I never thought I’d be excited to talk about a jigsaw puzzle game, not that there’s anything WRONG with jigsaw puzzles mind you, it’s just that it’s not the most glamorous type of game. But seriously, who doesn’t love putting together a good jigsaw puzzle? Especially ones with beautiful art. That’s what caught my attention with the announcement that artist Mandie Manzano had teamed up with Spanish developer Octo Mini for Mandie Manzano Jigsaw Puzzle Art, a digital jigsaw puzzle game exclusively for iOS featuring 40 of the artist’s absolutely stunning stained glass-style paintings. Check out the trailer.
Jigsaw puzzles are awesome because they can be both extremely challenging but also quite relaxing. They can also be kind of messy and sort of a pain in the butt as they clutter up your coffee table for days or weeks at a time. Which makes a digital jigsaw puzzle solution extremely attractive. I’ve played quite a few jigsaw puzzle games on iOS over the years, and despite the simple concept it’s easy for a developer to blow it. Mandie Manzano Jigsaw Puzzle Art has the art part in the bag, but everything else will come down to usability on a touchscreen. With the ability to choose between 12-2000 pieces, the ability to keep pieces in a “tray" or right on the board, and ultra high-res art so you can zoom in or out as much as you like, it sounds like it’s on the right track. We’ll find out for ourselves when Mandie Manzano Jigsaw Puzzle Art launches next week on May 18th.