is a series of

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

s 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 secon ...

and published by

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...

. 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 stages that Qbby must be guided through. The first game, ''

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 stag ...

'', released on January 14, 2015, in Japan on 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-generatio ...

. Its sequel, ''

BoxBoxBoy! is a puzzle-platform game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS handheld game console. The second game in the '' BoxBoy!'' series, the game was released in Japan in January 2016, and in other territories in J ...

'', was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2016, with a third game, ''

Bye-Bye BoxBoy! ''Bye-Bye BoxBoy!'' is a puzzle-platform game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. The third game in the ''BoxBoy!'' series, it was released worldwide in 2017. The game was followed by '' BoxBoy! + BoxGirl ...

'', in 2017. A fourth installment, '' BoxBoy! + BoxGirl!'', was released 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 computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...

in April 2019.

Games

''BoxBoy!''

''BoxBoy!'' was developed by Japanese video game company

. It was a small experimental project in development while the studio was working on '' Kirby: Triple Deluxe'' and ''

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse ''Kirby and the Rainbow Curse'', known in PAL regions as ''Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush'', is a platforming video game in the '' Kirby'' series, developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for Wii U. The title, which is a follow-u ...

''. The project plan for ''BoxBoy!'' was conceived in July 2011 by employee Yasuhiro Mukae, who would later serve as the game's director. The game revolves around Qbby, a character who can produce boxes and use them to solve puzzles, move around, and press switches.

''BoxBoxBoy!''

is a

developed by

and published by

for the

handheld game console A handheld game console, or simply handheld console, is a small, portable self-contained video game console with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. Handheld game consoles are smaller than home video game consoles and contain the cons ...

. The game was released in Japan in January 2016, and in other territories in June 2016. This game introduces the concept of being able to summon two sets of boxes at once.

''Bye-Bye BoxBoy!''

''Bye-Bye BoxBoy!'' is a

developed by

and published by

for the

handheld console A handheld game console, or simply handheld console, is a small, portable self-contained video game console with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. Handheld game consoles are smaller than home video game consoles and contain the cons ...

. The game was released worldwide in 2017. It features boxes with special properties, such as exploding and warping, and Qbabies that Qbby must escort to the end of a level.

''BoxBoy! + BoxGirl!''

is a

developed by

and published by

. It is the fourth game in the ''BoxBoy!'' series and first to be released on the

. ''BoxBoy! + BoxGirl!'' features a two-player

multiplayer A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system (couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...

mode for the first time in the series, with it being praised by critics. The game was released worldwide for the Nintendo Switch exclusively via

Nintendo eShop The Nintendo eShop is a digital distribution service powered by the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, and by a dedicated online infrastructure for the Nintendo Switch. Launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, the eShop was en ...

on April 26, 2019.

Gameplay

Reception

The ''BoxBoy!'' series has received generally favourable reviews from critics according to review aggregator website Metacritic.

Notes

References

{{Main franchises by Nintendo HAL Laboratory games Cooperative video games Multiplayer and single-player video games Nintendo franchises Platform games Puzzle video games Puzzle-platform games Video games developed in Japan Video games about children BoxBoy! Video game franchises introduced in 2015