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Showing posts with label Slide Puzzle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Slide Puzzle. Show all posts

Night Shift

Posted on Sep 15, 2020 by Gabriel | 2 comments
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Night Shift is one of the most fascinating puzzles from Siebenstein-Spiele I've seen so far. It's visually stunning, it's challenging, but it's a real pleasure to play with.

Designed by Jürgen Reiche and made from a combination of acrylic, plywood and a number of different colors, Night Shift is a gorgeous puzzle to look at. The simple and yet elegant movement of the two platforms that move in perpendicular directions, shift a total of 20 small wooden squares back and forth. The small squares are divided into five different colors, which form five bigger squares, four pieces each. The goal is to mix all these squares and regroup them into their respective colors. Sounds easy, but rated as a level 10/10, you can be sure to have a great challenge in your hands.

With a puzzle of this nature, with moving and crossing platforms, smooth movement will be the key to an enjoying and fun experience. Fortunately, Siebenstein-Spiele knows how to make good and functional puzzles, which means this one is a real treat. The squares have round corners, to minimize being jammed against others, and each platform is held in place by metal screws that slide effortlessly in the wooden tracks. Everything works as it should to bring you the best puzzling experience.

I've been having a blast playing with this puzzle. Even though it's a difficult puzzle, and there's one official solution, you can always try other easier color combinations and keep playing longer. Maybe having each square with two colors instead of one; or having each square with just one of the same color. This kind of puzzle allows for more than one way to be played, which ends up giving you more bang for your buck.

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Closing Comments:

Night Shift is one hell of a puzzle. If you like good-looking puzzles with a real challenge to boot, this one's for you. Don't let its high difficulty put you off from a great puzzle. Try the other easier challenges I mentioned or just enjoy its movement and practice until you solve it. It's worth it.

Availability: Night Shift is available at PuzzleMaster for $47.99 CAD. If you like Siebenstein-Spiele, you should check other interesting puzzles by them.

Cast Slider

Posted on Aug 20, 2019 by Gabriel | 0 comments
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Vesa Timonen puzzles often have very ingenious solutions that require quite a lot of creative thinking. Many of his puzzles have a simple design, but still the solution will always surprise you. The latest Hanayama Cast Puzzle, called Slider falls into all these previously mentioned categories, and maybe a few of its own. Don't underestimate this one just because it's a level 3/6, as Hanayama has done it again...

The Cast Slider looks like it could be one of those sliding lock devices, which at first glance doesn't look like anything special... Until you take a closer look. The movement is surprisingly satisfying, like a fidget toy. You can keep playing with this indefinitely, even if you don't plan on solving it.

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There are two identical pieces that move in opposite directions with a central piece that rotates in a perpendicular direction. The central piece has two entrances that allow for the other two to slide back and forth, but not apparently to separate them. There's a pin in the center that prevents the pieces from moving to certain positions, and your goal is to find out how to avoid that. Even though it's challenging, the movement of the puzzle keeps it rather interesting and fun, so it's hard to ever feel frustrated.

Now, regarding Hanayama difficulty rating, it's yet again way off the mark. Level 3/6 it is not. It took me quite a while to figure out the solution for this one, and it was basically a fluke, so to speak. This is at least a level 4/6. As you fiddle with the puzzle, certain movements you do are more a reflection of your fidgeting and less a product of your logic reasoning. After a couple of follow up tries I was able to understand how exactly the solution works and it is indeed quite fascinating. It's hidden in plain sight and almost as obvious as the actual simple movement of the puzzle.

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Closing Comments:

The Cast Slider is in my opinion one of the best Hanayama puzzles of the last 5 years. It's no wonder that it took the Top 10 Vote Getter award at this year's IPP (International Puzzle Party). The simple but elegant solution and the great movement of the puzzle combines for a wonderful puzzling experience. Vesa, you did it again!

Availability: You can get a copy of the Cast Slider at PuzzleMaster. Check out other interesting puzzles in the Cast family.


Slide Elox

Posted on Jun 11, 2019 by Gabriel | 4 comments
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Jean Claude Constantin has spoiled us over the years with his creations, with high quality puzzles and beautiful designs. As if all this wasn't already good enough, it seems this time he outdid himself. His new line of puzzles goes a step further in the quality department and the result pops out right in front of your eyes.

The Slide Elox is one of three puzzles currently being made with anodized metal. The other being the Nur 8 and the Farbenspiel 6x6. This material in contrast with the black frame makes an exquisite and unmatched striking colorful effect. Acrylic is also used for the sliding pieces, creating a perfect harmony with the metal and the laser-cut wood. The movement of the pieces is quite smooth against the wooden frame, providing a rather satisfying experience.

There are 16 small cylinders neatly placed around the perimeter of the frame, while inside, eight acrylic pieces have to be arranged so that the larger cylinders match with the same colors on the frame. With only a small gap in the frame to slide the pieces around, this will prove to be quite a challenge.

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Speaking of a challenge. There are actually eight of them for you to solve. Each challenge has a different starting position, meaning more moves as the level of difficulty increases, but they all share the same solution. This has been such an incredibly difficult puzzle that I only managed to solve one out of eight so far. I solved the level 2, while the level 1 has me stumped with only the two small squares being in a parity problem, where their positions are opposite one another.

Not surprisingly, this is rated as a difficulty level 9/10, as this is not your average sliding puzzle. One of the reasons is that the pieces have different orientations, where some move horizontally and others move vertically. The two small squares move more freely, but they still have their limitations when moving around the frame. It's truly a great challenge.

(Click to Enlarge) - Challenge 1 - Starting and Ending Positions

Closing Comments:

I'm a big fan of sliding puzzles. And when you combine one of my favorite puzzle designers and a beautiful, close to perfect, presentation it all clicks together in a one of a kind puzzle. The Slide Elox is now one of my favorite Constantin puzzles.

Availability: The Slide Elox is available from PuzzleMaster for $54.99 CAD. Check out also other great puzzles by Constantin.


Loyd's 15 - Block & Roll Puzzle

Posted on Feb 5, 2019 by Gabriel | 2 comments
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Loyd's 15 is one of the most popular sliding puzzles of all time. Comprising 15 sliding tiles across a 4x4 grid, the missing "16th" number provided an empty space to move the tiles around the frame and solve the puzzle in a variety of solutions. Ever since its first introduction at the end of the 19th century, countless designs of the 15 Puzzle were created. One of such designs was made by Doug Engel, and I love its originality. It's made by BrainWright and it's called The Block & Roll Puzzle, and instead of numbers, you'll be playing with colored marbles.

So, how does this work? Is it just a simple exchange of numbers for colors? Well, not exactly. At first glance, there seems to be very few similarities between this puzzle and the classic version, besides the fact that you'll be sliding your way around a 4x4 grid. And indeed, the two puzzles couldn't be more different... and that's a good thing.

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15 marbles make up the four groups of orange, yellow, purple and green colors. Unlike the original 15 Puzzle, here you'll be constrained by two barriers that will prevent you from freely navigate the marbles from one row to the other, just like a labyrinth. This is clearly seen in the photos, where two of the rows (one in the front and another in the back) have been cut in half and no marble can pass across it. This will, of course, raise the difficulty to a higher level than the original version.

One thing that I always like about puzzles is the ability to create patterns or to have multiple solutions. Here, The Block & Roll Puzzle does this in great style, as it offers you 44 different challenges with patterns to reproduce exactly as you see them. The challenges will be quite difficult, as the first two challenges seen in the photos took me around 30 minutes to solve. Not a bad thing, though, since I like a good challenge.

(Click to Enlarge) - Left: Challenge 1; Right: Challenge 2

Closing Comments:

Loyd's 15 The Block & Roll Puzzle is yet another great sliding puzzle that I'm happy to add to my collection. The concept is different from what I'm used to see in sliding puzzles, and the high difficulty will certainly test your patience and solving skills. Definitely recommended.

Availability: The Block & Roll Puzzle can be found at PuzzleMaster for just $14.99 CAD. Check out other cool puzzles by BrainWright.


Tower Puzzle

Posted on Jan 8, 2019 by Gabriel | 0 comments
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Ah, Sliding-Piece puzzles! My Kryptonite... Every time I can get my hands on one of these I feel like a kid again. This is the type of puzzle that I knew of way before starting my puzzle collection. They always fascinated me somehow.

The Tower Puzzle is a superb puzzle, in the sense that it not only has you slide the pieces from the classic arrangement of A to B, but also from A to C and A to D. A slide puzzle with multiple solutions, you say? Count me in...

(Click to Enlarge) - Challenge 1 (26 moves)
This is what Russian puzzle designer Vladimir Krasnoukhov came up with for the 37th IPP in Paris, France, in 2017. This is quite an original design for a slide puzzle, and I was excited to have a try. As you may know, the classic slide puzzle has an usual arrangement of 8 pieces laid in a 3x3 grid with an empty space so you can move the pieces around. This time, you do have the same number of pieces, but instead of perfectly square tiles, the Tower Puzzle has three different sized pieces. And this is where it gets complicated.

So, first of all, the design: I really love the design and overall look of the puzzle. The dark color of the tiles contrasts beautifully with the yellow contours of the images of the Eiffel Tower and surrounding buildings. It looks like a nightscape where you only see the silhouettes and nothing else. Really stunning. It measures 10.1cm x 9.3cm (4" x 3.7").

(Click to Enlarge) - Challenge 2 (61 moves)
Since the pieces are not the same size, you need a slightly different approach from the usual 3x3 sliding puzzles. But the idea is the same. Get the pieces from one location to the other. If one challenge wasn't enough already, you are given three different tasks, each one moving the Eiffel Tower farther away from its starting position. The first challenge is easy, with only 26 minimum moves. However, the third and most complicated challenge involves a total of 115 moves, so a lot of planning is necessary in order to solve it.

(Click to Enlarge) - Challenge 3 (115 moves)
Closing Comments:

I did find the last challenge a bit difficult, but nothing extraordinarily hard or frustrating. If you know how to solve sliding puzzles, you're pretty much in known territory and only a few minutes will separate you from the goal. Nevertheless, it's still great fun to solve it and I highly recommend it for sliding puzzle enthusiasts.

Availability: You can get a copy of the Tower Puzzle from PuzzleMaster for $26.99 CAD. Also, check out other great puzzles by Vladimir Krasnoukhov.


Svetnashki Family

Posted on Oct 9, 2018 by Gabriel | 0 comments
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I finally have the whole Svetnashki family together! The Svetnashki 6x4 was the last one to be added to my collection, and it's a beauty.

This one is slightly larger than the smallest 4x4 Svetnashki, obviously because of its larger shape. It's small enough to carry around with you, and you couldn't ask for a better companion for those dull moments.

If you don't know what a Svetnashki is or does, check out my other reviews on the different versions. In short, a Svetnashki plays with light by polarizing the tiles from a clear color to a dark color and vice-versa. This is not a novelty concept, but utilizing it for a puzzle is a stroke of genius.

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By having the tiles polarized or not, you'll create patterns, which in turn make the main goal of the puzzle: have all tiles polarized (dark) or transparent. All other combinations in between create a myriad of patterns that will make any puzzle enthusiast thrilled. In particular, the Svetnashki 6x4 can create more rectangular patterns, as opposed to its square brethren, due to its shape. This is great if you want to create letter-shaped patterns, for example.

Ever since I got my first Svetnashki back in 2010, I was fascinated by its simple and yet beautiful design. I was always a sucker for pattern puzzles, and you can see this by my various reviews on this subject. Making patterns is a way to get your creative mind going, to imagine something in your mind and achieving it with a series of movements, which you can manipulate and control, is my ultimate definition of fun. That's why the Svetnashki puzzles remain as one of my all-time favorite puzzles.

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Closing Comments:

If you still don't have a Svetnashki in your collection, do yourself a favor and get one. It's that good. Whether you're a casual or seasoned puzzler, this is a must-have for curious and creative minds.

Availability: You can get the Svetnashki 6x4 at PuzzleMaster for just $27.99 CAD. Check out the other Svetnashki versions.


Svetnashki - Blue

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Gabriel | 0 comments
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It's been 8 years since I first reviewed the original Svetnashki and its other versions, the puzzle that uses polarized light. A simple explanation just doesn't make it justice, though. It was already one of my favorite puzzles back then, and eight years on, it's still an absolute favorite, probably in my top 3. It was invented by Vladimir Krasnoukhov.

What fascinates me in this puzzle is the simple process in which a clear or transparent tile can be transformed into a dark tile by what appears to be a magic trick. When a tile passes through one of the polarized filters in the back of the puzzle, it appears as clear or dark. There's no magic involved, though, just pure science. If you want to know more about the science behind this concept, check out this link.

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Over the years, as I gathered more and more puzzles in my collection, I always found myself returning to this simple puzzle time and time again. The fact that there's no right or wrong solution is also quite appealing. You make your own patterns. There's a couple of simple challenges, though, like having all the tiles appear as clear or all as dark. When you master these two challenges, you can make any type of pattern the 4x4 grid allows. Think the 4x4 grid is too small? You can also get it bigger, in a 6x4 or 6x6.

I already had in my collection the white 4x4 (my first Svetnashki), the bigger 4x4, the double-layer 4x4 and the larger 6x6. Each, a blast to play with. Since blue is my favorite color, I had to have this one as well, and because it's small, it's great to take it with me anywhere. It's a great puzzle to relax.

(Click to Enlarge) - All my Svetnashkis in one place
Closing Comments:

If you still don't have a Svetnashki, please consider your collection incomplete. This is an absolute must-have in any respectable collection. I promise you, you won't be disappointed. Playing with light has never been as fun as this.

Availability: You can find the Svetnashki Blue at PuzzleMaster for just $17.99 CAD. For other versions, check out this link.


V-Sphere

Posted on Feb 15, 2018 by Gabriel | 0 comments
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The Rubik's Cube was the first puzzle in my collection. Ever since, I collected an assortment of puzzles with different shapes, sizes and colors. Once you start realizing how many different puzzles are there, you'll certainly feel overwhelmed and spoiled for choice. Over the years, I developed a preference for sliding puzzles, but never forgot which type of puzzle got it all started.

So, it's not difficult to understand why I was so excited when I first heard about the V-Sphere, a combination of Rubik-like solving with a 3D sliding mechanism. It's the perfect combination. Now, all that was needed to prove was if the mechanism was good enough to provide a pleasurable and satisfactory experience, which many puzzles fail to deliver.

Fortunately enough, I had nothing to fear. The V-Sphere is manufactured by one of the most respectable and dedicated companies that produce twisty puzzles, the V-Cube by Verdes Innovations. Their flagship V-Cubes are some of the most appreciated and high quality twisty puzzles you can find, and so, the V-Sphere is not any different. The puzzle was invented by Greek designer George Chronopoulos.

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So, what is the V-Sphere anyway?

The V-Sphere is an intimidating puzzle with 8 spherical triangles fixed to the internal frame and six rows of tiles that cross the entire perimeter of the sphere. Each triangle has a different color and is surrounded by 12 moveable tiles, except for one triangle (blue), where it has only 11 tiles surrounding it. I would've preferred to have another color with the missing piece, like the white one for example, since I like the blue color most, but it's just a minor annoyance. The missing piece is so that there is space to move the tiles around to mix and solve the puzzle. Since the blue triangle is the one with one piece missing, you should leave it for last, as it will be solved automatically when you solve all the other seven triangles.

This is quite a fun puzzle to mix, I should say. Well, most puzzles are fun to mix and scramble, but the V-Sphere, with its smooth mechanism, adds another layer of fun to the experience. You should try and have all the colors well mixed and not have more than two identical colors adjacent to each other. Only then should you try and solve it. And that is when the real challenge begins...

The V-Sphere is hard to categorize in terms of difficulty. It will depend much on your skill level. If you've been solving twisty puzzles for a while, especially the higher difficulty ones, like the V-Cube 4 and upwards, then this should be a walk in the park. If you struggle to solve a 3x3x3 cube, then this will definitely be an interesting challenge, to say the least. Don't despair though, because I still think the V-Sphere is a little easier to solve than a 3x3x3 cube. Patience and persistence will, in the end, be rewarded.

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Closing Comments:

The V-Sphere is a superb puzzle, even if it's just to mix and play without worrying about solving it. It's a great stress reliever, and most importantly a great exercise for your brain. It is among my favorite 3D sliding puzzles, and that's saying a lot. I would definitely recommend it to anyone with an interest in puzzles, albeit a bit difficult for newcomers.

Availability: You can find the V-Sphere at JWS Europe.

Links:



Butterflies

Posted on Jul 14, 2017 by Gabriel | 0 comments
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Ever since I started my puzzle collection, slide puzzles were among my favorites. Any puzzle that has a sliding mechanism to solve fascinates me. Be it wood, plastic, metal or glass, the material is not important. Size doesn't matter either, as anything from a 3x3 grid onward will interest me the all the same.

Design and execution is what I value most in a slide puzzle. The actual concept and how that idea was translated to the final product is what in the end will captivate my attention. After all, a puzzle is eye-candy, too. This and more is why Butterflies by Raf Peeters is among my top 5 favorite SmartGames ever.

Simplicity wins over complex and overthought concepts this time. How a mere 3x3 slide puzzle could have this effect on me is hard to explain in words, but I'll do my best. If not to justify my love and enthusiasm for this puzzle, at least I'll try to convince you on why you should add this puzzle to your collection.

(Click to Enlarge) - Challenge 6

Let's start by packaging and design.

SmartGames have introduced recently their latest packaging, which not only reduces materials and size, but is also very practical for on the go puzzling. The puzzle itself is bigger than your traditional pocket-sized slide puzzles (15cm or 5.9"), but in this case it actually works best, because you need a bigger puzzle to appreciate the artwork.

Each of the eight tiles is decorated on one side with a unique configuration of different butterflies and half butterflies (we'll go into that in a moment). The other side is empty, because you won't need artwork on all eight tiles at the same time on many of the included 48 challenges. The actual sliding of the tiles, which is the most important part in a sliding puzzle, is smooth and without any blocking or jamming.

(Click to Enlarge) - Challenge 28

How does it work?

In essence, Butterflies is not that different from the classic numbers sliding puzzle. The main goal, however, is a little different. Instead of trying to put the tiles in a specific order, the Butterflies puzzle works with edge-matching. It's not as straightforward as ordering numbers, because you need to study the tiles and work out where each one belongs. I'd say that it's a tad more difficult than a numbers puzzle, but if you can solve those you'll be fine with this one as well - It just takes some time to adjust how you think about this logic.

Each tile will have at least half a butterfly. After you set up a desired challenge from the booklet, the goal is work out how to put all the butterflies in their complete and symmetrical shape, just by sliding the tiles. Only sliding movements are permitted. Also, you can't leave half butterflies next to the boarders - That would be mean...

Another interesting aspect of this puzzle is that all 48 challenges can be solved in 32 moves or less. Can you do it for all of them?

Here's a tip for when you run out of challenges:

1- place some tiles on the board like you were setting up any of the other challenges, but make sure to leave only complete butterflies. Remember, you're setting up the final stage as if the puzzle were already complete.
2- now place any remaining tiles on their empty side so that the board is filled.
3- take a photo of the complete pattern.
4- Finally, mix all the tiles so that they appear to be all scrambled and take another photo.

Do this a dozen times or more and you'll have several new puzzles to solve!

(Click to Enlarge) - Challenge 38

Closing Comments:

If you haven't worked it out by now, I absolutely loved the Butterflies puzzle. It's such an enjoyable little puzzle, and very hard to put it down once you start. I'm a sucker for sliding puzzles, and the design and concept of the Butterflies has it all in its favor. I'd love to see other grid sizes with the same design, maybe a 4x4 and a 5x5 - bigger sizes would start to feel overwhelming.

I highly recommend this one if you have an interest for sliding puzzles.

Availability: You can find the Butterflies puzzle at Amazon.com and many others from SmartGames.


Anti-Virus Mutation

Posted on Nov 23, 2016 by Gabriel | 5 comments
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In this day and age we live in such a fast and changing world, it's hard to take some time and get away from all the technology surrounding us. Amidst all this frenetic pace, it's quite refreshing to see a company like SmartGames delivering new games every year that don't require anything else beside your gray matter.

It's often said that if something isn't broken, don't fix it. However, fortunately for us lovers of logic games, that doesn't seem to be the case with the new Anti-Virus Mutation, based on the classic game Anti-Virus by Oskar van Deventer. Instead, what you'll find is a carefully designed game by Raf Peeters, a bit more accessible for beginners, that simply took the best ideas from an already amazing game and mutated it into a very interesting alternative...or a complement, if you're like me and already own the original version.

(Click to Enlarge) - Challenged 12 (Starting and Solved Positions)

There are two major differences between the two games that makes the new version really worth considering your time and money. The first is that the board is a little smaller, ideal for travelling. Also, smaller means less pieces (6 instead of 11 found in the original), and less pieces means easier to solve. That's good if you like casual games and you're easily frustrated by difficult puzzles, but troublesome for someone looking for a tough challenge. In this case, I recommend going directly to the Wizard challenges, which could take between 10 and 20 minutes each to solve. To make it a little more challenging, there are three blockers that are placed in the board to block the movement of some pieces, so you need to get around them. They are considered part of the game board, so you can't move them.

(Click to Enlarge) - Challenged 20 (Starting and Solved Positions)

The other major difference between the original and the new version, and most importantly, is the way it's played. The layout of the board this time consists of vertical and horizontal movements instead of diagonal. Since the pieces are moving differently, you can expect a whole new experience, which in itself is enough to justify adding this great game to your collection. 

Differences aside, the core gameplay is essentially the same. You need to free the red virus from the board by sliding the other colored pieces out of the way. If you've played any sliding games before, you'll feel right at home with this game as well. I breezed through most of the challenges, although I'm a sucker for sliding games and I'm better at them than other types of games. What I can say is that if you like sliding puzzles and games, I can't see any reason not to get the Anti-Virus Mutation. It's more from what you love, so it's a no-brainer.

(Click to Enlarge) - Challenged 34 (Starting and Solved Positions)

Closing Comments:

I really liked the new take on the original Anti-Virus, one of my favorites from SmartGames. The game is made with high quality materials and the colorful design makes it for a rather pleasant experience. I also liked the new packaging - It's more practical, it's sleek and easier to take with you anywhere. Can't recommend it enough.

Availability: You can find the Anti-Virus Mutation on Amazon or any other major puzzle game store.

(Click to Enlarge) - Challenged 45 (Starting and Solved Positions)




Confusion

Posted on Sep 1, 2016 by Gabriel | 0 comments
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As a sliding puzzle fan, every new design that uses an original idea is always welcome, even it it has already been done, which is the case of Siebenstein-Spiele's Confusion, designed by Jürgen Reiche (the company's founder). A very challenging puzzle that will surely frustrate even the most patient fans.

The concept featured in this puzzle was firstly used, to my knowledge, by Hanayama with their Puzzle Impossible. Siebenstein-Spiele has also made a similar version before, which I have played and really liked called Digits - both identical in difficulty.

The puzzle is very well made from a combination of acrylic pieces and a wooden frame. It measures 13.4cm in diameter, which is nice to handle in your hands. The pieces can't be removed from the puzzle, so the only way to solve it is by sliding the pieces (or to dismantle the puzzle, but that would be cheating...). The difficulty level is a 6/7 by the manufacturer or a 9/10 by an alternative scale.

The idea behind the puzzle is brilliant and consists of using numbers like the ones you see in digital clocks and wristwatches and then changing the way they look by moving some of their segments. You do this by sliding the pieces, in two layers. The combination of the segments in both layers, when correctly displayed, will show a number, but as soon as you move one or more pieces from their space you'll see strange and odd characters, as if your watch is out of whack. The goal is to mix the pieces and then rearrange the numbers in the correct order from 1 to 9.

The bottom layer of the puzzle has nine pieces, but the top has only eight. This empty space will be how you move the pieces around the frame. You can even use a piece from the top layer in the bottom and vice versa. The number of possible combinations is staggering and because of this the puzzle is extremely difficult. You need to study the appearance of each digit and know really well which segments compose each number to understand how you can move your pieces and not become frustrated by so much confusion - hence the name of the puzzle.

Closing Comments:

Confusion by Siebenstein-Spiele is a great puzzle and one that shouldn't be missed if you like very difficult puzzles. Its design is also very attractive and will look beautiful on any shelf or coffee-table. I wouldn't recommend this one for beginners.

Availability: You can find a copy of the Confusion puzzle at Brilliant Puzzles for $30.95 USD. There are also many other puzzles by Siebenstein-Spiele.


Cast Hexagon (巡)

Posted on Nov 30, 2015 by Gabriel | 0 comments
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The Cast Hexagon is the latest Hanayama puzzle in the popular series. First created in 1983, the series has seen about 70 puzzles now, give or take a couple. Many puzzle designers have contributed with their creations, and Mine Uyematsu from Japan is now adding his second design to the series, after having designed the Cast Quartet. The theme for the Cast Hexagon is "Go Around".

The Hexagon has quite an interesting design, and contrary to many other Cast Puzzles, its goal is pretty clear right from the start (remove the three pieces from the frame). However, just because its mechanism isn't ambiguous it doesn't mean that it's not a difficult puzzle. Classified as a level 4/6, you can be sure that this isn't a puzzle you'll be solving in just a couple of minutes.

When seen in its initial state, all three pieces form a shape that resembles three hexagons put together. Moreover, even before you've made your first move, the pieces look like they have the same overall shape. That's not the case, as you'll soon verify after the first two moves - all three pieces have a different configuration.

Solving the Cast Hexagon requires creative thinking and finding the correct sequence. It requires a total of 24 moves to remove all three pieces, but I reckon you'll need a few more on your first time, as it also happened to me. The pieces slide quite easily around the frame, although they're locked inside the small area until you remove them. The empty space is very small, so you'll have to keep those pieces moving and rotating them quite a bit to make room for the next move. It may sometimes be a little frustrating finding that there's no space for a move you wanted to make, but just keep trying until you remove the first piece. After that it's a piece of cake to remove the remaining two.

Putting the puzzle back together can be even more difficult if you don't have a guide. Be sure to know the order the pieces were removed and you'll eventually will be able to put it in its original state.

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Closing Comments:

Hanayama never disappoints when it comes to their flagship series, and the Cast Hexagon is no different. I was a bit skeptical at first, because of its unusual design, but after playing with it, I have nothing negative to say about it, and I can recommend it to anyone who likes Cast Puzzles.

Availability: I got the Cast Hexagon from the Spanish store PuzzlesdeIngenio.com. Others in the series can also be bought here.

Links:

New Hanayama Website (in English)

Hanayama Cast (in English) - Very useful website in English, with plenty of information on all things Cast.

Hanayama's Factory Visit (Many thanks to Roxanne Wong for sharing these pictures)


Wisdom Balls

Posted on Aug 28, 2015 by Gabriel | 0 comments
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It's been 20 years since the first Wisdom Ball was mass-produced by Dr. Toyz. Invented by Yang Ju-Hsun, the Wisdom Ball is a sliding puzzle with a moving hole mechanism. This type of puzzle is probably the most popular among sliding puzzles for its simple and easy to understand design, which can appeal to a broader range of puzzlers, both beginners and experts alike.

But why am I talking about a 20 year old idea, you might ask? Well, because Mr. Yang Ju-Hsun has decided to revive his beloved puzzle with a new and improved design, completely changing the inner mechanism so it has a smoother movement. In this new process the designer created two additional variations, both of them more challenging than the original, but also quite addictive to play with.

I've known the mechanics of the Wisdom Ball for some time now - maybe from the early days of my collection which is about 7 years - so I was quite familiar with the new designs. The original Wisdom Ball was a little smaller and the sliding mechanism wasn't that smooth, since it jammed frequently whenever you tried to move the tiles from one disc to the other. This doesn't happen with the new versions, or at least much less frequently (you do have to align the discs for the tiles to move smoothly). Also, with a slightly bigger size, the new Wisdom Balls feel much better to hold in your hands. The tiles are bigger and look brighter. In short, everything seems better and improved from the original design, which is in itself quite a big incentive to acquire these new versions.

(Click to Enlarge) - Comparison (the original design is in the middle)
I'll write next a brief description on each of the three new versions and their unique characteristics.

Wisdom Ball - Inspiration

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This is basically the same design as the original Wisdom Balls, but with an improved mechanism and overall appearance. This time, the body of the ball is white instead of black, which gives it a sense of simplicity and easiness. The ball comes semi-solved, and what I'm trying to say is that, even though it seems solved (the numbers are in sequential order), the colors of the tiles don't actually match with the discs'.

This is you goal: rearrange all eight tiles in each of the six discs so that tiles and discs share the same colors. All you have is an empty space at a time which you have to constantly be moving across the ball to get each tile to where it's supposed to be. You can move a tile from any of the four adjacent discs relative to the disc you're seeing. The sequence of the numbers is up to you. They come with a counter-clockwise order, but while solving it I preferred to do it clockwise. You have to watch out for parity problems or tiles that are upside down. Note that the numbers should always face you and not inwards to the center of the discs.

(Click to Enlarge) - Mixed
It took me about 20 minutes to solve this easier version. I really liked it, because despite being easy to solve (in theory), it's still challenging but never frustrating - just pure fun. The movement of the puzzle is smooth as butter and when solved provides you with quite a rewarding feeling. After you've solved it you can go for another challenge and do it with a different sequence - Maybe alternating colors or numbers.

(Click to Enlarge) - Solved


Wisdom Ball - Advanced

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The Advanced is the intermediate level, and prepares you for the most difficult challenge, the Wisdom.

The body of the Advanced is black, contrasting with the Inspiration version, and the colors of some discs are also different. This mostly serves as a way to distinguish between versions, but for me, as a collector, I also appreciate the subtle differences that makes each version unique.

To make it more challenging, the Advanced features four tiles in a row across the middle on opposite discs. The tiles that located in this line don't interact with the tiles within the same disc. If, for example, you want to swap a tile from the middle line with one from the edges on the same disc, you need to move it through an adjacent disc and again though another in order to place it in its correct spot. Again, you need to make sure it has the correct orientation (facing you).

(Click to Enlarge) - Mixed
When solved, the Advanced ball will show the numbers from 1 to 8 in sequential order on four discs, and the other two opposite discs with numbers from 1 to 4 on the edges and the rest in sequential order from 5 to 8 (or 7, counting the empty slot).

Because this one is much more difficult and needs more patience, I haven't been able to solve it yet. From my experience, this can be done within an hour, but I'll have to test it to see if it requires more time.


Wisdom Ball - Wisdom

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This one is quite an intimidating puzzle. The Wisdom version has a straight line of tiles across the middle of all six discs. This is quite a challenge and one that needs to be tackled when one feels confident enough to spend (or waste - depending on your skill level) a couple of hours without too much stress (if that's even possible).

The Wisdom version has a purple body and a mixture of colors from both of its predecessors. It also comes semi-solved, so you have to reorganize the tiles into their respective disc colors. To move the tiles in the middle across the whole perimeter of the ball, you have to align all four discs from top to bottom and rotate the entire line of tiles. This requires a bit of dexterity, but can be easily done.

(Click to Enlarge)
When solved, the Wisdom ball is pretty much the same as the Advanced for two of its discs: numbers from 1 to 4 on the edges and 5 to 8 (or 7, because of one empty slot) on the middle lines.

If the Advanced version is already a pretty good challenge, you can certainly imagine what this one really is when it comes to solving it. Even the process of mixing the tiles is a challenge in its own right, but quite fun, I might add. After that, though, the fun stops and frustration settles in... If you're a beginner, this one is not for you. But you can always practice with the other two and eventually you'll be able to do it on your own. Are you courageous enough?


Closing Comments:

The new and improved Wisdom Balls are a great addition to any collection or to any puzzle fan who likes a good challenge. This is what the improvement to an old version looks like when done right. Everything behaves and looks as it should be. As for me, I'll continue to have lots of fun with the other two Wisdom Balls until I'm able to solve them.

Availability: The Wisdom Balls will soon be available at HKNowStore and PuzzlesdeIngenio.com. The official Wisdom Ball website will also be live in the next few weeks, so stay tuned for it.

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