BoxBoy! came into the digital world more or less out of nowhere. After making an appearance on a Nintendo Direct in Japan early last year, the game was immediately released on the eShop for Japanese gamers and was followed up with a western release a few months later. HAL Labs managed to create something special with a simple concept and charming visual style that delivers on multiple levels.

While the main concept of BoxBoy! is to duplicate Qbby, the main character, into blocks in an effort to clear puzzles, there are multiple gameplay tweaks throughout the course of the game that keep it fresh. From using blocks as an L-shaped hook to guide you to out of reach areas, to using the freshly formed blocks to hit switches and avoid spikes. The puzzles are well balanced, gradually ramping up in difficulty at just the right time. Even when things in BoxBoy! get tough, the developers don’t let you bite off more than you can chew. Checkpoints are abundant and there are even hints that you can access (which I did checked out a few times, admittedly).

Simply clearing the levels was never really enough for me. To really appreciate the challenge, players are enticed to clear levels by using a limited amount of blocks while collecting crowns scattered throughout the stage. This proves to be more difficult the further you get into the game and this gameplay hook can easily keep you addicted. On top of this, time attack, score attack, and other unlockables are even more reasons to keep coming back. There’s quite a bit of content packed into this simple looking game.

BoxBoy! was a pleasant surprise in 2015. The simple presentation coupled with the challenging puzzles and interesting gameplay mechanics keep the game fresh all the way through. If a simple, charming platformer that will make you use your brain a bit sounds like something you might even remotely enjoy, you need to play Boxboy!