Jigsaw Mansion 2 brings tabletop puzzle fun to iOS

Though MindJolt has been showing signs of flagging a little on Facebook with user figures across the publisher's titles seemingly a little stagnant, the company has been making a strong push into the mobile market recently with the release of titles such as the popular Fluff Friends Rescue and now Jigsaw Mansion 2. Jigsaw Mansion 2, created by veteran developers Extend Studio and published by MindJolt, is a sequel to the original Jigsaw Mansion. Unlike its predecessor, it's available both for iPad and iPhone, with separate paid versions available on the App Store rather than a single Universal app. Jigsaw Mansion 2 takes players into the titular mansion and reveals it to be, as expected, the setting for a variety of puzzles. Pictures hang on the wall, represented in black and white until their puzzle has been solved. Completing puzzles earns coins, which can subsequently be spent on new puzzles at a shop belonging to the mysterious character "Annie," who delivers the game's tutorial through a series of letters. Solving a puzzle is designed to be streamlined and straightforward. Matching pieces together causes them to automatically snap to one another even if their orientation is off, though the player is able to rotate them freely with a pinch if they so desire. Early in the game a "puzzle mat" also becomes available, showing an outline of the pieces that make up the puzzle, but not the picture. It's optional as to whether or not the player makes use of this facility, though there's no penalty for doing so and, in fact, using it may allow for achieving faster solve times for puzzles. Solving a puzzle quicker than two different "par" times rewards the player with additional coins. Jigsaw Mansion's twist on the traditional jigsaw formula is that it often makes use of unconventionally-shaped pieces in what it refers to as "signature sets." For example, a snowy scene might incorporate snowflake-shaped pieces. Using the puzzle mat can make finding the first pieces to place easier; skipping it increases the challenge to the player. The game monetizes through the in-app sale of additional coins for those who don't wish to spend time earning them through normal play. There are a lot of puzzles available to play from the outset of the game, so it is possible for the player to earn most of the additional puzzles in Annie's shop through regular play -- however, if a particular piece of artwork catches the player's attention, the facility is there to purchase coins if they want to acquire and place it in their mansion immediately. Jigsaw Mansion 2 also allows players to create puzzles from the photos on their iOS device. It's possible to choose how many pieces the puzzle will be broken into and whether or not it uses one of the "signature set" arrangements. Once the puzzle has been created, it can be shared on Facebook and Twitter, or via email. The resulting post features a link for players who own Jigsaw Mansion 2 to play the custom puzzle, and also a link to the App Store for those who don't have a copy already. It's an effective viral marketing tactic. The game has been performing significantly better on the iPad than the iPhone since release, with a placement of No. 19 in the Top Paid iPad Apps chart and No. 12 in the Top iPad Games chart compared to No. 161 in Top Paid Apps and No. 89 in Top Games for its iPhone counterpart. This is likely due in part to its predecessor's iPad-only release, but also due to possible user assumption that the larger screen of the iPad would be more appropriate and comfortable for a game that depends so much on the observation of fine details. You can follow Jigsaw Mansion 2's progress through the App Store charts with AppData, our tracking service for social and iOS games and developers.

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Jigsaw Mansion 2 brings tabletop puzzle fun to iOS

Pete Davison

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