GAME REVIEW: "BOXMAN'S STRUGGLE" IS THE MODERN DARK SOULS OF GAMING
NEWSTROOP 2020
In the 2020 title "Boxman's Struggle", you play as the titular boxman, a man, bereft of his hair, who must traverse an enviroment while inside of the box where he has made his home. Drawing inspiration from 2017's "Getting over it", and 20112's "Deadly Premonition", Boxman's Struggle embodies the violent, dreary and nihilistic emotional conditions prevalent in the late 21st century.
How does a man of steel (Boxman) find himself in a world of madness (Graphic Demon)? His first notable encounter is a wet dream with a demented clown (Dream Machine) where he makes his first wager against his own sanity. A close, dark encounter with Glam (Demon) and Master Ghost takes him to TERROR HEARTS of death-dealing, warrior heaven, where he's soon tasked with saving the beautiful Princess Sakura from the whirling sands of her own demented tower. Amongst the rest, he'll meet more promising allies (Teraka, Pursuit Guy, and the ever bizarre Buster) as he works toward his ultimate goal.
Luckily, the game is gorgeous, sporting iced-over sunlight, waterfalls and gleaming skyscrapers where the old ruined ruins belong. Think you've gotten the hang of it? Enter the prison, fire an arrow through a target and watch it explode in a shower of blood. It's easy to get into, but hard to get out.
Boxman's Struggle isn't a game you can play in two hours or less. It's an adventure that requires every last second of your life. It has a total of seven main quests, and when you finish them you unlock the eighth, secret quest, which is longer than the other six and harder than any of them, except maybe Leviathan. It is the ultimate labyrinth and the ultimate test of your mettle. It is the symbol of what it's like to live as a boxman.
So even if the game is difficult, it's worth it. You'll really fall in love with it and spend more time with it than most games in the genre. It's a game to keep coming back to for hours. I still enjoy playing this game 20+ years later, and every time I do I'm surprised at how much fun I'm having. This game could be the game that makes players reject pay to win and just devote themselves to the game for free. When the players want something from a game, they just go out and get it, and "Boxman's Struggle" is a classic, and perfect example of that.