Patrick's Parabox demo

Recursive puzzle game

Patrick's Parabox is a puzzle game developed by Patrick Traynor. This game explores a unique world of boxes within boxes. Here, players will manipulate a square world by pushing boxes into and out of each other. There are over 350 handcrafted puzzles designed to make you think. However, as this is a demo version, only 30 levels are available.

Patrick's Parabox is a box-pushing game similar to Sokoban. However, the twist in this title is recursion. One of the boxes can represent either a sub-room or even enclose a level itself. This makes the already challenging gameplay more confusing.

What is Patrick's Parabox?

Patrick's Parabox is a box-pushing puzzle game. Here, you will be placed inside a box-shaped map with movable small boxes. Your core task is to place each box onto a target square. You can finish a level by moving your character onto a special target. However, be careful not to move the boxes on a corner and get them stuck.

What makes the game unique is that it has a recursive aspect, which opens up many possibilities. One of the boxes you are pushing can represent either sub-room or even the enclosing level. Instead of being trapped, these special boxes will swallow you into their own micro-puzzle when pushed against a wall. Sometimes, the goals are placed inside these recursive rooms, forcing you to consider the level on two layers.

The game comes with over 350 puzzles, all of which are designed to make you think. However, as this is a demo game, you can only access a total of 30 stages. This makes the gameplay fairly short, clocking in at about 30 minutes. Additionally, the majority of the accessible puzzles are straightforward. Still, at least five or so requires a bit of consideration to crack.

Should you play it?

Overall, Patrick's Parabox is a game worth picking up if you are looking for a good brain teaser. The game has familiar box-pushing gameplay made more challenging by adding a recursion system. Its graphics are simple yet functional, and the app works smoothly. However, it is still in the demo stage. With this, not all puzzles are accessible, making the entire experience short.