Box One - by Neil Patrick Harris - Game

The game is beautiful first and foremost. And then there are some VERY surprising twists that make me feel a little dumb that I didn't notice some of these things beforehand. And that is fun to be surprised that much. Some of the puzzles were quite hard to me. I'm sure that somebody else might find the things I struggled with easy and vice versa. But there's a nice hint option on the website that reveals just enough information to get you through if you need it. I held off as long as I could before getting a couple of hints. But I don't feel bad for getting the hints because I feel smart for getting that far.The puzzles, mystery and conclusion are all very satisfying. Who knew this was the game just for me for which I've been waiting my whole life? It's truly a ... MoreThe game is beautiful first and foremost. And then there are some VERY surprising twists that make me feel a little dumb that I didn't notice some of these things beforehand. And that is fun to be surprised that much. Some of the puzzles were quite hard to me. I'm sure that somebody else might find the things I struggled with easy and vice versa. But there's a nice hint option on the website that reveals just enough information to get you through if you need it. I held off as long as I could before getting a couple of hints. But I don't feel bad for getting the hints because I feel smart for getting that far.The puzzles, mystery and conclusion are all very satisfying. Who knew this was the game just for me for which I've been waiting my whole life? It's truly a game for one but I look forward to encouraging others to get their one game. Box One... What a treat!

Fantastic game!! I found this game online at Target. I am one that reads reviews before buying and I couldn’t really find much info on the game play itself, but I decided to take a chance. After playing, I understood why much of the game is a secret. The game suggests to play alone, but I played it along with my 12 year daughter. We were blown away with this game and the turns that it takes. Absolutely mind boggling how a simple box with some cards turns into a fantastic adventure and searching for clues. Hands down, best game I’ve played in a very long time! It’s like bringing an escape room to your kitchen table. My only disappointment is that we’ve finished the game and there is no Box Two.

I am a puzzler. I love all kinds or trivia, brain teasers, all formats of puzzles, etc. I’m was so excited to get this “game”. Totally impressed with the quality and presentation. Open it up and start to play and…start thinking I’ll solve it far too fast, it’s a little rudimentary but hey, I still love trivia. Wow did underestimate the game! 20 minutes in and I’m thinking this is pretty cool, has some neat tricks. 90 minutes in and I’m whooping aloud when I finally solve a clue that’s been bugging me. This game is amazing, awesome, challenging and incredibly clever. I’m really hope there’s another box in the works. I finished Box One and immediately wanted to play another box.

Box ONE is a must buy for anyone who is a fan of puzzle games. It’s very accessible to all skill levels, so even a teen with no experience in cryptography could play, but still wildly fun for those who are not “challenged” by the clues.Everything included is very high quality, with a lot of props that genuinely made me smile with how cool they were.And while this game is designed to be played by one, everything (if handled with care) can easily be reset for the next player to enjoy - so it can be fun for the whole family, albeit asynchronously.It took me about 90-120 minutes to complete in total over the course of 2 days. Great for a rainy weekend! Hats off to NPH and Theory 11 for great execution of an awesome and fresh idea. I look forward to a sequel.

This was like an escape room inside a box! The clues and challenge cards were very clever. I'm pretty smart, and I didn't need to consult the help document, but I did spend some time scratching my head and reviewing clues with a skeptical fine-tooth comb on a couple of the puzzles. This game was affordable, well-made, intelligent, creative, and fun. It took a reasonable amount of time, I started the week prior to New Year's, and nearly finished on NYE. There is a part where you have to wait 24 hours, and I WAS SO IMPATIENT! Definitely a winner, I can't wait for more products from NPH and co! As an only child of almost 50 yrs of age, I am so very delighted to have a game that doesn't need other people to play! Thanks NPH and pals

Absolutely love the game! Brilliantly put together and a lot of fun. I laughed at how cool this was from start to finish. I’m seriously considering buying another game just to put it away for my grandchildren some day. Like Jumanji -a hidden gem tucked away to find. Box One is tons of fun! The plot twists and multi puzzles and codes to discover was one great adventure across different platforms of technology and hands on research to figure out clues to lead to the next! Bravo! This was awesome! This game is perfect for anyone wanting to feel a little magic as you complete this game. I was shocked to find many special surprises at each turn. Freaking great game! Thank you for making something enjoyable to unravel in Box One 💯📌☺️✨

I stumbled across this puzzle while browsing Theory11.Seeing that this was created by Neil Patrick Harris was cool. I know that he was a big fan of magic, puzzles etc. I remember reading somewhere how much he liked the movie The Game with Michael Douglas. That too is one of my favorites. I could watch it over and over again, even though, I know how it ends.I always have loved adventure games going all the way back to the original text adventures from Infocom.This game was a lot of fun. Wish it were longer, but there are I guess limitations to what you can offer in a limited space. I believe this is NPH his first puzzle/game offering like this. So look forward to more. As far as creativity goes, it was really well done. I had to exercise a little discipline not ... MoreI stumbled across this puzzle while browsing Theory11.Seeing that this was created by Neil Patrick Harris was cool. I know that he was a big fan of magic, puzzles etc. I remember reading somewhere how much he liked the movie The Game with Michael Douglas. That too is one of my favorites. I could watch it over and over again, even though, I know how it ends.I always have loved adventure games going all the way back to the original text adventures from Infocom.This game was a lot of fun. Wish it were longer, but there are I guess limitations to what you can offer in a limited space. I believe this is NPH his first puzzle/game offering like this. So look forward to more. As far as creativity goes, it was really well done. I had to exercise a little discipline not to search for additional clues out-of-sequence. Keeping everything within sequence is not only important, but makes it a lot more fun.This product was actually underpriced, if you ask me. I have regularly paid $30-$40 or more for a simple gift trick deck of cards. This puzzle cost about the same. I don’t know how he could show up for that. A lot of thought and a good measure of precision went into the manufacturing of this “box”.Great effort Neill, look forward to your next endeavor!

What an amazing and surprising experience this was!! My wife and I were gifted BoxOne by a clever and good friend who likes to share different experiences. Let me first state I’m getting no kickback or benefit for this review, this is just an honest review to get the word out. BoxOne is a puzzle/mystery game produced by Neil Patrick Harris & Theory11 that is made for a single player (though my wife and I are such big fans of both puzzles and NPH that neither of us wanted to miss out on this adventure, so we bent the rule a bit and shared the experience together). This challenge was fun, engaging and evolved as you got further down the rabbit hole. The level of difficulty didn’t require a Mensa level IQ but a few of the stages still gave us some pause. We felt it was ... MoreWhat an amazing and surprising experience this was!! My wife and I were gifted BoxOne by a clever and good friend who likes to share different experiences. Let me first state I’m getting no kickback or benefit for this review, this is just an honest review to get the word out. BoxOne is a puzzle/mystery game produced by Neil Patrick Harris & Theory11 that is made for a single player (though my wife and I are such big fans of both puzzles and NPH that neither of us wanted to miss out on this adventure, so we bent the rule a bit and shared the experience together). This challenge was fun, engaging and evolved as you got further down the rabbit hole. The level of difficulty didn’t require a Mensa level IQ but a few of the stages still gave us some pause. We felt it was the right amount of challenge to build momentum and keep from feeling stagnant or frustrated but also not so easy that it didn’t feel like we were challenged at all. Also, we liked that it wasn’t just about the challenge of the puzzles, the quality of the product itself was noteworthy and exceptionally well done. NPH put his name, and thus reputation into this product… it was well placed. And we were amazed to discover that the price of this experience was able to be kept quite affordable, we would’ve expected something like this to easily go for twice the price it was selling for… especially given all that went into creating it. We don’t dare give anything away, but we encourage anyone and everyone who enjoys a little challenge, puzzles or just wants something that’s different from most things out there these days to go get BoxOne. Thank you again NPH and the game developers at Theory11 for putting out an excellent product. We certainly will be keeping an eye out for more. Be well. 😉👍🏼💙

Cool idea, but also kind of stupid..

This thing starts out dumb. If you don't know an answer you just Google it. They even say it in the box that you can search for answers online. The beginning cards require no puzzle solving skills. Some answers super easy, some you just Google and learn a new history fact you never knew.. just to figure out an answer and sometimes decypher an answer. One card says you will need it later and you are supposed to put it in your freezer. No need to do that as the text on the back is clearly visible (just a tad hard to read) without the freezer.The only good part of this is the little twist. Just do the cards in order and you'll see what I mean then uncover something else. That was neat.I read some of the reviews here.. "a challenge for all puzzle lovers" -- not much ... MoreThis thing starts out dumb. If you don't know an answer you just Google it. They even say it in the box that you can search for answers online. The beginning cards require no puzzle solving skills. Some answers super easy, some you just Google and learn a new history fact you never knew.. just to figure out an answer and sometimes decypher an answer. One card says you will need it later and you are supposed to put it in your freezer. No need to do that as the text on the back is clearly visible (just a tad hard to read) without the freezer.The only good part of this is the little twist. Just do the cards in order and you'll see what I mean then uncover something else. That was neat.I read some of the reviews here.. "a challenge for all puzzle lovers" -- not much of one. Someone else says it has "many levels" and takes you down a giant rabbit hole. Not really.Would I buy a Box Two if released? Not for $30. $20 maybe, but probably not as I doubt it's going to be any more indepth than Box One.

Half of this game is online!!!

Spoiler free with mentions of some game mechanics: I went into this entirely blind and was pleasantly surprised by the manufacturing / contents of what is in the box. Sadly, the puzzles are extremely straightforward and the entire experience devolves into a browser-based internet game with a gimmicky interface I feel like I’ve played several times before. If you are going to play this, know that you shouldn’t look at anything in the box until you are told to. The game will literally tell you exactly what to do with what at every single point. If you snoop around you will just spoil the game. Instructions are so blunt in this game that it will literally say “shine a light behind this to find the code”. Not even a riddle, just do this with this item. Password boxes on ... MoreSpoiler free with mentions of some game mechanics: I went into this entirely blind and was pleasantly surprised by the manufacturing / contents of what is in the box. Sadly, the puzzles are extremely straightforward and the entire experience devolves into a browser-based internet game with a gimmicky interface I feel like I’ve played several times before. If you are going to play this, know that you shouldn’t look at anything in the box until you are told to. The game will literally tell you exactly what to do with what at every single point. If you snoop around you will just spoil the game. Instructions are so blunt in this game that it will literally say “shine a light behind this to find the code”. Not even a riddle, just do this with this item. Password boxes on the online component say “The password is here”. There is a VERY frustrating aspect to the online portion where you must wait 1 hour and come back, only to be told to wait another 24 hours and come back. I simply cannot explain why they would put this into the experience. This could be a fun few hours on a night off but I found that waiting a day disconnected the fun first half of the game with the boring (do this, do that) second half of the game. TIP: you can adjust your computer’s clock to fake the waiting. I had waited until the next day because of the hour wait, only to be told to wait another day, but thankfully could do the clock change thing, which temporarily broke a bunch of programs on my computer! All in all, there was a lot of potential here but I think the puzzles were all watered down for children (only, I think kids get much harder puzzles in video games). I only got stuck once and it was because the game made me wait and I came back to the internet interface the next day. The clue that had sent me there had disappeared and I’d forgotten that the full message told me the answer I was about to need. I spent 30 minutes trying to use logic and clues to figure out the answer, but I was stuck because there was no need to put thought into it at all, just re-read the last thing I’d done the night before. I actually got the most enjoyment out of the first phase of the game, which isn’t really the game, however there are some very specific trivia questions that a child would not be able to answer (old literature quotes, etc).