BoxOff can be considered as a perfect example to prove the above mentioned fact. With the objective of removing all of the stones from the board, the game has been specifically designed to keep players engaged for hours at a time. Developed by Steve Meyers, BoxOff is an addition to his collection of prior addictive puzzle games.
Extremely simply designed, players start BoxOff with a series of moves. Each move has the potential to remove a single pair of stones of the same color. However, the process of removing the pairs is not as simple as it sounds because a pair can only be removed if it occupies a rectangle of squares which do not involve any other stones. Although confusing to initially get a hold of, the game starts off extremely easy so that players from any background are able to grasp the concept. In other words, BoxOff is somewhat easy at the initial stage. The players will only be able to remove a pair of adjacent stones at the initial stage and there is no flexibility at all. However, as players progress, the game becomes increasingly flexible so that the number of choices available for the people increases along with levels. To counter this increased flexibility, players are restricted in the sense that they are unable to make silly mistakes in the more advanced stages of the game. In these stages, every move would be critical and a single bad move is capable enough to lead a player towards a dead end. When a player reaches such a dead end, they would not be able to remove any stones and thus the game is over. The “Undo” button that can be found in this game has become a life saver for many. Most players tend to use this button when they reach more complicated stages of the game to reverse a bad move.
BoxOff consists of two different gaming modes which has increased the addictive nature of it. Area mode can be considered as the most preferred choice out of the two as in this mode, players would need to look for the pairs that deliver highest number of pairs within a specific rectangular area. With area mode, players will be able to clear the entire board. Stacks is the other mode that can be found in the game where the players will be allowed to stack stones on top of each other which significantly increases the complexity because the players will have to deal with another dimension as opposed to purely a flat plane.
Although engaging, the game is one which is repetitive if played excessively. While other games provide more visual stimulation, BoxOff is based off of simple animations that may appear to be lacking to those who are more accustomed to games which greatly capture the eye. However, as a puzzle game, it is not meant to be extremely exciting, but rather poses a challenge to the mind. For those looking for a twist on a the classical game of Solitaire, BoxOff has the ability to take that challenge to a whole new level by adding a variety of dimensions to it.
