MAID MOVING BOXES

I like doing trickshots on the floating cargo thingy as it leaves (destroyed majority of fragile boxes on the process)

I'm moving the Boxes, Kobayashi-san!

MAID MOVING BOXES is a really simple game, but I found myself enjoying the strange little idea more than I expected. I am basically working as an android maid in a warehouse, moving boxes around and trying to meet the quota before the shift is over. That sounds incredibly boring on paper, but the physics and the different types of cargo make the job surprisingly entertaining. It has a nice silly atmosphere too, which helps make the repetitive work feel more enjoyable. The main gameplay is all about picking up the right boxes and getting them loaded onto the cargo ship. I have to pay attention to what management is asking for because not every box is useful for the current task. My little work drone helps with lifting cargo, but it has limits depending on the weight of what I am carrying. I liked having to think about what I could safely move instead of just grabbing everything and throwing it around. The boxes themselves are where things get more interesting. They can have different weights, values, durability and special effects, so moving them around is not always as straightforward as it first appears. A box can get damaged if I am careless or cause problems for other cargo. Some effects can make the job much more complicated, and I enjoyed learning how to deal with them as I progressed. It gives the otherwise basic moving mechanic a bit more depth. I also liked the upgrade system. The money I earn from completing jobs can be spent on improving my abilities and unlocking tools that make the warehouse easier to handle. The scanner is especially useful because it can help me identify boxes based on what I need for the current objective. There is also an endless mode once I have progressed far enough, which gives the basic gameplay a reason to continue after the regular levels. The biggest problem for me is that the game can become repetitive. Moving boxes is still moving boxes, and even with the different effects and upgrades, there is only so much variation that can be added to the basic idea. Some of the physics can also make things more chaotic than I intended, which is funny sometimes but frustrating when I am trying to carefully complete a quota. The short levels help with this because I can play for a while without feeling like I am stuck doing the same thing forever. I think the multiplayer is a nice addition too. Working through the warehouse with other people makes the simple physics much more entertaining, especially when everyone is trying to move cargo at the same time. I can imagine things getting pretty chaotic when several boxes and tools are being used together. The fact that the game is free also makes the simple concept easier to appreciate, because I can just jump in and see whether the strange warehouse simulator works for me. Overall, MAID MOVING BOXES is a cute and surprisingly enjoyable little physics game. I liked the combination of simple box moving, different cargo effects, upgrades and quota based levels. It is definitely repetitive, but I think that is partly the point, and the goofy presentation makes the repetitive work feel much less serious. I would have liked a little more variety in the long run, but there is enough here to keep the basic idea interesting for quite a while. Rating: 7.3/10