''Bye-Bye BoxBoy!'' is a 2017

puzzle-platform game A platformer (also called a platform game, and sometimes a jump 'n' run game) is a subgenre of action game in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are characterized by levels wi ...

developed by

HAL Laboratory formerly shortened as HALKEN, is a Japanese video game developer based in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It was founded on February 21, 1980 by Mitsuhiro Ikeda. The company started out developing games for home computers of the era, but has since establishe ...

and published by

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...

for the

Nintendo 3DS The is a foldable dual-screen handheld game console produced by Nintendo. Announced in March 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS, the console was released originally on February 26, 2011 and went through various revisions in its lifetime, ...

. The third game in the ''

BoxBoy! is a series of puzzle-platform games developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo. The series centres around Qbby, a square-shaped character who can produce a string of connected boxes. The boxes are used to overcome obstacles in stage ...

'' series, it was released worldwide in 2017. The game was followed by ''

BoxBoy! + BoxGirl! is a series of puzzle-platform games developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo. The series centres around Qbby, a square-shaped character who can produce a string of connected boxes. The boxes are used to overcome obstacles in stage ...

'' for the

Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...

in 2019.

Gameplay

The player plays as Qbby, a box with legs who can create boxes out of his body. The player must solve puzzles using these boxes, which can stay on Qbby or be detached. If they remain attached to his body, Qbby can use the boxes for movement by moving to the farthest box, destroying the boxes in the process. Crowns are placed in every level, and can be collected for an added reward. ''Bye-Bye BoxBoy!'' introduces different kinds of boxes, which appear in certain levels and have different effects depending on the type. The game also introduces Qbaby, a small box that must be escorted to the goal in certain levels. After beating the game, Challenge Worlds unlock, featuring more difficult levels. The player can scan an

amiibo (, ; stylized as amiibo; plural: ''Amiibo'') is a toys-to-life platform by Nintendo, which was launched in November 2014. It consists of a wireless communications and storage protocol for connecting figurines to the Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, Ni ...

Kirby Kirby may refer to: Buildings * Kirby Building, a skyscraper in Dallas, Texas, United States * Kirby Lofts, a building in Houston, Texas, United States * Kirby Hall, an Elizabethan country house near Corby, Northamptonshire, England * Kirby Ho ...

or another Kirby character to have Qbby wear a costume that makes him look like that character. Scanning the Qbby amiibo turns the entire game a shade of green that makes it look like it is being played on a

Game Boy The is a handheld game console developed by Nintendo, launched in the Japanese home market on April 21, 1989, followed by North America later that year and other territories from 1990 onwards. Following the success of the Game & Watch single-ga ...

Development and release

''Bye-Bye BoxBoy!'' was developed by

, the developers of the previous games as well as the ''Kirby'' series. The game was released for the

on April 12, 2017 in North America. In Europe, the game was released on March 23. A demo was released to promote the game, featuring levels from all three games in the series. The game also released with a Qbby amiibo, which could only be obtained in Japan.

Reception

''Bye-Bye BoxBoy!'' received "generally favourable" reviews from professional critics according to

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website

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. It won the award for "Best Puzzle Game" at ''

Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'' is an American monthly Video game journalism, video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and video game console, game consoles. It debuted in August 1991, when the video game reta ...

''s Best of 2017 Awards, while it came in last place for "Best Mobile/Handheld Game" in their ''Reader's Choice Best of 2017'' Awards. Casey Gibson of ''Nintendo World Report'' enjoyed the game, especially the levels featuring Qbaby, but said that the game was too similar to previous installments. CJ Andriessen of

Destructoid ''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017 and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022. Histor ...

also enjoyed the Qbabies, but complained that the power-up they give Qbby were underused. The game additionally received praise from Nintendo Life's Steve Bowling, who enjoyed the game's puzzle design and music, but he mentioned that the game was not very replayable.

References

{{BoxBoy! 2017 video games BoxBoy! HAL Laboratory games Nintendo 3DS games Nintendo 3DS eShop games Nintendo 3DS-only games Puzzle-platformers Single-player video games Video games developed in Japan Video games that use Amiibo figurines