When you start looking at Box Boy, it just all feels like this one novel idea. You control this adorable little box character named Qbby, try to solve the puzzle in the level and get to the goal at the end. What sets Box Boy apart from any other puzzler out there, though, is the willingness to introduce new mechanics constantly. Like you would expect from HAL's puzzlers, there is a stream of delights waiting for you and that makes Box Boy all the more fun.

Box Boy is a rather simple tale in a cute monochrome world. Our newest box shaped buddy and his two friends have to save the world from utter disaster. The world starts to fall apart and Qbby has to travel from various worlds to collect special boxes and uncover new passageways. Before Qbby can get to the main objective, we will have to clear various levels in said worlds and it is here where the real madness starts.

Qbby has a few things that he can do to progress. He can walk, jump and create boxes out of thin air. With these boxes, he tries to overcome gapes and find clever ways out of tricky situations. Depending on the level, the Box Boy can only let a certain amount of boxes appear and this makes you really think about what to do next. You can spawn boxes from all sides, except for beneath you and that makes certain situations more interesting than you think. In the early parts of the game, you will naturally learn about the full potential of these boxes and they do it in such a good way. It just took a number of levels and simple instructions to grasp what Box Boy was trying to teach me. Those beginnings aren't really challenging , but I get why the developers chose to do it in this manner.

After just a few initial worlds, Box Boy takes its gloves off and starts to show you its true intentions. Despite it being about the same basic principles, the worlds each start to introduce a main mechanic that never overstays it welcome. UFO Catcher cranes will pick you up in one world, while another introduces the Star Blocks. These Star Blocks need to removed in a Tetris-esque fashion, while keeping other obstacles like lasers and gaps in mind as well. The fun part is thinking that you know all of the game's tricks and then it drops the last mechanic in favor of something completely different. I never felt like I couldn't complete the seventeen worlds found in the game, but the rapid thought changes never allowed me to overthink solutions.

Next to this broad selection of content, Box Boy has a lot more in store for you. Once you complete the game, there will more worlds and these will challenge you in brand new ways. There is also a store, where you can buy various items with the coins you have gathered by finding deviously placed crowns in the stages. You will be able to find here outfits for Qbby, music from the title and extra time and score attack levels to sink your teeth into. You will be engaged for quite a long time!

Box Boy is another victory for HAL Laboratory. With a huge variety of puzzles and a constant stream of fresh ideas, the game packed quite a punch. It starts a bit slow, but it grows into something beautiful as you push onward. Even with the minimalistic style, the title knows how to be striking in its own right and gives plenty food for thought. There are a good amount of extras and getting all the crowns is not a simple task, which ensures that you will return to the game quite often.