White Jigsaw
The problem with jigsaw puzzles is that they engage two conflicting parts of my brain: my hatred of disorder, and my utter lack of desire to do anything about it. You open the box and there they are, laughing at you, hundreds (thousands, maybe?) of oddly-shaped bits of cardboard. Some of them are even upside-down!
White Jigsaw, by Taro Ito of gamedesign.jp, solves a lot of those problems. There's no picture, the pieces can't be rotated or flipped over, and it starts off small: a 4x3 puzzle of 12 totally white pieces. That's right, it's not called White Jigsaw for nothing. The game is not hard by any means, but it's not really intended to be. It's intended to be evil, but in a nice way.
You begin each level the way your grandma taught you: the edges first, working your way in. By the third level you're taking guesses at some of the middle pieces, and you're probably right most of the time. Soon you're staring at a 11x8 88-piece monster and wondering how you got there, and why can't you just stop? I got hooked on the pattern matching, scanning the available pieces, searching for that one pattern I'd locked into my head, and feeling that rush as the last handful of pieces click into place.
The thing about jigsaw puzzles is that the finish is what you're playing for, and this is no exception. The designer has taken away the picture, but by feeding the puzzles to you in ever-increasing sizes you get drawn in little by little to his masochistic master plan. I couldn't help myself: every time I finished a level I felt flush with joy that I'd earned the right to move on to the next level, only to be crestfallen at what I'd gotten myself into.
Be careful, this game is utterly addictive.
Aaah, now this is a game colour-blind people can play!
Wow, my eyes are hurting. I've just started 9x6 and I'm beginining to wonder if a bigger monitor may be useful soon.
It isn't hard, but it is quite addictive.
yes it is simple, yes it is repetitive, yes it is addicting....
I'm on 12x9 puzzle. Is there an end? I want to stop, but it won't let me. If I know there is a final puzzle, I could justify continuing. Otherwise, EVIL, EVIL, EVIL.
For Graeme: FIRST!!
Just evil... I can't get any work done at school with a game like this. >_
Adult Beverage - Although there are a lot of games here to play, the "first" game is not one of them. ;)
I'm onto the 12x9. I've decided that I have to sort the pieces, but it still takes ages.
Anyone reach the "end" yet? If I know there is an end, I will continue :)
I'm on 15x11. Eyes have just about had it. Is there an end? BTW, you can right click and zoom in to see better. Click and drag to see rest of screen.
I've got to ask... why 'addicting' rather than 'addictive'?
Boo, not Mozilla friendly. Or do I just need an update? Heh.
Emma - no problems here with Mozilla and this game, and I've tried both Camino and Firefox browsers.
Glenn -
I actually changed that at the last minute before posting, for no good reason. It sounded better last night at 10pm, but sounds a little awkward now.
While you are right that addictive may be more correct based on what I was trying to say (and I probably should have just left it), I've done a thoroughly non-exhaustive google search on the topic.
While the two convey different meanings, addicting is not necessarily incorrect grammatically. It just means something semantically different from what I meant to say.
So yes, White Jigsaw is addicting and addictive. Yeah!
I'm on 13 X 9 and wonder how many more puzzles there are. When will they stop. I had to go take a smoke break seeing as how I'm not getting much work done becuase of this white screen i keep trying to peice together. Great game to "ADDICTING"
After 15x11 comes 16x12. Didn't finish that one.
I got to 12 x 9 before I got tired of it - partly because my eyes were starting to hurt, but also because it didn't feel right. I've solved many a jigsaw puzzle in my life (the hardest one being a Ravensburger Think: Krypt III puzzle), and one of the things I noticed with this one was that I found it hard finding the right pieces because I couldn't feel them. Usually, I can tell if a piece fits by a) looking at it and b) feeling its edges, but in this case, I was deprived of one very important channel of information and really suffered from it.
Can't...stop...playing...
I can't decide if I'm going to attempt the 12x9 or not. *does not close browser and goes to lunch*
im on 13x9. eyes are going funny now. does anyone know how many puzzles there are?
And if someone has not yet noticed, you can have a break since the game seems to use cookies for saving the last level. Or this is the case if you stay on the same computer and it is not set to delete the cookies between sessions.
14x10.... *sob*
haha I like this game. A bit like dice wars in simplicity, only even more simple, but also fun.
This game ceased to be fun around the 5th puzzle...and yet, I. just. cannot. stop.
Am at 14x10 and in desperate need of an intervention.
I need to play music...this needs a background of some kind. Very addictive and addicting...
I'm on 16 x 12
I find myself wondering how much further this thing will go.
Also, I don't ever seem to have enough time to work on it for too long so I am having to not turn my computer off.
The computer is starting to act up! Gonna need a reboot soon!
Thank God. I accidently reloaded the game when trying to view the comments. Jay, you were cruel to post this game. Any further submissions by dancemonkey should be viewed with suspicion, as I think he is out to have everyone stuck to their computers while he commits some other nefarious deed. It is now up to you to stop him by finding out if there is any end to this game.
bj8rn-You must be a tactile/kinetic learner! I never thought about how taking a jigsaw into the computer would bother a kinetic learner.
(Sorry for the off subject! Learning styles is something that fascinates me.) Just so you know I'm a visual learner and got bored at about the 3rd puzzle, but kept on to the 13X9.
Finishing 16x12. Has anyone else started seeing comic strip charater noses on all the pieces? Just me? Look! There's Linus, and Beetle Bailey!
Here's a walkthrough for earlier levels:
Put the pieces in the puzzle. It's a jigsaw.
;P
LOL. You people are too funny! =D
Alright folks, it's time to get up and step away from the computer for a while. Go get some nurishment, and some water, too. Go have a conversation with someone and take a break! =)
Judy - Though I can't say for certain, my intuition tells me that there must be an end, because the pieces just can't keep getting smaller forever. ;)
Adult Beverage - thanks for the very helpful walkthrough. ;)
I already had a break! Must get some... more... pieces... in the... puzzle... %P
Well, I have one walkthrough as well.
There's plenty of room on the board, so do organize the pieces in to categories based on the shape before putting them in the puzzle. This helped me a lot.
This is an interesting concept...I was pulled back into it this morning....I like the return feature. I would love to see the pieces stay connect once a proper placement has been made. So if you need to move the group then the group stays together. And sorting is a good thing even on the 10x9
A real spoiler for those having issues figuring out which pieces fit together...
Put them next to each other on the grid, then click on all pieces intersecting your test subject without moving your mouse. If the pieces don't fit together, one or the other piece will pop up over the other. Please note that on later levels you may get what seem to be overlaps; the real overlaps are much larger and the fake overlaps consist of a handful of pixels.
Hope that helps. I'm on 12x9 right now and I think I'm going to stop to play the demo of the first DROD game, King Dugan's Dungeon. I'm not sure yet if I should send in a review as I haven't gotten the full version of either the first or the second game (Journey to Rooted Hold), which is also mighty good, but I think I'll figure it out once I play through the demo of the first one.
Man, I was going to quit once I reached the 10x7 puzzle. But it looks like everyone else went farther than that, so I can't quit yet!
I've reached 19x14. No sign of an end point yet.
i just got to 17x12 and can't take it any more. good game but there needs to be an end.
What a great site. I've been visiting for about a month and am hooked.
Level 16x12 and can't put it away. Now I'm color blind!
Seeing 20x15 was finally enough for me! By gods, it never ends.
At 14x10 at the moment. But I think I'll do that one later.
There's a 20x15?! I'm on 15x11 and couldn't cope without giving it my full attention.
I have to stop now or I'll be dreaming little white puzzle pieces.
I'm staring at a 22x16 right now. I really want to see if it ends but I can't take much more of it.
Just finished 20 x 15 and found out there is a 21 x 15. Now you say there is a 21 x 16?? It's taking amost a full day or more to finish these. Please let it end soon!
Just hit 20/15
OK - just started 22x16. I think the 20x15 puzzle was the hardest. Had difficulty adjusting to the smaller detail of the pieces and kept getting them in the wrong places.
Just reached 25x18 and the pieces are tiny. I have found that zooming helps to see if a piece fits, but I'm really just hoping there's an end in sight.
so was there ever an end to this?
i thought i would stare out of the window to give my eyes a rest.......................and started to piece clouds together
(Hello, all. I'm new here, probably older than 3 of you put together, and enjoying the site muchly)
Judy, I agree totally: dancemonkey's nefarious plot MUST be stopped! [Whatever the heck it is; I don't sweat the details. ;-)]
Very nice little game, but I have very poor eyesight, so there's a definite limit to how high I can go. I also miss the feel of the puzzle. Being able to actually touch the pieces makes a huge difference. Perhaps I just use touch more because of my eyesight.
I VERY much like the one-colour idea. I often do jigsaws on my desk (I use a large magnifier), and I sometimes turn them all upside down. Just having green shapes to connect uses a different part of the brain that looks for colour, and I find those very relaxing.
I know: I'm a lunatic.....
<joke>Jay, dont post any more games like this or ill hack your site.</joke>
half way through 11x8, got to say bye-bye to it..
How come there isn't a save feature if you want to quit a level then come back, instead of starting the puzzle over again? I really like this game though, it's addictive.
I'm on 16x12.... if you play to long, when you close your eyes, you see the peices, it's not as cool as you would think it would be since there's no picture, its just white. i think its making me go insane.... please, someone, tell me how many puzzles there are before i cry myself out of this one and call it quits, i need a goal!!
Maybe they're making this game looooong and endless so that no more people complaining about short games :P
I'm on 13x9 but it's time to go home already. Does this game have load feature? I sure hope so >.<
ARG--so disappointed! I was working on 19X14 when it froze my browser. I had to quit completely! Has anyone found any way to get back in at a level? I wanted to see how many more there might be--the highest one posted was 25X18. Must. Reach. Higher. Level.
I'm at 26x19; I haven't played this for a while, but I seem to remember the pieces sticking together when they're matched right, but it doesn't seem to be doing that now... I've found all the pieces on the left edge, and I've tried all the ones that could match the with the bottom-left corner, but none of them stick with it.
I'm at 25 X 18. Does anyone know when this darn thing ends? I can see from the previous poster that there is at least one more level. Does anyone know?
Finished 25X18. Then 26X19. Then 27X20. I'm at 28X21 now. I don't think it'll ever end.
Anyone who wants to finish this can just forget it. It seems to never end. I've finished 28X21, 29X21, 30X22, 31X23, 32X24 and am now at 33X24. Each puzzle is now taking days and yes, I am an unemployed loser with no life. That's the only reason I got this far.
You can get back to a level but cannot save your progress on a level. Meaning that if you lose your connection, you start right back at the beginning of that level. And if you clear your cache, you cannot even return to a level.
The designers could've used a program that goes on virtually indefinitely. It's not worth it.
Does it ever end?
I...I'm not sure anymore.
It might never end, but how will i know?
This game is making me lose my mind.
*rocks back and forth on his chair*
Here's the most helpful thing to know (amor lassie had a helpful hint, too):
Always, always, ALWAYS put the border pieces on first. (Hopefully you read this and said, "That's what I've been doing the whole time, genius.")
seriously.. i'm at 35x26. when will it end!??? :P
@Julie:
I dunno if it ever ends. I stopped at 42X31. If you're at 35X26, you still have to do 36X27, 37X27, 38X28, 39X29, 40X30 and 41X30 just to reach the level I attained. And it shows no sign of ending.
Ha.. oh man! I have a loooooong way to go just to catch up to you!
44x32! IT NEVER ENDS!!! *bangs head on table*
@JIGsaw: Are you sure you typed that correctly? Because there is no 44X32.
This game is fun. The only complaint that I have is that it doesn't save your progress if you need to close out the window. You need to start the puzzle over again:(
actually I'm on 36x27, and for that I've played 5 days throug, yes you could call me crazy, but I've vacations and nothing else to do, so I'll keep on playing until I've found an end... I hope it has got an end n.n"
these are the puzzles they let you do in hell. only, we're talking the 1500 piecers.
I'm sure some of you mighta figured it out but if you right click and zoom in you can see the pieces better you just gotta move the screen around to see them all
Ahh, you all are much more patient than me. 9x6 is all I'm willing to go to seeing as how never-ending it seems to be.
I like real, big puzzles that you have the satisfaction of actually working with...
Once when I was younger my mom and I did a 1,000 piece that took us two weeks or so (I must've been six or seven), and by the end, we had fit all the puzzle into the puzzle and it was perfect... except for the fact it was missing one piece!
Hey
No, it never ends. The pieces are auto generated based on what level you reached.
When clicking on to the next level, the program stores locally at what level you are, and can continue at that level next time you enter.
Its possible to tweak it to start out at a selected level. I got it started up here with 64x48. Its looks kinda not possible :-)
64x48??? you've got to be kidding?!!!
I'm at 19x14 and was hoping it would end at 20....can anyone post a pic as proof that nobody is joking about it going past 20???
this is insane and yet I cannot stop doing it
Okay. So it's midnight and I'm on 11x8 and I want to go to sleep but I also want to keep going and if I close the window I will have to start over if I come back. This is frustrating!
17 by 12...why god why..
I haven't played in a while, but I though I'd check back in on this game. What happened? It's no longer white! It's several shades of gray.
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