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BlackBox cover: the pixel-art title in a scratchy purple frame above an engineer in an orange suit holding a torch beside a rusted metal door

2D horrorHorror puzzleHorror escapeShort horrorHorror

BlackBox

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Repair the facility to escape. Some things are meant to stay broken.

Platforms
Browser, PC, Linux
Stores
itch.io
Price
Free
Rated
4.5 out of 5 on itch.io (39 ratings)
Length
a few minutes per run (itch.io average session)
Players
1
Controls
Keyboard to walk and interact, mouse for the repair panels; headphones recommended.
Made by
lower third (Markus Aksli, with Mattias Aksli, Volodymyr Chelpan, Siim Püvi and Rasmus Lepp)
Released
2020
Play on itch.io

What frightens An engineer forced into a dark, rusting facility must repair its machines to get out, while notes and a red glow hint that the repairs are freeing something meant to stay locked away; a wrong move ends in a black screen and horrible sounds, and you start again.

Content: disturbing sounds, dark imagery.

BlackBox is a short, free 2D horror puzzle game made in 48 hours for Global Game Jam 2020, playable in the browser on itch.io. As an engineer forced into an unknown facility, you fix its failing machines to find a way out, and slowly realise what your repairs are letting loose.

About BlackBox

BlackBox was made in 48 hours for Global Game Jam 2020, whose theme was Repair, by a small team led by Markus Aksli under the name lower third, and it took both the Jammer's Choice and the Judge's Choice first place at its EUAS Mainor jam site. The team kept polishing it after the jam, up to a version 1.0 in March 2021. It is free on itch.io, in the browser or as a Windows or Linux download, and the source code is public.

You are an engineer who has been forced into an unknown facility. Something is wrong with it, and the only way to escape is to repair it as you go. But what exactly are you repairing? The makers' own question sets the mood: maybe some things are meant to be broken.

It plays as a side-scroller in muted pixel art. You walk through dark, rusted rooms by the light of a torch, read notes left on the walls, and stop at machines such as a backup generator to fix them through small puzzles on pressure gauges and control buttons. Make a wrong choice and the screen goes black over horrible sounds, and you start from the beginning. Players describe the fear as lingering rather than jump scares: a decaying facility, a hungry thing somewhere in it, and the growing sense that each repair brings it closer.

It takes a few minutes a run, has more than one ending, and the makers recommend headphones. It suits players who like short atmospheric puzzle horror such as 10-103 or Quiet is the Eyes.

How to play BlackBox

  1. Open the itch.io page and press Run game to play in the browser, or download it for Windows or Linux.
  2. Put on headphones, as the makers recommend.
  3. Walk the engineer through the facility, reading the notes you find.
  4. At each broken machine, work its panel to repair it; a wrong choice sends you back to the start.
  5. Play again and handle the repairs differently to see the other endings.

Screenshots

BlackBox screenshot: the engineer in an orange suit shines his torch on a backup generator in a dim, rusty green corridor full of pipes
BlackBox screenshot: a repair panel with a pressure bar and buttons for thermal regulator cap, lower backblast system, emergency tanks and main system coupling
BlackBox screenshot: the engineer reads a note on a dark wall next to a warning sign, his torch the only light
BlackBox screenshot: the engineer lit in red in a dark room, with the text 'There is a dull red glow coming from the window'

Tips

  • Read every note: they explain what the machines do and what you may be releasing.
  • Take the repair panels slowly; one wrong setting ends the run.
  • There is a gamejam deadline version linked from the page if you want to see the original 48-hour build.

Questions

Is BlackBox free?

Yes. It is free on itch.io, in the browser or as a Windows or Linux download.

How long is BlackBox?

Short: itch.io lists an average session of a few minutes, and it was made in 48 hours for a game jam.

Does BlackBox have multiple endings?

Yes. The makers tag it with multiple endings, and players report finding several.

Is BlackBox on Android?

Not now. The maker says the Google Play version was removed, so it is played in the browser or on Windows and Linux.

  • 2d
  • side scroller
  • pixel art
  • facility
  • repair
  • puzzles
  • creature
  • game jam
  • global game jam
  • headphones
  • unity

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BlackBox is played on lower-third.itch.io and its makers' stores; this page links to them and is not part of it. Pictures are from the game's own pages and remain its owner's. Terms and pictures.

Sources: lower-third.itch.io