The inventive puzzle game Blackbox tests more than your wits. It pushes the boundaries of what puzzle games can be—and how you play them.



There’s little to tap or swipe here, no characters to maneuver. Instead, you’ll tinker with your iPhone itself: rotating it, laying it flat, shouting into its speaker, adjusting the brightness of the display.

[Photo description: This screenshot of a Blackbox puzzle shows a large red circle with a slice cut out of it. Inside this circle is a smaller concentric circle composed of white tick marks, perhaps evoking a compass or a timepiece. Spinning around as you hold your iPhone might give you a clue to the puzzle’s meaning.]

The game’s cryptic clues will help you figure out some solutions easily. Other solutions you’ll stumble upon through experimentation (like figuring out you need to open the app once an hour), which makes those “Aha” moments all the more thrilling.

[Photo description: A screenshot of a Blackbox puzzle shows a thin, white parabola set on a black background, with a small glowing circle on the line. Could the puzzle’s solution involve something that rises and falls along an arched path each day?]

As confounding as it may be, Blackbox’s smart design prevents roadblocks. You can tackle puzzles in any order, so if you get stuck on one, just move to another. A tiered system unspools hints as you need them—each bearing the game’s trademark subtle humor.



Blackbox fully supports the VoiceOver accessibility feature in iOS. Turn it on to get verbal and auditory clues rather than visual ones—a fun and engaging experience in its own right. However you tackle this one-of-a-kind game, the journey is bound to be mind-bending.