Word Boxing combines general knowledge, spelling and punching in one weird, likable and ultimately quite entertaining package. It’s weird, but he knows it’s weird, and he’s having enough fun with his weirdness that it’s hard not to get carried away with his riddles and puzzles.
Each level gives you a set of incomplete words related to the object – it could be a hot dog, it could be a shark, it could be a human mouth – and a series of moving letters that you have to punch in place with a punch in boxing gloves at the bottom of the screen.
This is a really simple definition, and although it never grows out of it, it has a crisp joy that is almost guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Often the letters you pierce spell something related to an object, or are meant to flip you by creating words that are appropriate but illogical.
The evasion and intertwining of the letters adds another layer of skill to the experience. You need to schedule exactly your punch-based punches, otherwise you will end up with the wrong letter. Do it and you will lose a life. Lose four and you have to start the level again.
While things are a bit repetitive, the whole experience is built with a smile on your face, and is clearly meant for short play sessions. It loses its luster when you play it for too long, but immersion in and out is a great way to move some of those free moments of dead time between doing other things.
Boxing is a bright, sometimes silly and always fun pun. He mixes things up, tricks you into thinking it’s not a pun, and manages to be just the right kind of challenge to entertain you in short bursts.
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