Jump on cubes to change their color in this free-to-play take on a classic arcade game.
Q*bert, the star of the classic Q*bert arcade game that was first introduced in the early 1980s, is back in a new mobile game on iOS and Android devices.
The game is simply called Q*bert, and it challenges you to complete puzzles by swiping to cause Q*bert to jump from cube to cube to change their color. Once all of the cubes in a level have been changed to the target color, the level ends and you can move onto the next.
While the game starts out easily enough, with no real obstacles or enemies to speak of, they become more difficult over time. For instance, moving enemies will appear in some stages, and you’ll need to watch out for them as you help Q*bert navigate the environment. In other levels, you may need to use teleporters to reach cubes that can’t be accessed otherwise.
As you complete levels, you’ll unlock new “skins,” or versions of Q*bert to use as your playable character. You’ll also collect coins over time that can be spent on additional characters.
If you run into an enemy while playing, you’ll fail the stage. At that point, you can spend coins or watch a video ad to revive Q*bert and keep going, or simply retry the level from the beginning. It’s worth pointing out that when Q*bert hits an enemy, a variety of punctuation marks appear on the screen, which are meant to represent cursing.
In addition to this level-based mode, you can also try “Arcade” mode, which challenges you to earn a high score by completing as many levels as possible. In this mode, enemies are present from the very beginning, making the game more challenging.
Unfortunately, Q*bert is pretty aggressive about encouraging players to watch ads and sign up for its optional VIP membership. For example, once you complete five stages, you’ll receive a special treasure chest that can only be opened by watching an ad. These chests contain items like coins or additional Q*bert characters. If you never watch an ad to open the very first treasure chest you receive (at level 5), you’ll never receive another chest after that point.
As another example, you can also watch ads to unlock characters outright, one at a time, from the game’s character menu. Finally, the VIP membership costs $6.99 per week, and gives you access to special VIP characters. It also gives you free coins every day, and doubles the number of coins you earn as you play. You can receive a three-day free trial to the VIP membership if you want to try it out.
With such a heavy emphasis on watching ads and purchasing the VIP membership, we recommend having your kiddos play in airplane mode (which will stop them from watching ads), or at the very least, set up your device to prevent them from making purchases without your consent (our guides for iOS and Android devices can help you do just that).
Q*bert is available to download for free on iOS and Android devices. The game is rated 4+ on iOS and E for Everyone on Android.
Check out six minutes of Q*bert in our SuperParent First Look below to see the game’s level-based puzzle mode in action.
Brandy Berthelson has been writing about video games and technology since 2006, with her work appearing on sites including AOL Games, Digital Spy, and Adweek. When she’s not gaming, Brandy enjoys crafting, baking, and traveling with her husband.
