Q-Bert’s Qubes  (preview)
Alternative title: Q-Bert 2
Platform: Commodore 64
Gametype: Undefined
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1984 Parker Brothers
Status: Preview, Findability: 3/5

Coding: Unknown
Graphics: Robin Ballweg
Sound: Unknown

Another title which should have been added to the GTW archives a very long time ago, after evidence of a C64 conversion was found in a manual of a released version of the game.

Q*Bert’s Qubes was a sequel to the highly popular Q*Bert arcade, but never shared the same levels of success as its predecessor. It complicated things maybe a bit too much by having the ability to rotate cubes in multiple directions to make a line in a colour set by the level.

Parker Brothers no doubt felt the game would still sell on the strength of the original, and planned conversions to most popular home platforms. The C64 version would never surface though, possibly due to the games division going under before it could see release.

In 2017, Scott Stilphen got in touch to pass on some games to the GTW archive – one of which included a preserved disk from artist Robin Ballweg, who turns out was the artist on the C64 conversion. On one of her disks was an executable preview of the game, showing something mostly playable. This was being produced for James Wickstead Design Associates for Parker Brothers during 1984.

It is a wonderful finding of a game that we were never sure actually existed. Here it is, and it is mostly playable and shows a solid conversion taking place. Maybe some day a more complete version could be found?

Contributions: Robin Ballweg, Scott Stilphen


https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/gtw64/qberts-qubes/
