The 90s kid in me was incredibly excited when this particular jigsaw arrived. I, like many in my age range, was obsessed with Pokemon when it first came out. I played all the games, watched the anime and of course knew every single one of the original 151 in order. Seeing this puzzle therefore brought back a huge wave of nostalgia.
I want to be the very best…
I am a big jigsaw fan anyway, and typically plump for a Ravensburger thanks to their beautifully clear designs. As you can see below, the design is crisp with each Pokemon visible in the colour coded pattern. Being a 1000 piece jigsaw, there is a naturally a bit of a challenge to the puzzle but it never feels unmanageable.
I think in total this puzzle took me about 10 hours to complete on my own, and this is a pace I feel comfortable with as being both challenging yet not feeling overwhelming. Pieces were also fairly regular so it was obvious enough if something wasn’t going to fit.
To catch them is my real test…
I found that matching up, where possible, the pieces of a particular Pokemon at once was a helpful strategy as was aiming to fill a particular colour block so give myself a sense of order. Even within this, there was enough challenge - for example, when trying to complete Dragonite certain pieces could easily have belonged to Charizard or Garados by simply following the colours.
That said, each character uses the original artwork and is reasonably clear, as well as being size accurate to the game. This makes it easy enough to find and complete a particular character and figure out exactly where in the puzzle that should sit. More than once, I found myself holding pieces I could tell were a very distinctive character - such as Poliwhirl given only 3 could possibly have the spiral pattern - so that i could match these/allocate to a particular era even if I couldn’t actually add them in that particular moment. I feel like for this reason the puzzle actually ends up being a little bit easier than typical 1000 piece puzzles given that I wasn’t faced with the inevitable 40 pieces of sky that look near identical.
Searching far and wide…
Inevitably, smaller characters were far harder to find and complete given they form much smaller details. I did, however, enjoy being able to see the relative sizes when it came to Pokemon evolutions - Eevee, for example, is much smaller and hard to spot even in the completed puzzle than her evolved counterparts Vaporeon, Flareon and Jolteon.
The puzzle itself is quite a table hog, but no moreso than most 1000 piecers. I would however say be prepared to need to clean down the space after putting the puzzle away. As with every Ravensburger puzzle I have ever completed, there is a lot of blue dust in the box and on the table afterwards from the back of the puzzle pieces.
I would say though that the puzzle is very well made. No pieces appeared to damage during in transit nor by misplacement within the puzzle, and the pieces glided easily into place with minimal pressure needed.
Final thoughts
I feel this is a perfect gift for any Pokemon fan who likes a moderate challenge that always feels achievable, provided you have adequate space that you don’t mind sacrificing whilst it’s being constructed. I certainly got a lot of joy from completing it and didn’t find myself getting frustrated at any stage - there was always something I felt I could do or add, rather than sifting endlessly.
I would stress that younger players may struggle here due to the concentration that this does require, and that it would be best for teens through to adults. Pieces are also fairly small, therefore they may present a challenge to those who struggle with their dexterity.
