【Stocking Girl’s Wet Pink Petals】

BOXBOY! + BOXGIRL!,Stocking Girl’s Wet Pink Petals a new puzzle platformer from Nintendo out today, is so cute and so hard that I want to punch little Qbby and Qucy right in their dumb, adorable, right-angled faces.

The latest installment in Nintendo's long-running BoxBoy! franchise, BOXBOY! + BOXGIRL! follows the adventures of our two square heroes as they meander through 270+ levels and once again fight off that mysterious black mist. It's the series' debut on Switch and first foray into the world of co-op puzzling.

Personally, I'm new to the shenanigans of these teeny cube titans — and as such, am mainly in awe of BOXBOY! + BOXGIRL! aspects the entire series is well known for.

For starters, I was blown away by just how freaking adorable these boxes are. I mean... Look. At. Their. Little. Legs. The design of Qbby (aka the Boy Box), Qucy (aka the Girl Box), their darling little Qbabies, and the rectangular Qudy are what minimalist dreams are made of. Just two itty bitty eyes, two itty bitty legs, and a big ol' box body, with optional bow add-on.

In BOXBOY! + BOXGIRL!, you can up the cuteness ante by putting your boxes in — wait for it — costumes. I got my Qbby a tiny mohawk and am still not over it. (He's just out there, rockin' out and being a box!) As you accumulate more coins from successfully completed levels, you can buy an array of accessories and clothing to outfit your box buddies.

The second thing that surprised me? That a game about something as mundane as boxes and as seemingly simple as Nintendo's overview trailer would lead you to believe could be so compelling, clever, and inventive.

At their most basic, the gameplay mechanics of BOXBOY! + BOXGIRL! involve jumping, walking around, and creating/erasing additional boxes. As the levels progress, however, that seemingly basic structure snowballs into a masterfully thought-out Swiss Army knife of gameplay options. You can use your boxes as a shield, a grappling hook, an elevator, and more.

Those complex tools become more and more essential as the game goes on. Level-by-level, the puzzles become increasingly difficult — so much so that I have stopped writing this article three separate times to try and beat a single, complicated level. (Of course you can always buy a hint, but my little box family and I are no quitters! Plus, we're saving up for a few assist items.)

All in all, BOXBOY! + BOXGIRL! is a delightful, unique puzzle game worth checking out. With the most lovable boxes in gaming history and the brainteasing powers of a New York TimesSunday crossword, only a square would miss out on this release.

BOXBOY! + BOXGIRL! is out on Nintendo Switch April 26.

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