View on Cube Run (Android)

🧬 Context + 🔗 Where can I download it?

Cube Run is a 3D Endless Runner in which you play as a cube rolling along a straight path, dodging various obstacles by jumping, ducking or moving side-to-side. Along the way, you can collect coins scattered across different lanes and pick up power-ups (which can even be combined) to make your run easier and boost your score; all of this is controlled with just a single finger on the screen! It'll then be need to play differently when there is some temporary change in the surrounding area and scenario.

It can be found on GitHub or F-Droid, but not on Google Play Store (for now)

🟢 Current Strengths

🟢 100% open source: And, by today’s standards for an Android game, it has a ridiculously small file size (nearly 10 MB); this makes it very stable, smooth and extremely lightweight in terms of assets, even on low-end phones, such as the secondary one I use
🟢 100% playable without needing an internet connection: Includes all sorts of unlockable content, with no additional real-world costs (microtransactions). All you need to progress is patience, persistence, skill, a bit of luck and the ability to upgrade your power-ups via in-game coins at the in-game shop
🟢 Difficulty can be configured in two ways: The game speed can be set from 0 to 10 (at level 6 and above, upgrades from the shop are required) or you can use the "Toxic" cube with the "Toxic Fortune" ability. This grants 60% more coins, but there is a 1% chance that a green coin (or two) will appear; collecting one will cause your run to end instantly
🟢 Alternative costumes with abilities: These are categorized into "cube" (the playable character), "bubble" (a protective barrier) and "trail" (particle effects left behind by the cube, purely cosmetic, but nice to look at). Most of these can be obtained through mystery boxes or by purchasing them from the shop. Certain "cube" and "bubble" skins offer unique abilities, which help make the gameplay a bit less repetitive. My personal favorites are "Toxic" and "Plasma", which add a layer of difficulty, as well as "Gold" which helps you collect more coins during longer runs
🟢 When the floor is altered to create a continuous series of ups and downs, there’s a certain pleasure in jumping... it fosters the illusion that you’re leaping higher, an effect further enhanced by the camera, which moves vertically with a smooth, fluid motion
🟢 "Strobe" Costume: Grants 3 points at once (just like a long-range basket) if you successfully pull off a last-second dodge. Daredevils who love living on the edge will have a blast trying this one out!
🟢 "Eclipse" Costume: Instantly shift the cube from one line to another—incredibly useful when navigating particularly tricky narrow passages filled with obstacles you need to dodge. A cube’s life has never been this easy...
🟢 "Gambler" Costume: Wager every coin and mystery box you’ve collected along the way for a chance at a massive monetary payout... though the odds are so slim that you’re actually more likely to see conjoined twins born. Why did I list this as a strengths if it sounds more like a flaw? Beats me...
🟢 Despite being graphically made up entirely of blocks without textures (with a handful of non-cubic elements: coins and shields), it manages to make an excellent use of composition, colors (with hierarchies), dynamic animations (with rubberiness and stretching of the models), to the point that the richness of the surrounding environment (and the constant changes it undergoes) contributes to keeping the sessions long without yawning and distraction (at least, in my case it is like this)
🟢 From v2.7: The game speed (from 0 to 10) can now be set via the game settings and will remain in effect for the entire game. Luckly, it is still possible to increase the speed at the start of a run, just as before
🟢 From v2.7: "Quiet Coins" option has been added to the game settings; it makes coins so transparent that they are barely visible along the way, useful for those who aren't interested in hunting for coins (or who find them a distraction)
🟢 From v2.7: Although I haven't quite figured out its actual utility in terms of gameplay, the "Multiswipe" option in the game settings allows for, well... more than one touch on the screen at a time. I’m listing this as a strength because it might prove useful for someone whose fingers are faster than Bruce Lee’s kicks
🟢 From v2.7: The bubble recharge duration has been reduced from 5 to 3 seconds, (especially) useful when moving at breakneck speeds and/or for those who prefer to play it extra safe
🟢 From v2.7: New settings have been introduced, such as a snowy world (the track isn't suitable for winter sports), a lava-filled one (with dancing tephras), a desert one (no sheriff in town this time), a land of sweets (try not to give in to temptation), a space station (featuring numerous communication panels), a futuristic city at night (with elegant flying cars passing overhead) and my personal favorite... outer space!
🟢 From v2.7: In the outer space has everything you could want: a transparent floor, asteroids drifting by in the background, a camera that glides smoothly from side to side, a floor that undulates in a sinusoidal pattern and even a few gaps in the surface. It’s a bonus world that you’ll only encounter occasionally, so be sure to enjoy it while it lasts during your run! Oh, and one more thing: Gravity is reduced here, too! 🟢 From v2.8: The shop (which also includes achievements screen) has been given a visual overhaul to make it more appealing and easier to understand, with better use of visual hierarchy, notably for mystery boxes, which now form a separate category pinned to the top. Furthermore, when opening a mystery box, the process now takes place directly within the shop, in a small area that also houses the cube, rather than on a separate screen 🟢 From v2.8: A small window has been added to remind you of the changes introduced in the latest version of the game. This window can also be reopened via the game settings
🟢 From v2.8: A handful of barrier costumes have gained abilities they didn't have before, most notably Rainbow, which now grants 2 points while active
🟢 From v2.8 and in the shop: A fun little easter egg (or bug) I discovered is that the cube jumps when you tap on it; however, if you tap it with a certain rapid and steady rhythm, the cube will eventually rise so high that it goes off-screen. It only returns once to stop tapping. It doesn’t unlock anything, but it’s still neat to have discovered it

🔴 Current Flaws

🔴 Gameplay: Despite its addictive nature, it is quite repetitive, given the lack of variation in the rules and the way you have to play to keep the run going. Even the rocket power-up and dodging green coins don’t help make the gameplay any more varied. Consequently, it’s best suited for quick, bite-sized sessions and/or for when you have nothing better to do
🔴 The single in-game music and the sparse sound effects don't amount to much in terms of sound design; they don't exactly blend harmoniously with the gameplay over long sessions, so much so that I ended up muting the game and playing the Crash Bash soundtrack in the background instead
🔴 My take: Bubble Shield & Second Wind consumables aren't worth buying; Bubble Shields can be obtained through gameplay (more rarely) or found in mystery boxes (more commonly), while Second Wind revives your cube after a failed run, but once you get the hang of the game, you really don't need it
🔴 Maybe it’s because I haven’t reached the end yet, but I’ve never understood the point of spending increasingly larger sums of money just to hear a specific and canned phrase (which doesn’t even get saved anywhere) from that pitch-black purple-haloed planet-like thing. By comparison, the Wise Tree from Plants vs. Zombies is actually more useful (no offense to it, of course!)
🔴 My take: The name Cube Run is so generic that it’s hard to index and easily confused with other games that have similar names. The same goes for the logo. My suggestion? Well... for starters, the logo should be composed entirely of colored blocks, with the letters varying in angle and height. Then, a nice long line featuring various obstacles - designed to extend across the logo - to provide a clearer idea of what kind of game it is. As for the name, well... Kubedrun! It’s a play on words combining Cube + Hexahedron + Run and it also incorporates Cubed + Edrun
🔴 There is no option to back-up and/or restore your local save data, neither via cloud storage nor locally
🔴 From v2.6: A handful of alternative costumes, such as "Coal" & "Zen," are only useful for occasionally fulfilling a specific achievement. They are otherwise useless for scoring ("Zen") or collecting coins ("Coal"), as these functions are disabled while wearing them
🔴 From v2.7: Despite the introduction of new settings - beyond just outer space - it lacks any gameplay gimmick tailored to these specific setting; for instance, there is no snow to slow you down, no lava spheres leaping out of the molten rock and no bouncy candies placed along the sides to add to the chaos
🔴 From v2.7: The settings that existed prior to v2.7 have been replaced by the new ones introduced in v2.7, which is a shame, as the originals had a certain appeal of their own

🟣 Fixed Flaws

🟣 Up to v2.6: The game speed must be reset for each run, as it reverts to 0, especially if you restart frequently

🔮 What would I like in the future?

🔮 Secondary game modes: Time Trials, Multiplayer (local and/or online), Adventure (featuring a series of levels) and Party (similar to Super Monkey Ball, a collection of minigames that utilize the core gameplay mechanics within specific and distinct contexts, such as Golf, Bowling or Billiards)
🔮 Various types of obstacles: These include lasers that move horizontally or vertically; blocks suspended in the air that strike either just before we reach them or directly above us; blocks that push us backward; blocks positioned on the sides that force us toward the opposite side of the path; and semi-submerged blocks that launch forward like missiles along a specific line
🔮 "Curse" Effect: To spice up the difficulty, if you accidentally strike one of a series of identical enemy blocks, the rest will vanish (only to reappear later) but you will be afflicted with a completely random debuff, such as inverted controls or a wavy screen accompanied by graphical artifacts. To cure this, you must quickly complete a specific and real-time objective, such as collecting a certain number of coins or performing a set number of last-second dodges. There are two types of effects: the "better" one lasts for the remainder of the run, while the "worse" one - if its countdown expires - will end your run entirely. There is also an achievement for successfully having come out of this effect a certain number of times
🔮 One or more floors: Similar to the rocket power-up, but allowing for progression along an additional way located above - accessible via a spring or teleporter. And for good measure, there’s even the option to descend to a lower level by entering a clearly marked hole—though you’ll have to figure out whether it’s a genuine entrance or a deadly chasm. Each level contains a varying number of collectibles and obstacles, with some collectibles being exclusive to specific floors
🔮 Forking paths: Suddenly, you will have to make a split-second decision about which of two or three paths to take, with the camera following your change in direction. Each path differs in terms of difficulty, course layout and the number and placement of collectibles and obstacles. The easiest path offers fewer rewards but features less challenging obstacles; a medium-difficulty path (if present) remains balanced, while the most difficult path is the opposite of the easiest one
🔮 Consumable shooter-based power-up: Certain obstacles located on one (or more) lanes can only be shattered using a gun with a limited supply of ammos. For obvious reasons, the gun hovers above the cube and is activated by a quick tap on the cube. If destroyed, these obstacles may reveal a rare collectible hidden behind them, open up a branching path or grant access to another floor

❤️ And to conclude... + 🗣️ Comment Section

Written, conceived and edited from 3·Oct·2026 to 22·Oct·2026, after trying Cube Run from v2.8 to v2.7 and from Sep 27, 2026, to Oct 22, 2026

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