I Love Da Cube

Today Sony revealed a new God Of War, which stars Laufey, Kratos’ wife who died at the start of the 2018 game. It looks like another modern God Of War, which is to say gorgeous and dour. But the series has never been entirely bereft of humor, and this one seems to be leaning into that element in a big, boxy way: There is a talking gelatinous cube. It rams into things in a way that mostly seems to annoy them. I think it’s great.

The cube’s name is Phranque, an objectively stupid name that I nonetheless enjoy in this specific context. He’s voiced (and mocapped!) by The Boys star and reasonably likable nepo baby Jack Quaid. Laufey meets him while imprisoned in a giant bone cage, alongside what appears to be a talking sword, but which is actually a talking ribbon sticking out of said sword, named Rue (played by Perlina Lau).

Already, there’s been discourse online about how a) God Of War stars a woman now, woe are the many babies who actually hate both women and video games, but more importantly b) the cube. Some contend that it looks out of place in this otherwise muddy, bloody afterlife setting and that Jack Quaid’s line reads, so far, sound a little Marvel-y. I cannot deny these prospective criticisms of a game that—let’s not forget—doesn’t even have a release date yet.

But watching the trailer, I was absolutely entranced not by the brutal balletics of a boss battle against a red demon, but instead by the cube wobbling along beside and behind it. Then, as if to add insult to the injury of Laufey’s sword strikes, the cube would crash into the back of the boss with the ferocity of an untouched, slightly spoiled Jell-O mold.

Nobody really acknowledges this as Laufey and the boss trade ill-intentioned blows and words, which in my opinion makes it better. Laufey nearly hews the dude in half, and then—for good measure—gelatinous cube comes in with a follow up boop. It is the gentle rhythm of slapstick, a dying art resurrected. Fitting for a game about someone who’s supposed to be dead.

Put simply, I love da cube. If you don’t, too bad. There is joy to be found in this world, but only if you’re willing to seek out its goopiest corners.