Review: Box Box Boy (3DS)

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Well, That’s All Games is almost a year old. My first Review of Box Boy (3DS) was written in early May of last year. At the time, I promised to review the game’s two sequels in short order, but hadn’t gotten around to it for reasons I can no longer remember. Now with the anniversary of the site around the corner, I decided to cover games related to the games I reviewed in the first month of That’s All Games. So, without further ado, here’s a review of Box Box Boy, the second game in the Box Boy series.

First things first, Box Box Boy is a 2D puzzle platformer. The core game play mechanic involves having Qbby, the main character, generate boxes to progress to the end of the level. Like in the previous game, boxes can be used as platforms, shields, and can help you reach high areas by using the attached boxes as a “hook” or “snake” for hard to reach areas. The main thing that makes Box Box Boy different from its predecessor is the new ability to generate two sets of boxes at once, altering the nature of the game’s puzzles somewhat.

There interestingly isn’t much else new here. There are many of the same obstacles, such as pits, spikes, lasers, switches, conveyor belts, and so forth. I suppose the difference of generating an extra set of boxes adds some height to the stages, and one or two new tricks, but the formula is still the same. Get to the end of the stage to unlock the next stage, while using boxes in some way to progress. There are still one or two crowns to collect in each stage for more in-game currency, and using too many boxes before collecting them will make them disappear.

What is interesting here is that this game feels slightly easier than the previous game. Sure, it still takes some thought to complete the stages, especially the first time around (or if you haven’t played in a while), but I felt that this play through was faster than my replay of the first Box Boy game. Sadly, I was even a little underwhelmed form the story based finale of Box Box Boy, as it was less visually appealing and less fun to play. Don’t get me wrong, some of these puzzles are still fun, and there are even some post game challenges that are real head scratchers, but I feel this game was easier, even though I didn’t remember the levels from the first time around.

There is one exception, though, the optional challenge levels alter how Qbby moves and are longer than ordinary levels. They often require you to try some odd tricks to get to the end. They aren’t mandatory, unless you want to buy everything from the game’s in-game shop. Box Box Boy’s shop is more meaningless than in Box Boy, as you can get only costumes, music, and entertaining comics, none of which alter the game at all, and are only fun to check out if it is your sort of thing.

Box Box Boy, for better or worse, is more Box Boy content. There are a few neat puzzles, and the game is quick and to the point. If you like the first game, you will most likely like this one, but don’t expect to see a significant jump in quality.

Recommendations:

• Complete each level, and if you like, gather each crown.
• If you aren’t satisfied after completing the game, there are 5 bonus worlds to try out.
• Check out the optional challenge levels at least once, just to see something new.
• The items in the shop serve no game play purpose, but to buy them all you have to play all the levels and gather all the crowns.
• Mastering the game by getting a high score in each level is only for players that seek even more from the game. Actually getting the best score isn’t recommended, as you might tire from replaying each level over and over.

Now for the Pros and Cons:

Pros:

• Puzzles are well designed with minimum frustration.
• Music is unintrusive, and just barely memorable.
• Getting a high score now only requires updating each individual level’s score at a time. The previous game required playing through a full world before getting a new rank.
• Game is easy to learn and hard to master.

Cons:

• Graphics are simple, and can be described as adequate. (possible con)
• Some puzzles are frustrating the first time around, and may require a lot of trial and error.
• Levels are slightly less memorable than its predecessor (possible con).
• Shop offers pointless extras.

The Final Verdict:

7.9/10 Nearly Great 

Whether Box Box Boy is better than Box Boy is up for debate. I thought the second game was easier and less memorable. It still is a good game, and may be a better game for some players, but not by much. (The score could be as high as 8.1/10). If you liked the first game, you will most likely find similar levels of fun here.

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So that is what I though of Box Box Boy. So now I have to ask you, my readers, how did you feel about this game? Which of the first two Box Boy games do you prefer and why? Let me know in the comments, and you can look forward to my review of Bye-Bye BoxBoy in the near future too.