Mystique: Cube (Budapest)

A Lovely Nod to the Movie, Apparently

You have 60 minutes to ascend the CUBE.

A critical problem happened in our laboratory during an experiment. The nuclear fusion has stopped. You have to restart the reactor because the generators can’t keep up long. You have 60 minutes until the system starts to disinfact.

I love it when a company has many games, and Mystique was one of those companies. I don’t know how many they have in total, but as we were booked in for six of them, there is definitely more than that. The first of the six, was ‘Cube’ which I was reliably informed was inspired by the 1997 movie of the same name. I hadn’t watched the film prior to playing (nor watched it after, actually), but it didn’t negatively change my enjoyment of the game. One of our teammates had seen the movie, and loved it, and he liked this game a lot because of his love of the movie.

We arrived at Mystique (worth noting that they do have multiple locations) and descended the stairs to the basement where the reception area was located. The lobby had a desk where we could check in, and a couple of separate sitting areas complete with vending machines, lockers, toilets, and posters advertising their experiences.

After a short wait in this area, our GM took us over to a different waiting area in the building that housed Cube. It seems like Mystique is maybe in an apartment block with their games dotted around, so plenty of space for additional waiting areas. Our GM did a few final checks and then we were shown into the room and given our mission, and health and safety briefings.

A note on accessibility: there are some high stairs and ladders involved, plus some smaller spaces. So if you’re concerned, contact the venue directly to ask.

IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN

We noticed a few venues in Budapest like to classify their rooms according to the ‘generation’ system. I’m personally not a big fan of that classification, but if it’s something you are interested in, Mystique say that this is a ‘Generation III’ game. People who use this system would say that means that it has a lot more tech and a lot less padlocks. So yes, first thing to say about this game – no padlocks and a lot of tech!

From what my teammate says, the set was a good representation of the movie. I can only say that it was a very good set and had a cool sense of adventure. Starting off in a more traditional lab like area before going somewhere very different. Ambient noise was played in most areas, and it was oddly calming and reminiscent of being in an elevator.

The immersion in Cube was there from the start, and it continued through the game. It’s nice when you get a game that thinks about the story and how it fits in the room design. Yes, the start could have been much simpler than it was, but they put a little more effort in to make the journey feel more real.

PUZZLES

Cube was a game that was chock full of puzzles of all types. It started perhaps in a more familiar setting and had puzzles that reflected that area, but then it took a turn into the unknown where the puzzles evolved into something else entirely.

I’ve already mentioned about the lack of padlocks, and this game was certainly tech heavy – which all worked smoothly. The game felt like it was multi-linear in a number of places, but also linear in others. Probably partially due to space limitations, but also to get everyone in one place working together as a team.

The interactions with the game itself were very tech heavy, relying on screens, inputs and buttons, rather than more traditional systems. I had heard that other teams had some glitchy tech in their experience, but ours ran smoothly.

GM/CLUE SYSTEM

The GMs at Mystique that we met were a mixed bag, some seemed happy and pleasant, one was very nice, and another was a bit grumpy. Our host for Cube was somewhere in that mix, but did an adequate job of getting us in and out of the game. We didn’t need any help, so can’t comment on how the help would have been, but it would have come from a walkie-talkie if we did need help.

ANYTHING ELSE

Cube was a great choice for our first game at Mystique. Whether or not you’re a fan of the movie by the same name, this is a game full of content and backed up by an impressive set.

Success/Failed

Final Rating:

Team: 4 players – 35:30 taken

Address: Mystique Room, 1055 Budapest, Szent Istvan Korut 9

Website: https://www.mystiqueroom.hu/en