Cube Escape: Paradox Review— A Puzzling and Surreal Mobile Experience

Cube Escape: Paradox is the 10th installment of the long-running series Cube Escape created by Dutch indie game company Rusty Lake, and the 13th game set in that universe. In it, Paradox digs ever deeper into the surrealist, horrific, Lynchian world of the other Rusty Lake games. You can download it as an iOS or Android app, or install it on Steam. It is also available in 14 different languages, which is impressively accessible for an indie game.

For the first time, Rusty Lake has also produced a short film starring David Bowles as a companion piece to the game, which is available to watch on YouTube.

In the game, you play as Detective Dale Vandermeer, who has just woken up in a strange, locked room. Guide Vandermeer to understanding the murder of the mysterious woman and his own past, present, and future as he comes face to face with his own corrupted soul.

Paradox has two chapters — in the first one, you are simply trying to find a way out of the room while examining evidence in the murder of Laura Vanderboom. The second chapter (which is premium at $1.99 in the Apple store or $2.99 on Steam) focuses heavily on Vandermeer himself, including some of his past in Cube Escape: Birthday.