In Puzzling Places you piece together 3D jigsaw miniatures of locations from around the world. There are no scores or timers — just the simple, relaxing joy of connecting pieces and discovering small details along the way.
Developed by: Realities.io Inc
Played On: Steam
Length: 5 hours (20 hours for completionists)
A review key was provided by Future Friends.
Puzzles and travelling — two things some us do to relax and unwind. Understandably, travelling may not be an option for some due to various reasons. However, puzzles have been here for forever, and with Puzzling Places, it might just help scratch that itch to travel!
Developed by Realities.io Inc, Puzzling Places is a 3D jigsaw puzzle game where you build detailed dioramas of famous landmarks. The game was designed to be a modern take on an age-old pastime. Combining relaxing vibes and immersive yet easy-to-control gameplay, the game gives you a sense of calm and accomplishment at the same time.
More Than Just A Puzzle Sim
The gameplay for Puzzling Places is rather simple. After all, you’re simply doing a puzzle. The game has you first select the puzzle you want to do from your library. From there, you can then select the difficulty you want by increasing the number of pieces you have to sort. To add a little variety to each puzzle, you can select either ‘Classic Mode’ or ‘Journey Mode’.
In Classic Mode, the game simulates how you’d traditionally solve puzzle. All the pieces are laid before you and you have to find out which piece goes where. There will also be a visual indicator to let you know if you’re placing pieces at the right spot. Whereas Journey Mode gives you a few pieces at a time, and adds more as you finish each set of pieces.
While Journey Mode can be a little too hand-holdy for me, in the end both modes still accommodate a peaceful and relaxing time. Unless, of course, your aim is speed, whereby you race against your previous completion record.
An aspect of the game that really immerses you in the puzzle itself are the ambient sounds in the background. I initially thought I had a video playing in the background only to realise it was the game! The sounds in the game are dependent on the puzzle. For example, the Blue Temple one had some chanting and tigers roaring outside. I loved this as it really made me feel as though I was there. The effort to replicate the local sounds is very obvious and appreciated.
Additionally, the detail on the puzzle pieces are incredible. Each diorama allows you to peek into the building and marvel at the intricacies. What also brings Puzzling Places to life are the little people in the puzzles. As you place pieces down, these little people will move to the newly placed piece. It’s as if you were helping them continue their journey!
Far even more of a challenge, you can also choose to hide reference images, or play in black and white via Noir mode. While we played the game on PC, the game also supports VR mode for you to really enjoy the 3D experience.
Verdict – Fun And A Piece-ful Time Guaranteed
Puzzling Places is certainly for puzzle and diorama lovers, or if you just want a peaceful pastime. The sounds and detail for every puzzle is thoroughly researched and replicated. I was happily surprised by my experience and can easily see myself spending hours here to relax. The base game currently has 16 different puzzles to choose from which should be enough to take up several hours, and the developers are even slowly introducing more puzzles which you can purchase.
