TGX 2012: Ludochip's CubeTractor PC Game

When we think of games made in Singapore, the most common association would be a Facebook game.
So imagine our surprise when we came across the indie PC game, CubeTractor, on The Games eXpo showfloor.

CubeTractor is a game that pushes the boundaries of genres. Described by developers Bruce and Justin of Ludochip as something they made to “cater to the lost decades of games”, CubeTractor is really an amalgam of age-old classics like Legend of Zelda, Battle City, and tower defense games.

Or should we say, tower attack – since you don’t just go about building towers.

The main game mechanic of CubeTractor is centred on cubes. That is to say, you traipse around the screen tugging cubes towards you, either to crush a beast in your path, to destroy a tower, or to collide with another cube from across the screen, so as to create a tower.

“We wanted to get away from guns, zombies, and shooting,” Justin told us. “This was inspired by the games that you can’t find out there on the market.”

The ‘neo retro’ design style of the game is a nostalgic throwback to the days of the Super Nintendo, when Legend of Zelda and other classics reigned supreme. It comes as no surprise since both Bruce and Justin have been influenced by current indie games such as Braid; older console games like Legend of Zelda and Megaman, and analog card and board games. They also mentioned the games website Nitrome as one of their inspirations.

However, they were quick to note that they “don’t want to be a company that only makes one specific style of game.”

“Genre style won’t necessarily exist in the future. We want to push (towards) that approach. In a way, we’re really trying to construct a new genre,” Bruce said.

CubeTractor is currently still in beta, and will be hitting the PC platform first. The game will only go mobile if it does well in the PC market.

Check back soon for our review of CubeTractor!