Use Boxmen
In Greg Sergeant's aptly titled puzzle platformer, Use Boxmen, you, believe it or not, use boxmen to collect boxes. It sounds fairly simple and straightforward, but it's not, really. Some puzzles require you to think outside the box to reach their oftentimes very clever solution. Solving puzzles is only half the battle, however, as Use Boxmen takes its platforming element very seriously.
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ooh, I just played this yesterday on Kongregate.
The last few levels are tricky. You need like, perfect timing on some of them.
But it's fun.
help on level 7?
I got a different solution for level 10. One that requires only 3 boxmen, and no racing. Can you figure it out?
I actually like that solution better than the one in the walkthrough.
Use Boxmen Walkthrough
Types of Boxmen
Standing Boxman
Stand still and press Shift. This Boxman stands still. When another Boxman runs into it, the other Boxman will turn around and run the other way.
Crouching Boxman
Crouch and press Shift. This Boxman sits in a crouched position. When a Running Boxman runs into it, the Running Boxman will jump.
Running Boxman
Create a Boxman while running. Running Boxmen will run aimlessly until they hit a wall, a Standing Boxman, or fall off a cliff. If two Running Boxmen meet, one destroys the other.
Jumping Boxman
Create a Boxman while jumping. Jumping Boxmen will jump in the direction you make them, and when they hit the ground they become Running Boxmen. Jumping Boxmen can use Crouching Boxmen even before they hit the ground.
Level 1
A very basic level. Run to the right and don't forget to jump to make it to the platform with the box (which is the goal).
Level 2
This level is the first level to make use of the game's namesake--the Boxmen. Stand still on the switch and press shift without moving left or right to make a Standing Boxman. He should hold down the switch, allowing you to run past the spikes and reach the goal.
Level 3
Boxmen can collect the box at the end of the level as well. Run out to the end of the ledge and jump as far as you can, and when you begin to reach the bottom, press shift to make a Jumping Boxman. If your timing is good, the Jumping Boxman will make it to the platform and then collect the box.
Level 4
This level introduces the lever. Stand near the spike wall and then begin running towards the lever and press shift to create a Running Boxman. The Running Boxman will move the lever, allowing you to pass through the spikes to your left and collect the goal.
Level 5
Drop down to the nook that the lever is in. Stand on the far left and create a Standing Boxman, and then create a Running Boxman to the right. Whenever a Running Boxman runs into a Standing Boxman, the Running Boxman will turn around and run the other way as if he has hit a wall.
The Running Boxman should trip the lever back and forth as he passes. Jump up to the platform with the spike wall and the goal, wait for the Running Boxman to trip the lever, and then run through the spike wall before the Running Boxman turns it back on.
Level 6
Create a Standing Boxman just to the right of the power generator, and then create a Running Boxman to the left of the Standing Boxman, causing the Running Boxman to run back and forth, powering the generator. Then quickly hop onto the platform with the lightning bolt on it and ride it up until you can leap out to reach the goal.
Level 7
Go to the right side of the platform you start on, hold down to crouch, and then press shift to make a Crouching Boxman. Then, from the far left of the ledge, create a Running Boxman moving towards the right. When the Running Boxman reaches the Crouching Boxman, he will leapfrog over the Crouching one, placing him on the platform with the lever.
After creating the Running Boxman, quickly drop down and run through the are underneath you in order to reach the goal before the Running Boxman has a chance to turn the spikes back on.
Level 8
Hold right in order to drop down through the spikes and press shift to create a Jumping Boxman just as you have passed by the open area near the bottom of the stage. If you time it right, the Jumping Boxman should make it past the spikes and collect the box.
Level 9
This level is invisible, but you can create Boxmen to show you where the edges of platforms lie. In general, you will start by going right, climbing up a stair-like platform, then go to the left, climb up another platform, and then finally to the right towards the goal. Make sure to create Running and Jumping Boxmen to show you where walkable ground is, and if they fall, that is an area in which you will fall.
There also seems to be a set of invisible spikes towards the top right of the screen, so be careful to avoid those by sending Boxmen in front of your path.
Level 10
Set up three Crouching Boxmen according to this screenshot. Then, from where your character is standing in the image, jump up and create a Boxman. Then quickly run through the path below before the spikes get closed ahead of you.
Level 11
Start by placing a Crouching Boxman on the far right of the platform you start on, and then very carefully jump out to each of the columns and place a Crouching Boxman on each. Do not place one on the lightning-bolt platform. You should have 1 Boxman left when you are done.
Before creating the Boxman that will be running out to get the box, jump off the ledge to the left, towards the power generator, and turn right and press shift in midair on the way down to create a Boxman. You will then have a few seconds to make the platform rise.
This can be tricky, and seems to be inconsistent. My best advice would be to avoid tapping left and right in front of the generator as much as possible and instead run from one prong on the generator to the other (without ever getting far enough away from the generator for it to stop working). It seems that running in this manner causes the platform to move faster than if you are tapping back and forth. Regardless, it is difficult to get the platform up in time, and if you fail at first, keep trying until you succeed. The strategy will work if you can power the generator fast enough.
Level 12
This level is a test of skill and reflexes, but isn't difficult once you know the pattern.
Start by making a Running boxman to the right. When he trips the switch, quickly run to the left and stand on the button. Do not leave the button yet. The boxman will now power a generator on the right. When the lightning bolt on the moving platform passes by the tree, get off the button.
The boxman should get onto the platform and end up in the area on the right. As soon as the platform is within reach, drop down and quickly jump up to press the button overhead to allow the boxman to continue, and then land on the platform with the tree.
When the spikes open up to your left, quickly drop down and press the button. Be careful not to touch the monster.
After pressing the button, the boxman will throw a switch allowing you to drop down and finish the level.
Level 13
Start by tapping the left key so that you can turn left without moving much. Then jump up, press shift to create a Jumping boxman to the left, and then quickly press right and create a jumping boxman to the right in the same jump. If you press shift twice but only one boxman is created, you are pressing it too quickly.
If your timing was true, the two boxmen will hit the dotted switches at the same time, unlocking the doors around you. One of the Running boxmen will kill the other.
Jump up to the left and then position four Standing boxmen on the platforms at the top according to this screenshot. Then stand on the just to the left of the Standing boxman on the right of the platform on the right. When the Running boxman underneath you is standing about as far away from the button as he is in this screenshot, create a Running boxman to your left.
Next, jump over to the platform on the left and stand just to the right of the boxman on the left. Watch the Running boxman on the platform on the right, and just as he collides with the Standing boxman on the right of the platform on the right, create a Running boxman going towards the right.
Now, jump down to the corridor at the bottom of the level. Do not start going through as soon as the first two monsters are turned off, but rather wait until the Running boxman in the middle of the screen is about to hit the button that deactivates the big monster in the middle. When that monster disappears, quickly run through the first two monsters, which, if the boxmen are properly placed, should also have disappeared, and then wait in front of the monster in the middle until the two monsters on the left disappear. Then run through to the goal.
If the monsters are not disappearing in such a way that you can run through them, there is something out of sync with your setup. Check to ensure you placed the six boxmen at the top of the screen according to the walkthrough.
Level 14
There's no trick to this level. Simply jump along the platforms and enter the house on the right. Congrats! You've just beaten the game!
Hint for level 10 - different solution:
Catch a running man, and set him free later
Oof, too hard to be fun for me by level 11.
I still don't get level 10. I tried 3 times.
After you make the 3rd jumping boxman I didn't have enough time to run past the spikes
eyeamcool1: I'm not sure whether you're going for the strategy in my walkthrough or the one that The Great Dane alludes to, but
there should only be one Jumping Boxman in level 10.
If you are talking about that one, when you jump to create it, make sure that you don't actually land on the platform that you want the Jumping Boxman to land on, as that will waste a second or two that could easily make the difference between winning or losing.
"Unfortunately, Use Boxman isn't that long, and the learning curve, while gradual, is a little steep."
While that made sense, it kinda didn't.
Found a glitch in level 12 - once you stand on the button and the boxman goes to the generator, when he hits the "x" wall he dies. D: Oddly, this was on low quality, and when I quit to the screen and forgot to turn it down again, everything worked fine.
Makes sense to me. Kyle is saying that it's unfortunate the game is not very long and the learning curve is a little steep.
This comment, though short, is a little long.
You should add the Kongregate link to this game, as it has achievements.
The screenshot in the walkthrough for level 10 is incorrect, that's why no one can get it right even after doing exactly what is said in the walkthrough. Instead,
the crouching boxman that is on the second platform in the screenshot should be placed on the far left of that platform. That way, he will walk the full length of the platform, jump up to the top and over that little gap which will give you enough time to walk down the rest of the way.
Gah, I've tried both setups for level 10 and it's the same:
When I set the boxmen up and don't run to see if it's right, it works. Then when I set them up again and run, it doesn't work. Grr!
Like the game and style, but I've had to use the walkthrough a lot.
Arikiko: I had that problem too at one point during my first playthrough. It seemed to happen after I had failed the level a certain amount of times. But yeah, going back to the menu and returning should solve it.
JIGuest: The setup used in the walkthrough is the one that I used to clear the level, and I had absolutely no problem getting it to work multiple times.
Awesome game. About the difficulty, I thought it was justs right, setting it any easier would make the puzzles too easy to be really interesting. Games that make the player think are always welcome!
The Great Dane, that's a really neat solution. Delightfully easy to execute, too.
Can someone give me another hint about Great Dane's strategy? I can't seem to figure it out.
Super game,really!
@JIGuest: Thank youuuuuuuuu
There is a way to do level 10 that doesn't require as much tricky timing.
Hint:
If you have a blocker standing where a spike wall can be formed by a switch and you form the wall, you will get rid of that blocker.
Is there is a place on this level that you can take of this?
Full solution:
Set up a runner between two blockers on the lower level. The rightmost blocker should where the middle spike wall will form.
You can now leisurely trigger that wall with the final switch to clear the blocker, then toggle the walls as needed to get the runner to the exit.
How did anyone get past Level 7? I followed the walkthrough, and it doesn't even come close to succeeding. I've thrown crouched boxmen on the top ledge to delay my clone boxman from hitting the levers, but my blue boxman just doesn't have enough speed.
I'm playing this on a Mac - any chance it effects the game dynamics?
blockhose:
I think level 7 is the leapfrog one, right?
You need a box man to hit the lever on the other side of the gap.
Hint:
Running boxmen jump over crouching boxmen.
Answer:
Put a crouching boxman at the edge of the top. Create a running boxman that runs towards it. Then run down to the bottom where there is the vertical column of spiky things and wait until they are turned off by the boxman. Grab the cube before the boxman turns them on again.
Hope that helps!
That's what I've been doing, bookworm. Specifically: I've placed a crouched boxman at either end of the starting platform, plus another on the left edge of the platform just to the right of the starting platform. Like this:
X________X X_____O
The X's are my crouched boxmen, and the O is me. I launch a running boxman to the left. This means that the running boxman will jump over three crouching boxmen, then return the same way before jumping down into the switch area. In the meantime, I've gone down as fast as I can to get through the spike walls, but the running boxman has tripped the first switch before I can reach it.
Considering how others have breezed through this level, I suspect there is an issue with Macs.
Thanks to Griff for the walkthrough. I learned my lesson after completing a few levels in a more difficult manner than required.
But as Kyle points out, knowing the solution is only half the battle. Execution is the rest.
I haven't finished yet and it's definitely hard. That alone isn't a reason to criticize the game, but I can offer this: Why, oh why didn't they choose a key adjacent to SHIFT for resetting? Like Z instead of R. It would be much easier for those of us who must replay a level 40 times immediately in a row to get it right.
StraitUp's solution for Level 10 is great - elegant and easy to execute (I wonder if the author had this in mind, since you end up with a boxman to spare). Perhaps it replace the one in the walkthrough?
With level 12, the box with the x, the orange guy dies no matter what I do, I've tried to go to the menu and back in but that doesn't work and I've also tried changing the quality multiple times but I get the same result every time. Any other suggestions?
This could have been so much less frustrating if the control scheme for spawning the boxmen were different, so that it didn't require so much precision to make one doing something you weren't without wasting time. As it is, I'm plugging away at level
11
, and nearly every time I try to make a boxman running right and myself run left, I get ahead of myself and get a boxman standing still, or even running left. Grr.
Wow, I played through without the walkthrough and it was pretty intense.
In level 10 I had all my crouching guys on the very top level, and still managed to run all the way through (barely). So doing it the way the walkthrough says to should be easy as cake in comparison.
Also, the walkthrough is incomplete.
In level 14, stand on the roof to complete the game 100%.
Also, the second picture in the Review is a spoiler. :P
i really cant do level 11!! plz help i have seen all the videos but i cant do it! any points or tricks or anything that will help plzzzz help me!! thanku
I just can't make a crouching boxman. I pressed shift while holding down, but the orange boxman didn't appear. Can anyone help please? I'm really stuck.
I just can't make a crouching boxman... I pressed shift while holding down, but the orange boxman didn't appear... can anyone help please? i'm really stuck...
Can Someone help? Im stuck on level ten! StraitUps one I dont understand, im only nine people!
i need a lot of help on level 7 how do you play leepfrog??!!!
Help me.
For some reason my little clones do not copy me but just stand where I create them, looking confused and useless...
Anyone else have this problem?
to answer your question run and clone at the same time.
Level 10 - I agree with a few posters:
The easier way is to place the solo croucher under the guy on the far left. That way you have lots of time (jump cloning from the same spot in the screenshot) while the fellow runs to the far left and bounces off the edge of the screen and then up.
Thanks!
ahhh stuck on level 9 help me!
need help on level 11
Ok, so i get the concept of level 2, but each time I respawn my man, the lever follows the green dude, instead of staying down, and the spikies go back up! I dunno, HELP, am i doing something wrong?
I think I might need to scream at GrenAnims about level 11. I can put the stupid little crouching boxes fine and make it back and start the other guy jumping but I can't move back and forth fast enough to raise that loving platform. No other game has been as frustrating as that level.
I'm not on level 10, but yeah. I know how to do it. And yes, it's the same way you guys said: Only 3 boxmen.
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Walkthrough Guide
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Use Boxmen Walkthrough
Types of Boxmen
Standing Boxman
Stand still and press Shift. This Boxman stands still. When another Boxman runs into it, the other Boxman will turn around and run the other way.
Crouching Boxman
Crouch and press Shift. This Boxman sits in a crouched position. When a Running Boxman runs into it, the Running Boxman will jump.
Running Boxman
Create a Boxman while running. Running Boxmen will run aimlessly until they hit a wall, a Standing Boxman, or fall off a cliff. If two Running Boxmen meet, one destroys the other.
Jumping Boxman
Create a Boxman while jumping. Jumping Boxmen will jump in the direction you make them, and when they hit the ground they become Running Boxmen. Jumping Boxmen can use Crouching Boxmen even before they hit the ground.
Level 1
A very basic level. Run to the right and don't forget to jump to make it to the platform with the box (which is the goal).
Level 2
This level is the first level to make use of the game's namesake--the Boxmen. Stand still on the switch and press shift without moving left or right to make a Standing Boxman. He should hold down the switch, allowing you to run past the spikes and reach the goal.
Level 3
Boxmen can collect the box at the end of the level as well. Run out to the end of the ledge and jump as far as you can, and when you begin to reach the bottom, press shift to make a Jumping Boxman. If your timing is good, the Jumping Boxman will make it to the platform and then collect the box.
Level 4
This level introduces the lever. Stand near the spike wall and then begin running towards the lever and press shift to create a Running Boxman. The Running Boxman will move the lever, allowing you to pass through the spikes to your left and collect the goal.
Level 5
Drop down to the nook that the lever is in. Stand on the far left and create a Standing Boxman, and then create a Running Boxman to the right. Whenever a Running Boxman runs into a Standing Boxman, the Running Boxman will turn around and run the other way as if he has hit a wall.
The Running Boxman should trip the lever back and forth as he passes. Jump up to the platform with the spike wall and the goal, wait for the Running Boxman to trip the lever, and then run through the spike wall before the Running Boxman turns it back on.
Level 6
Create a Standing Boxman just to the right of the power generator, and then create a Running Boxman to the left of the Standing Boxman, causing the Running Boxman to run back and forth, powering the generator. Then quickly hop onto the platform with the lightning bolt on it and ride it up until you can leap out to reach the goal.
Level 7
Go to the right side of the platform you start on, hold down to crouch, and then press shift to make a Crouching Boxman. Then, from the far left of the ledge, create a Running Boxman moving towards the right. When the Running Boxman reaches the Crouching Boxman, he will leapfrog over the Crouching one, placing him on the platform with the lever.
After creating the Running Boxman, quickly drop down and run through the are underneath you in order to reach the goal before the Running Boxman has a chance to turn the spikes back on.
Level 8
Hold right in order to drop down through the spikes and press shift to create a Jumping Boxman just as you have passed by the open area near the bottom of the stage. If you time it right, the Jumping Boxman should make it past the spikes and collect the box.
Level 9
This level is invisible, but you can create Boxmen to show you where the edges of platforms lie. In general, you will start by going right, climbing up a stair-like platform, then go to the left, climb up another platform, and then finally to the right towards the goal. Make sure to create Running and Jumping Boxmen to show you where walkable ground is, and if they fall, that is an area in which you will fall.
There also seems to be a set of invisible spikes towards the top right of the screen, so be careful to avoid those by sending Boxmen in front of your path.
Level 10
Set up three Crouching Boxmen according to this screenshot. Then, from where your character is standing in the image, jump up and create a Boxman. Then quickly run through the path below before the spikes get closed ahead of you.
Level 11
Start by placing a Crouching Boxman on the far right of the platform you start on, and then very carefully jump out to each of the columns and place a Crouching Boxman on each. Do not place one on the lightning-bolt platform. You should have 1 Boxman left when you are done.
Before creating the Boxman that will be running out to get the box, jump off the ledge to the left, towards the power generator, and turn right and press shift in midair on the way down to create a Boxman. You will then have a few seconds to make the platform rise.
This can be tricky, and seems to be inconsistent. My best advice would be to avoid tapping left and right in front of the generator as much as possible and instead run from one prong on the generator to the other (without ever getting far enough away from the generator for it to stop working). It seems that running in this manner causes the platform to move faster than if you are tapping back and forth. Regardless, it is difficult to get the platform up in time, and if you fail at first, keep trying until you succeed. The strategy will work if you can power the generator fast enough.
Level 12
This level is a test of skill and reflexes, but isn't difficult once you know the pattern.
Start by making a Running boxman to the right. When he trips the switch, quickly run to the left and stand on the button. Do not leave the button yet. The boxman will now power a generator on the right. When the lightning bolt on the moving platform passes by the tree, get off the button.
The boxman should get onto the platform and end up in the area on the right. As soon as the platform is within reach, drop down and quickly jump up to press the button overhead to allow the boxman to continue, and then land on the platform with the tree.
When the spikes open up to your left, quickly drop down and press the button. Be careful not to touch the monster.
After pressing the button, the boxman will throw a switch allowing you to drop down and finish the level.
Level 13
Start by tapping the left key so that you can turn left without moving much. Then jump up, press shift to create a Jumping boxman to the left, and then quickly press right and create a jumping boxman to the right in the same jump. If you press shift twice but only one boxman is created, you are pressing it too quickly.
If your timing was true, the two boxmen will hit the dotted switches at the same time, unlocking the doors around you. One of the Running boxmen will kill the other.
Jump up to the left and then position four Standing boxmen on the platforms at the top according to this screenshot. Then stand on the just to the left of the Standing boxman on the right of the platform on the right. When the Running boxman underneath you is standing about as far away from the button as he is in this screenshot, create a Running boxman to your left.
Next, jump over to the platform on the left and stand just to the right of the boxman on the left. Watch the Running boxman on the platform on the right, and just as he collides with the Standing boxman on the right of the platform on the right, create a Running boxman going towards the right.
Now, jump down to the corridor at the bottom of the level. Do not start going through as soon as the first two monsters are turned off, but rather wait until the Running boxman in the middle of the screen is about to hit the button that deactivates the big monster in the middle. When that monster disappears, quickly run through the first two monsters, which, if the boxmen are properly placed, should also have disappeared, and then wait in front of the monster in the middle until the two monsters on the left disappear. Then run through to the goal.
If the monsters are not disappearing in such a way that you can run through them, there is something out of sync with your setup. Check to ensure you placed the six boxmen at the top of the screen according to the walkthrough.
Level 14
There's no trick to this level. Simply jump along the platforms and enter the house on the right. Congrats! You've just beaten the game!
Posted by: Griff
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June 21, 2009 9:14 PM