Qbert’s Qubes is a puzzle-platform game for the Atari 2600, which serves as a sequel to the original Qbert game. In this game, players control Qbert, who has six lives. The main objective is to match a row of four qubes to the target qube displayed in the upper left corner of the screen. Qbert can tumble the qubes in different directions to match their colors. In lower levels, matched qubes are locked in place, but in higher levels, they can be unmatched by Shoobops or Q*bert himself.
Various characters appear in the game, including Meltniks, Purple Ball, Rat-a-tat-tat, Sheldon the turtle, Green Ball, and Shoobops. Each character has unique behaviors and effects on gameplay. For example, Meltniks can sink into qubes that match their color, while Green Ball temporarily freezes all characters except Qbert when they collide. Sheldon the turtle slows down all characters except Qbert when they collide.
The game becomes more challenging as players progress, with faster-moving characters, more frequent character introductions, and more rows to match per round. Players earn points for various actions, such as landing on a qube, matching a qube to the target, and catching Green Ball or other characters. Bonus points are awarded at the end of each round, and extra lives are granted every 10,000 points.
The game ends when the player loses their last Q*bert. The difficulty escalates throughout the game, making it increasingly challenging for players to keep up.