Story: In Unbox: Newbie’s Adventure, you play the newest box on the block, a revolution in the delivery business. As Newbie, you learn that you’re the latest invention by the minds at GPS, a popular delivery service. You can self deliver, which if the tech is tested and works out, could give GPS a crucial edge in the business. You will need to travel to various islands, interact with the locals, and of course, battle the bad guys. In this case, the villains are part of the Wild Cards, rebel boxes who want to derail Newbie’s mission, under orders from their leader, Boss Wild. As you help your fellow boxes, you earn postage stamps and with enough stamps, you can venture to new places. Can you overcome the odds, defeat the Wild Cards, and prove a self delivering box is viable so that GPS thrives?

Entertainment Value: I’ve played a lot of games, but aside from some Metal Gear stealth sequences, I’ve rarely controlled a cardboard box. But in Unbox, you’re always the little box that could, rolling around and having all kinds of adventures. The core gameplay is platforming and exploration, as you learn to control the box and adjust to the quirks of how it moves around. As it is a box, if you roll on the corners, you can tell and it is much different than rolling a ball around. While it makes things tricky at first, you’ll get the hang of things after a short while. As if just rolling and jumping isn’t enough, there’s a mechanic called unboxing, which allows you to jump in mid-air a certain number of times before you land. You will need to manage these extra jumps carefully, as if you run out at the wrong time, you’re in for a long fall. Luckily, the game is generous with both pick-ups to replenish your jumps and checkpoints. The mailboxes around the levels offer you a chance to fully charge your jumps and if you perish, they are the respawn point, so be sure to knock into the boxes when you see one. Once you get the basics of the jumping, you’re ready to delve into Unbox’s depths.

In addition to the platforming elements, which can be quite a challenge, the game also offers ample exploration and collection aspects. The levels are good sized and have a lot of potential for exploration. The in-game GPS will guide you toward main missions, but you will need to poke around to find side missions, conversations, imprisoned boxes, and rolls of golden duct tape. So if you’re stuck on a mission or want to take a break from the quests, you can always focus on one of these side activities for a while. And some of the duct tape rolls are in precarious spots, so you will refine your jumping techniques as you explore. The missions tend to be either time trials to reach destinations or eliminate enemies, with some varied other modes as well. So there’s a nice amount of variety and you’ll never feel like you’re grinding or stuck in a rut. You can also earn new unlocks as you progress, to change the cosmetic elements of your box, another incentive to track down all the various elements. As fun as Unbox is, where it really shines is the sense of humor and cute visuals, which combine to really offer a fun atmosphere. I found myself sitting down to just do a mission or two, only to spend hours tracking down duct tape or just checking out the little details of each level. If you’re a fan of platforming games with plenty of exploration and collection, give Unbox a look. I played on Xbox One for this review, but it available on PS4, Switch, and Steam as well.