Minecraft is a tremendous success and playable on almost every platform, except on Nintendo platform. Minecraft isn’t coming to Nintendo in the near future so if you want some Minecraft action, you’ll have to play some good alternatives. Cube Life is by far the best alternative for the sandbox filed with breakable blocks.
It’s different
It’s no surprise that Cube Life took a lot of inspiration out of Minecraft but it also goes its own way. At the very start of the game you’ll notice one of the bigger differences with the source material. Cube Life features a narrative about a stranded man who used to have it all. We’ll never learn his name but he speaks to you at certain points during the game. It’s a welcome change to actually control a character that’s able to speak instead of another silent hero.
Another big difference is the setting. Where you play on one big world in Minecraft, you’ll play on a collection of island in Cube Life. The map of Cube Life is filled with gorgeous water, dividing the island into little separate worlds to discover. Each island has its own environment where you can find the right resources to built equipment or shelter. We do realize that these islands are created to cover the technical flaws of the Wii U but it’s a great solution. Where other sandbox games often try to deliver a big open world, they often fail. Going for this island setting results in a big world without game-breaking bugs.
Survival Mode
The game features two modes where Survival Mode is the more creative and challenging one. In Survival Mode you’ll need to gather the right recourses to craft the tools you need to survive. These tools can be weapons, armor but also building materials to create shelters. Just like in Minecraft, the creation goes very deep and finding the right recourses is what makes this game so addictive. Aside of collection resources you’ll also need to keep a close eye to your hunger and thirst level. You can die from starvation if you don’t drink or eat on the right time. It’s an extra challenge and results in a very challenging Survival Mode.
To make things even more difficult, strange island inhabitants will attack you during night. You can attack the endless wave of inhabitants until the new day starts or you can retreat to a shelter you’ve created. Finding everything you need during daytime is crucial to survive during the night. It’s a great idea but it’s rather hard to survive, especially when the game decides to save during the night. If you haven’t got the right tools, you’ll often face an instant death. It’s challenging for sure but some might find this mode a little bit too frustrating. You really need to understand the game enough before you can survive for a long time.
Creative Mode
The Creative Mode is the second and perhaps even better mode of the game. In this mode you’re free to go where you want on your map. Using flight, you can hover over the map, finding the right spot to start building. In this mode you can really create everything you want, the only limitation is your imagination. The blocks you need are just a push of a button away so you’re always able to start creating. The only problem with the map is that you can’t start on a flat surface. Destroying blocks before building can solve this but we would have like some flat surfaces to start with.
It isn’t a big problem, the loading times on the other hand are. Sure, we understand that a map creator asks a lot of the system but the loading screen is rather boring to watch. It would have been better if players could play a small game while waiting for the map to load. Something like the Squid game when you have to wait for online players in Splatoon. The loading times are the biggest problem for sure but if you see what you can create, we’re sure a lot of you won’t bother those loading screens that much.
| The good: | The bad: |
| + The hero speaks | – Loading times |
| + A lot of freedom in Creative Mode | – Very hard Survival Mode |
| + Minecraft on a Nintendo system | – Still some small bugs |
Cube Life: Island Survival is without a doubt the closest thing to Minecraft on a Nintendo platform. It takes the best elements of the original game but combines it with new and even some innovating ideas. The loading times and brutal Survival Mode are some downsides to the game but all in all this is one of the best sandbox games on the Wii U. If you’re looking for a Minecraft fix on your Nintendo system, look no further!
