Pile Up Box By Box! RELAXED Couch Co-op Platforming!

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If you have done all the arts and crafts you could think of during the pandemic, then it may be time to enjoy someone else's in the beautifully crafted cardboard world that is Pile Up Box by Box. This game brings a very mild and calm atmosphere to the 3D platformer genre. There is not a whole lot going on here. And that's a good thing! Leaving this game as a relaxing time to enjoy solo or with friends. The game contains a short tutorial and four different levels that consist of  light platforming, with a larger emphasis on solving puzzles using the various items found in the maps. 

The basic concept of the game is to use boxes to solve puzzles, by pressing buttons, creating steps, and various other imaginative uses. Where it gets interesting is in the variety of boxes you're given to accomplish the tasks. For example, you may need to use TNT to clear the path; while at other times you will need to use it to depress a button, and quickly complete a platforming challenge before it explodes. In other situations you will use a sticky block to grab far away items, or as a sort of grappling hook to leap across chasms.

The four worlds are each incredibly colorful and hold to a certain environment, like the sun bathed island or the autumn forest. The game is made up of cardboard and paper, and this exquisite art style is reminiscent of games like Paper Mario, Yoshi's Crafted World, and Sackboy: A Big Adventure. While the levels are each vibrant, they are mostly devoid of inhabitants, with only a few characters placed for quests, and no enemies to fight. While the lack of enemies is not an issue for a laidback platformer like this one, the colorful worlds did feel a little abandoned as we explored them. 

Pile Up is intended to be very forgiving and lets you experience each of its cardboard pieces in bite sized amounts. Each little area is sectioned off with an exit that all players are required to leave through at the same time. These gates were nice in solo, however when playing with friends there was often a couple of seconds trying to get in the correct spot to pass through. 

As you explore each of the four levels you will stumble across a variety of collectables, such as the currency used to buy skins, special items used to unlock secret locations, arcade games that are playable in the hub world, and stopwatch pieces used to unlock the speedrun mode. 

When it comes to playing with friends, the game has a couple of enjoyable additions. For example if the going gets tough and your spouse or child just cannot complete the platforming sections, you can carry them on top yourself to help them through. In addition there are also big red buttons that require all players to jump on them in order to work. Pile Up also features drop-in drop-out co-op, which will cause the puzzles to change by adding or removing items for the amount of players.

Most of the puzzles in the game are straightforward and easy to solve, while still being enjoyable to complete. There is however, the occasional puzzle that will have you discussing what to do before you head back to collect forgotten boxes. The mini games that are unlocked in each level require at least two players and are simple but enjoyable. While they won't keep you occupied for long they are great for a quick laugh and a little break from solving puzzles. 

The controls are simple, but sometimes a little finicky. Placing or throwing boxes was occasionally challenging to aim, and we had particular trouble aiming the sticky box in the right direction. We also found ourselves accidentally carrying one another on several different occasions. Even with those little inconveniences we still enjoyed the game and loved how smoothly our boxes glided across the ground. 

Each level will take somewhere around 45 minutes to complete, depending on how well you’re able to solve the puzzles and how much you like collectables. An average play session seems to be around 4 hours. If you collect all of the time pieces throughout the game you will unlock the speedrun mode, which seems to be the main incentive for replaying.

Overall, Pile Up Box by Box is an incredibly relaxing 3D platformer with enjoyable puzzles. We loved the game's cardboard worlds and enjoyed being able to customize our characters. This is a fantastic game for beginners and young children, while also having enough to offer for more experienced players. We enjoyed playing together and would definitely recommend it to families and friend groups. 

The game supports 1-4 players locally and is available on Nintendo Switch, Playstation, Xbox, and PC.

If you would like to play the game yourself, you can buy it using our affiliate link: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/pile-up-box-by-box?ref=theco-opcompany

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