Magical Jigsaw SANTA Review

Magical Jigsaw SANTA is a charming puzzle app for iPad with a lovely Christmas theme.

This app is a very good simulation of building a large, classic 96 piece jigsaw puzzle. I really like that although there are many pieces, each piece is not too small to work with - an issue I sometimes face with some more detailed jigsaws.

Opening up to a wood table top where this puzzle is going to be built, a handful of random pieces is offered; others can be found in the tray at the bottom of the screen that can be pulled out to retrieve more pieces.

It is interesting that a see-through piece which one works on is laid over the table itself. This glass-like top section allows players to move the puzzle that is forming around the screen, allowing a better view of the corners, edges or other areas.

These pieces look very realistic compared to traditional cardboard jigsaw pieces, with subtle shadowing which gives each piece the depth that one would expect from a simple puzzle piece. The art work, spread out among all these pieces is lovely, being a traditional view of Santa and his reindeer pulling the sleigh through the sky - an iconic image that is very nicely done.

At 96 pieces, it is very helpful to start sorting edge, corner and middle pieces. I like that the tray holds extra pieces which are not in play at the moment, but I really wish that pieces could be put back into the tray, not just removed, as I end up with a lot of pieces on my tabletop still in a pile in the center and very much still in my way, as remaining pieces can get lost in the hole being formed as the perimeter becomes completed if the puzzle itself is moved directly instead of moving the glass.

I have also noticed that once the edges have been completed, the puzzle can be partially slid off the glass - something that can’t be done with the individual pieces, all of which makes for a slightly less intuitive game play that takes some getting used to.

I don’t quite understand why the puzzle and the glass can be moved separately or together depending on where one is dragging a finger or truly understand the inclusion of the glass-like section in the first place, but I may be missing something that those who are more familiar with jigsaw puzzles would appreciate.

It is nice that a peek of the completed image is available with a tap, allowing one to see the puzzle as a whole for a moment before fading away, serving as a hint without allowing one to simply work from it as a template of sorts.

It is odd, however, that this image is only helpful if one understands that the footprint of this puzzle does not take up the entire glass surface as there is a wide margin at the bottom of the glass not being used, making these hints line up awkwardly until this sizing issue is understood.

For the most part, these puzzle pieces have a nice level of “grab” as the correct pieces are joined, snapping together like one would expect from a traditional puzzle. This effect, however, is not included with every pair made and it can be disconcertingly absent sometimes when correct pieces are added to this puzzle, as multiple pieces that all interlock within the same piece are sometimes needed for the snapping together to register - an issue I hope can be looked at in a future update.

Even with these issues, this is a very nice puzzle application that will keep both children and adults busy. It is fun how when pieces fit together, the brief sound of jingle bells can be heard, and it is intriguing how other noises are included when corresponding areas of this app become matched, such as the horse-like animal noises heard when the reindeer pieces are put together, as well as a horn, drum or Santa sounds. A nice detail of the lights flickering when the houses in the distance are completed is also included.

The image one is working on has a lovely vintage feel that adults will enjoy as much as children will, and it is charming how this puzzle, once complete, becomes an animated scene while still maintaining its period quality, first with simple but effective articulations, then ultimately flying across the page.

Toys are left to interact with, including a horn, a drum, balls and a doll that can be tossed around the page and into each other, as well including some fun sound effects.

I do hope I have not come across as overly critical in my review, as I think this would be a nice application for those who are puzzle enthusiasts, be it child or adult, and with 96 pieces, this puzzle is lengthier to solve than many other puzzle apps - great for long trips with no concern of losing any puzzle pieces. The music included is also very soothing to listen to for extended periods of time - something that I find in general to be very important.

It would be wonderful if in the future, this app will be able to save the progress one has made in the puzzle as I can imagine that many families do not have the time to complete this puzzle in one sitting, and here, closing the app or even tapping the icon for the title page will reset the puzzle. This is especially an issue as one can tap a button to open the tray right next to the title icon, making it possible to lose any work put into this puzzle by accident.

Having said this, Magical Jigsaw SANTA is an app that I do recommend, even with its limitations, as I appreciate the vintage quality found within and like how involved a jigsaw puzzle this app is - not commonly seen in puzzle applications.