BYE-BYE BOXBOY! (3DS)

Like BOXBOXBOY!, BYE-BYE BOXBOY! is extremely similar to BOXBOY! and, at least initially, is pretty much yet more of the same.  It even removes the two-sets-of-boxes mechanic that the second game added.  That said, once you get about a quarter of the way through the game, you start to see some of the new mechanics HAL added for this game, and they make the first two games look like a warm-up.

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In the early stages of BYE-BYE BOXBOY, the game plays virtually exactly like the first game.  You have one set of boxes with the size of each set varying from level to level.  Progression is pretty much the same, and the puzzles are pretty simple.  After a while, however, you start to go to different "planets," and the last world in each planet gives you a new mechanic - a special kind of box.  The new mechanics are rocket boxes, bomb boxes, teleportation boxes, and remote control boxes.  Each of these controls very uniquely and can take some getting used to, but they totally change the way levels play out and puzzles are presented.  These mechanics make this hands down the best of the 3DS trilogy in my opinion.  After the world in which they're introduced, these mechanics are not used again in the main game, and in my opinion, that's a good thing because it keeps them from feeling stale or overused.

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As with the second game, costumes you unlocked in the first two games are brought over into this game so long as you have the save file with them unlocked on your 3DS.  In addition to this, HAL included some Kirby costumes that are unlocked by using the correct amiibo - Kirby, Waddle Dee, Meta Knight, and DeeDeeDee.  You can also unlock a Qucy costume and some color filters with the Japan-exclusive Quby amiibo, but that costume and the filters are also unlockable by having the previous games' save data on your 3DS.  As far as I could tell, none of the costumes have special abilities here like a few did in the second game, but that honestly isn't a problem for me as it means I could try out a bunch of different costumes without feeling like I was missing out on fun game breaking.

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BYE-BYE BOXBOY! is a great way to end the series's 3DS run, and I think it's definitely the best of the three games.  The puzzles are immensely satisfying to complete, often more so than in the previous two games, and the bits of color added here or there really pop against the otherwise monochromatic game.  I sincerely hope that these games are released as a physical collection on Switch or even as individual downloads because they're genuinely fun and relaxing, and they're about to become totally unobtainable once the 3DS eShop shuts down in a few months.  Definitely make sure you download this game while you've got the chance.

My Rating - 4 Neps