What the box is in this game
The official description frames the box as the tool Aidan uses to help his girlfriend Sunny escape the Labyrinth, and the developers describe puzzle boxes as literally the key to everything in the game. It is the same object across the plot, the puzzles and the combat system.
This is not the Lament Configuration from the films by name. The game calls it the Genesis Configuration, which is why searching for the film term returns the wrong object.
Do not confuse it with the collector’s edition: the Genesis Collector’s Edition is a physical product containing a replica box. It is a purchase decision, not a game mechanic, and it is covered on the collector’s edition page.
Abilities and unlock order
The box grants three kinds of power, and they arrive in a fixed order as the story progresses. Each one draws on the same Suffering meter, so using one is always a decision not to use another.
| Ability | Unlocks | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Telekinesis | After the sewer section | Lift and hurl objects at enemies |
| Hellchains | After the third Labyrinth segment | Attack and control enemies at range |
| Banish | Available with the box | Execute a near-death enemy and recover health |
Enemies flash blue when they are close to death. Banishing one in that state heals you, which makes the box a defensive tool as much as an offensive one.
Using the box in combat
Offensively, the box lets you pick up sharp and metal objects and throw them, which damages armoured enemies without spending ammunition. It can also set enemies on fire and execute them outright once they are weakened.
Because every ability drains the same meter, the practical rhythm is to build Suffering in a fight and then spend it on whichever problem is worse: a group of cultists, an armoured enemy, or your own health. Combat fundamentals are on the combat guide.
The five box puzzles
The game contains five Genesis Configuration puzzles, and all five are unmissable: each one gates story progress, so you cannot finish the game without solving them. None of them reward resources, so there is nothing to collect by solving them early.
Each puzzle works the same way. You adjust each half of the box separately, cycling through its configurations, and rotate the result until the whole shape seats into the slot in front of you.
| Puzzle | Availability |
|---|---|
| Sunny's pillar | Reached through the Free Sunny's Soul objective |
| Hand statue | After getting the hand statue piece from Bruno's house |
| Head statue | After the corresponding statue piece |
| Tongue statue | After solving the well puzzle |
| Factory shrine | Final box puzzle |
Shape detail belongs on the puzzle page: the exact half-and-rotation for each puzzle is a picture problem, so this page lists order and conditions only. The step detail is on the puzzle help page.
What the developers say about the puzzles
The developers describe wanting a narrative purpose behind every puzzle, and they confirm that some puzzles have multiple valid solutions, a detail they deliberately avoid publishing.
They also describe the broader puzzle mix: classic lockpick and combination mechanisms, clues hidden in diagrams on desks, and environmental puzzles such as working out which corridor a pursuer does not teleport into, or turning back instead of pressing forward to break a looping room.
Safe and lockpick puzzles pay out crafting resources, ammunition, upgrades and occasionally a new weapon, which is why lockpicks are worth hoarding. The reward structure is described on the crafting page.
Achievement link
One trophy, titled What’s in the Box?!, simply requires you to use the Genesis Configuration. Since the box is mandatory for progress, that unlocks through normal play.
The full trophy and achievement picture, including the missable sets, is on the achievements page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Genesis Configuration?
It is the puzzle box at the centre of the story. It grants supernatural combat abilities, acts as the key to supernatural locks, and is required to progress.
When do the box abilities unlock?
Telekinesis unlocks after the sewer section and the hellchains after the third Labyrinth segment. Banishing near-death enemies is available with the box.
Can I miss the box puzzles?
No. All five are unmissable because each one gates story progress.
Is it the same as the Lament Configuration from the films?
The game calls it the Genesis Configuration. It plays the same role as the film box, but the game uses its own name for it.
Where to go next
Official description of the box and its role. Source: Steam full-game store listing. Checked .
Puzzle design intent, multiple solutions, reward types. Source: PlayStation Blog developer interview. Checked .
Five puzzles, unmissable status, first solution shape and trigger order. Source: GamesRadar Genesis Configuration guide. Checked .
Ability unlock order and Suffering bar behaviour. Source: gam3s beginner guide. Checked .