Game: Box Box Boy
Genre: Puzzle / Platformer
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTeJgtip0uY
Overview
Box Box Boy is a Puzzle/Platformer created by HAL Laboratory (the devs behind Kirby) where you play a Qbby, a box who can create more boxes in order to get to the end of a level. It is a sequel to Box Boy, a game that is incredibly similar. It costs $4.99 in the eShop.
Sound
Let's start off with the sound. There's at a minimum of 13 unique songs. I say minimum since you can buy the soundtrack in game, using in game currency. You have to unlock the songs to buy, so I can't say for certain if I have all of them. The songs are incredibly fitting. They are lighthearted and borderline ambient, but the overall feel is upbeat and fits the game excellently. Other sounds, such as jumping or box creating, sound good as well. Overall, the sound quality is good and enforces the vibe of the game; lighthearted and upbeat!
Score : 32 : Good
The sound is good. Unfortunately, nothing stood out, and nothing was overly memorable. Still though, it fits the game very well.
Graphics
Moving on to the Graphics. Box Box Boy is a 2D platformer with a very minimalistic approach. Everything is composed of simple geometric shapes and a very small touch of color. In fact, a majority of this game is black and white, with a bit of red and green sprinkled throughout. However, it isn't really a call back to the old school black and white. The black and white is very crisp and stands out. Much like the sound, this simplistic style really fits well within the game. You're playing as a box. There isn't much more that graphics could accomplish to make the game feel better!
Score : 50 : Perfect
Honestly, there isn't really anywhere that needs improvement for the graphics. Sure, they may be simple, but not everything needs to be complex. It's a perfect fit for this kind of game, and it looks great!
Progression
Now onto Progression. Box Box Boy features a story. Well, I think it features a story. There isn't any dialog, but there are definitely cutscenes and characters. Nothing is really explained, and I certainly left at the credits with more questions than answers, but there is more to the Progression section other than story. Since this is primarily a puzzle game, it's easy to overlook a very basic and confusing story. The real progression is depicted in unlocking further levels and obtaining currency. Obtaining currency is as easy as completing a level. This currency is used to purchase music, comics, and costumes. Most costumes are purely cosmetic, but there are a very few that actually grant an ability (such as the Bunny suit which lets you jump 2 blocks instead of the usual 1). The good thing about this currency system is that if you get a perfect for every level, you'll be able to unlock everything! Speaking about obtaining perfects, in each levels there is a set amount of crowns to collect. These are usually somewhat out of the way. Each level has a box limit which gives you a set amount of boxes you can use before all the crowns disappear. Once you collect all the crowns, the box limit disappears and you're free to use boxes all willy-nilly. There is an issue with this, as well as the levels in general. Unlike most games, the difficulty rise is actually limited to the worlds. When you start a world, it begins relatively easy, and then ramps up to the final level. However, sometimes you get puzzles that are simply very difficult, especially when including obtaining the crowns. Now, there is nothing wrong with difficulty, don't get me wrong. My issue is in the placement of said difficulty. Sometimes the very first puzzle in a level is just head scratching. It's odd to go from a very difficult puzzle, to an easy puzzle in the same level. A good level introduces you to the concept of the level with an easy puzzle and then ends the level with a high difficulty. Some worlds and levels in this game seem to do the opposite, making it very hard in the beginning, and easy at the end. It did make it hard for me to enjoy in the later worlds.
Score : 27 : Ok
I think the inclusion of a story actually hurt this game. It was honestly pretty confusing. It didn't really add to the charm of the game, and was frankly just not needed. The progression of collecting, both crowns and cosmetics, is rather enjoyable, but the weird difficulty spikes make this a little off-putting.
Gameplay
And now, the crux of a video game; How does it play? As a puzzle/platformer, Box Box Boy does a good job. It's a bit light on the platforming aspects, but that's because it's a puzzle game first and foremost. However, there are some good platforming sections. But what about the puzzles? Apart from the random difficulty spikes mentioned above, the puzzles are crafted excellently. There is seemingly a few different ways to approach a puzzle and solve it, which is really nice. In addition, there is a hint system that works off of the normally useless Play Coins you get for walking around with your 3DS System. Sometimes, the hints might confuse you more, much like I got more confused. This game definitely challenges you to think outside of the box with a box. Being a sequel to Box Boy, it didn't expand too much. It did add a new mechanic of 2 boxes, hence the title. This opens up some really interesting solutions and techniques. There's also some interesting hazards, such as moving spikes, gravity fields that only affect created boxes, and switches.
Score : 38 : Very Good
Overall, it's a pretty simple and straight forward game. Utilize your boxes to get to the end. I really appreciate that there are different approaches to a majority of the puzzles and that the puzzles are pretty well designed. There are some difficulty spikes that will make you take your time, but with a hint system implemented and no time limit, you aren't really punished for reaching a roadblock.
Final Score : 37 (36.75 rounded up) : Fairly Good
This game is fairly good. The sound and graphics fits the game on a near perfect level, and the gameplay is very satisfying. Unfortunately, it's not exactly great because of the unfortunate difficulty spikes and the very confusing addition of a very muddy story.
+Gameplay and puzzle solving is fun
+Sound is great
+Graphics are a perfect fit
-Music isn't memorable
-Random difficulty spikes
-Incredibly muddy story that makes no sense and gets no explanation
Recommendation
Do I recommend this game? Yes. It's an incredibly charming puzzle game that's complemented by a good, ambient soundtrack, and an excellent graphical style. Anyone who appreciates a good puzzle game will like this, and anyone who likes a platformer that incorporates puzzles will absolutely love this game. It's definitely a thinker, which is a good thing for this kind of game!
Genre: Puzzle / Platformer
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTeJgtip0uY
Overview
Box Box Boy is a Puzzle/Platformer created by HAL Laboratory (the devs behind Kirby) where you play a Qbby, a box who can create more boxes in order to get to the end of a level. It is a sequel to Box Boy, a game that is incredibly similar. It costs $4.99 in the eShop.
Sound
Let's start off with the sound. There's at a minimum of 13 unique songs. I say minimum since you can buy the soundtrack in game, using in game currency. You have to unlock the songs to buy, so I can't say for certain if I have all of them. The songs are incredibly fitting. They are lighthearted and borderline ambient, but the overall feel is upbeat and fits the game excellently. Other sounds, such as jumping or box creating, sound good as well. Overall, the sound quality is good and enforces the vibe of the game; lighthearted and upbeat!
Score : 32 : Good
The sound is good. Unfortunately, nothing stood out, and nothing was overly memorable. Still though, it fits the game very well.
Graphics
Moving on to the Graphics. Box Box Boy is a 2D platformer with a very minimalistic approach. Everything is composed of simple geometric shapes and a very small touch of color. In fact, a majority of this game is black and white, with a bit of red and green sprinkled throughout. However, it isn't really a call back to the old school black and white. The black and white is very crisp and stands out. Much like the sound, this simplistic style really fits well within the game. You're playing as a box. There isn't much more that graphics could accomplish to make the game feel better!
Score : 50 : Perfect
Honestly, there isn't really anywhere that needs improvement for the graphics. Sure, they may be simple, but not everything needs to be complex. It's a perfect fit for this kind of game, and it looks great!
Progression
Now onto Progression. Box Box Boy features a story. Well, I think it features a story. There isn't any dialog, but there are definitely cutscenes and characters. Nothing is really explained, and I certainly left at the credits with more questions than answers, but there is more to the Progression section other than story. Since this is primarily a puzzle game, it's easy to overlook a very basic and confusing story. The real progression is depicted in unlocking further levels and obtaining currency. Obtaining currency is as easy as completing a level. This currency is used to purchase music, comics, and costumes. Most costumes are purely cosmetic, but there are a very few that actually grant an ability (such as the Bunny suit which lets you jump 2 blocks instead of the usual 1). The good thing about this currency system is that if you get a perfect for every level, you'll be able to unlock everything! Speaking about obtaining perfects, in each levels there is a set amount of crowns to collect. These are usually somewhat out of the way. Each level has a box limit which gives you a set amount of boxes you can use before all the crowns disappear. Once you collect all the crowns, the box limit disappears and you're free to use boxes all willy-nilly. There is an issue with this, as well as the levels in general. Unlike most games, the difficulty rise is actually limited to the worlds. When you start a world, it begins relatively easy, and then ramps up to the final level. However, sometimes you get puzzles that are simply very difficult, especially when including obtaining the crowns. Now, there is nothing wrong with difficulty, don't get me wrong. My issue is in the placement of said difficulty. Sometimes the very first puzzle in a level is just head scratching. It's odd to go from a very difficult puzzle, to an easy puzzle in the same level. A good level introduces you to the concept of the level with an easy puzzle and then ends the level with a high difficulty. Some worlds and levels in this game seem to do the opposite, making it very hard in the beginning, and easy at the end. It did make it hard for me to enjoy in the later worlds.
Score : 27 : Ok
I think the inclusion of a story actually hurt this game. It was honestly pretty confusing. It didn't really add to the charm of the game, and was frankly just not needed. The progression of collecting, both crowns and cosmetics, is rather enjoyable, but the weird difficulty spikes make this a little off-putting.
Gameplay
And now, the crux of a video game; How does it play? As a puzzle/platformer, Box Box Boy does a good job. It's a bit light on the platforming aspects, but that's because it's a puzzle game first and foremost. However, there are some good platforming sections. But what about the puzzles? Apart from the random difficulty spikes mentioned above, the puzzles are crafted excellently. There is seemingly a few different ways to approach a puzzle and solve it, which is really nice. In addition, there is a hint system that works off of the normally useless Play Coins you get for walking around with your 3DS System. Sometimes, the hints might confuse you more, much like I got more confused. This game definitely challenges you to think outside of the box with a box. Being a sequel to Box Boy, it didn't expand too much. It did add a new mechanic of 2 boxes, hence the title. This opens up some really interesting solutions and techniques. There's also some interesting hazards, such as moving spikes, gravity fields that only affect created boxes, and switches.
Score : 38 : Very Good
Overall, it's a pretty simple and straight forward game. Utilize your boxes to get to the end. I really appreciate that there are different approaches to a majority of the puzzles and that the puzzles are pretty well designed. There are some difficulty spikes that will make you take your time, but with a hint system implemented and no time limit, you aren't really punished for reaching a roadblock.
Final Score : 37 (36.75 rounded up) : Fairly Good
This game is fairly good. The sound and graphics fits the game on a near perfect level, and the gameplay is very satisfying. Unfortunately, it's not exactly great because of the unfortunate difficulty spikes and the very confusing addition of a very muddy story.
+Gameplay and puzzle solving is fun
+Sound is great
+Graphics are a perfect fit
-Music isn't memorable
-Random difficulty spikes
-Incredibly muddy story that makes no sense and gets no explanation
Recommendation
Do I recommend this game? Yes. It's an incredibly charming puzzle game that's complemented by a good, ambient soundtrack, and an excellent graphical style. Anyone who appreciates a good puzzle game will like this, and anyone who likes a platformer that incorporates puzzles will absolutely love this game. It's definitely a thinker, which is a good thing for this kind of game!