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It's no surprise that packing puzzles are my favorite type of puzzles. They allow you to think in unconventional ways that even you didn't think you could. Oleo 10, designed by the Japanese Yuu Asaka, is a brilliant puzzle and a challenge for your solving skills.

A good packing puzzle is one that seems impossible and has a high rewarding value. That a-ha moment when you feel you've conquered something that you didn't think was possible. That's the beauty of packing puzzles, especially the 2D ones, since you're limited by a flat surface. Even though it looks extremely difficult, there's a way to solve it.

The puzzle comes in its unsolved state with 6 acrylic circles and 4 rectangle pieces with semi-circles. The goal is easy enough to understand: try to arrange the four rectangles in a way that they can accommodate all circles as well. The design of the puzzle makes you think in a conventional way at first. You have to go against the pre-conceived notion that arranging the pieces in that way won't work.

This is a difficult puzzle, no doubt about that. Depending on how good you are at solving packing puzzles will determine your success here. This is rated as a level 8/10, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was a level 10 for some people. I was able to solve it in about half an hour, but I didn't think it was easy. It took a lot of thinking to get there -  That kind of outside-the-box thinking I was talking above. The solution itself is quite elegant. You can see that it was a well thought-out design. Bravo, Yuu Asaka!

Solution: Click here to view the solution (as a last resort).

Closing Comments:

Oleo 10 is a magnificent puzzle. One that feels you with pride for having solved it and for making you think in ways that you didn't know you could. It's difficult, it's beautiful and it's one of a kind. I'll be curious to try other puzzles by Yuu Asaka in the future.

Availability: Oleo 10 is available at PuzzleMaster for $39.99 CAD. Check out other interesting puzzles by Yuu Asaka.

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Revolver Rotational Marble Puzzle, or simply Revolver Puzzle, is a very nice 3D-printed puzzle by Jared Petersen. As the name suggests, it resembles a cylinder from a revolver pistol with six holes. It has three layers, each in a different color and they rotate independently. The top layer has only five marbles, to create an empty space so the other marbles can move up and down from the other layers. The goal is to mix the marbles and then rearrange them in their respective colors.

For a 3D-printed puzzle it has a surprising smooth movement and the marbles move freely without any restraints from layer to layer. Only the body of the puzzle seems to be 3D-printed, as the marbles look like regular plastic. It's a very satisfying puzzle to play with, even though the difficulty level is not that challenging.

Whether you're mixing the puzzle or solving it, it's quite fun to play with it. As you solve it, you always need to be cautious not to drop an undesired marble to the empty space below. I found it was easier to solve it sideways and keep a look on both sides to see which colors can be moved from one layer to the other. It doesn't take more than a few minutes to solve it, but you can always "reload it" and go for another "round".

You can also try to solve other color combinations. Put the middle marbles on the top layer or vice-versa, alternating colors, etc. The colors you see in the photos can be completely different from yours, since there are quite a few color versions. There's no option to choose colors, so be prepared to receive what's in stock at the moment you order. Either way, you'll get a great puzzle, and that's what's important.

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Closing Comments:

What a pleasant surprise the Revolver Puzzle was. I wasn't expecting much, given the low difficulty level, but yet again I was reminded that a great puzzle doesn't always have to be crazy difficulty to be fully enjoyed. Give it a go and let me know what you think.

Availability: The Revolver Puzzle is available at PuzzleMaster for $33.99 CAD. Check out other puzzles by Jared Petersen.