This is an improvement on Doors:Paradox although actual game play is similar. The game has better special effects and has opened up the puzzle arena so that it doesn't feel so claustrophobic. There's even a half decent story behind it all which was one of my criticisms in the first game.
Review Here
Boxes: Lost Fragments was a decent puzzle experience, following the same guidelines as Doors:Paradox with its diorama style puzzles where you pull, twist, and manipulate objects to reveal hidden secrets, and solve puzzles within, but upgraded substantially with better visuals and special effects and an overall more rounded adventure.
Story
Although not as long as its predecessor it felt better quality and I enjoyed the story which drove the game play forward. Again, the story was told in brief notes found around the game arena but they made more sense this time and there was even a surprise ending which tied it all together. Yes, it was still basic, and certainly could be improved upon with a bit of voice acting, cut scenes, and the like, but it was definitely an improvement and a welcome distraction from all the puzzling.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3151447762
Puzzles
There are some easy puzzles and some very difficult puzzles, and then there are simple things that will stump you until you get the hand of how things work. Manipulating objects, like pulling and twisting things, will either reveal objects you can collect to use later, or will reveal a puzzle which you may be able to start, or you may need another object to unlock the puzzle.
Inventory items can also be examined and in some cases manipulated to reveal hidden items within. This is where I got stuck the most to be honest, as I kept forgetting that items collected could be hiding secrets! Some games like this actually indicate on the object that it needs to be examined, with a symbol or plus sign, but there is a very effective hint system which accurately displayed where you needed to go next in the puzzle arena, or told you that an item needed further investigation by flashing. This comes in handy when you just don't know where to go next and I used this option quite a lot because there are some obscure areas to find like hidden switches on corners, or in out of way places. It kept the game moving, and let me concentrate on the puzzles.
Game Play Video
https://youtu.be/pZ865oRSKUI
Once puzzles were revealed, there is an option to skip the puzzles if they are proving too difficult, so there shouldn't be any reason why you can't finish the game. The only thing I would say is that I would like to have achievements for every puzzle, just as a reward for spending the time to complete them, as most achievements are based on reaching certain areas rather than completing difficult puzzles.
Conclusion
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Overall, I enjoyed Boxes: Lost Fragments. There is certainly enough here for all skill levels, with a mixture of different types of puzzles varying in difficulty, but there is no danger of getting stuck as puzzles can be skipped without penalty. It is easy to dip in and out of the game with instant saving features and I enjoyed the story behind the game. I would certainly recommend this to puzzle lovers and think it is a step up from Doors:Paradox.
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