The Vault: Logic Puzzle Box Review (PC)

Boxes: Lost Fragments’ intricate mechanisms and powerful skill-based synergies rekindled an old flame that I thought had faded away. And like a moth to the flame, The Vault: Logic Puzzle Box coerced me to fan those very flames and stoke the infernal feeling of being able to solve perplexing combinations and loot the contents held within. It didn’t take much for me to relinquish the stubborn mentality in favor of a new venture, either, for where there were problems to solve, there was another reason for me to relaunch my career in cracking riddles and repossessing whatever dark secrets and hidden materials each of their boxes held inside. Oh, it didn’t take much at all.

Arguably the most important part of this particular field is the design—the sliding mechanisms, rotating levers, and brittle but incredibly powerful components that make up an almost alien-like puzzle box of oh-so many moving parts. Undoubtedly, if there’s a story to compliment a well-constructed box design, then it’s an added bonus—a generous addition that’s as equally deserving of brownie points as the rest of the package. But the plot isn’t what entices me to plug into these sorts of puzzling endeavors; it’s the composition of the universe—the nooks and crannies of each artifact and the gadgets that each of them possess like fine jewels on a crowning keepsake. If—and it’s a big if—the boxes are well composed and teeming with innovative ideas, then you needn’t answer any more questions. You’ve got me.

A Puzzling Affair

The Vault: Logic Puzzle Box spins a yarn that’s awfully reminiscent of Boxes: Lost Fragments. In this sci-fi tale, however, there are no thieving heroes or mischievous artifacts to unlock, but a collectively powerful series of ancient relics—curious items that combine to create a tapestry of Mars’ mysterious colonial history and lost civilizations. And with each piece of the puzzle that you locate, another portion of the timeline essentially becomes available, thus giving you the opportunity to decipher its secrets. Not a lot to touch base on story-wise, but you get the idea: a couple of intergalactic researchers embark on a quest to unravel Mars’ mysteries, and one (that being you) fledgling locksmith has the monumental task of unlocking a boatload of carefully crafted 3D boxes to help develop the picture.

The Vault: Logic Puzzle Box is, first and foremost, a game that is designed to test your patience and skill, your creativity and ability to think “outside the box.” As such, it doesn’t exactly offer you any valuable tips or words of wisdom, but instead gives you the tools to figure out each compartment and make progress in a slow but orderly way. With each puzzle box housing a plethora of sliding mechanisms, hidden items, and logical puzzles, the game itself isn’t something that you can quite easily breeze through without having to strategically navigate the contents and all its features. And that’s a bit of a pain in the neck, I’ll admit. Yet, like most puzzlers, there’s satisfaction in cracking the code, so to speak. That counts for a lot.

Beneath Lock & Key

The good news is that The Vaults has some very, very beautiful artwork to show for its often frustratingly perplexing box designs. Granted, while the physical and mental act of piecing the boxes together is still incredibly taxing and, at times, dauntingly difficult, the process of connecting the dots and simply bathing in the intricate details is surprisingly enjoyable. And it’s made all the more enjoyable thanks to each box containing its own unique array of glossy components and thematic blueprints for you to carve into, too. That alone amounts to a great deal — the subtle glimmer of pride that comes with activating a specific node on the box, or from making a minuscule amount of progress in revealing the portrait in its entirety.

It’s doubtful that The Vaults will appeal to the whole community, what with several of its in-game boxes being almost disadvantageously tedious to solve. But like I said, for each and every riddle that you solve here, there is a great reward that awaits you on the other side, whether it be another fragment of the in-game lore or a special artifact that opens up a whole new portal to an even more extravagant puzzle with thrice the bells and whistles. Is it worth the time and energy? I’d like to think so, though it does come at a price — the gradual decline of your mental energy, being the biggest contributing factor, naturally.

Having said all of the above, The Vault does a indeed do a fantastic job of holding a candle against Boxes: Lost Fragments. And therefore, if you’re hungering for a fresh batch of boxes to comb through, then you should have plenty to chew on in this banquet of sci-fi secrets and intergalactic mechanisms.

Verdict

For those of you who enjoy solving intricate puzzles and relishing in the satisfaction of cracking the hidden code of a well-orchestrated mechanism, The Vault: Logic Puzzle Box ought to provide you with enough of an incentive to slip back behind the magnifying glass and fiddle with a few more contraptions. Likewise, if you happened to adore the sophisticated complexity and untamed beauty of Boxes: Lost Fragments, and are itching for a fresh collection of stunningly elegant artifacts to examine with a fine-tooth comb, then the chances are you’ll find more than enough to satisfy that desire here.

While The Vault: Logic Puzzle Box isn’t likely to be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s certainly an experience that is more than capable of piquing your interest, if not with its clever and intuitive box designs and thought-provoking lock combinations, then with its deeply rooted sci-fi storytelling and intriguing format. If either of these two components are enough to persuade you to don the needle and hairpin, then I’d suggest rerouting your career to The Vault, where skill and experience can transform fickle rewards into stunning keepsakes and prestigious incentives.