Super Retro BoxBot

[b]8/10[/b] Being stuck in the warehouse sucks... Time to move some boxes out of the way and get out! [b]What is it:[/b] A kind of vertical sokoban, you have to rearrange boxes to reach the exit. This is an enhanced remake of the old Block-Man game, with a lot more focus on level cleverness than just moving boxes. Grid-based movement, you can move left or right on a straight path, fall down edges, and climb up only one step at a time. You can also pick up and carry one box at a time, only if there is enough space above for the box to fit. What makes this super hard is that you can't just turn around to face the opposite way, so you can't pick up a box and just drop it on the other side. The game is super frustrating, but in a good way. You think you have an easy solution, only to find out that you can't actually do that, and you have to find an alternative path. Although there aren't that many levels, you'll spend a lot of time on each one. Two other elements complicate the levels: teleporters (called elevators, but I don't know of any elevator that goes sideways), and bonuses. The bonuses are a bit out of the way and usually require having a spare box, and they work both as a "skip level" token and for unlocking additional bonus levels. The teleporters are supposed to help, but more often than not they are actually another obstacle, since they automatically transport you when you step in front of them, unless the other side is blocked or you are carrying a box. For each level there are multiple goals: just finishing the level, finishing it within a good number of moves (par), and finishing it with a shortest solution. And, of course, collecting the bonus when there is one in the level. [b]How hard is it:[/b] Moderate to hard, considerably harder if you want to get the optimal solution. [b]How long is it:[/b] 50+16 levels, for about 10 hours to finish and 30 to perfect. There is also support for custom levels, although not through Steam Workshop. [b]Level design:[/b] Good. Very hard levels, with non-obvious solutions, and although there are a lot of moves to make, they don't feel like useless padding. [b]Quality:[/b] Very good. Unlimited undo and mid-level saving (although it doesn't survive exiting the level), decent controls, multiple speed options, progress and skill achievements, decent settings, fast and responsive, level editor, manual. [b]Worth the price:[/b] Yes. [b]Most positive aspect for me:[/b] Frustratingly hard. [b]Most negative aspect for me:[/b] Optimizing the score is frustrating, given that most levels require more than 100 moves, it's easy to make a mistake, and it rarely involves finding a shorter solution, but optimizing how you move many boxes from one pile to another. [b]What would make it better:[/b] Not that much to complain about, just some nitpicking. Add Workshop support. Add volume sliders. Make controls rebindable. Add a story/cutscenes. [b]Also consider:[/b] [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/2851290/Pilapila/?curator_clanid=25928931]Pilapila[/url], very similar game, but with some special boxes. [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1750600/Crate_Mates/?curator_clanid=25928931]Crate Mates[/url], another good game about moving boxes around, but different mechanics. [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]

This is an awesome tribute to the classic Block-Man. The original gameplay is extended by the addition of elevators, keys and bonus tokens. A work of love with great challenges, unlimited undo and an easy to use level editor. I really enjoyed playtesting it.

Update: The developer has added a hint system based on feedback given about the lack of one for more casual puzzle players like myself which has greatly improved my enjoyment and solved the issues that I had with it. Therefore I have changed my review to recommended and left my original review below for full transparency. Thanks for the new hint system! :) Super Retro BoxBot succeeds on it's attempt to capture the look and feel of 1990s era puzzle gameplay. Where I found myself not having a good time is with it's sudden spike in difficulty around level 18. I found myself quickly at a point where I could no longer progress. Although one of the buttons is a "hint", all that does it pull up a mini tutorial screen. Each stage should've come accompanied by it's own unique hint in order to help stumped players in order to truly be a modern take on the genre. I enjoyed myself for the first hour as I played through 15 levels with their gradual increase in complexity. After that I was frustrated to the point where I had enough. For my full review please see here: https://youtu.be/tYoJ-Uxg7u4

There are a lot of games that claim to be "retro" but exude modernity while wearing a mask of pixels. This is not one of those games. Super Retro BoxBot harkens back to the Apple IIe, early DoS games, and other classic PC experiences. It builds on that by allowing players to not only complete the maps, but to unlock bonus levels and even craft their own. Play it.

When I saw this being played on Twitch, I immediately was reminded of a game I used to play on my TI-83 in my highschool years called "Blockdude". I'm a huge fan of DOS, Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, etc. puzzle games, and this is a definite throwback to those. I discovered that Blockman actually predates the game I played, so I checked the shareware version out on a Dosbox page, and I definitely see the 'inspiration'! Kudos on getting permission from Blockman's dev to do this game! Anyways, I've played through most of the levels and absolutely love this game, The first 10 levels are fairly easy but the difficulty ramps up nicely. I was worried after the first couple levels that this was going to be an easy game, but the later levels put those worries to rest. A few suggestions/feedback: - Add more music. The menu and gameplay songs are great, but would like a few more gameplay songs - The manual is well-written, but many people might not even notice the link for the manual, so an in-game tutorial might be helpful - Level sharing through ModDB / IndieDB works well, but Steam Workshop integration would be even better Overall, love this game and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys retro games and very thinky puzzle games. Warning, it is very difficult, especially the later half of the main levels and all of the bonus levels, but it is a welcome challenge.

I have never played a game that has made me so mad, hate it so much, and want to punch my monitor so much... All while wanting to finish it out of pure spite. I love it. That all said, it doesn’t change the fact that every time I play it I start crying as my chat laughs at me and my smooth brain as I hope I accidentally figure the levels out.

I grew up with these sorts of games, so I may be a tad biased. I'm jaded by the hand-holding that many games these days do, and this one does not do that. It's much more difficult than I expected, which is a plus for me. The first row of levels does a good job of introducing the gameplay mechanics without having to resort to outright telling you what to do. The difficulty ramps up pretty quickly after that. I almost walked away when I saw that the game had hints added, but luckily they are not as hand-holdy as I thought they would be. Essentially, they provide end-states for the boxes, similar to how a sokoban game plays. Even when turned on, the more difficult puzzles are still challenging, but I am leaving it off unless I get absolutely stuck. The level editor is nice, and I'm looking forward to come up with some ideas to upload, but the sheer number of custom level slots is overkill. It's nice to have plenty of slots, but I can't imagine any individual person making that many levels in the editor, and keeping track of that many would not be trivial. Also, while this game plays great with a controller, the level editor lends itself better to a mouse. Honestly, I'm surprised but appreciative that you implemented gamepad controls in the editor at all, though I think I will stick to mouse for level making. I think the bonus levels are my favorite part of the game. They are brutally difficult for the most part, which I assume is why they are separate from the main levels (granted the later main levels are pretty hard). The only bonus level I don't like so far is 10, that one is a bit tedious, to be frank. Otherwise, I love the bonus levels and wish there were more. Hopefully the dev is listening and will add more bonus levels in an update, or even a DLC level pack. In the meantime, I'll keep an eye on the community shared levels and try to make some of my own. Overall, this game is fantastic for oldschool puzzle gamers like me who enjoy thinky games. I remember playing something similar on my TI-84 in my college days, and this plays a lot smoother than that while not looking like a mobile game. I look forward to seeing what else this dev comes up with in the future.

Классная, хоть и страшная ретро головоломка https://youtu.be/Cio9Py9xEuA

Ótimo jogo, dá para ver que foi feito com muito carinho e dedicação. Vou tentar completar todas as fases e talvez platinar (não sei se seria capaz disso, mas vou tentar). No começo, algumas fases parecem difíceis, mas no final parece que está no começo, mas não são impossíveis de completar e é uma ótima forma de trabalhar o cérebro e desenvolver alguns neurônios. Recomendo fortemente jogarem é um ótimo passatempo.

Good puzzles which get fairly tricky (but never insanely difficult)