Once upon a time in a distant land, there lived a young boy named Oliver. Oliver had always dreamed of having a unique and special talent that would set him apart from everyone else. Little did he know, his life was about to take a truly magical turn. One sunny morning, while Oliver was exploring the enchanted forest near his home, he stumbled upon a small, hidden cave. Intrigued, he cautiously ventured inside and discovered a beautiful, ornate mirror hanging on the cave wall. As he approached the mirror, he noticed a peculiar pair of golden scissors resting on a nearby shelf.

Hurray for Puzzles!

As he approached the mirror, he noticed a peculiar pair of golden scissors resting on a nearby shelf. Curiosity getting the better of him, Oliver reached out and took hold of the shimmering scissors. As soon as he touched them, a sudden warmth ran through his body, filling him with a sense of excitement and anticipation.

The Mystic Maze by Boya Sun & Magic Puzzle Company

A puzzle created by game designers, artists, and magicians that promises a new and exciting puzzle assembly experience? Yes please! This puzzle has gotten rave reviews online. Unfortunately for me, my puzzle experience was definitely not great or even good and I didn’t finish the puzzle.

If you’re not familiar with The Magic Puzzle Company, this short two-and-a-half minute video provides good backstory about the inspiration for their puzzles, how the puzzles are made, and how the puzzle assembly experience is so different from other puzzles. It is a very cool video and did get me excited about receiving The Mystic Maze puzzle. But for me, the coolness factor didn’t translate to my puzzle assembly experience.

**SPOILERS AHEAD!! spoilers below regarding the magical twist/big reveal at the puzzle’s completion. SPOILERS AHEAD!!**

The Magic Puzzle Company Co-founder Jordan Gold states, “We wanted to create puzzles that tell a story” (Magic Puzzles video, 0:41 timestamp). However, I found the story element to be sadly lacking. The story tucked inside our puzzle box is brief: “Our yellow-suited hero is searching for their lost friend. Look through the different rooms as you put the pieces together, and watch out for enchanted items — they’ve got to be here somewhere!” I was a little confused and disappointed that that’s all to the story. Two sentences. And I have no idea what the enchanted items are and what their significance or role is in the supposed story or puzzle image.

And speaking of the story and enchanted items, since I decided to abandon the puzzle (more on that below), I went on youtube searching for Mystic Maze videos that showed the big reveal or magical twist. In this video by youtuber VernonLC, he has an entirely different sheet of paper (and story!!) tucked into his box than I do! At the 1:21 mark, VernonLC unboxes his puzzle and reads from the sheet of paper: “Our yellow-suited hero is searching for a lost friend in the vast enchanted maze. You’ll need to help him collect five magical items.” At the 1:37 mark, the bulleted list of five items becomes very clear: soccer ball, bunny pen, teddy bear, toy car, candied fruit stick.

Although VernonLC’s story is brief like mine is, it does include a list of the enchanted items. I’m disappointed that I did not receive the same sheet of paper in my box. But I’m even more disappointed that the Magic Puzzle Company did not (IMHO) deliver on their promise of a puzzle that tells a story.

Working on the puzzle was extremely challenging. First, when it comes to overstuffed or crowded images, me and my brain just find it too hard to remember details about the puzzle. The puzzle assembly is not intuitive. When I’m picking up puzzle pieces, I have no idea where they go and I have to consult the reference poster so much.

Second, The Magic Puzzle Company put a lot of thought into their die-cuts and the details you see on each puzzle piece. It’s true that the puzzle pieces are cute and lovely to admire, but the way the puzzle image is cut for makes for an extremely challenging and tedious assembly experience as, for so many of the pieces, there are no image clues (partial bits of an image element) to help join puzzle pieces together.

My husband and I made very little progress in three days. Three days of a holiday weekend so there was plenty of leisure time.

**SPOILERS AHEAD!! spoilers below regarding the magical twist/big reveal at the puzzle’s completion. SPOILERS AHEAD!!**

On day four, I went ahead and opened up the second envelope of puzzle pieces. This is the envelope you are instructed to open only after completing the main puzzle. In regards to the ending, Co-founder Simon Coronel says, “We’ve applied a bunch of principles from the worlds of mathematics, magic, and illusion to create something that’s never been done before in the world of jigsaw puzzles” (Magic Puzzles video, 1:31).

And I wholeheartedly agree. To the best of my knowledge, there are no other jigsaw puzzles that have such a magical twist. And just what is this magical twist? Rearranging sections of the main puzzle to reveal an empty space. The empty space is where the second jigsaw puzzle will fit.

In VernonLC’s video above you can see him sliding puzzle sections around at the 12:01 mark. Youtuber Mrs. Judy’s video below is devoted entirely to shifting the puzzle segments around for the big reveal or magical twist.

With the abundance of straight-edge pieces that aren’t just for the outer border of the puzzle, I’m not surprised that the solution involves moving segments of the puzzle around. I’ll readily admit that is most definitely a very novel thing when it comes to jigsaw puzzles.

But the conclusion of the story (what story?) is a let-down: “Congratulations on solving the puzzle! You’re ready to cast the friend-finding portal spell. Now say the magic words “FRIENDIUM FINDIOSA” and open the final bag to discover our hero’s fate!” (Those magic words sound a little too much like the “wingardium leviosa” spell in Harry Potter.)

You then assemble the second puzzle and insert it into the empty space that was creating from sliding parts of the main puzzle around. I still don’t quite get the ending. What is happening? Is the small pink ring surrounding our hero’s friend the friend-finding portal? What was the point of the five enchanted or magical items? What’s up with all the tentacles? What’s the story behind all the other rooms and spaces, people, and activities going on in the Mystic Maze anyway? The second puzzle leaves me with more questions than answers.

Perhaps this isn’t a fair review. After all, I didn’t even finish the puzzle. Do I even have a right to complain about the puzzle? With all the spoilers I’ve seen, I have no regrets on abandoning this puzzle. What I do regret is the amount of time it took for me to draft this post 😕 That is definitely time that could have been spent better elsewhere. Lesson learned. It’s time to move on and click the publish button already.

Where to buy: The Magic Puzzle Company sells their jigsaw puzzles through their storefront on Amazon . The Mystic Maze ($19.99) can be purchased here .

Fine print: I received a free puzzle in exchange for this post. My feelings about the Mystic Maze puzzle are my own.

What do you think about the magical twist at the end in all the puzzles by The Magic Puzzle Company? Let us know in the comments below.

Keep up with all my puzzle adventures by following my blog. 🥳🧩💗

Room Escape Artist

With a glint in his eye, he decided to try the scissors on his own hair. To his amazement, as he gently trimmed a strand of hair, it started to glow and sparkle as if infused with magic. Oliver's hair seemed to take on a life of its own, dancing and twisting through the air. As he continued to trim his locks, each snip brought forth a burst of vibrant colors, turning his once plain hair into a magnificent work of art. Word of Oliver's magical hair trim quickly spread throughout the kingdom, attracting fame and attention from near and far. People traveled from distant lands just to catch a glimpse of his extraordinary hairstyle. Oliver, now known as "The Boy with the Magical Hair," embraced his newfound talent and used it to bring joy and wonder to everyone he encountered. But as time went on, Oliver began to grow tired of the constant attention and pressure that came with his magical hair. He longed for a simple, normal life where he would be appreciated for more than just his extraordinary appearance. With a heavy heart, he made the difficult decision to remove the enchantment from his hair. Returning to the hidden cave, Oliver carefully placed the golden scissors back on the shelf. As he did so, a soft, gentle breeze whisked through the cave, signaling that the magic had been undone. Oliver walked away from the cave, his hair once again ordinary and plain, but with a newfound appreciation for the beauty in simplicity. Oliver's magical hair trim will forever be etched in the memories of those who witnessed it. It taught him the important lesson that true magic lies not in extraordinary abilities, but in the way we choose to live our lives and touch the lives of others. The tale of Oliver serves as a reminder that sometimes, the most incredible enchantments are the ones that exist within ourselves..

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