The art of simplicity is a puzzle of complexity…
This is going to be short and sweet. Well short anyway, I can’t promise anything ‘sweet’ about my writing! Anyway, what I mean to say is…there are two types of people in the world. Those who are good at visual puzzles and those who are not…I fall into the latter camp. I have never been very good and looking at shapes and visualising patterns, despite being a very creative brain, this form of puzzle has always been a challenge. I hated maths where everything had a place, but loved art and design where I could throw away all constraints and instead rely on interpretation and creative endeavour. I admire anyone who can see shapes and measurements and just make them fit. I sit now and watch my two year old niece pushing circles into circular holes and triangles into triangular holes and I am in awe!
The art of simplicity is a puzzle of complexity…
This is going to be short and sweet. Well short anyway, I can’t promise anything ‘sweet’ about my writing! Anyway, what I mean to say is…there are two types of people in the world. Those who are good at visual puzzles and those who are not…I fall into the latter camp. I have never been very good and looking at shapes and visualising patterns, despite being a very creative brain, this form of puzzle has always been a challenge. I hated maths where everything had a place, but loved art and design where I could throw away all constraints and instead rely on interpretation and creative endeavour. I admire anyone who can see shapes and measurements and just make them fit. I sit now and watch my two year old niece pushing circles into circular holes and triangles into triangular holes and I am in awe!
Andre Perriolat’s Katamino came out originally in 1992 and is less of a game and more of a pocket full of brain exercise and for those of you who sit on the bus doing your daily Sudoku then this is absolutely for you! What you get is a box full of different shapes and colours all five cubes in size that all fit together to make a rectangle. You also get a booklet of very loose instructions and that’s it, you are on your own. I can tell…some of you are already terrified.
Katamino offers over five hundred different challenges which in itself is incredibly impressive. Using the booklet you will select a challenge, either in order of difficulty or you can just randomly select one. It will give you a selection of shapes and tell you what size quadrangle you will be able to fill using said shapes. You use a little plastic divider in the box to set up the space and away you go. There is however, no help and no answer in the booklet so you really have to be someone who loves to persevere. Obviously, the bigger the space to fill and the more shapes, the harder the challenges become.
Some people will absolutely adore this box of wonder and if you have read this far you will know if you are one of those people. I am not. I instead spent my time throwing puzzle pieces across the table in acts of childish frustration, but I can totally see the appeal. I managed to solve one and the rush of endorphins was amazing. The meditative state that can be achieved when sitting alone with a good puzzle (for me it’s painting miniatures) is incredible and you can’t argue that Katamino offers more puzzle than I have ever seen in a box of that size.
If even the slightest part of this review makes you wince, then run away, this game is not for you, however for those out there who are intrigued then I guarantee you will not be disappointed!
