, also known as Kurushi in Europe, is a 1997 puzzle video game developed by G-Artists and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. In the game, the player controls a character who must run around a platform made of cubes, clearing certain cubes as they approach. Cubes are "cleared" by marking a spot on the stage, waiting for the cube to roll on top of it, and then deactivating the marked spot.
The game was well received by critics. The game performed well commercially in Japan and won the Excellence Award for Interactive Art at the 1997 Japan Media Arts Festival.
Game mechanics
Overview
thumb|right|A screenshot of gameplay. The player has just triggered an advantage cube.
At the beginning of each level, the player is put on a stage with 23-30 rows. Although the game has a two-player mode, the two players simply take turns. Then 12-16 rows of the stage are raised. Anywhere between 1 and 4 sets of rows comes at the user at one time. On the first stage, 3 rows of length 4 (12 blocks) come at the user at one time. On the last stage, 14 rows of length 7 (98 blocks) come at the user at one time. When all the blocks in one set are destroyed, more blocks are raised—this happens 3 times, for a total of 4 block risings per level.
If the player ever falls off the stage, either by standing on the final row as it is eliminated, or by being "avalanched" off by rising blocks, the game is over.
Cube types
The cubes that approach are of three types:
- Normal cubes: Normal cubes are usually gray (the same color as the stage cubes the player moves around on), though this texture can change to some other color depending on the stage reached or on the game's settings. These cubes should be cleared.
- Advantage cubes: Advantage cubes are green and should be cleared. Clearing one of these cubes marks its location with a green square. This square can be subsequently triggered to clear the surrounding 3x3 area in one move. Multiple green cubes can be cleared normally, and puzzles usually incorporate advantage cube chains. If a spot is marked by a green square, it cannot be marked in the normal manner until the advantage cube's special feature is triggered. Effective use of advantage cubes is the key to solving puzzles efficiently. At the same time however, the player must make sure that no forbidden cube is included in the marked area (see below).
- Forbidden cubes: Forbidden cubes are black. These cubes should not be cleared, but should instead be allowed to fall off the stage. Total scores for a well-played game without the use of continues are in the order of 1 million points. If the player falls of the stage, the progress of the game is displayed and an option to continue playing is given.
By beating the game multiple times, additional characters that move faster than the default character, are unlocked. Characters include Eliot (the default), Cynthia (Cherry in Kurushi), and Spike the dog. Each complete playthrough of the game takes approximately two hours at Level 0 speed, or about 75 minutes at Level 4 speed. Also, by beating the game once, players can unlock the Original Mode where they can create their own puzzles. However, IQ and roll counters are not calculated.
Kurushi Final
A sequel to I.Q. was released as I.Q Final for Japan in 1998 and Kurushi Final: Mental Blocks for Europe in 1999. The gameplay is similar to the first game, but there are several differences in terms of design, and new challenges are added such as 100 Attack, Survival Mode, and Create. In this game, the new default character is Abel. Unlike the first game, there are different unlockable characters, including the original characters from I.Q.: Intelligent Qube. New unlockables include Kimti (a cave man), April (a nurse), Morgan (a military man), Dickson (a basketball player), and Atlas (a polar bear).
Kurushi Final
This is the normal game mode of the titular game. However, by beating the game with an IQ of 500 or above or staying in Survival Mode for 20 minutes or longer, the player unlocks Tektonics. If the player gets a game over, instead of being asked to continue playing, the game allows the player to select a stage from the first up to the furthest stage that was cleared (8th Stage being the maximum).
Tektonics
Tektonics is an extra minigame unlocked after beating the game with an IQ above 500 or playing Survival Mode for 20 minutes or longer. This mode tests the player's skills in Kurushi. This is a game mode where the player must face a huge puzzle which lasts for only one set in 20 waves.
100 Attack
A game mode where the player faces 100 singular puzzles with the aim of clearing them within a set number of rotations.
Survival Mode
This mode is similar to the normal gameplay. However, the game has no end. The player must survive as long as he can to unlock several characters. Staying in this mode for 20 minutes or longer unlocks Kurushi Tektonics
Create
Similar to the Original Mode of the original IQ (see above) the only difference is that the total number of rotations are calculated.
Development
I.Q.: Intelligent Qube was designed by Masahiko Sato, a professor at the Tokyo University of the Arts. Sony Computer Entertainment Japan assisted on development. Reviewers often remark on Takayuki Hattori's soundtrack, which opts for an eerie orchestral score rather than a typical 'bouncy' puzzle game fare. It was released by Sony Music under the title IQ Final Perfect Music File on January 21, 1999.
Reception and legacy
Intelligent Qube received mostly positive reviews. Game Informer gave the game a positive review, over two months before its release Stateside.
Electronic Gaming Monthly named it a runner up for "Puzzle Game of the Year" (behind Bust-A-Move 3) at their 1997 Editors' Choice Awards.
According to Media Create sales data, I.Q.: Intelligent Qube was a financial success in Japan, having sold 500,000 copies by March 1997 and nearly 750,000 copies by the end of 1997.
A few sequels were made including I.Q. Final (Kurushi Final: Mental Blocks in Europe) for the Sony PlayStation and I. Q. Remix+: Intelligent Qube for the PlayStation 2. In 2006, I.Q. Mania for the PlayStation Portable, which contains puzzles from all three previously released Intelligent Qube games, was released in Japan.
I.Q.: Intelligent Qube was re-released on PlayStation Network in Japan and Europe. Another mobile phone incarnation was announced by Upstart Games in 2005, but it is unknown if it was ever released. The game is one of twenty games included on Sony's PlayStation Classic.
In 2022, I.Q.: Intelligent Qube was added to the premium part of PlayStation Plus.
See also
- PQ: Practical Intelligence Quotient
- PQ2: Practical Intelligence Quotient 2