We’re big fans of VR puzzle games here at XRSource. From the jigsaw-based Puzzling Places to the narrative-driven Ghost Town, there’s plenty to choose from. The latest to arrive as an Early Access title for Meta Quest is Puzzles of the World, but as our partners at 131XR discovered in their review, it’s lacking puzzles.
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It’s a Puzzling World
As the name suggests, Puzzles of the World takes you on a journey to far-off lands, where you can sit in tranquillity and piece together puzzles – or more accurately, models. Designed as a very relaxing experience where you can set the mood with different music, rearrange all the different elements so they’re easily in reach, and then get to work.
Each model is themed on the area of the world you find yourself in. The first puzzle is set in Kyoto, Japan, tasking you with carefully putting together a traditional Japanese building. Heading over to Venice, Italy, and you’ll find yourself in one of the famous canals, building an authentic gondola.
However, that’s where the content stops.
Puzzles of the World Review
As 131XR finds in its review of Puzzles of the World, the puzzles are intricate and put together very well. The game uses hand tracking throughout, which can be a little bit finicky in places, yet 131XR acknowledges that this is more of a Meta Quest issue than an app problem.
All the pieces are laid out on an adjustable table, with an instruction manual to help guide the build, whilst a CD player is on hand to swap through different tunes. It’s all delightfully peaceful and easy to get to grips with, casually placing even the smallest of pieces that lock in place.
As mentioned, the elephant in the room is that there are only two puzzles at launch. Developer Astral Shores suggest a 40-minute completion time for the Japanese puzzle and 20 minutes for the Venice puzzle. However, 131XR complete both in 20 minutes, making for a very limited experience. 131XR does realise that Puzzles of the World is in Early Access, but would expect at least three or four more.
More Please!
As it turns out, Puzzles of the World is a very enjoyable, well-presented game. There’s just not enough of it. Launching with only two puzzles does seem highly unusual, considering that even at a slow pace, you may only get an hour out of the game.
Puzzles of the World’s fundamentals are certainly there, and the game has great scope for additional models to build. The question is, how long will Astral Shores wait to update the game? 131XR recommends you hold off on buying until more puzzles arrive, hopefully in a free update. Currently, it’s unclear what the studios’ roadmap looks like post-launch.
Are you going to dive into Puzzles of the World? Or are you going to wait for more content? Let us know in the comments.
