Unbox: Newbie's Adventure

89%
Game Brain Score Based on 232 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Unbox: Newbie's Adventure Game Cover
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In "Unbox: Newbie's Adventure," players control a cardboard box that can run, jump, and even fly through a variety of challenges. The game features a single-player campaign with numerous levels, as well as multiplayer modes for up to four players. With bright and colorful graphics, this game offers a unique and charming platforming experience.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

89%
Audience ScoreBased on 232 reviews
story9 positive mentions
grinding4 negative mentions
  • Unbox: Newbie's Adventure is a fun and charming platformer that captures the essence of classic 3D collectathons, reminiscent of games like Banjo-Kazooie and Super Mario 64.
  • The game features intuitive controls and a unique 'unbox' mechanic that allows for creative movement and exploration, making it enjoyable for players of all skill levels.
  • With vibrant graphics, a humorous tone, and a variety of collectibles and challenges, the game provides a relaxing and engaging experience for both casual and dedicated gamers.
  • The game suffers from technical issues, including bugs and crashes, particularly during specific challenges or when using certain mechanics like sledding.
  • Some players find the controls to be awkward and imprecise, which can lead to frustrating moments during platforming sections.
  • The story and mission design are often considered lackluster, with repetitive tasks and a lack of depth that may not satisfy players looking for a more engaging narrative.
  • story73 mentions

    The story mode of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it charming but ultimately lacking depth and coherence, especially after the first act. While the missions are often repetitive and basic, some players appreciate the humor and lightheartedness of the narrative, as well as the engaging gameplay mechanics. Overall, the story serves more as a backdrop for the gameplay rather than a compelling driving force, with many players expressing a desire for more substantial storytelling elements.

    • “The story is also funny and leaves you with a smile in the end.”
    • “Also about the story, it's really well done and there's some honestly surprising twists and hilarious jokes!”
    • “The challenges themselves sometimes got a little repetitive, but like many of the games this is clearly an homage to, it's the world, level design, story, and dialogue that kept me playing.”
    • “The actual main story plummets after act 1 of the story mode, but nobody's really here for that.”
    • “Lastly, while the plot initially seems charming, it quickly becomes stale with very plain dialogue and a pretty bland plot for the majority of the game.”
    • “One, the story itself can't really figure out its main purpose, so they really just drop you in and say 'have fun' with no real reason why you need to do these missions.”
  • gameplay60 mentions

    The gameplay of "Unbox" is characterized by its charming platforming mechanics, intuitive controls, and a focus on exploration and collectathon elements, reminiscent of classic 90s titles. While the core mechanics, particularly the "unbox" feature, offer a unique twist and enjoyable movement, some players find the challenges too easy and the mission design lacking depth. Overall, the game provides a fun, nostalgic experience with a visually appealing world, though it may not satisfy those seeking a more challenging platforming experience.

    • “An excellent platformer with responsive controls, simple yet robust mechanics, charming world and character design, and rewarding collectibles.”
    • “The controls are intuitive and the gameplay is challenging but not impossible, making it accessible to players of all skill levels.”
    • “With lots of collectibles, fun physics, great level design, and some unique mechanics, Unbox is a must-have for fans of the genre.”
    • “Gameplay basically revolves around doing a series of pointless minigames or collecting hundreds of useless little collectibles.”
    • “The driving mechanic is bad.”
    • “The gameplay stays the same from the first to the third island.”
  • graphics24 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally praised for their vibrant, colorful art style and appealing visuals, reminiscent of classic 90s 3D platformers. While many players appreciate the stunning visuals and immersive worlds, some note issues like detail popping and a mix of high-quality and plain textures. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's charm, though performance can vary depending on system settings.

    • “Unbox has stunning visuals and big immersive worlds, putting me in mind of choice stages from Super Mario Sunshine, and the sea rig which serves as a hub world always makes me think of de Blob.”
    • “A fun 3D platformer with good music, tons of collectibles, and amazing visuals to boot.”
    • “With surprisingly great controls, high mobility, very shiny graphics, and delightful music, Unbox coalesces all of its strengths into an experience that simultaneously feels grand and innocent.”
    • “Longer play sessions of this game give me nausea; that's why I don't recommend it. There is some fun in the game though - big world to explore, funny dialogues, graphics are good except for awful detail popping.”
    • “The graphics are a mixed bunch with a combination of some great water textures and rock textures combined with some very plain ones mixed in, which works for the most part but at times can seem a little strange.”
    • “The graphics are bright and cheerful, the humor is ridiculously cringeworthy, but the controls are kinda sloppy.”
  • music19 mentions

    The music in the game is generally praised for its relaxing and fitting nature, enhancing the overall experience with beautiful soundtracks that evoke nostalgia for classic games. However, some players note that the music can become monotonous and repetitive, particularly in certain levels, which detracts from the enjoyment. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the game's atmosphere, its repetitiveness is a common point of critique.

    • “A fun 3D platformer with good music, tons of collectibles, and amazing visuals to boot.”
    • “The soundtrack is beautiful and the controls and gameplay are very relaxing, what I'd call 'my favorite kind of platformer'.”
    • “With surprisingly great controls, high mobility, very shiny graphics, and delightful music, Unbox coalesces all of its strengths into an experience that simultaneously feels grand and innocent.”
    • “The audio is good for the most part, although the music can become repetitive but serves its purpose.”
    • “A small complaint if I had one was about the music in the game (at least on the 1st main level) almost driving me insane.”
    • “It's not bad or anything, you just hear it looping over and over and over and over again, and it gets kinda old after a while.. or at least the first world's music does.”
  • humor13 mentions

    The game is praised for its vibrant art style and a strong sense of humor that appeals to all ages, featuring funny dialogues and quirky characters that evoke laughter. Players appreciate the clever writing and surprising twists in the story, although some find the humor to be cringeworthy at times. Overall, the game successfully combines fun gameplay with a lighthearted, cartoonish atmosphere, making it an enjoyable experience for those who appreciate humor in gaming.

    • “The game has a great sense of humor and a vibrant art style, which makes it very appealing to all ages.”
    • “What's funny is that there is a dedicated 'reset' feature, as if the devs knew the physics in the game were so bad that it is guaranteed you will constantly end up getting yourself stuck.”
    • “That goofy sense of humor, that hilarious cartoon approach to characters that made us feel like we'd jumped into a Saturday morning cartoon.”
  • grinding5 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly due to the easy combat mechanics and lengthy traversal times. While exploring and collecting items can be enjoyable, the overall experience is marred by the repetitive nature of grinding, leading some to feel that it requires excessive time investment.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “If you want fun, exciting combat, go elsewhere because there is auto-aim, the firing controls are poor, the missiles you shoot are homing, and the enemies are a cakewalk to avoid. The bosses are very easy as you can respawn infinitely and not lose progress; it's just long and tedious.”
    • “It literally took me nearly 15 minutes just to go through the tedious and frustrating process of jumping a total of maybe 6 times to get to the different platforms.”
    • “It can get quite tedious, though, because the world is very large and there are many things to collect.”
  • stability5 mentions

    Overall, the game's stability is generally praised, with users reporting a smooth and bug-free experience, excellent optimization, and no significant issues. However, there are some minor glitches noted, particularly related to specific gameplay elements, such as a freezing issue when interacting with certain objects.

    • “The game runs great and I have had no issues at all.”
    • “Bug-free experience, excellent optimization, good looking, a lot to do, and a cheap price.”
    • “By going into the box, the only 'puzzle' stamp is located in your game freezes permanently (alt+F4).”
    • “Some glitches, but I expected these since it's this dev's first game.”
    • “You're not going to find any kind of platformers here or even a competitor to Banjo-Kazooie or Super Mario 64; I would actually put this game next to Goat Simulator minus the glitches.”
  • atmosphere4 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is consistently praised for its charm and beauty, featuring engaging characters and a nostalgic feel that enhances the overall experience. Reviewers highlight the lovely presentation and solid gameplay, contributing to a captivating and immersive environment.

    • “It has a nice atmosphere, charming characters, and solid gameplay.”
    • “It creates a lovely atmosphere.”
    • “Very nice presentation and atmosphere.”
  • optimization3 mentions

    The game is well-optimized, performing smoothly even on older hardware, such as a Core 2 Quad with 8GB of RAM and a GTX 750 Ti. Players report an uncapped framerate, achieving around 100fps at 1080p on higher-end systems without noticeable dips or stuttering, which is beneficial for speedruns and racing modes.

    • “Well optimized considering I'm on an old Core 2 Quad with 8GB of RAM and a 750 Ti.”
    • “This will affect your performance in speedruns and racing mode.”
    • “It has an uncapped framerate, and on my 970 rig with all settings maxed, I was getting around 100 fps at 1080p, and there were no noticeable major dips or stuttering.”
  • replayability3 mentions

    The game offers a local multiplayer mode that enhances its replayability, but many players feel that once certain objectives are completed, such as collecting a gold tape, the incentive to replay diminishes significantly. Overall, it has a mixed reception regarding replay value, with some rating it 3.5 out of 5.

    • “The game also includes a local multiplayer mode that adds a new level of fun and replayability.”
    • “Not only that, but there's no replay value.”
    • “Replayability: 3.5 / 5. As soon as I got one gold tape, it was over for me.”
  • character development2 mentions

    While the game features engaging mechanics and a charming aesthetic, reviewers feel that the character development is lacking, suggesting that the central concept does not contribute meaningfully to the characters themselves. This indicates a missed opportunity for deeper character engagement within the platforming experience.

    • “An excellent platformer with responsive controls, simple yet robust mechanics, charming world and character design, and rewarding collectibles.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

16hMedian play time
16hAverage play time
16-30hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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