I only became aware of Out of the Box on the Friday before it’s console release. The game originally released on Steam last month to positive reviews. In short it is a bouncer simulator with very similar gameplay to the 2013 indie hit Papers Please. Do not make the mistake of writing this off as a simple clone though.
Nuclear Tales has went over and above to deliver an excellent experience. The art style is beautifully presented and reminds me of an episode of the Simpsons. For the most part each scene is a static picture except for the odd motion. A character breathing in and out, a clubber going into a rage, acting drunk etc. There are also celebrities that turn up on the VIP list, like Daniel Hasselhoff and Ronald Trump which really add to the humour but unfortunately those interactions completely disappear about a third of the way through the game.
Sound is basic, but does the job. The song that plays in the background during gameplay is a consistent beat which is handy when you get into a fast rhythm of bouncing duties. For the most part the game sticks with the one song, but it does get a slight remix on the likes of St. Patrick’s day to fit the Irish theme. There is no voice acting with the developers instead going with speech bubbles to facilitate the characters interactions and further the narrative.
Speaking of narrative, that is one of the many areas where Out of the Box really shone for me. I expected the gameplay to be fun and frantic but that the hook would come down to trying to beat high scores. Instead what I found was a pretty deep story. You play as Warren, an ex-con who is out of jail and in need of work. No-one is keen to hire an ex-gangster though so Warren finds himself back asking his old crime boss for some work. As luck would have it, Harry owns a nightclub called The Box and he needs a tough, no nonsense guy he can trust to work the door on a Saturday night.
The opening few shifts are used to introduce the mechanics which evolve and become more complex over time. At first all you need to do is let in anyone that looks normal and turn away bums and drunks. Next you are introduced to patrons that are under 21 trying to sneak in. Thankfully at this stage they aren’t smart enough to get a fake ID so a quick check of each persons ID instantly let’s you know whether to grant them access or not.
The game does a great job of introducing a new hurdle every time you get comfortable with the current setup. Before long you have customers changing the date of birth on their ID, using stolen ID’s, trying to get in with bags and weapons amongst other things. There are also special nights at the club that require a ticket. Perhaps a festive event or a DJ session. On these occasions each party goer must present a ticket. These can be counterfeit or you might just have someone trying to re-use a ticket from the last special the club had on.
All these different obstacles add up to an intense five or so minutes when you are on shift. As I said earlier the beat of the music really helps you get into a rhythm and that is key when your wage depends on how successful you are in each shift. That brings me to another unexpected aspect of Out of the Box. Each month you have to pay your bills. The four expenses you have are rent, child support, gym and meds. If you don’t have enough to pay them all then you have to decide which you are willing to sacrifice. These decisions also have an impact on the story which can branch out different ways and has multiple endings.
I don’t want to go in to more detail about the story and spoil anything, but as I stated earlier it gets much deeper than I had initially thought and the ending I got in my first play through made me instantly start again trying to seek out as much story as there was. I still haven’t seen all endings but the way you manage your money and decisions you make are what paints the narrative and ultimately the way the game plays out.
From start to finish a single playthrough is likely to last you around 4-5 hours , but you could easily add another 10 on to that if like me you decide you want to see all possible conclusions. There is also a chapter select, so at any point if you have a bad night on the job and don’t make the amount of money you needed to keep a roof over your head and the pills to keep you sane, you can simply replay and do better.
Trophies are fairly straight forward. Let in X amount of people, Punch X amount of people and other similar accomplishments. The only issue platinum hunters will find is in the story based trophies. As of this writing no-one has made a guide for the game, so you will be making decisions and hoping it leads to the ending you need as each of the four endings are tied to trophies. Once a guide has been made though, you will be looking at a 3/10 difficulty tops with a investment time of around 10 hours with the help of chapter select.
Overall, Out of the Box is one of my favourite games this year. It came out of nowhere for me and although the screenshots I saw before release looked cool I was not expecting the depth that the game provided. I really hope we see more in the same vein from developer Nuclear Tales in the future whether is be DLC or a follow up.
VdZe
Reviewed on PS4. Also available on PC and Nintendo Switch. Review code provided by the publisher.
