SNAP Review – Unboxed

We love playing board games.

And solving puzzles!

But what would we do if we had all the components for a board game, but no instructions for a board game?

Well, that’s the premise of a new tabletop game from WizKids.

This is a SNAP review for Unboxed.

Game

Unboxed is a set of puzzles based on deciphering the rules to games. Each puzzle should take about 30 minutes to solve, for up to 4 players.

Jordan Sorenson designed this puzzle game and like we said, WizKids published it.

Art

So, let’s talk about the art here.

Since the central theme of Unboxed is an archeological dig, the illustrations reflect that.

There are several different kinds of cards, but most of them have pictograms or simple grid-like illustrations. There are some cardboard tokens and some simple wooden discs in four different colors – that you’re going to use for a lot of different things.

Mechanics

Speaking of those different things, let’s talk about the mechanics of Unboxed.

The rules tell us that we are intern archeologists! We’re unearthing ancient games at ten different dig sites.

Each dig site is a separate puzzle. Examine the rulebook for a list of components and a short introduction to give us some clues. Then, there are also questions the team needs to answer.

Answering the questions is the real goal of each game here. When you think you’ve figured them out, check the solution and record your score.

If you’re nervous about your ability to figure out all the questions, you can use clues (which subtract a point), or lower the difficulty by using Relics, which let you use some number of clues for free.

Solve all ten dig site puzzles to finish the game!

Although if you look carefully you might not actually need to stop at ten.

Expectations

So what did we expect from Unboxed?

I saw this last December, 2023, at PAX Unplugged. And, I don’t want to say I was incredulous? But I was interested.

Nick and I got the chance to sit down and try out the first puzzle. It was really cool to see how that process kind of – unfolded. I’ll talk about that a little more later. What did you expect?

I assumed this would be like an Unlock or like the UNDO games we’ve played – a story that’s revealed through solving puzzles, mostly cards.

But that was not AT ALL what this was like. So, Anitra, what surprised you?

Surprises

Well, this really doesn’t feel like a game. Nor does it feel like an escape room. It’s more like a puzzle for people who know a lot about board games.

Some of the “games” – the dig sites – felt satisfying and interesting, and some… didn’t. But I did always feel good about figuring out what the goal of a game was supposed to be!

I mentioned before that it was interesting how it unfolded. When you start a puzzle, you’re just looking at a pile of components. In that way I really appreciated what archeologists have to do, figuring things out from the context of just what’s going on.

It’s a big mental wall. for me, to start the puzzle. And that kind of made my brain hurt. That’s also why having a partner on something like this is really helpful – “What if I did this, what if you did that,” things like that. At least for me, having someone else, that I could talk through some of this puzzle with, was a really important part of making this fun.

But I totally agree with you. When you’ve got a confident idea of how a game is going to work, and you answer all the questions correctly, it feels really good.

Really good.

I think Unboxed is flying under the radar a little bit, but that actually makes this a really great game to buy the board gamer in your life, because they probably have not heard of it.

It’s also the kind of game that doesn’t feel like a game. It’s a box of puzzles.

So even though you’re “designing” games when you play this, you typically don’t go through the motions of playing a full game, just enough to make sure it actually works.

Or, at least, that was how it worked for us.

Right.

This might be the perfect way for you to get a gift for the gamer in your life and then solve it together with them.

Recommended?

So do we recommend Unboxed?

I think it’s a super neat idea. And I think it hits more than it misses with its execution. If you’ve played a lot of games, you’re kind of going to be able to identify the mechanics for the puzzles and how to fit those things together. In this way the market for this game, I think, is probably a little bit limited, but that doesn’t make it any less great of a game.

You’re almost certainly going to need adults to drive this game, but kids do come up with some wild ideas. So other than some reading, there’s no meaningful lower limit to the age range for this game.

We’re going to give Unboxed 3½ shovels out of 5.

And that’s Unboxed in a SNAP!

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The Family Gamers received a copy of Unboxed from WizKids for this review.

This post contains affiliate links, which do not change your price, but help support The Family Gamers.

SNAP review music is Avalanche, provided courtesy of You Bred Raptors?