Bonza Jigsaw

This is one of my favorite games. Each puzzle gives you a glimpse into the lives of others with whom we share planet Earth. I am often touched by the unique animals, architecture, artistry and landscapes. And delving into images from all over planet Earth has brought to the forefront the truth that I am only one of many many many people on the planet. With that truth comes greater empathy and respect for people of all ethnicities, beliefs and faiths. For a long time I was completely sold on this game, as I enjoyed finishing a puzzle and then getting written information about the image and the country from which the image came. Now all I’m getting are puzzled packs with only pictures. Granted, it is still a good game. Hopefully more informative puzzle packs will be available in the near future.

The latest update punishes non-subscribers to a degree that is unacceptable. Before, it was an option to click to have and ad played so you can get bonus points awarded or have borders added to your puzzle to ease gameplay. However, much of ad-watching was completely optional. While you still have those options, there are now non-optional automatic ads played between every puzzle. This wouldn’t be as bad if it weren’t for the fact that most of the puzzles are solved in under a minute, so playing this game can easily end up being 50% gameplay and 50% watching ads. That is ridiculous. Some of the ads last longer than 30 seconds too (like the Empire and Puzzle ad that makes you watch a commercial than makes you wait 30 more seconds stuck in a game demo mode). The previous free-play (ad-supported) mode was far more acceptable. Only download if you don’t mind spending nearly as much time watching non-optional ads as you do playing the actual game. Hopefully, the powers that be will reverse this asinine change. It seems designed to annoy players to subscribe at $4 month.

I have been in love with Bonza’s jigsaw puzzles since the first one they had in Bonza National Geographic. I was thrilled when they announced they were working on a jigsaw-only game, and impatient for them to release it. It was worth the wait! I wasn’t sure how I would like pieces being added in gradually, but it is brilliantly done - it keeps you guessing about the ultimate size and allows for longer play and larger puzzles. Don’t worry though, there are still some smaller ones. The other mode variations - mirrored, rotated, blind, patience (get comfortable, this will take a while), and blitz (timed), are so much better, more fun, than I ever imagined! Word of warning: highly addictive, I hardly got a thing done yesterday!