The Cubedex Series
The Cubedex Series is a sequence of five puzzle games I developed as midwinter gifts for my brother from 2015-2020; I have been slowly polishing and releasing them for a wider audience, with the first title (The Cubedex of Brass and Wood) available in late summer of 2020.
Arcs and Themes
The Cubedex Series does not follow any particular plot arc, but the games are thematically connected by the cubic arrangement of puzzles and the general puzzle-hunt-like style of the puzzles themselves. The games can be played in any order but, that said, I recommend chronological order.
Within the five-game series there are three "main arc" games -- The Cubedex of Brass and Wood (series #1), The Cubedex of Boxes and Lines (series #2), and The Cubedex of Flowers and Stone (series #5) -- each of which feature the same protagonist and loosely connects to the next. The two "side story" games -- Cubeship (series #3) and Cubedex Pocket (series #4) -- do not connect narratively to the main arc or each-other.
Cubeship's title does not contain the word "Cubedex" for geometric reasons that I do not discuss publicly but should be obvious to dedicated players of the series.
Much like The Cremaster Cycle, the third game in the Cubedex series is both somewhat an outlier in terms of scope and length and also probably my favorite. (Unlike the aforementioned set of art films, the Cubedex games were created in order.)
Series Summary
The following table reflects the current status of the series, my planned revisions for public (i.e., Steam) release, and approximate release timings. As ever, dates are subject to change.
The Cubedex of Brass and Wood (series #1, main arc #1)
Experiment with five mysterious electromechanical devices in an empty field.
The public release includes re-worked UI; sound and background music; new variations for several puzzles; achievements; and (optional) grass.
The Cubedex of Boxes and Lines (series #2, main arc #2)
Seven puzzles pretending to be classic arcade games placed on the inside faces of a cubic arcade.
The public release includes re-drawn sprites; a new ending sequence; adjusted puzzles; achievements; and sound.
Cubeship (series #3, side story)
Play as a pair of maintenance robots working to save the Cube.3 spaceship after a hull breach.
The public release will include graphical improvements; sound; achievements; and a selection of new puzzle variations playable outside of story mode.
Cubedex Pocket (series #4, side story)
The rad new six-in-one cube-shaped LCD game from TCHOW Electronics. Some (dis)assembly required.
The public release will include state saving; additional sounds; music; and achievements.
The Cubedex of Flowers and Stone (series #5, main arc #3)
A cube-shaped Japanese-style castle and grounds. Includes eight obvious (and not-so-obvious) puzzles, including several variations of a few of them.
The public release will include more extensive state saving; tone mapping adjustments; sounds; music; revised puzzle difficulty; and achievements.