The Box of Fear Endings

In the full release, The Box of Fear offers two distinct endings. Steam's own achievement data confirms this cleanly: the Escape Box achievement is earned by going for "ENDING 1", the Locked Box achievement by going for "ENDING 2", and the Two Sides of the Box achievement requires witnessing every ending.

Spoiler warning

The rest of this page explains how the endings work and how to reach them. If you want the story completely unspoiled, stop here and come back after your first playthrough, because the ending names and their conditions are tied directly to the final choice.

How many endings are there?

There are two endings, and both are reachable in a normal playthrough. The final split happens near the end of the route and is driven by the choice you make at that point rather than by hidden side objectives. This is exactly what "Two Sides of the Box" describes: the game shows you its two outcomes across the same final section.

The ending split

Near the end of the short 60-to-90-minute route, the game presents you with a choice tied to the story (the nature of "the box" and how you resolve Mark's search for Sarah). Choosing one direction leads to ENDING 1 (the Escape Box achievement); choosing the other leads to ENDING 2 (Locked Box). Because the game is short, the simplest way to see both is to complete one ending, then replay the final stretch and take the other choice.

ENDING 1 — Escape Box

ENDING 1 resolves the route around the theme of escape — the path that focuses on getting out of the facility. It is the more commonly reached of the two. Reaching it once earns the Escape Box achievement. Exactly what is escaped (and what it means for Sarah and the story) is a story payoff; the gameplay path for it is the choice that pushes toward leaving.

ENDING 2 — Locked Box

ENDING 2 approaches the final section differently, going with the choice that leads back into or remains with the mystery rather than leaving, which is why the game names the achievement Locked Box. It is a little rarer. Both endings count toward Two Sides of the Box, so neither is a "wrong" ending; they are simply the two sides of the same box.

Requirements and how to see both

You do not need every collectible or every hint-free run to reach either ending. The endings are driven by the final choice. To see both endings:

1. Finish the route choosing ENDING 1 (leave / Escape Box).
2. Start a new run or reload before the final choice and pick the other option (Locked Box).
3. The game records both ending events, which is what unlocks Two Sides of the Box.

Two Sides of the Box

Two Sides of the Box — witness every ending — is earned once you have seen both ENDING 1 and ENDING 2. It is a Rare achievement in the game's data, earned by roughly a quarter of players. It does not require the collectible achievement or a hint-free finish, so a focused two-ending run is the cleanest route to it.

Save and replay notes

Because The Box of Fear is short, replaying for the second ending is cheap. Whether you use in-game saves to redo just the final section or replay the whole route, the game is short enough that either works. Just make sure you actually reach the other choice rather than replaying the same path.

Related

• The Box of Fear Story & Characters — the plot context behind the endings.
• The Box of Fear Achievements — Two Sides of the Box, Escape Box, and Locked Box.
• The Box of Fear Walkthrough — the route up to the split.
• The Box of Fear Collectibles — combine an endings run with doll hunting.