BoxBoxBoy!

Genre: Puzzle-Platformer

Players: 1

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Review:

BoxBoxBoy! Is a family-friendly Puzzle-Platformer released on Nintendo 3DS in 2016. This is the second game in the BoxBoy! Series, following the first game which was… er… BoxBoy. This game follows much the same formula, featuring the titular BoxBoy (his actual name is apparently Qbby), who can grow boxes out of his body and use them to hit switches, create bridges and staircases, and shield himself from danger. This game adds a new ability – you can now create two sets of boxes at a given time, rather than just one.

This expanded ability gives this game a much greater ability to create clever puzzles, while still keeping things simple and straightforward like in the first game. What’s more, this game features much better pacing, and this time around players won’t have to wait an hour for things to get interesting.

This game once again has a simple, straightforward presentation, with mostly-monochrome visuals (there are occasional hints of color at times now) that are nearly line art in their simplicity – BoxBoy himself is literally a featureless box with eyes and noodly appendages. However, there’s still enough decent animation here that it’s clear that this wasn’t out of laziness, but a deliberate design choice. These simple visuals are backed by a relaxing synthesized soundtrack that’s nothing special, but seems fitting for this minimalist game.

In the end, yet again, the BoxBoy series delivers a solid minimalist Puzzle-Platformer experience at a budget price of $5, but this time both the puzzle mechanics and the pacing have been greatly-improved, making BoxBoxBoy! A better game than its predecessor. If you’re looking for a well-made and simple Puzzle game on your Nintendo 3DS without spending an arm and a leg, BoxBoxBoy! Is a great choice.

tl;dr – BoxBoxBoy!, like its predecessor, is a minimalist Puzzle-Platformer starring a character who can grow boxes out from his body to help him get past obstacles and solve puzzles. This sequel improves on the prior game with good puzzles that make use of your new ability to shed two sets of boxes rather than one, and the early portion of the game flows much more swiftly this time too. With its small $5 price tag, this is absolutely a game every Puzzle Game fan with a Nintendo 3DS should have.

Grade: B

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