14 DAY TRIAL // 
Pile up! Box by Box is the kind of game that wants to play it safe, so it can target every type of audience for kids to grown-ups. It is built like a childproof home, with no sharp edges, no hazards or dangers whatsoever. But somehow by trying to target everyone, the game fails to actually appeal to anyone. Read on to find out why is that.
Pile up! Box by Box is a puzzle game that offers a mildly interesting co-op experience for the entire family, if they are made up by kids and adults who are casual players at best. The game is lacking any real challenge and, in some ways, reminds us of the games that actually have a logical component just to be able to claim they are educational.
If this review has not scared you away yet, then maybe you will find some relaxation and enjoyment in the paper mâché world of the game. As the title suggests, you will have to control a box through the game world, mainly exploring, solving puzzles and collecting various items.
Being an absolutely family friendly game, Pile Up! Box by Box does not have any combat or violence. You will have to rely solely on your wits to solve the puzzles. In the beginning it is a real pleasure to explore the colorful world and discover the different areas. You can feel that everything was crafted with an increased attention to details.
The number of puzzles is also fairly varied, and they can be fun especially if played in co-op, but sooner or later the initial magic is broken by the fact that there is no real challenge. The gameplay becomes somewhat dull and quite repetitive, just like the world you are meant to save. It is ironic that the main theme of the game ties in like this to the gameplay experience.
Although it can be played and completed alone, the entertainment factor kicks in when Pile Up! Box by Box is played in co-op. At least with another player you can make your own fun and challenges trying to help or even better, trip one another. The developers seem to have been aware of that because next to the puzzles they also included simplified versions of sports games.
May it be football or basketball, for a short while it can be quite fun to try to score a goal or points by manipulating a box instead of a ball. Even if it comes down to doing the same basic moves such as jumping, tossing, stacking or picking up boxes, these side activities bring a joyous change from the pace of the rest of the game.
Being a game intended for the entire family, to be played especially in co-op the collectibles are a must have. The coins represented by small golden cubes can be traded in for various skins, making your cube stand out from any other cube. The rolled-up tapes are a bit better hidden and harder to get to but collecting them all will grant you access to a secret area in each level. If you are persistent enough you will eventually find out how to interact with the different arcade cabinets, placed temptingly at the beginning of the game.
Visually Pile Up! Box by Box is a quite a nice accomplishment. The visual style will remind you of games like Tearaway, with each level having its very own theme and atmosphere. With each new visual style, the developers tried to introduce a new game mechanic as well, trying to corelate the two. This works pretty well, with the exception of the sound part. The music is bland and lacks any personality, while the voice acting is just some gibberish.
The Good
- Friendly art style with detailed visual design
- Can be fun in co-op
- Family friendly
The Bad
- Lacks any real challenge
- No online co-op
- Imprecise controls
Conclusion
The control is not always the best, since the camera often plays tricks with your depth perception making jumping from shelf to shelf, somewhat annoying. The lack of danger and challenge, makes the game kid friendly, but the lack of online co-op is hurting the entire package.
Review code provided by the publisher.
