a quick glance at the Japanese version it really is insane how many enemies are packed in the later areas. In most cases it is usually just one more but that is enough to add more tension to each puzzle. I like the balance struck in the western version. There are enough enemies that you need to be alert but can also afford to spend time working out each solution. But that’s just my opinion.
In Closing
Highly underrated but excellent regardless Kickle Cubicle excels due to brilliant design & solid mechanics. The NES library is a wealth of riches in nearly every genre and Kickle Cubicle is one of its best titles. Those that take a chance on a different title will be rewarded with a satisfying adventure that will challenge but not frustrate. Give your brain a work with this hidden gem.
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