One of my favorite pastimes growing up was working on a jigsaw puzzle with family, and even now it’s a popular activity to bring with us on vacations as a way to casually spend some time chatting around the table. This company takes that experience and adds a fun twist by incorporating story and mystery into the mix once the puzzle is finished.
Odd Pieces is a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle experience for any number of players that takes a few hours to complete. The best experience is with 4 players for a more comfortable time around a standard dining table.
Gameplay Overview:
With Odd Pieces, the image on the box is not exactly what you build. Inside the box, you’ll find a list of clues that help you piece the puzzle together, so it keeps your brain engaged! At the end of the experience is a secret envelope to reveal the ultimate twist behind the story. Every box has 1000 puzzle pieces, mini comic book, a hidden clue checklist, and a secret envelope tailored to the box theme.
Game Experience:
I had the pleasure of playing Beyond the Kelp, splashing into a world under the sea where creatures flow through their lives day in and day out. This theme stood out to me most as I love underwater scenes and wanted to get a good look at the artist’s take on the biome. The art thankfully did not disappoint and it honestly created an even greater challenge from the jigsaw perspective.
Some patterns in jigsaw puzzles can be easy to discern but Beyond the Kelp has so many repeat patterns scattered throughout the image that you can get pieces mixed up, spending extra time being convinced that they belong in one place but only later realizing it was under your nose somewhere else the entire time. The default size for Odd Pieces is 1000-pieces so you need to be prepared to give up one of your tables at home for this task unless your plan is to attack this with multiple people in one sitting.
Odd Pieces goes out of its way to include artist profiles, which share details about how they personally relate to the story in the comic or other interesting perspectives to round out your experience. Choosing an Odd Pieces set also has a positive impact outside of the actual sale, as 5% of puzzle sales goes towards supporting undiscovered artists and their journeys. It’s difficult to be in a creative field in this economy, so it’s heartwarming to know that you’re not just buying or playing a soulless manufactured puzzle.
Giving meaning to an activity can definitely make it more interesting, and I appreciate that there is an additional emotional reward outside of the excitement of completing the task. I’m not a jigsaw puzzle enthusiast so having something else to look forward to really helped motivate me when the task became daunting. Suddenly it’s not just putting the pieces together for their own sake but it’s also a step to more discovery later. The vibe and story of Beyond the Kelp was incredibly wholesome, giving all ages something to ponder long after the activity was done.
While I sang the praises of storytelling and mystery earlier in this review, the unfortunate reality of what makes Odd Pieces unique is that the story can be easily forgotten. They are trying to fit quite a few components into a reasonably-sized box so the comic is really just a leaflet, thus limiting what can be communicated. The mystery itself may also be overhyped for this reason as it has its own separate envelope with a warning not to open it unless the puzzle is finished. I was expecting much more out of the mystery than was delivered, though it of course was more engaging than a regular puzzle. I would personally love to see smaller versions just so the reward of figuring out the mystery feels a little more balanced.
Final Thoughts:
This jigsaw puzzle experience is for anyone who would like to add in more things to look forward to other than putting pieces together, while benefiting art philanthropy and uplifting undiscovered artists. However, If you’re looking for something loaded with a rich story and deep mystery with jigsaw as a treat, this experience is not for you. Odd Pieces is a unique take on the activity but should not be overhyped as something significantly more. I’ll also be skipping the game rating for this review as Odd Pieces is really more of an activity than a game.
