BoxBoxBoy!
By David Chapman,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
No cutting corners in this simple, addictive puzzler.

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BoxBoxBoy!
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What’s It About?
Qbby is back! The star of BoxBoy!, Nintendo's surprise puzzle hit for the 3DS, has returned for more box-dropping fun in BOXBOXBOY! More obstacles block his path, more hazards stand in his way, and more costumes … well, what else is a fashionable box to wear? It's a whole lot more of what fans loved before, but this time Qbby has a new trick up his nonexistent sleeve: Qbby can now spawn two sets of boxes to help him overcome the perils in front of him. That's twice the options, twice the combinations, and twice the difficulty for players, as they have to think outside, inside, and all around the box to keep Qbby safe.
Is It Any Good?
In a world of full of flash and hype, sometimes it's the simplest of ideas that strikes a chord with people. Take BoxBoxBoy!, the sequel to Nintendo's hit 3DS puzzler, BoxBoy!. It's a simple-looking game with an even simpler premise. Players take control of Qbby, a cartoon box that can spawn a chain of more boxes he uses to cross, climb over, and otherwise bypass a variety of hazards. The sequel adds a new twist, giving Qbby the ability to create two chains of boxes, adding an extra level of depth to the 2-D puzzler. On paper, it seems like a pretty basic addition to the gameplay, but in practice, it adds a new layer of complexity. And given that there's a limit to the number of boxes Qbby can use to successfully collect the crown in each stage, there's a lot more forethought and planning required this time around. For fans of the original, it's just the right thing to improve on an already near-perfect puzzle experience.
BoxBoxBoy! is a fantastically addictive puzzle game. It's easy to pick up and difficult to put down. The game doesn't rely on splashy, high-definition graphics or some deep plot to grab players' attention. Instead, it uses the most basic of visuals and tosses players into the mix. The game's gradual increase in difficulty keeps things challenging without ever reaching that hair-pulling level of frustration. If there's one complaint to be had about BoxBoxBoy!, it's that there's just not enough of it. While the game features more than 120 individual stages and a lot of unlockable content, including comics, costumes, music, and more, you can finish off everything it has to offer within a day or so. That being said, BoxBoxBoy! is still a blast to play and a must-have for any 3DS owner.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about overcoming obstacles. What are some ways that overcoming obstacles in a game can help people to overcome obstacles in real life?
Talk about what makes games fun. Are flashy graphics and sound instrumental in making a good game, or can a simple presentation with simple gameplay be just as much fun?
Game Details
- Platform: Nintendo 3DS
- Subjects: Math: geometry, shapes
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning: defining problems, logic, solving puzzles, Creativity: developing novel solutions
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Nintendo of America
- Release date: June 30, 2016
- Genre: Puzzle
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Adventures
- ESRB rating: E for Mild Fantasy Violence
- Last updated: June 30, 2022
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