Official Score
Overall - 20%
20%
Boxes Inc. tries to tap into the same vein as titles like Papers, Please, but this title does not have any of the charm or enjoyability. It feels like work, and there is little satisfaction to be had in its mailroom.
Ever wanted to experience the soul-crushing boredom that comes with working for the post office? No? toR gaming never got the memo, and has created the “exciting” (according to Steam) puzzle game Boxes Inc. Unfortunately, the endless sorting of packages and mail is as monotonous as it sounds.
Boxes Inc. Review
The main objective of Boxes Inc. is to sort mail into two different chutes. Mail that meets all of the prerequisites listed in the Rule Book goes into the green chute, while packages that do not go in the red one. In order to figure out what goes where, players must inspect packages by holding them up, rotating them, and reading the labels.
Things start out simple enough with players checking the destination country, type of delivery, and delivery date, but it soon gets hectic. Later levels have players checking for weight (but only if it’s by airmail), radiation, contraband and more. Sticklers for rules might appreciate the rigidity it provides, but it gets to be far too tedious, even in the early stages. On top of it all, there is a time limit in place for each level, and those who do not get enough money from sorting packages (or lose money from sorting packages incorrectly) are unable to progress to the next stage. It feels like work, and it is not a rewarding experience.
The entirety of Boxes Inc. takes place in one black room, with some things to help players do their job strewn about the place. A conveyor belt spits out mail, a scale measures weight, an x-ray machine checks the insides of packages, and more. It’s basic stuff, but doing this for most parcels feels unnecessary. Being meticulous pays off, but the strict time limits force players to work in a hurried state. It’s very counterintuitive.
Those who are especially adept at their job can unlock a number of perks with cash earned. Those who wanted to throw packages farther or make the conveyor belt move faster can do so, but this carrot is just not appealing.
Outside of a Sandbox Mode, there’s not much to keep players sorting mail in Boxes Inc. It does not have tremendous replayability, and most players can see all that the game has to offer fairly quickly.
Boxes Inc. tries to tap into the same vein as titles like Papers, Please, but this title does not have any of the charm or enjoyability. It feels like work, and there is little satisfaction to be had in its mailroom.
