Jigsaw Savant Review

If you’re anything like me, then you’ll appreciate the opportunity to take a break from the more intense games you have in rotation. What better way to slow the pace down than with a nice puzzle? Jigsaw Savant is the debut release from Triple Cyclone Games.

You play as an elderly master elf who has to help Santa Claus retrieve all the presents stolen by Frogman, the devious antagonist who looks suspiciously like Tim Burton’s Mad Hatter painted green. You’re faced with a series of puzzles, which act as Frogman’s dazzlingly trivial attempt at stopping your quest. They start simple and become more complicated as you progress, including the added element of a time limit, as well as other mechanics to challenge you.

Oh yeah, this is going to be one wiiiild Saturday night.

The first thing I noticed about Jigsaw Savant was the peculiar clashing art style for the characters, from the Frogman that seems to have escaped from an early 2000’s bowling alley scoreboard CGI animation, to the elf that just looks more akin to Grandpa Joe from Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. The art style of the whole game appears to have just been built from stock graphics, with the jigsaw puzzle designs consisting of, what I assume to be, public domain paintings, as well as textures and backgrounds that wouldn’t look out of place on a Windows ME computer.

Why did his side of the family get all the good genes?

The story is rather basic, and just an excuse to provide you with new puzzles and introduce various nerfs, such as the Frogman coughing to knock pieces that you’ve already placed on the board back into your pile. I’ll be honest though, if you were looking at a game like Jigsaw Savant to give you hard-hitting narratives, you’re definitely barking up the wrong tree, and although I appreciate the attempt of making a basic puzzle game more saucy, the extra mechanics more often frustrate and get in the way of the cosy atmosphere this title otherwise cultivates.

Where Jigsaw Savant really shines is genuinely as just a relaxing experience. The art style, though somewhat clashing, really lends itself to making Jigsaw Savant feel like a bit of a surreal dream, and the variety of backing music coupled with the sound of a softly crackling fire helps build a mellow calmness that made me want to get ready for bed after each play session. Although saying a game can make you sleepy sounds negative, I found it to be a particularly charming aspect. Why can’t a videogame be enjoyed in the same way a bedtime story is?

Videogames are a great escape into the realm of fantasy, like the concept of owning a house, as demonstrated here.

You might approach this hoping for a deeper layer to be uncovered, but it is really just puzzles all the way down — as far down as I could traverse, at least — and that’s not exactly a bad thing. Although a July release is a bit of a misfire for a game built entirely on winter and Christmas theming — a jovial “Merry Christmas” chimes in upon a puzzle completion — Jigsaw Savant could be a pleasant gift to get someone come December. The price tag is a little steep for the amount of gametime you’re getting here, but Jigsaw Savant would be a great pick-up during a sale, as well as a neat little digital stocking-filler.