I love a good puzzle that can be put together in a series of steps, where a well-thought-out plan can be executed without fail. More exciting than that is to see the plan come to life and followed through without deviation. Chinese Lanterns from emerging puzzle company Puzzledly (IG handle @puzzled.ly) is one such puzzle. From start to finish, I knew what I wanted to work on, stuck with the plan, and was able to finish the puzzle as I expected to, thereby allowing this puzzle journey to become an exercise in catharsis while I was dealing with some personal issues in life. When it seemed that things were not going as planned in life, this puzzle helped me understand that things do not always have to go the way I want them to, but it does not mean that they can’t, and every once in a while, a plan can be executed perfectly!
Delivery
The puzzle was delivered priority mail and came in a reasonable timeframe, with no issues with tracking or reaching my home. The puzzle came in a box, and the puzzle was wrapped in bubble wrap. The puzzle box itself was not damaged.
Packaging
The puzzle pieces came in a plastic bag. The puzzle also came with a picture of the puzzle. On the back of the picture was a thank you, discount code for a future purchase, and feedback/support option from Puzzledly.
Pieces
Construction
These pieces are thick, medium weight, and multilayered, with white backing. The pieces’ construction is like Galison’s puzzle construction.
Puzzle Dust
There is a lot of puzzle dust to deal with upon opening the puzzle bag. I ran the pieces through the colander for about 5-7 minutes to get most of the dust off the pieces. I did not have any problems with excess dust and did not see any on the table during and after the puzzle’s assembly.
Appearance
These pieces were made with a semi-gloss finish. Though there were no issues with glare, the light’s direction would sometimes make it difficult to discern between different shades of a color (in this case, the crimson/burgundy background and the greens of the leaves and stems). This did not cause a deterrent to the puzzle’s enjoyment. But I did have to adjust my position to ensure I knew what pieces I was working with to solve the puzzle.
Image Quality
The image render was amazing! The details are sharp and crisp, so I knew exactly what puzzle piece I was working with and where it should go. The puzzle pops brightly when standing far away.
Assembly
I started putting the puzzle together with the frame first, and then followed this direction: lanterns, big dark/light pink flowers, big purple/lavender flowers, little red roses, little purple flowers, little pink flowers, green leaves, turquoise leaves, and all stems. The little pink flowers gave me the most trouble because there were no distinguishing elements that made pieces appear on the surface that they fit together. I especially loved putting the little flowers (roses, purple, and pink) because after their assembly, I had to figure out where in the puzzle they were supposed to go, which became a puzzle in itself and also helped the solve itself by creating little chunks of spaces for the pieces to go. Because the pieces are built with tight locking, it was easy to move chunks of puzzle from one place to another without fear of them falling apart. In fact, at one point I needed to move the puzzle off my table and onto a foam board, and I made a colossal mistake when I shifted the board midway through the move. I was certain that the puzzle was going to fall apart, and I would have to solve it all over again from the beginning. But Puzzledly’s puzzle construction held up so well that, even while a quarter of the puzzle was hanging off the ground and table, I was able to get it back on the table in ONE PIECE and continue the transition. An absolute WIN for Puzzledly! That is one way to see if the puzzle can pass the pick-it-up test for sure.
Replay Value
I would not mind putting this puzzle together again. I enjoyed the time I spent on it and believe that it will bring me the same joy a second time around.
Satisfaction
Overall, this puzzle gets an 8/10 from me. The repeating pattern of the puzzle allowed a methodical approach to be executed without issue. The pieces hold together very well and passed the pick-it-up test in an unexpected way and won me over! The semi-gloss does not create a glare, though one may have issues differentiating between shades of colors at times. The details are crisp enough to easily know where a piece is supposed to go. Puzzledly earned my respect in a huge way and will get business from me for life!