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BOXVR

Seemingly long overdue, PSVR has finally gotten its killer exercise app in BoxVR, a frankly hellacious workout that turns your living room into a gym bootcamp. It doesn't get much more intense, or sweatier, than this.
78%Game Brain Score
music, gameplay
story, stability
78% User Score Based on 2,044 reviews
Critic Score 79%Based on 4 reviews

Platforms

PCPCWindowsWindowsPlayStationPlayStationVirtual RealityVirtual RealityPlayStation VRPlayStation VR

About

BoxVR is a single-player sport game that offers a fun and engaging way to exercise through boxing-inspired workouts. With over 20 hours of choreographed routines set to a variety of music genres, players can track their progress and burn calories in a virtual fitness studio. However, it's worth noting that the game has some bugs that may affect gameplay.

BOXVR screenshot
BOXVR screenshot
BOXVR screenshot
BOXVR screenshot
BOXVR screenshot
BOXVR screenshot
BOXVR screenshot
BOXVR screenshot
BOXVR screenshot
BOXVR screenshot
BOXVR screenshot
+4

78%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,048 reviews
music325 positive mentions
story6 negative mentions

  • Great workout that effectively combines exercise with fun gameplay.
  • Ability to upload custom music and create personalized playlists enhances the experience.
  • Engaging routines that keep players motivated and sweating.
  • Hit detection can be inconsistent, especially with uppercuts and hooks.
  • The game has been criticized for bugs and lack of updates, leading to frustration.
  • Limited variety in music and environments can make the experience feel repetitive.
  • music
    1,424 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the ability to import their own music and create custom playlists, which enhances the workout experience. However, the default soundtrack is often criticized for being repetitive and unengaging, with some users finding it poorly synced to the gameplay. While the auto-generated beat mapping for custom songs can be fun, it is not always accurate, leading to frustration during workouts. Overall, the music can motivate players, but improvements in song variety and syncing are needed for a more enjoyable experience.

    • “I love that you can add your own music too.”
    • “This is a great rhythm-based boxing game that allows you to add your own workout music.”
    • “The music is great, the variety of moves and punches is just perfect and the different exercises are really nice.”
    • “It proved impossible to get the audio synced to the animations correctly, so punches are always way out of sync with the music, and it only gets worse as songs go on.”
    • “Most of the music in this game is awful and definitely not suited for a game that is supposed to release aggression.”
    • “The default music is absolutely horrible, and adding custom songs is clunky and doesn't work well half the time.”
  • gameplay
    107 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the simple and addictive mechanics that combine rhythm and fitness, while others criticize it for being clunky and lacking variety. Many users noted issues with hit registration and the effectiveness of the blocking mechanic, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these flaws, the game offers a solid workout and engaging core mechanics, but improvements in gameplay variety and responsiveness are needed for a more enjoyable experience.

    • “The gameplay is absolutely sublime; balls of different colors will come at you at varying speeds, coordinated with music.”
    • “It has simple but addictive mechanics: punches are simple to understand, and the combo system gets you hooked (one miss doesn't reset your combo multiplier to 0... so if you make a mistake, just brush it off and get right back into it!) Most music seems good, and while some isn't quite my style, there's probably something for everyone.”
    • “The music importing can be a little finicky at times, but overall the gameplay is exciting, challenging, and syncs nicely to the music to make you almost forget you're working out!”
    • “The gameplay is clunky and a lot of the hits were difficult to register and didn't feel good when they did.”
    • “The core gameplay loop of punching, blocking, and squatting just isn't very fun to me.”
    • “There are a few serious problems that break the whole gameplay and demotivate you to keep playing.”
  • graphics
    104 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some users praising the vibrant and functional visuals that enhance the overall experience, while others criticize them as lacking polish and detail. Many players note that the graphics are adequate for a workout-focused game, emphasizing that gameplay accuracy is prioritized over visual fidelity. Overall, while there are areas for improvement, the graphics are generally considered suitable for the game's purpose, with potential for further development.

    • “First of all, the game is brightly colored and has excellent graphics that fit the aesthetic and give you a sense of life and vitality that our real world gyms with their stagnant colors and ugly designs cannot give you.”
    • “Great workout for sedentary folk like myself, clear and colorful graphics make sure you're not battling the headset to see what you're hitting, controllers track excellently in game, beat detection is the best I've encountered in VR and among the best in rhythm games period.”
    • “Graphically, the game is fabulous and the soundtrack is really cool and upbeat; you can train with your own music too.”
    • “Graphics are woefully lacking.”
    • “Environment and objects seem to be done to accommodate the lowest of graphics spec.”
    • “It takes the longest to load of any of my VR apps, even though the graphics are probably the worst, and it will occasionally crash while loading.”
  • story
    42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The reviews indicate that the game lacks a narrative or story element, with users expressing frustration over the developers' focus on the Quest version at the expense of other platforms. Many players feel abandoned by the developers, who have prioritized new features for the Quest while leaving the Steam and other versions unsupported. Overall, the absence of a compelling story is noted, with the emphasis instead on gameplay mechanics and platform disparities.

    • “So I have a bit of a story with this game... I went on Reddit looking for suggestions of a good VR workout game that's more intense than Beat Saber.”
    • “This game itself is okay-ish but the team decided to only support the Quest version anymore and leave Steam, Oculus, and PSVR unfinished.”
    • “I constantly see the Oculus side evolving and honestly looking even better now that I use a Oculus Quest 2.”
    • “☑ no story”
    • “This game itself is okay-ish but the team decided to only support the quest version anymore and leave steam, oculus, and psvr unfinished.”
    • “Then the devs were like 'hey screw you pcvr people who supported us we ain't even porting over the quest stuff haha suckers'”
  • stability
    42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is frequently criticized, with users reporting persistent lags, glitches, and unresponsiveness that disrupt gameplay and hinder performance. While some players have managed to enjoy the game despite these issues, many express frustration over the frequent bugs, particularly with features like music integration and tracking. Overall, the game is seen as engaging but plagued by significant stability problems that detract from the experience.

    • “Lags and glitches out every couple of minutes, ruining streaks and causing you to miss targets.”
    • “Sadly, I spent over 2 hours troubleshooting the game, which disqualified me from getting a refund, so I'm stuck with it.”
    • “The game is good, but it's extremely buggy.”
  • optimization
    34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some high-end users reporting no performance issues, while others have experienced significant degradation over time, including stuttering and poor hit detection. Despite some improvements noted by players, many feel that the game lacks professional optimization and continues to suffer from bugs and performance inconsistencies. Overall, the game's optimization appears to be a major concern for a portion of the player base.

    • “Good variety of movements, (mostly) enjoyable music, highly optimized, bug-free.”
    • “After using Box VR for a while, I decided to change my review to a positive one since there were some performance improvements that really make it significantly better.”
    • “Never had one issue with performance.”
    • “Optimization is some of the worst I've seen in VR games.”
    • “The game was not professionally optimized by the developers.”
    • “This was a fantastic game to work out with when I first bought it, but performance has steadily degraded over time to the point that now it's impossible for me to hit a left jab after a duck for some reason.”
  • humor
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is often described as unintentional, particularly regarding hit detection that feels nonsensical yet amusing. Players find enjoyment in the absurdity of the gameplay, with some highlighting the fun of watching others play, including unexpected participants like older family members. Overall, while the humor may not be deliberate, it adds a lighthearted charm to the experience.

    • “The funny part is that my 65-year-old mother gave it a go and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.”
    • “Pretty funny, and you can feel the burn in your muscles.”
    • “If you want some funny boxing, try Creed, an entertaining workout; obviously, Beat Saber is the way to go.”
    • “That's not funny.”
    • “That's not funny.”
  • monetization
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization strategy of the game has drawn criticism for its aggressive approach, including the removal of content to promote paid downloadable content (DLC) and a lack of developer support for existing issues, leading many to label it a cash grab. Additionally, the reliance on intrusive advertising methods has left some users frustrated, despite initial engagement with the game's features. Overall, the monetization practices appear to prioritize profit over player experience.

    • “In a recent update, the developers removed three out of six environments, perhaps to make room for ads about downloadable content for which they now charge extra.”
    • “The dev team has been completely silent for over 12 hours on fixing the issue or acknowledging it, not a good look when trying to cash grab DLC money.”
    • “Company doesn't care about bugs or doesn't have developers anymore, which qualifies this title as a cash grab.”
  • grinding
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively time-consuming and repetitive, often requiring significant effort to create playlists, which can lead to boredom. However, some users note that the overall experience can become enjoyable, particularly in the context of fitness-related gameplay.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Creating your own playlists will be tedious and take hours just for a short one.”
    • “Super repetitive, gets boring and tedious fast!”
  • replayability
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game offers significant replayability through custom songs and various workout classes, enhancing the experience for users. However, some players feel that the ease of the workouts and limited arena choices diminish the overall replay value.

    • “Great workouts and custom songs make the replayability huge.”
    • “A choice of 3 arenas adds some extra replayability.”
    • “The workout is fairly easy compared to some games like Beat Saber, and the replayability is a bit of a joke.”
    • “With all of the custom songs and new classes, there is a lot more replayability.”
    • “A choice of 3 arenas for some extra replayability.”
  • emotional
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is polarizing; while some players appreciate the soft emotional music that accompanies the gameplay, others feel it doesn't align with their expectations for a boxing game. Many users express a desire to channel their suppressed emotions through the game, but frustrations with gameplay mechanics, such as unresponsive controls, detract from the overall emotional experience.

    • “Want to work through your suppressed emotional anger issues and sadness by punching things?”
    • “It made me feel like I'm always aiming for the stomach rather than head level.”
    • “If you like listening to soft emotional music while squatting up and down, then this game is for you.”

Buy BOXVR

132h Median play time
90h Average play time
4-175h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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