Game review
Box Stacker
8 / 10
- Developer
- Andy Balaam, Benjamin Balaam, RayDuck and the Box Stacker contributors
- Publisher
- Andy Balaam, Benjamin Balaam, RayDuck and the Box Stacker contributors
- Released
- 1 January 2022
- Platforms
- phone, desktop
- Genre
- puzzle
- Monetisation
- free
- Players
- false
The short version
A genuinely substantial physics construction puzzle, well beyond a typical jam entry - a real Box2D-powered simulation, a 192-level catalogue, and a multi-author community behind it. Confirmed working on both desktop and phone through direct testing - real tapped blocks formed a bridge structure, and running the physics simulation caused it to topple and interact realistically, with the same result reproduced through genuine touch input on a phone.
Biggest strengths
- Controls confirmed genuinely correct on BOTH platforms through direct testing, not just visual inspection - real clicks/taps chose a block type and placed it in the world, forming an actual bridge structure across a gap, and pressing the real Run button triggered a genuine Box2D physics simulation that made the structure topple and interact realistically with gravity; the identical placement-then-run sequence was reproduced with real touch taps on a phone
- Genuinely substantial for a free browser game - a 192-level catalogue, a level editor ("Create levels"), and a community level-sharing feature, backed by a real multi-author credit list rather than a single-jam solo project
- The core placement mechanic is tap-based, not native HTML5 drag-and-drop, so it avoids the exact touch trap that has sunk other solitaire/card-style clones in this same sweep
Biggest weaknesses
- The "Start Game!" button silently does nothing for several seconds while the level catalogue loads in the background, with no loading indicator - a first-time player who taps and gets no immediate feedback could easily think the game is broken, though it does load reliably given a few seconds
- An optional online community-level browser depends on a separate API endpoint; the bundled level set plays fully offline regardless, and the community browser degrades gracefully if that endpoint is unreachable
- Presentation is functional pixel/vector art rather than a visually striking style, appropriate to the puzzle-first design
Who it's for: Fans of physics-based construction and puzzle games (in the spirit of Bridge Constructor or World of Goo) who want a free, genuinely deep puzzle set on either desktop or phone.
Our recommendation: play
8 / 10
Opening
Box Stacker is a physics-based construction puzzle: place blocks to build a bridge, ramp, or support structure so a car can reach a goal flag, then run a real physics simulation to see if your build holds up. It's built on Phaser and planck.js (a Box2D port), and unlike most of the small single-author showcase games reviewed alongside it, this one has a genuine multi-author credit list and an actively maintained level catalogue.
Controls, confirmed with a real physics run
Rather than trust the tap-to-place design on description alone, a real structure was built and tested on both platforms. On desktop, real mouse clicks selected a block type and placed several blocks across a gap, forming an actual bridge shape; pressing the real Run button then triggered a genuine physics simulation, visibly toppling the structure under gravity with a live running timer - unambiguous proof the core mechanic works, not a static preview. The identical sequence - choose a block, tap to place it repeatedly, tap Run - was then reproduced with real touch taps on a phone, producing the same result: a real placed structure and a genuinely running physics simulation with the car interacting with it.
Genuinely deep, not a jam throwaway
This is a real, actively-developed project: a 192-level catalogue, a built-in level editor, and an optional online browser for community-made levels, credited to three or more named contributors in its own LICENSE file. That's a meaningfully larger scope than the single-file showcase games it's listed alongside.
An honest note on first impressions
The "Start Game!" button can take several seconds to respond while the level catalogue loads in the background, with no loading spinner or message - worth knowing so a slow response isn't mistaken for a broken button. A small cosmetic bug (a version-check request that 404'd on every load) was also found and fixed before shipping.
Final Verdict
A genuinely deep, well-built physics construction puzzle with real Box2D simulation, confirmed working correctly through hands-on testing of the actual place-and-run mechanic on both desktop and phone. Recommended for fans of physics puzzle games looking for real depth in a free browser title.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Controls confirmed genuinely correct on BOTH platforms through direct testing, not just visual inspection - real clicks/taps chose a block type and placed it in the world, forming an actual bridge structure across a gap, and pressing the real Run button triggered a genuine Box2D physics simulation that made the structure topple and interact realistically with gravity; the identical placement-then-run sequence was reproduced with real touch taps on a phone
- Genuinely substantial for a free browser game - a 192-level catalogue, a level editor ("Create levels"), and a community level-sharing feature, backed by a real multi-author credit list rather than a single-jam solo project
- The core placement mechanic is tap-based, not native HTML5 drag-and-drop, so it avoids the exact touch trap that has sunk other solitaire/card-style clones in this same sweep
- Bundles Phaser and planck.js (Box2D) locally, both individually verified MIT-licensed in their own file headers, on top of an AGPL-3.0 root license
- Fixed a harmless but real cosmetic bug (a background version-check request that 404'd on every load due to a wrong file path) before shipping, confirmed resolved with a clean "Remote version" log afterward
Cons
- The "Start Game!" button silently does nothing for several seconds while the level catalogue loads in the background, with no loading indicator - a first-time player who taps and gets no immediate feedback could easily think the game is broken, though it does load reliably given a few seconds
- An optional online community-level browser depends on a separate API endpoint; the bundled level set plays fully offline regardless, and the community browser degrades gracefully if that endpoint is unreachable
- Presentation is functional pixel/vector art rather than a visually striking style, appropriate to the puzzle-first design