''Bye-Bye BoxBoy!'' is a

puzzle-platform game A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action game, action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform game ...

developed by

HAL Laboratory formerly shortened as HALKEN (derived from its native name), is a Japanese video game developer founded on 21 February 1980. While independent, it has been closely tied with Nintendo throughout its history, and is often referred to as a seco ...

and published by Nintendo for the

Nintendo 3DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generati ...

. The third game in the '' BoxBoy!'' series, it was released worldwide in 2017. The game was followed by '' BoxBoy! + BoxGirl!'' for the

Nintendo Switch The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a tablet that can either be docked for use as a home console or used as a portable device, making it a ...

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 (, ; officially 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, Ninte ...

Kirby Kirby may refer to: Buildings * Kirby Building, a skyscraper in Dallas, Texas, United States * Kirby Hall, an Elizabethan country house near Corby, Northamptonshire, England * Kirby House (disambiguation), various houses in England and the Unit ...

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 an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same te ...

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 Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film * Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhe ...

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

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

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

Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 ...

''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. History ...

also enjoyed the Qbabies, but complained that the power-up they give Qbby were underused. The game also 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 HAL Laboratory games Nintendo 3DS games Nintendo 3DS-only games Puzzle-platformers Single-player video games Video games developed in Japan Video games that use Amiibo figurines BoxBoy!