Patrick's Parabox

Patrick’s Parabox is a fun puzzler for all ages, whether you like puzzles or not. It’s easy to play, and I found myself becoming easily addicted to solving each puzzle, losing hours of time into this fun little game.

93%Game Brain Score

gameplay, music

story, grinding

99% User Score Based on 2,487 reviews

Critic Score 80%Based on 4 reviews

Platforms

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About

Patrick's Parabox is a single player casual puzzle game. It was developed by Patrick Traynor and was released on March 29, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Patrick's Parabox is an award-winning puzzle game featuring over 350 hand-crafted puzzles that explore a unique recursive system of boxes within boxes. Players manipulate boxes and navigate challenging mechanics, learning to use infinity to their advantage. Soothed by a calming soundtrack, players delve deeper into the system, discovering new ideas and mechanics as they go. The game has received critical acclaim, including the Excellence in Design award in the Independent Games Festival 2020.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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99%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,487 reviews

gameplay179 positive mentions

story15 negative mentions

Innovative and mind-bending mechanics that keep the gameplay fresh and engaging.
Well-paced difficulty curve that gradually introduces new concepts without overwhelming the player.
Satisfying 'aha' moments when solving puzzles, making players feel clever and accomplished.

Some puzzles can feel repetitive or too straightforward, lacking the depth of challenge found in other puzzle games.
A few levels may cause motion sickness due to zooming effects, which can be uncomfortable for some players.
The game could benefit from a built-in level editor for creating and sharing custom puzzles.

gameplay
687 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
73%
1%
The gameplay of "Patrick's Parabox" is characterized by its innovative and mind-bending mechanics, primarily revolving around recursion and nested puzzles. Players appreciate the gradual introduction of new mechanics, which keeps the experience fresh and engaging without overwhelming them, allowing for a smooth learning curve. The game excels in providing a variety of clever puzzles that challenge players to think creatively, often leading to satisfying "aha!" moments as they explore the intricate interactions of its mechanics.
- “This game breaks traditional sokoban mechanics by introducing infinities, singularities, recursion, etc. It continuously evolves and adds new surprising and satisfying twists.”
- “The result is a deeply satisfying progression of ideas, each puzzle acting as a small revelation that expands your understanding of what the mechanics can express.”
- “The game gently introduces each new mechanic, and there is a smooth progression in terms of complexity, creating a nice gameplay flow.”
- “The game introduces a new mechanic and then you have to do 8 tutorial levels for the new mechanic and then there are maybe 1 or 2 interesting levels in a section before the game introduces a new mechanic.”
- “I think it can be compared with Baba Is You in terms of puzzle mechanics creativity, and mind-bending game design.”
- “The mechanics get very trippy but they always make sense.”
music
94 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
46%
3%
The music in the game is widely praised for its calming and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the overall experience while solving puzzles. Composed by Priscilla Snow, the soundtrack features a variety of soothing tracks that fit well with the game's aesthetic and mechanics, creating a meditative environment that encourages thoughtful gameplay. While most players find the music delightful and fitting, a few critiques mention that some tracks can be forgettable or less engaging.
- “The ambient soundtrack reinforces this contemplative tone, providing soft, atmospheric cues that create an almost meditative rhythm as you work through each challenge.”
- “The calm lo-fi music by Priscilla Snow also helps to reinforce a more meditative vibe, gently encouraging the player to think about the puzzle at their own pace without stressing over scores or time limits.”
- “Delightful visuals and soundtrack: the charming visuals and Priscilla Snow's meditative electronic soundtrack create a cheerful and captivating atmosphere, enhancing the overall enjoyment of the game.”
- “The music is very well made too, it's soothing and calm and somehow sounds really fitting to the world in this game.”
- “Also on a different note, the soundtrack just really does not do it for me; it's forgettable and annoying.”
- “Minor presentation issues: some aspects of the game's presentation, such as the UI and looping background music, could benefit from further polish to enhance the overall experience.”
graphics
90 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
61%
3%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a minimalist and clean aesthetic, which enhances gameplay by avoiding distractions and ensuring clarity in puzzle-solving. While the visuals are simple and sometimes abstract, they are described as charming and effective, complementing the soothing soundtrack and overall experience. Players appreciate the polished presentation, with smooth animations and a focus on readability that supports the game's logic-driven challenges.
- “The visuals are stark and unembellished, composed of clean shapes and crisp contrasts that ensure nothing distracts from the logic in front of you.”
- “The combination of subdued visuals and soothing audio delivers a space where the mind feels free to wander, dissect, and hypothesize without sensory clutter.”
- “Delightful visuals and soundtrack: the charming visuals and Priscilla Snow's meditative electronic soundtrack create a cheerful and captivating atmosphere, enhancing the overall enjoyment of the game.”
- “The visuals are nothing flashy, but that's so you can concentrate; the visuals don't detract from the experience as it feels they made them with specific focus towards letting the player easily consume what is going on.”
- “The visuals may be simple, but I did get dizzy a few times, so beware of it if you have epilepsy.”
- “A few more minutes could have been spent on the graphics, too.”
story
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
42%
48%
The consensus among users is that the game lacks a significant story, with many describing it as a pure puzzle experience devoid of narrative elements. While some players appreciate the focus on puzzles, others express disappointment over the absence of any plot or character development, suggesting that the game could have benefited from a narrative to enhance the overall experience. Overall, the game is characterized as enjoyable for puzzle enthusiasts, but those seeking a compelling story will likely be disappointed.
- “Story is also great.”
- “But it doesn't need a story.”
- “(for me it's a positive, but some may prefer puzzles wrapped in a story or some form of progression.)”
- “It's pure puzzles with no story (at least, no story that I have found so far).”
- “There's no story to speak of, so you'll really only be playing it for the sense of completion.”
- “There is no story; this is a pure puzzler.”
humor
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its absurdity and cleverness, often eliciting genuine laughter from players, including younger audiences. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to create hilariously bizarre situations through its mechanics, making the puzzle-solving experience both entertaining and thought-provoking. Overall, the game is recognized for its inventive humor, which stands out even in the absence of dialogue.
- “I want to play more, but frankly the main thing I've enjoyed about this game is that my 9-year-old thinks it's hilarious, finding all the bizarre ways the game allows you to break its physics and create paradoxical infinities, all through entirely intended mechanics.”
- “The game had me giggling several times throughout my playthrough with all the hilariously absurd things it managed to pull off.”
- “I don't think puzzle design has ever made me laugh as hard as this game.”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
92%
Overall, players have mixed feelings about the grinding aspect of the game. While many appreciate the challenging yet fair difficulty and engaging puzzles, some find certain levels and setups to be tedious, requiring repetitive actions that detract from the overall enjoyment. The game generally avoids artificial difficulty, but a few instances of frustrating grinding can occur, particularly in specific levels.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “However, with the current design, those two issues go hand in hand and make playing the game tedious far more often than fun.”
- “Shuffling the pieces around is tedious; there isn’t a lot of room in most levels, and pushing things against a wall by accident and having to redo parts is annoying.”
- “Like, out of all 364 levels in the game, there was only 1 I got kind of annoyed by, and I can't even say I dislike the level; it just had a tedious setup process to get to the actual puzzle I did like 2 dozen times before figuring it out.”
emotional
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a range of emotions while engaging with the game, from feelings of brilliance and joy when solving puzzles to moments of frustration and confusion. The innovative mechanics evoke a sense of cleverness and satisfaction, reminiscent of classic puzzle games, though some users note that it lacks the deeper narrative and emotional impact found in other titles. Overall, the game successfully elicits a mix of pride and challenge, making players feel both smart and occasionally overwhelmed.
- “I can't explain it, this game just made me feel like I was going crazy, like solving all these puzzles was an obligation.”
- “The introduction of the recursion mechanic made me feel genuine joy.”
- “Playing this made me feel really nice and clever.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
17%
33%
Overall, the game offers a mixed view on replayability. While some players feel that once the puzzles are solved, the replay value diminishes, others appreciate the extensive level options and customizability through level editors, enhancing the game's longevity. The varied difficulty of puzzles also contributes to replayability, making it accessible for different age groups and skill levels.
- “For one, there are a lot of levels, meaning a playthrough will take quite a while the first time you play it. The game is still quite replayable as you can make custom levels, considering there are lots of level editors out there, and even editing it as a text file is still quite easy and makes sense.”
- “Great puzzle game with very high replayability value.”
- “Sometimes this included solving a puzzle without knowing how – which is great for replayability.”
- “I'm not sure about replay value, since once you know, you know.”
- “For one, there are a lot of levels, meaning a playthrough will take quite a while the first time you play it, but the game is still quite replayable as you can make custom levels. Considering there are lots of level editors out there, even editing it as a text file is still quite easy and makes sense.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by a contemplative and meditative tone, enhanced by a charming visual style and a soothing soundtrack that elevates the overall experience. While the ambient music is generally praised for its relaxing qualities, some players noted a decline in quality from the demo to the full game, describing the latter as featuring less engaging "elevator music." Overall, the combination of delightful visuals and well-designed puzzles contributes to a clean and enjoyable atmosphere.
- “The ambient soundtrack reinforces this contemplative tone, providing soft, atmospheric cues that create an almost meditative rhythm as you work through each challenge.”
- “Delightful visuals and soundtrack: the charming visuals and Priscilla Snow's meditative electronic soundtrack create a cheerful and captivating atmosphere, enhancing the overall enjoyment of the game.”
- “Extremely well designed puzzles wrapped in a clean and relaxing atmosphere.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The game's optimization is highly praised, particularly for its solid performance on the Steam Deck, delivering surprisingly smooth gameplay. Levels are well-balanced, providing a challenging yet accessible experience.
- “Smooth performance (surprisingly high performance for a game like this).”
- “The levels are perfectly optimized: not too easy, but not brutally hard.”
- “Technical performance:”
- “Performance is rock-solid on Steam Deck.”
- “Smooth (surprisingly high performance for a game like this).”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
Overall, users report a mixed experience with stability; while some praise the game for running smoothly on the Steam Deck and being bug-free, others have encountered bugs that detract from the experience.
- “Runs great on the Steam Deck!”
- “Fun, clean, bug-free, good design (though very simple).”
- “The game is incredibly buggy, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
- “I encountered numerous stability issues that disrupted my gaming experience.”
- “Frequent crashes and glitches have made it hard to enjoy the game.”

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80%Critics’ scoreBased on 4 critic reviews

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9h Median play time

9h Average play time

3-19h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 13 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Patrick's Parabox is a casual puzzle game.

Patrick's Parabox is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, Mac OS and others.

On average players spend around 9 hours playing Patrick's Parabox.

Patrick's Parabox was released on March 29, 2022.

Patrick's Parabox was developed by Patrick Traynor.

Patrick's Parabox has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its story.

Patrick's Parabox is a single player game.

Similar games include Baba Is You, Stephen's Sausage Roll, Can of Wormholes, A Monsters Expedition, The Pedestrian and others.

Patrick's Parabox

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