Game Review #265: Box Align (Nintendo Switch)
Updated: May 13, 2019
Reviewer: Allan Jenks
Developer: QUByte Interactive
Publisher: QUByte Interactive
Category: Puzzle
Release Date: 4.10.2019
Price (at time of review): $1.99
Buy Box Align from the Nintendo eShop here.
What’s in the Box???
There are a lot of puzzle games out there, and I, for one, have no problem with this. I have always loved a good puzzle game, ever since I was a little kid playing Tetris on my NES. Now, there are a lot of duds out there, and there are some obvious winners. There are even a few hidden gems, like Tetris Attack on SNES—or it’s later re-skinned release on N64, Pokémon Puzzle League—where you just have to look past the cover to see the gameplay for what it is: amazing and challenging. The game I am reviewing today, Box Align by QUByte Interactive, sort of reminds me of the Puzzle Mode in Tetris Attack, only with a bit of a twist—and that is definitely not a bad thing! Let’s take a closer look at this new block-matching puzzler.
Think Outside the Box
Box Align is a 3-D match-three+ puzzle game where you move different-colored boxes around the 3-D level, making sure to clear three or more of these boxes with each move until you clear everything. The boxes can be moved side to side and up and down, as the puzzles are usually stacked on more than one vertical row, and you can clear the boxes by connecting three or more either horizontally or vertically.
You have to make sure that you have the at least three of the same color left at the end, or you have to start all over with a new strategy—this can be done easily by pressing X and selecting retry. It’s a simple enough concept to grasp—though the tutorial leaves a few key things out that you just have to infer on your own, like the above-mentions rule where you have to clear three or more each move to stay alive—and once I got the hang of it, it got fun pretty quickly.
As you progress through the puzzles, they get a bit trickier, and different types of special boxes appear, like cage boxes, which have to be cleared twice, once to get rid of the cage and once to get rid of the box itself. There are also boxes that are basically whichever color you need them to be. These different types of boxes definitely force you to think creatively when putting together your strategy to clear the level correctly.
Audio/Video
The graphics are nothing complicated, just boxes of (mostly) solid color on a white background, but they are smooth, bright, and pleasant to look at. The music is also very pleasant and calming, like an ambient spa soundtrack during a massage. Overall, the aesthetic and atmosphere really does well to put you in a very relaxed and peaceful mood—at least until you run into a puzzle you can’t solve for the life of you anyway!
Wrapping Up
Box Align looks pretty generic on the surface, but it really has a solid concept and fun execution. I found myself getting in the zone and looking up an hour later wondering where the time went. It is addicting, but easy enough to put down if you only have a few minutes to kill. Just look up once in a while to check the time, just as a precaution! If you enjoy a good relaxing puzzle game with a decent challenge, I would recommend adding Box Align to your Switch collection. It’s good to keep around!
Score: 8/10
Buy Box Align from the Nintendo eShop here.
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*Review Code Provided by QUByte Interactive