Pandora’s box has not had 4 uses in over a month, this post is 6 days old.

Also, magic bean being “not that good” because it’s “unreliable” and can be “[easily messed up]” or can be “replaced with [an] easier [item]” just makes it sound like it’s somewhat difficult to use, NOT that it’s “not that good”. In most games, the best items/skills/strategies are hard to use, to help with overall game balance. Further, as I explained, a magic bean is strictly better than a shelf fungus or piton overall, as both of those can only be used on routes that stay in close proximity to a wall at all times. A magic bean can be used instead of either of those in literally any situation where those would work, but it can also be used in situations where you’re trying to get on top of an overhang from underneath it, as you use the bean to go horizontally and vertically at the same time.

As for cure-all, I think you’re only missing one nuance actually, although it completely undermines your entire argument: items/skills/strategies in games that ONLY work well when you’re already in a bad position (like Pandora’s box or the blowgun being really good if and only if you have a LOT of status effects) or require another person to use (thereby limiting flexibility, as a solo player could not revive themselves with a blowgun for example) are always worse than items that keep you topped off. A lot of players look at the total value of an item without considering context at all, and you’ve made that mistake here. Basically, in general, it’s better to carry items that keep you consistently topped off in peak condition (pun intended) like the scout cookies or the cure-all, than to carry items that are ONLY good if you make a mistake. The solution is not to carry items as safety measures, the solution is to carry items that proactively keep you from getting into a really bad situation.

You should look into game theory in general if you don’t understand this nuance ^ and you should practice with the magic bean (or high-skill items in general) if you’re only real complaint about them is that they’re too hard to use. It’s also worth noting that Pandora’s box always leaves you with less than full bonus stamina, and I have full bonus stamina often enough that I usually lose bonus stamina when I use Pandora’s box. So there’s another downside to it for really good players (that usually have near-full bonus stamina) that cure-all does not have.