This puzzle made me crazy
25/4/2025
Translation: Elicia Payne
Pictures: Stefanie Lechthaler
You enjoy riddles and like to do puzzles? Ravensburger Escape Puzzles combine the best of both worlds. I’ve tried one out and come to the conclusion: it could be better.
The choice of motifs for the Escape Puzzles is somewhere between fantasy kitsch and fairytale landscape. Visually, they don’t knock my socks off – but the promise of riddles arouses my curiosity. Because when the puzzle is complete, the game’s far from over.
I want to see for myself, so I borrow one from a friend. The difficulty level is medium, and with 759 pieces , the «Unicorn» should be easy to complete – at least I think so.
How it works
The frame story consists of two paragraphs about a unicorn that’s lost the magic of its horn in a battle against a wizard. If it doesn’t get it back, it’ll soon die.
It’s serious – a matter of life and death.
But that’s pretty much all the instructions reveal about the story. As for the game itself, it explains that the motif is different from the one on the packaging, there are seven riddles hidden in the puzzle, and the edge pieces play a decisive role. If I get stuck, I can scan the QR code to get hints or solutions. The final solution to the Escape Puzzle is in a sealed envelope.
Puzzles done differently
The first challenge awaits me while I’m doing the puzzle. Because I can’t use the packaging motif anyway, I put the box to one side and sort the pieces by colour and edge pieces. Then, I get stuck in, grabbing whichever piece next. Nothing unusual about that so far. At some point I realise my strategy is very chaotic. The edge pieces don’t make any sense; it’s better to refer to the motif on the packaging after all. From then on, it runs like clockwork and I can see where the riddles might be hidden in the finished motif.
The riddles (no spoilers)
I stare haphazardly at the puzzle for fifteen minutes. I search in vain for help in the instructions. For anything that would indicate where to begin. Do I have to focus on the colours? Is it about symbols? It could all be important. I’m overwhelmed.
Experienced escapists and puzzlers would probably be able to interpret the clues more quickly, but I don’t stand a chance. I reach for my phone and load up the solution page. There I find a picture of the finished puzzle. The seven riddles are marked. I’d already found six of the seven tasks, but I was surprised by the last one. I try one last time – and fail.
I’m given three clues per riddle on the homepage. If these aren’t enough, I can reveal the entire solution path. I ask for help. Even when I start to get a better understanding of the direction the riddles could take, the clues only help me so far. I’m always having to cheat because new elements that have nothing to do with the riddle or the story are added in and I’d never have thought of them on my own. Maybe it’s different for people who have «Escape Master» written all over them. For an occasional puzzler like me, the whole thing’s pretty frustrating.
From the seven riddles, I eventually figure out the solution to the Escape Puzzle. It’s pretty smart. Too bad I didn’t quite figure it out myself. That would’ve probably been more satisfying.
In a nutshell
Best for puzzling, worst for riddles
The Escape Puzzle tries to combine two things. One is a jigsaw puzzle with a different motif than the one shown on the packaging. The second is an escape puzzle for the riddle experts. But, it hasn’t quite mastered either. The instructions in the manual are very vague. I can’t solve the riddles without help. New elements are constantly being added that were never mentioned before, so I didn’t particularly enjoy solving the riddles.
Pro
- A new way of puzzling
- Cool idea
Contra
- Random riddles
Header image: Stefanie Lechthaler
Painting the walls just before handing over the flat? Making your own kimchi? Soldering a broken raclette oven? There's nothing you can't do yourself. Well, perhaps sometimes, but I'll definitely give it a try.
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