Boxxle | RVGFanatic

One of the best Super Famicom games hardly anyone ever talks about

You know, there are a lot of “hidden gems” on the Super Nintendo. Many are no longer “obscure” because they’ve received their just due and praise over the course of the past decade or so. But there remains a few titles that I still see don’t get the kind of recognition that they so richly deserve. Puzzle’n Desu! is one such game. It’s truly one of the best games on the system that you might have yet to play, or even heard of before. There’s a reason why the box says “Ultimate Cool Puzzle Game.” Hey, them some bold words. But if any puzzle game can live up to such a high title, it’s this one.

Hell of a brain teaser, this one. You move the little guy on the left around a giant square arena, trying to match all the like colors. You can only push one block at a time, and it’ll travel until it’s stopped by a wall or block.

Three like colors, minimum, are required to make a successful match. Sometimes there are four instead of three, so you must connect all four. Match only three in this instance and you’ll fail (as there would be one block remaining).

Let’s take a look at the first few stages.

STAGE ONE

If you can’t figure out how to solve this first level…

STAGE TWO

I like the way the blocks disappear. The little visual effect is always a welcomed sight. Hey, it’s the small stuff, right?

The blue blocks are a cinch as you can see… but the pink ones… what to do…

There you go, now this pink formation is ripe for the pickings. Can you solve the rest? As you can imagine, the later puzzles become murderous.

Interestingly enough, this mode can be played with up to three friends. I believe this is the only Super Nintendo action puzzle game that allows you to do such a thing. Very cool stuff!

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!

An ace 4-player battle mode is included! Much more than a mere afterthought, this can rival Bomberman believe it or not! The goal is simple. Squish your opponent(s) via block pushing. The winner is the sole survivor. And for good measure, you get 10 different stage designs, whose block placement is randomly generated, enabling countless variants! (similar to the map system of the beloved WORMS franchise).

B = push

A = moves a block around you

Note the “A” command is only valid in the battle mode, for obvious reasons. Also, even in this mode blocks will disappear when accidentally or purposely matched. Awesome continuity.

Here are the 10 battle zones:

BATTLE ZONE 1

It’s your typical no-frills, no gimmicks first basic stage.

BATTLE ZONE 2

Blue blocks with the % marks are immovable.

BATTLE ZONE 3

The ice blocks dissipate when pushed against a wall or block. I like this stage.

BATTLE ZONE 4

The arrows determine the path of destruction. It’s very Super Bomberman-esque.

BATTLE ZONE 5

Those arrows affect block AND player movement — nice!

BATTLE ZONE 6

The arrow blocks here can only be pushed in the direction they’re pointing. The numbered blocks travel their respective number (i.e. 3 spaces). Very interesting, and rather different!

BATTLE ZONE 7

Teleporters! Bomberman is rolling over in his grave

BATTLE ZONE 8

Great gimmick here. Arrows guide block movement. Easy to kill yourself if you don’t watch it. When walking on arrows, they act like butter, sliding you in their set direction.

BATTLE ZONE 9

The blocks here can be pushed despite touching each other. They fly across and through the screen disappearing whether they’ve crushed someone or not. Arguably the most chaotic stage due to its potential of numerous blocks zooming by at break-neck speed in all directions!

BATTLE ZONE 10

A veritable smorgasbord of the other battle arenas. Good stuff.

D’OH!

Unfortunately, this mode is restricted to human players. Why they didn’t allow computer opponents is a mystery. But it’s better than nothing. Like Bomberman, 2 to 4 can play, with the win total required for a stage adjustable from 1 through 10.

To cap things off, a create-your-own-stage option is available.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Puzzle'n Desu! is an awesome little game — *Puzzle’n Desu!* is too sweet

I love this game. The ability for a 4 player mode in the regular game and a Bomberman-esque 4 player “free for all” mode really makes this game stand out from the crowd. These games possess a purity I can’t help but love. They’re simply brilliant and brilliantly simple (yet complex). If you love pitting your logic skills to the test, and especially if you have gaming buds, hunt this gem down. From what I understand though, it’s rather scarce.

It’s not perfect, though. I am not a big fan of the timer. I feel like these action puzzle games benefit greatly when you’re able to take your sweet time and start contemplatively at the screen until inspiration strikes with the resolute “AH-HA!” Also didn’t like the fact that the 4-player battle mode is exclusive to humans only. I mean, it would be lovely to be able to play this mode on a lazy Tuesday night when it’s just you and your Super Nintendo. But at the end of the day, at least the mode is there as an option.

All in all, Puzzle’n Desu! truly rocks. And deserves a little more recognition in the retro gaming community. Highly recommended!

Super Soukoban is one fascinating video game. Heck, if the cover isn’t enough to catch your eye (it immediately captures my fancy and makes me wonder what the hell kind of game this is), then surely the intro will…

Obviously, the driver is clearly asking her to make him some coffee [NO! He’s asking her to join him for coffee ya git -Ed.]. Oh. Well, either way she’s visibly hesitant. No sooner then does a ride that’s more fly, as they say, pull up.

I wonder who she'll pick... — I wonder who she’ll pick…

The new guy also requests her company. Stuck in the middle, with offers from both gentlemen, oh what’s a modern lady to do?! I can’t take this drama…

"SON OF A MUTHA #^#^%!" — *“SON OF A MUTHA #*@$%!”*

"I need to bloody level up!" — *“I need to bloody level up!”*

The rejected guy, cursing his lot in life, contemplates how a better set of wheels would right all wrongs…

What do you expect this sad bloke to do now? Will he

A. Take out his anger by vanquishing bad guys in a beat ‘em up?

B. Jump on cutesy animal baddies in a platformer?

C. Work his way up the financial ladder in a sim?

D. Push boxes around in an empty warehouse?

E. Learn the art of ass kicking and throw fireballs in a 2D fighter?

…

If you picked “D”… Bob, tell him what he’s won!

[Absolutely friggin' nutthin -Bob] — *[Absolutely friggin’ nuthin -Bob]*

GameBoy players might be familiar with Boxxle, which came out back in 1989.

Weird concept, but fun! — Weird concept, but lots of fun!

Super Soukoban is a mind-taxing logic game; the goal is to push boxes to cover the purple dots. You can’t pull, you can only push and you can only move one box at a time. You can imagine the mess you’d create if you push a box in an ill-advised position. Thankfully, besides the option to restart a level at any point, pressing “L” rewinds the action and allows the player to go back as far as he wishes. Likewise, “R” is fast forward, in case you went too far back. This can prove to be a God-send and was very wise on the programmers’ part. It’s great because rather than completely restarting a level, it encourages experimentation and creativity at each step (literally) of the way. Kudos!

There’s no time limit however there is a step limit. Nothing beats solving a puzzle with exactly 0 steps remaining! That is the ultimate rush.

Let’s take a look at some of the stages now.

STAGE ONE

Ah, the classic simple first stage to acclimate players to the world of Soukoban.

Get each box in that position there, where the guy is in front of. Surely you can take it from here.

STAGE TWO

Can you suss out the hot spot here? — Can you find the hot spot here?

STAGE THREE

This stage introduces the darkened box. This indicates the box is already resting on a purple dot. Later stages may have multiple. They can be tricky so watch it…

STAGE FOUR

STAGE FIVE

STAGE SIX

OH PLEASE, EVEN A FOUR-YEAR-OLD CAN SOLVE THESE…

OK wiseguy. There are a total of 300 (!) warehouses to tackle, with the option of jumping to any one at any time. A password is given each time you clear a level. Of course, the first handful eases you in, before becoming gradually harder until DAMN! Notice as the puzzles get more complex, everything is properly reduced in size. Nothing intimidates than seeing a small screen littered with dozens and dozens of boxes…

A look at some of the later stages then.

STAGE 47

STAGE 147

STAGE 188

STAGE 234

STAGE 277

See! They quickly become absolute conundrums in no time flat.

In fact, rumor has it that launch day buyers TO THIS DAY are still stuck on level 289!!

[Oh? Source? -Ed.]

Er, moving on…

To cap it off, there’s also a Level Edit option and a radical 2-player mode to see who can finish first. There’s even a choice of 10 characters to select from. It’s the perfect way to top off what is already a well-baked cake.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Sokoban (note the missing “u“) loosely translates to “warehouse keeper,” and has been around since the early ’80s, pioneered by one, Hiroyuki Imabayashi. Its easy-to-play-but-difficult-to-solve gameplay is as pure as it gets. It’s a brilliant game that anyone, even non-gamers, can really enjoy. The 2 player mode is a nice bonus, but it’s really the 300 puzzles that will last players a lifetime. Or at least, a good chunk of time, anyhow.

Super Soukoban is really a can’t-miss for those who enjoy staring contemplatively at the screen until inspiration breaks through with a resolute A-HA!

This is, sadly, an underrated Super Famicom gem. Don’t overlook it just because it lacks explosions or “thrills.” It’s amazing how satisfying it is to solve these levels. Sometimes just taking 20-30 minutes to figure out ONE level is good enough to call it a night. Who knew moving boxes around in a cluttered abandoned warehouse could be so damn awesome?

Tag: Boxxle

Puzzle’n Desu! (SFC)

Super Soukoban (SFC)