Last updated on January 17th, 2026 at 04:07 pm
KickBox – Puzzle Game Review
KickBox is a Puzzle/Education game from MIND Research Institute, first launched in 24th May 2011.
It’s rated 4+ and currently has 41+ ratings on the App Store.
What Makes KickBox Stand Out
KickBox
An addictive multistep thinking game from MIND Research Institute's math curriculum featuring JiJi™ the penguin. The goal is to position lasers and mirrors to knock all balls out of the penguin's path. The puzzles start off easy, but get progressively more challenging as you move through the seven intriguing levels.
Features:
- Fun way to exercise multistep thinking.
- Raw problem solving without words. Suitable for all ages.
- Includes mind-bending bonus puzzles that look deceptively simple.
- Graphs your progress.
- Rewards quick thinking with time bonuses.
- Supports multiple player profiles.
- From the award-winning creators of STMath®.
- All new puzzles for those familiar with school version.
- Did we mention it's fun?
This Puzzle game offers engaging gameplay and regular updates for mobile players.
Player Feedback
As a newer release, KickBox is building its player community. Early feedback suggests .
Recent Updates & Development
Latest Update: 26th October 2015
Recent improvements include:
This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.
Support iOS 9
Bug fixes
Download & Availability
KickBox is available through the official App Store for iOS devices.
Requirements: Requires iPad Air / iPad Air (Cellular) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina, Cellular) / iPad Air 2 / iPad Air 2 (Cellular) / iPad Mini 3 / iPad Mini 3 (Cellular) / iPad Mini 4 / iPad Mini 4 (Cellular) or later.
Compatible with iPhone and iPad devices.
Player Experience Highlights
Community Insight:
Our kids had the full program years ago. We commented why theyre playing games, when should be doing homework. But it was homework. Imagine that, learning is actually fun. But we couldnt log into their school account to play the games, that would be cheating. Therere KickBox and BigSeed, without the full subscription. We still play both games, long after our kids graduated from that charter school.
Wonderful game for geometry and thinking. Creates habits of mind.
This is the best free puzzle game we've found! The challenges start off simple and then get increasingly difficult. By the end, one puzzle took us over four hours to solve. We were frustrated enough that we would have taken a "hint" or "free pass" if offered, but none existed; so, we persevered. It was so rewarding to eventually figure it out.
This is great for building schema in young children or adding missing pieces to older students. The other review about the "worst game ever" missed the point. This does not use judgements of right and wrong, only feedback and results. We love it.
Our school utilizes the full program and the kids love it! They don't typically struggle until they reach the challenge section with Big Seed and Kick Box. We also allow students to play the apps during math centers. We know that the makers of this program would like to see kids persevere in solving a puzzle, but sometimes a little hint is needed. For the full program we have made "cheat sheets" for our students. After they have made so many attempts on a particular puzzle we will help them by telling them where one laser or one bar definitely belongs. This helps them tremendously, even when there are five more bars and lasers that still need to be placed. We would like to see this as an added feature in an update to the apps, especially Kick Box.
We have to deal with the pain that Im trying to pass KickBoxbut the problem is that there is just no flipping hints.we all have to struggle so please just add hints to make it easier, Thank you.
We learned about these games from our son, who is in first grade. We think st math is a great program, though we think the challenge levels may be too difficult for young children, because they could negatively affect a child's confidence and natural exuberance. These puzzles are a fun challenge for adults, though, and we wonder what age they are meant for. It took us almost 5 hours to complete all levels in the dreambox standalone app, but we imagine they could be frustrating for many elementary school students.
The game was fun, but the flashing is too annoying.
Bug! Game screen flashes constantly. Unplayable. Please fix. IPad 3. IOS 8.3.
We tried playing this game before giving it to our children. We don't know if it's a glitch or intentional but the constant flashing hurt our eyes and gave us a headache and we couldn't even play it. We've seen too many warnings at the beginning of video games about the risk of flashing lights and seizures to let our kids attempt this. We love the ST math program, but we're really disappointed in this app.
Game flashes on and off making it impossible to play. Is there a solution to this besides not playing the game.
The levels just start to flash and it's unplayable for now. Please fix.
We are a PhD level scientist and also find these games fun and challenging. In fact, it is so fun we have recommended it to all our friends. It is so challenging though that we are completely stumped on two of the final bonus levels. We agree with the other reviewers that some sort of hint or help would make this a five star game. We are all about persevering, and we understand the necessity of challenging a player/student, but there comes a point where you give up because there is no help. We feel that this level of challenge is counter to the goals of the MIND institute.
This is a fun way to practice spatial relations problem solving. We enjoy playing it as an adult and our child enjoys it too. However we have gotten stuck on one problem and can't advance, and there is no help available. Please, please, add a hint feature. Perhaps the hint could become available after a certain amount of working time has lapsed without success. If there were help, we could rate this 5 stars.
Very nice but some levels we cant figure out.
We found this app pretty good . We played a few games before giving it to our child , however when we tried to reset to clear our scores . The app freaks out and shouts down . Please fix any bugs.
On a comparison with KickBox and BigSeed, BigSeed would win because it's essentially more addicting and more educational.
We are a middle school math teacher, and our school utilizes the full ST Math program for students. We love the games, because they are both fun and educational. You can see the students being deeply challenged to think about mathematical concepts while they are playing. We almost gave this app 4-stars, only because we'd love to see more levels. Then we decided that even without more, it'd still be worth the $1.99 we paid. So 5-stars it is.
Good stuff here! Create more JiJi apps please! We really like the challenge of these games.
Great game – more JiJi please.
This app is a lot of fun. It's challenging, but simply presented.
Great app, an easily addictive game that helps to pass the long boring hours at work! Great job MIND Research! We look forward to other apps we hope you have in the works.
Daily brain exercise becomes a must as we age. Can't stop getting older, but we can counteract aging through total brain and body fitness. JiJi is our brain trainer.
The puzzles get really challenging, but with time you begin to find patterns. Our 6 year old loves it, and loves JiJi.
Kickbox has always been one of our favorite puzzle games by Mind.
User feedback from Apple App Store
App Details
- Version: 1.7.0
- Size: 12.97 MB
- iOS: 7.0 or later
- Languages: EN
- Content Advisory:
- Developer: [MIND Research Institute]()
Last updated: 26th October 2015 | Genre: Puzzle, Education | Developer: MIND Research Institute