Shut the Box

The simple things in life are often the best unless it is this game. Watching grass grow is more exciting. Boring, mind numbing and completely forgettable. I will be getting a refund.

This is a videogame implementation of a traditional physical dice game. Thus, there's two levels at which one could review this game: How fun is the underlying physical dice game, and how well good is the videogame implementation of the physical dice game. The underlying physical dice game is, in my mind, quite dull. There is a clear optimal strategy that can be computed by a bright high schooler. There are no real interactions between the players, When it's not your turn, you can just zone out or check your phone, because nothing any of your opponents do will have any effect on what decisions you should make. On the one hand, we might defend the developer by arguing that they are simply faithfully implementing a traditional game, and it's not the developer's fault if that game is dull. On the other hand, the developer could have implemented any other traditional game, and they could have picked a more fun one to implement instead of this one. Or alternatively, they could have innovated a variations on the traditional game to increase the fun. There are lots of games that are "chess variants" (too many to list) or "cribbage variants" (e.g. Cribbish) or "poker variants" (e.g. Balatro). But okay, let's move on from reviewing the underlying base game and look specifically at the quality of the videogame implementation. Here, it's merely passable. My biggest criticism is that the developer decided to actually simulate the physics of the dice. The problem with this is that it simply takes too long for the dice to settle down after a roll. This makes the already long and boring turns take even longer. I would have preferred for the dev to just take like six 2D sprite images of dice, flash them randomly on screen for like half a second, before stably showing the final sprite to communicate the result of the dice roll. I even encountered a bug where one of the die fell off the game board, which soft locked the game, because I guess the engine never detected that the die had "settled". Even quitting to main menu and starting a new game did not fix the issue: Upon starting a new game, only one of my two dies were present, and rolling would immediately lead to a soft lock again. The only fix was to completely quit the game and relaunch from Steam. In addition to having the dice be not-physically-simulated, there are some other QoL changes that would mildly improve the game. If a player is guaranteed to have already lost, I think it'd make sense to skip their turn entirely. Also, it'd be nice to have an option to have the AI take their turns at 2x, 4x or perhaps even 8x speed. Basically, you want to minimize the down time where the player is just sitting around bored doing nothing. Graphics are fine, no complaint there. The music is like a 16 second loop and became grating very quickly. I muted the in-game music and just played my own.

Shut the Box by Mountain Cats is a classic dice game that offers an engaging experience for players of all ages. The objective of the game is to lower as many numbered tiles as possible by rolling the dice and matching the numbers to the remaining open tiles. The player with the lowest score at the end of the game wins. To begin, players take turns rolling two six-sided dice and flipping down one or more tiles whose numbers add up to the total rolled. For example, if a player rolls a 7, they could flip down the 6 and the 1 tile or the 5 and the 2 tile. The player continues to roll the dice and lower tiles until they can no longer match the numbers rolled with the remaining open tiles. As the game progresses, players must strategize and adapt to the ever-changing game board, making Shut the Box an excellent blend of chance and arithmetic skill. With simple rules and minimal setup, this game is perfect for families, parties, or casual gatherings. In summary, Shut the Box is a timeless and entertaining dice game that combines luck, arithmetic, and strategy for an engaging experience suitable for all ages. [quote]For more puzzle game reviews, news and everything puzzle-related, follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/25928931-Puzzle-Lovers/]Puzzle Lovers[/url] and check out our [url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/puzzlelovers]Steam group[/url].[/quote]

I like that I can roll the dice without anything getting in the way – it makes the game feel relaxing and easy.

Shut the Box by Mountain Cats is a digital take on the classic dice game. It's straightforward and easy to pick up, making it a nice little time-killer when you have a few minutes to spare. Pros: ✔️ Simple but Effective: The game's simplicity is its strength. You don't need to spend time learning complex rules—just roll the dice and flip the numbers. ✔️ Affordable: At around $2, it's a cheap way to enjoy a classic game without breaking the bank. ✔️ Casual Play: It's perfect for picking up and putting down at your leisure. No long commitments or intense focus required. Cons: ❌ Limited to 9 Tiles: I personally prefer the 12-tile version of the game, and this version doesn't offer that option. ❌ Resets After Each Turn: The game resets after each turn instead of continuing until someone clears the board, which takes away some of the competitive edge. ❌ No Online Play: The lack of online multiplayer means you're limited to solo play or passing the device around, which isn't ideal in today's connected world. Conclusion: Overall, you get more than what you pay for. I'm not shouting from the rooftops for everyone to get this game, but for the 2-ish dollars, it's definitely more than worth its value. Score: 7 out of 9 tiles flipped—a decent digital rendition of a classic game. 🎲📦