Image credit: Neon Polygons
I’ll preface this review by saying that I never really did jigsaw puzzles as a child. Maybe that’s why I’m so terrible at this game. Piece by Piece, not to be confused with the LEGO Pharrell Williams movie from 2024 (good movie, incidentally), is a puzzle platformer in which you move jigsaw pieces around a board to reach the exit.
While there was some confusion with another game of the same title releasing the same week (apparently, the devs of both had quite a laugh about it), this game stands out for its difficulty. A wide variety of mechanics make this game a truly… puzzling experience.
Shapes and colors
Initially, this game is relatively straightforward. The focus at the beginning is a mix of simplistic platforming and the enthralling mechanic of puzzle pieces fitting together to create the stage. The first few levels do well to gradually introduce you to the basics of puzzle solving.
You’ll quickly learn that moving puzzle pieces in preparation for jumps, as well as quickly shifting the piece in which your character resides, are essential for most levels. A mechanic you are introduced to early, and my personal favourite part of the game, any puzzle piece in which your character is currently in can also be moved, freezing your character in place. This will be used effectively in some stages, as lining up a character with a drop or another platform is the solution to a few levels.
There aren’t too many levels in the game, quite disappointingly; however, what is there is very well considered. While a skilled player would likely be able to beat the entire game in under 3 hours, gaining that skill will take the most time.
Throughout the course of the game, you’ll be introduced to a litany of mechanics from rotating pieces to certain paths that will lock you into a movement trajectory. These mechanics do well to add variety to later levels. The format of these levels will have you doing 5 stages with a new mechanic, 5 other stages with a different mechanic, and then 10 stages with both of the mechanics present.
This format works well to gradually expose players to new challenges and progressively build confidence in the gameplay loop as a whole. An issue with this is that some levels can end up feeling the same. I occasionally found myself wondering whether I was accidentally repeating a level. But this issue is mostly limited to the early stages, before the more interesting mechanics get introduced.
It all fits together
This game has a very defined style, with some charming sprites and a changing theme for each new mechanic. As such, it’s quite fun witnessing the subtle changes the devs have made to the art style in each level.
The music is simplistic; however, it does suit the game. While it does tend to loop, perhaps more often than one can tolerate, it matches the general feel of the game very well. Especially with this game’s approach to puzzle-solving, which provides very little in terms of “action”, the more mellow melodies are appropriate.
Overall, Piece By Piece’s approach to puzzle solving is very interesting. While it may be quite short, and some of the levels are more confusing than fun, what is there is very entertaining. Its stylised appearance and equally charming sound design make it a fun intellectual exercise.
To put a fine point on it, this review was supposed to release earlier, but I wasn’t able to beat the game in time. Whether that’s a comment on the game or my general lack of jigsaw puzzle ability, if you like puzzle games or platformers, Piece by Piece is worth a try.
FAQs
Depending on your ability at jigsaw puzzles, Piece by Piece could take anywhere between 2 hours and 6. Something worthy of note is that getting the 100% would not take much longer than the base game, as most of the “collectibles” are on the path to completion.
Despite sharing a name and releasing in the same week, the two games could not be more different. The Piece by Piece, which this review isn’t about, is a “cozy” life-sim with puzzle-solving elements, where this Piece by Piece focuses solely on puzzle-platforming.
Depends. I’m terrible at jigsaw puzzles and object orientation, but decent at platformers, so I got by with some difficulty. I am, however, positive that a more experienced puzzler would have a much easier time.
Yes, however, not like you know them. While platforming is at the base of every level, the moving of puzzle pieces and utilising the various mechanics is really where most of the difficulty comes from; as such, most of your time will be spent doing that.
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