TOY BOX

About

TOY BOX is a single player action game with horror, drama and thriller themes. It was developed by DEADline Studios and was released on December 9, 2024. It received very positive reviews from players.

In TOY BOX, you play as a toy inspector tasked with deciding which worn-out toys to salvage or discard to maintain the Maker’s high standards. Using creative methods to dismantle each toy, you explore multiple eerie endings while enjoying haunting visuals and a captivating soundtrack. The game combines inspection, dark charm, and suspense in a unique, short experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

90%

Audience ScoreBased on 31 reviews

graphics3 positive mentions

music2 negative mentions

The game features a unique and engaging story with intriguing characters, making it a worthwhile experience for those who enjoy horror and dark themes.
The art style and sound design are well-executed, contributing to a creepy and immersive atmosphere that enhances the storytelling.
It's a free game that offers multiple endings and replayability, allowing players to explore different outcomes and character backstories.

The gameplay is simplistic and can feel repetitive, with some mini-games being clunky and frustrating to complete.
The story can be convoluted and may leave players confused, as it requires careful attention to detail and inference.
Some players may find the pacing slow and the dialogue tedious, leading to a less engaging experience overall.

story
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
64%
18%
The story is a central focus of the game, with many players noting its depth and intrigue, though some found it overly complex or difficult to fully grasp. While the narrative is impactful and enhanced by environmental storytelling and art style, it often requires players to infer details from vague imagery. Overall, the story is considered compelling, particularly in its darker themes, but the gameplay can feel secondary to the narrative exploration.
- “Great art style and an intriguing story!”
- “The story and gameplay is short, but it's incredibly impactful.”
- “Personally, I found Lamb Head and Lil' Precious to be the most compelling when it came to the uncomfortable darkness of their story and how intertwined their fates were.”
- “So much so that I'd say there is too much story.”
- “I personally didn't understand the story, but I think it had a story somewhere.”
- “This garbage e-book is a bit like a pop-up book meets a CYOA... you plod through a dark and awfully written story about unwanted toys... or don't.”
gameplay
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
The gameplay is primarily focused on exploring the story, which is short yet impactful, but it lacks depth and is criticized for poorly written dialogue. Players experience a simple interactive novel format with basic mechanics, including an ineffective invisible timer that can detract from engagement. Overall, while some may find enjoyment in its simplicity and unique elements, many reviews highlight significant flaws in writing and gameplay execution.
- “The actual gameplay, while simple, breaks down to exploring aspects of the story.”
- “The story and gameplay are short, but they're incredibly impactful.”
- “The game mechanics are rather basic, which can be fun if you're into that.”
- “As a visual/interactive novel, this doesn't feature any notable gameplay; it's just a lot of clicking through badly written dialogue that would never have been accepted or published in print, which poses the question, 'how did something this badly written end up on Steam?'”
- “It has a bit of an odd mechanic where there is an invisible timer, and said timer doesn't appear to work if you're a fast reader and have finished the dialogue, which made me lose interest in one of the possible ending types.”
- “The game mechanics are rather basic and gross, which is fun if you are into that.”
graphics
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The graphics received praise for their unique art style and effective storytelling, with users appreciating both the retro 8-bit visuals and the overall aesthetic that enhances the game's narrative.
- “I liked the art style as well as the design of the toys themselves.”
- “Great art style and an intriguing story!”
- “Even the retro 8-bit graphics feel real and tell the story well.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
33%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its beautiful color palette, detailed backgrounds, and unsettling horror imagery, creating a spooky and immersive experience. However, some players note that the overall experience is marred by rudimentary gameplay elements and distracting sound effects.
- “Every aspect from the color palette, the extensive backgrounds, the central toys and their progressively worsening appearances, and the shadow play-inspired memory sequences are beautifully done while keeping an unsettling atmosphere and incorporating a good amount of horror imagery.”
- “A fairly short point-and-click game with a great spooky atmosphere.”
- “The dark and creepy atmosphere is well done.”
- “The dark and creepy atmosphere is well done, but the game is rudimentary with basic and clunky puzzles, placeholder menus, and annoying buzzing or beeping sounds when the characters talk.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The background music is generally well-received, with players appreciating its quality and ability to enhance the game's atmosphere. However, some users have expressed frustration over the inability to unlock the complete soundtrack despite multiple playthroughs. Overall, the music is described as fitting and evocative, adding an uncanny layer to the gaming experience.
- “The background music is also quite nice to listen to.”
- “I'm not sure why, but even after multiple playthroughs and a fresh reinstall, I was never able to unlock all of Hogdollar's soundtrack.”
- “Uncanny music to accompany the scenes.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
Reviewers feel that the game's replayability is limited due to a lack of character depth, meaningful choices, and engaging puzzles, which could have enhanced the experience and reinforced the antagonist's core message.
- “The game offers a variety of character paths and choices that make each playthrough feel unique and engaging.”
- “With multiple endings and diverse gameplay options, I found myself eager to replay the game to explore different outcomes.”
- “The intricate puzzles and character development encourage players to revisit the game for a deeper understanding of the story.”
- “More character depth, meaningful choices, and actual puzzles would have added to the replay value and reinforced the core message of the antagonist.”
- “Once you finish the game, there's little incentive to go back and experience it again.”
- “The lack of varied endings or branching storylines makes replaying feel like a chore rather than an adventure.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the mini-games are functional and straightforward, there is a consensus that they could benefit from further optimization to enhance their fluidity and overall performance.
- “The mini-games are very simple and work well enough, though I feel like they could still be optimized a little more in terms of fluidity.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players have noted that the game evokes strong emotions and creates deep connections with characters in a surprisingly short amount of time, making it a standout experience in terms of emotional engagement.
- “I will refrain from saying anything else as I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but few games have made me feel on the same level this one has without me spending hours getting attached to the characters.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the grinding aspect of visual novels and e-books tedious, likening the experience to a frustratingly slow reading process where each sentence requires a click to advance, detracting from the enjoyment of the narrative.
- “Visual novels/e-books are tedious at best. Imagine the best novel you ever read, whether it's 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy', '2001: A Space Odyssey', or 'Twilight' (if you have terrible taste in literature), but then translate that to a format where the words dribble out and you have to click your mouse every time you want to read the next sentence, instead of just turning the pages.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its sharp wit and clever observations, as exemplified by a remark about the minimal demand for a book, suggesting a satirical take on its value. Overall, players appreciate the game's ability to deliver humor that is both insightful and amusing.
- “The funny thing is, if you wanted to print this book, you'd only need to print 5 copies to satisfy the entire world's demand for it.”