In Boxes: Lost Fragments, the player assumes the role of a thief infiltrating a mansion. The house is revealed to be filled with enigmatic boxes, and escape hinges on solving these intricate puzzle boxes to uncover the truth. Each box presents a unique challenge, and successful completion yields an artifact that contributes to a larger, overarching puzzle, ultimately paving the way to freedom.
Boxes: Lost Fragments bears a strong resemblance to The Room series, particularly in its core gameplay loop of solving interconnected mechanical puzzles. The distinction lies in Boxes: Lost Fragments placing a greater emphasis on narrative, and in the unique mechanic of utilizing discovered artifacts within the boxes to solve a more comprehensive puzzle outside of them.
Boxes: Lost Fragments features well-crafted visuals, and the puzzle boxes themselves are ingeniously designed. The sound design and music provide subtle cues, indicating progress and solutions. Successfully manipulating a mechanism or discovering a solution is rewarded with satisfying mechanical sounds and detailed animations that reveal the next stage of the puzzle. Each box offers a unique challenge, requiring initial exploration before the first clue emerges. From there, the player must systematically unravel the box’s secrets.
A hint system is available for players who encounter difficulty, and it is commendably designed. Instead of directly revealing the solution, the game provides a subtle suggestion, guiding the player in the right direction. Furthermore, players have the option to skip a puzzle entirely if they are unable to solve it, or simply wish to progress more quickly.
A notable drawback of Boxes: Lost Fragments is its limited replayability. The puzzles are deterministic, meaning that once solved, they offer no new challenges upon subsequent playthroughs. While re-experiencing the game can be enjoyable, it lacks the element of surprise found in games with randomized elements, such as the Sierra classics featuring Dr Brain.
Another minor issue encountered was the occasional difficulty in interacting with puzzle elements. At times, the required interaction point was extremely precise, leading to missed solutions due to slight misclicks. During testing on PC with a mouse, the lack of visual feedback indicating a valid interaction point proved frustrating. While the minimalist approach of not highlighting interactive elements is appreciated, a subtle change in the mouse pointer upon correctly targeting an object would improve the user experience by confirming successful engagement.
In conclusion, Boxes: Lost Fragments is a recommended title. Despite its relatively short length and limited replay value, it provides an engaging and rewarding puzzle-solving experience. The satisfaction derived from overcoming challenging puzzles creates a desire for more, encouraging players to eagerly tackle the next challenge.
Snapbreak Games provided a review code for this evaluation. The provision of materials does not influence our editorial assessment.
