Box Two By Neil Patrick Harris

Box One by Neil Patrick Harris (yes, that NPH!) was a masterpiece, so I was head-over-heels when I saw that there was a sequel in stores. Despite the name, Box Two isn’t so much a sequel but rather a new puzzle box. The props and box itself are used in very creative ways, and unraveling each secret was perplexing but fun. The big “gimmick” with this game is that you have to play with a partner “online” (don’t worry, it’s not a real-life person partner per se). So does it live up to the original? Nope. In fact, if it weren’t for NPH’s glowing personality and humor, as well as the ingeniously built box itself, I probably would have disliked this. It’s a somewhat disappointing experience IF you’ve played Box One and were expecting anything even close to that experience like I was. The entire game here is listening to the “online partner” as they hold your hand through the puzzles. The way it’s set up, you technically can’t just do the puzzles alone without the partner’s input. And often, the partner will just walk you through the puzzles and nearly give you the solutions. It’s a strange experience where difficult-to-solve puzzles are easily handled because you’re being told what to do. The hardest challenge is an extremely sadistic opener puzzle that is both the biggest time waster and unfun task. Once I got through the easy end, I was expecting for the fun to truly begin, but I was left dumbfounded. I don’t mean to sound like I hated it, because I was still genuinely excited to see the props cleverly unfold and NPH’s personage glow. However, I felt like my expectations were too high after the utter genius that Box One presented. If you haven’t played Box One, you may like Box Two for what it is. Either way, I much more recommend that 1st box for one of the most memorable board games ever. Here’s hoping NPH makes a Box Three that is truly… legen… wait for it… DARY.