CubeAway Guide: How to Clear Blocks and Avoid Deadlocks

To clear dense puzzle structures in CubeAway without hitting a deadlock, tap blocks on the outer edges whose arrows point toward open air, and rotate the board after every few moves to verify hidden pathways.

Directional Movement and Block Blocking Rules

Every block in CubeAway features a directional arrow etched onto its face. A block can only slide off the board if its arrow points directly toward an empty space or off the outer edge of the grid.

If an arrow points directly at another solid block, that piece is locked. Tapping a locked block will not move it. You must clear the obstructing piece first to open up an exit path.

A deadlock occurs when every remaining block on the board points toward another solid piece, leaving zero legal moves. To avoid this outcome, prioritize pieces based on their exit freedom rather than their distance from the center.

Priority Sequence for Board Clearing

To maintain clear visual pathways and prevent unresolvable blockages, follow this removal sequence:

1. Outer Shell and Corners: Focus on edge and corner blocks first. Peripheral pieces rarely have obstacles in front of their arrows, making them the safest choices to start a level and expand your view of interior pieces.
2. Bottleneck Blocks: Look for central or multi-layered pieces that obstruct multiple arrows simultaneously. Once peripheral clearance opens access to a bottleneck block, remove it immediately to unlock clustered areas.
3. Interlocking Chains: When several adjacent blocks point in the same direction, locate the lead block at the front of the line (closest to the exit) and clear it first. Removing the lead block allows you to clear the rest of the chain in rapid succession.

Avoid removing central blocks while the outer shell remains intact. Prematurely pulling interior pieces can obscure remaining escape routes and leave adjacent blocks permanently obstructed.

How to Avoid Visual Masking and Deadlocks

Viewing the puzzle from a single fixed perspective is the primary cause of sudden deadlocks. A block that appears free from the front may actually be blocked by a piece on the reverse side of the structure.

• Rotate 360 Degrees: Rotate the structure after every two to three taps to check the orientation of arrows on all six sides.
• Simulate Exit Paths: Before tapping a piece, confirm that its entire trajectory to the edge of the screen is clear of secondary obstructions.
• Identify Anchor Pieces: If progress stalls, locate the key blocks holding a row in place, shift your focus away from easy edge picks, and target the specific anchor blocking that sequence.