Q*bert scores 7/10 in the verdict of The Games Market editorial team.
Once Upon a Time
Q*bert!
by Simon Larocca·June 6, 2024
The advent of Puzzle Games caused no small upheaval in the video game world of the last century, built on the alien corpses of Space Invaders and reinforced by the labyrinthine walls of bunkers infested with more or less humanoid Nazis, as in Wolfenstein.
Playing on the timeline swing that has seen genres and subgenres succeed one another in a whirlwind of fun and experimentation driven by pixels, I cannot help but recall one of the games with one of the simplest yet at the same time most brilliant concepts ever produced.
The year 1982 was a memorable one for the arcade world, because Q*bert saw the light of day! This extraordinary puzzle game takes its name from its highly original protagonist, a creature that is objectively impossible to define, with a nose similar to that of the Snorkies (do you remember them, right?), a tubular shape, and a body that seems to have come from the graceful pen of a French comic-book artist.
The game is a static-screen game, with our heroic swearer, and in a moment I’ll explain why I’ve just called him that, grappling with a sort of Escher-like isometric building, vaguely reminiscent of a three-colored isometric pyramid.
Our mission, if we choose to accept it as suggested by the intro of a famous TV and film series, will be to make Q*bert jump on the faces of every cube that makes up the pyramid. Each level will vary the difficulty and the way in which we can complete it.
Ovviamente, the existence of Q*bert is not easy, being plagued by all kinds of monsters that will try to get him, causing him to tragically fall from the pyramid and put an end to his quest.
Iconic character, timeless and adorable at the same time, is known for the sound he makes every time he dies, along with the appearance on screen of a speech bubble with an onomatopoeia that is instantly recognizable to all fans.
Breve but significant foray into my past: as a child, in a neighborhood arcade where the cabinet stood proudly, I was convinced that Q*bert was telling me to get lost, plain and simple, for not being able to make him fulfill his glorious destiny! But today I like to think it was a clever way for the programmers to exorcise the legendary sense of frustration one feels when failing to clear a very tough level, the kind that keeps us stuck for a long time and risks making us abandon the game.
Tutti noi video gamers, sooner or later, clash with our nemesis, the impossible game that seems determined to put spokes in our wheels at all costs: Q*bert can be challenging, in the best arcade tradition, but it does so in the right ways and at the right times, allowing us to enjoy its fun potential without slapping us in the face with the gloom derived from the endless loop of death and Game Over.
7
Pro
Original concept that brings a breath of fresh air to the puzzle genre
Qbert is nothing short of adorable, and you can’t help but love him
Cute and cuddly, yes, but challenging and stimulating
Contro
Basic-level design with no particular peaks
Minimal graphics, even for the time it was released
Mi chiamo Simon Larocca, e sono un videogiocatore, collezionista e amante della cultura pop in tutte le sue forme. Vado al cinema ogni volta che posso, leggo da quando porto gli occhiali, quindi da sempre, e ho la passione per lo storytelling in tutte le sue forme, così dirompente da farla diventare una professione. Ma come direbbe Doc di Ritorno al Futuro, non ci sarebbe presente se non si guardasse al passato con rispetto e ammirazione, ed è il Simon bambino di più di trent’anni fa, anno più anno meno.
Simon Larocca
Mi chiamo Simon Larocca, e sono un videogiocatore, collezionista e amante della cultura pop in tutte le sue forme. Vado al cinema ogni volta che posso, leggo da quando porto gli occhiali, quindi da sempre, e ho la passione per lo storytelling in tutte le sue forme, così dirompente da farla diventare una professione. Ma come direbbe Doc di Ritorno al Futuro, non ci sarebbe presente se non si guardasse al passato con rispetto e ammirazione, ed è il Simon bambino di più di trent’anni fa, anno più anno meno.
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