The game is exactly what it’s named, a boy who happens to be a box traversing through a wacky set of mazes trying to obtain black crowns, while avoiding obstacles that might kill him along the way. The idea of using a ‘box’, or sometimes a set of boxes, to get through these mazes is the main source of gameplay. Boxboy creates a certain amount of patterned boxes from his noggin; sometimes they hook onto ledges, sometimes they snake through spaces, and sometimes they create stairs/platforms for him to get from point A to B. Simplicity is the name of the game with BOXBOY!, so catching onto how the gameplay is used is anything less than difficult.
Of course, having the ability to create boxes is one thing, but figuring out how to use said powers in certain situations is quite another.
Sometimes the game will ask only for a simple, horizontal platform to build using three boxes. Other times, it will require you to snake from one level of a maze, push a button to unlock another part of the level, and then ask you to keep that button pushed while moving. It took me a good three hours to get through six levels perfectly in the game, so the game isn’t a breeze, but it is incredibly cerebral. Having a range of flat to multi-tier levels, which challenge you, and also let you breathe from time to time, ensures gameplay longevity. The BOXBOY! level design creates an even balance of difficulty, sometimes easy, sometimes frustrating, but generally not too much of one or the other. That type of level design balance is tough to guarantee these days in puzzle games.
Completing the task isn’t the only motivation the game throws at you to keep going. Having a bit more reward for your efforts is important when it comes to keeping a puzzle game interesting, and BOXBOY! certainly delivers.
The first bit of motivation is the game challenges you to only use a certain amount of boxes in a given level. For example, in some of the later levels, you’re given 40+ boxes to use, with a limit of nine boxes at a time (meaning you can create nine boxes at any given moment). If you succeed in accomplishing this, you have a chance to pick up crowns along the way, which equal out to bonus coins at the end of the level. Those coins allow you purchase tips/tricks, clothing and even more challenges (like scoring attack or time trials).
The second bit of motivation is gaining friends by completing levels. The first friend you’ll gain is Boxgirl (she has a bow on her head, so I’m assuming that’s her). Gaining more characters really does put a bright spot on the game, especially when they’re so darn cute. Seeing what the game rewards you with as you successfully progress is a nice bit of motivation to keep going.
Having said all this, there are moments where the game will require you to stop and think — and sometimes that can disrupt the overall flow. For example, when electric beams were introduced in a crisscross fashion, I had to stop and think how I could protect Boxboy and still get up to the second tier of the maze I was traveling. After about 2-3 deaths, I finally realized that making a box helmet (possibly a box mullet) would protect him as he jumped through the beams. It was quite cool and it made me want to keep going. Granted there were times where I was simply too stumped to continue. The difficulty can get up there sometimes, but not to the point where you want to throw your Nintendo 3DS through a wall.
On the graphics side of the equation, the game is visually simple. It’s in black and white, which helps to make the cute/lovable features of Boxboy stand out. There’s nothing massively detailed about how this game looks at all. Again, it carries the theme of simplicity, which is evident in the visuals. The music follows the same path as well, though the tune is good enough to put up with over and over and over again.
Overall, the game isn’t the prettiest or the most unique, but it does deliver on the entertainment. There’s a lot to love about BOXBOY!, so you might want to give it a shot.