The Magic Puzzle Company – The Sunny City [Review]

Sunny side up

Location:  at home

Date Played: February 6, 2021

Team size: we recommend 1-4

Duration: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Price: about $20

REA Reaction

For our third adventure into The Magic Puzzle Company’s unusual jigsaw puzzles we assembled The Sunny City. This installment had a more muted, mature vibe without the overt playfulness of The Mystic Maze and The Happy Isles. This puzzle felt like it was designed with someone else in mind, and I say that not as judgment, but as a compliment.

Setting aside aesthetics, The Sunny City felt similar to The Happy Isles. Daunting at first glance, these puzzles were cleverly designed such that little details throughout the puzzle made these seemingly similar sections far more approachable than they’d initially appeared… and for me that continued to feel more magical than the actual magical transformations offered by these jigsaw puzzles.

Of the original three puzzles, while this one didn’t speak to me on an emotional level, I can easily imagine folks who would greatly prefer this over the others. Regardless of my sensibilities, I genuinely enjoyed puzzling through The Sunny City. I hope that we see more from The Magic Puzzle Company; I think they are onto something.

Series Overview

This review only covers details specific to this individual Magic Puzzle Company jigsaw puzzle.

For a detailed explanation of the concept and mechanics, and a general analysis of the entire product line, check out our The Magic Puzzle Company Overview.

Analysis

➕ Each Magic Puzzle Company jigsaw used a different cut pattern. I think that The Sunny City had the most interesting cut of the original batch. It thematically fit the puzzle well.

➕ With texture, colors, depths, and positioning, the subtle clues within The Sunny City were brilliantly crafted to facilitate solving. While this puzzle certainly was challenging, it looked far more daunting than it was.

➖ I don’t think that the transformation in The Sunny City was as satisfying as in the other two Magic Puzzle Company puzzles. It didn’t have the same kind of foreshadowing and buildup.

❓ Everything about The Sunny City was more understated than in the other two Magic Puzzle Company jigsaw puzzles. From the colors, to the layout, to the transformation, it felt more restrained. This wasn’t a good or a bad thing, but simply a preference.

Buy your copy of The Magic Puzzle Company’s The Sunny City, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

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