Boxxle: A lifelong obsession that needn't be

 As I’m struggling on Boxxle’s 59^th puzzle (out of 100), the time is ripe to take a break from the game — and write a post while I’m at it!

 

Boxxle came to Europe in 1990; it was part of the very first batch of games released alongside the shiny, brand-new Game Boy, and I remember seeing some screen captures in paper ads. Just like basically any screen capture from early Game Boy titles, these nuggets of gameplay became deeply embedded in my young gamer’s mind, and haunted me for decades to come. 

 

 

The thing is: despite being eager to play that game at the time, I never managed to get my paws on it — until one month ago, that is. A lack of funds are probably to blame for my not purchasing Boxxle back in 1990, mixed with potential unavailability in local shops. I tried to get my paws on it later, to no avail. This time, lack of funds or unavailability were not to blame; this was entirely my memory’s fault. See, I remembered the game’s name as Boxed instead of Boxxle; and that confusion prevented me from locating copies for years. Only recently did I manage to uncover that mistake and secure a copy, as my drive to play that game suddenly peaked for reasons known by my gaming instinct only.

 

 

You might think that I’m writing an awful lot about my history with that game, and that I’m trying to avoid talking about the gameplay; and you’d be totally right. Boxxle’s gameplay is really not that interesting to write about, and it’s only marginally more interesting to play. Completing a puzzle in Boxxle implies moving boxes around in a precise order; the sequence of events is crucial, as puzzles allow only a limited number of move combinations. There is no ‘eureka’ moment in Boxxle; just careful observation, patient strategizing and endless trial-and-error.

 

That deliberate puzzle-solving is pleasant and soothing in the early stages, but turns frustrating as the game progresses. Puzzles become bigger and more complex around the 40 mark; trial-and-error then turns to a slog, as you have to restart from scratch every time to try every combination you can think of. Boxxle would really benefit from a ‘rewind’ system, which one could activate by using points gained through puzzle completion — à la Free to Play. But alas, these were the early 90’s, and a gamer’s precious time was not valued yet. And believe me when I say Boxxle is HARD. Forget about going the whole 100 in an evening; you will spend days, maybe even weeks, toiling on these puzzles.

 

 

Boxxle’s only saving grace, and the sole reason I managed to go that far, is the convenient possibility to access batches of ten puzzles at once through the Passkey system. Should you be desperately stuck on one puzzle, you can always move on the next, or the one after that, until you’ve polished off the whole set. Interestingly, Boxxle’s gameplay is way too deliberate and complex to induce the famous Tetris effect; on the other hand, it’s also too messy and scattered to induce some out-of-game obsessive strategizing.

 

Long story short: Boxxle is really just a slow, hard, not exactly thrilling puzzle game that I may or may not finish over time. I’m glad I could play it at last, though; not only could I scratch an itch from a distant past, but I had some genuine moments of fun with some puzzles. Until my next pick, keep doing your think and take care, dear fellow gamers!