Boxboy Reviews
Box Boy is a charming game that can provide a nice challenge and is affordable to boot. If you like puzzlers and subscribe to the philosophy of gameplay over graphics, you'll want to give this game a look.
As far as puzzle platformers are concerned, Boxboy is a breath of fresh air and proves that no matter the size or style of game, HAL is always committed to delivering a unique and fun experience with their games.
BOXBOY! is a fun puzzle platformer that gets a lot of mileage with a simple concept.
What BOXBOY! lacks in visuals and style, it makes up for with complex level design and intricate gameplay that will keep your brain churning for hours. It may not replace any of the bigger puzzle games out there, but HAL Laboratory's little box opus brings some good, easily addictive puzzle entertainment.
My BoxBoy review code sat in my inbox for about a week. It's not that I didn't want to play it, but the end of March and even the beginning of April was filled with a ton of games that demanded more of my attention. Not knowing what BoxBoy was, I looked up some gameplay videos, and wasn't taken by what I saw. Something about a boy that looks like a box and there are a lot of puzzles involved. I figured, passing on the review at that time was OK in lieu of bigger, more time consuming titles. Now that the storm has calmed, I was ready to finally dive into BoxBoy. After just beating the first world, which took me all of probably 5 minutes, I saw the immense potential. This was a game that isn't gaining any favors through gameplay videos. It's a game you have to play to "get." And it's oh so delightful.
HAL Laboratory fails to innovate at all within the puzzle genre and throws many of the same obstacles at you over and over again—to the point where BoxBoy! is as plain a platformer as its monochromatic motif.
Boxboy! is confident, assured programming. It's brave to make a puzzle game in which players control a box with two little slits for eyes. It requires the confidence of the entire development team that they're going to be able to imbue character into the experience despite the minimalism, and that the level design and puzzles would be interesting enough in their own right to maintain the player's interest. HAL has succeed in doing just that, and the Boxboy! development team was justified in their confidence.
BOXBOY! is an outstanding puzzle game that utilizes an original and creative idea, resulting in some of the most well-designed challenges seen on Nintendo 3DS.
BOXBOY! is a real winner for the eShop. Its simple design and perfectly-balanced difficulty level mean that it's sure to resonate with players of all skill levels, and whether it's being chipped away at during morning commutes or digested in its entirety over a weekend, Qbby's tale shows that a minimalistic game can be just as satisfying as a triple-A title.
The only real downside to Boxboy is that there are so many ideas that I wish some of them were expanded upon more. Each new mechanic really only gets about a half-dozen levels to shine, and each one is so rich that they might even be able to support their own game. Because of that onslaught of fresh ideas, Boxboy never gets boring, which makes it a fun experience for your 3DS.
I honestly have no real complaints about BOXBOY! It kept me playing practically non-stop, and I loved every minute of it. The only aspects of it I didn’t experience were the Demos and Hints. The Demos let you send a free taste of the game to those you StreetPass with. The Hint system lets you spend Play Coins to help you get past levels if you’re stuck. I’m too much of an stubborn old school gamer to ever give up and use a hint. Overall, I was very, very pleased with BOXBOY! For $4.99, it offered over seven hours of gameplay, and that’s not even counting the Challenge Stages or the Bonus Worlds that opened up after I beat the Story Mode. BOXBOY! is not only one the best new IPs HAL Laboratory has come out with in years, it’s my favorite new 3DS eShop game. If you like puzzles or old school video games, go buy it.
BoxBoy! would have a lot of replay value if I thought it was worth playing in the first place.
BoxBoy doesn’t set the world on fire, but it might be the best game ever that sold on launch day for just $4.99. The puzzle platformer provides a challenge with an interesting aesthetic and plenty of game to warrant the purchase. Must have for 3DS owners.
If you crave a digestible and portable puzzle-based diversion, look no further than HAL's Box Boy. Its outright friendliness helps combat the patience-testing nature of most puzzle games, and those minutes-long levels allow players to make some degree of progress, even if they don't have much time to spare. Box Boy might not change the world, but even so, it's refreshing to see a big developer like HAL take a gamble on such a quirky little experiment.