My review sample of the upcoming Rubik's Revolution came in a rather large box; the cube tumbled out of it loose, no retail packaging. My first thought—and I know I won't be alone in this—was to twist it in the traditional Rubik's Cube way. Nothing doing—this cube is a Rubik's in name and basic design only. The decision to package this electronic toy inside the iconic cube seems to be a marketing one: if it didn't have the Rubik's name attached to it, would we all be talking about the toy as much as we are?
In the middle of each face of the cube is a cavity where a pressure-sensitive light lives. Each of these buttons gives a satisfying click when you push down on it, and the unit has a decent weight and feel. The colored stickers are now shiny, with a hologram pattern that makes the whole thing look a little futuristic. It's clear how you're supposed to play with the toy: you spin the cube in your hand while pressing the lighted buttons. The instructions promise six games based on this premise.
I flipped the switch and the cube lit up and started to talk to me. The sound quality is about what you'd expect from an internal speaker on a $20 toy. It told me to hit a color for a game, and explained which color was for which game. I hit blue, for Light Speed. The cube announced that the game was starting, and away we went.
You hear the sound of a clock ticking down, and you have to spin the cube in your hand to find each light that's turned on, and then press down to turn it off. It sounds simple, and it is, but it gets frantic as the timer clicks down. You have to press your fingers deeply into the cube to push each light, like a mini Gom jabbar for your finger. I spun and spun, frantically turning off the lights. The cube is easy to hold, and I had a good time trying to hold my hands in such a way that I was able to hit the buttons on multiple sides instantly if I saw a light turn on.
