Review: JigSaw Solace (Nintendo Switch)

I was down for the “calming and relaxing puzzle experience” promised by JigSaw Solace. But with poor controls, I might be sticking to traditional jigsaw puzzles for the time being. Presuming I can prevent my cats from knocking the pieces all over the room.

From the makers of Dreaming Canvas, this straightforward release contains 30 jigsaw puzzles. It’s non-linear in that you can select any puzzle without the need to unlock, so I must give JigSaw Solace kudos for that. Six themes are included and puzzles can be as small as 4 x 4 or as large as 8 x 8.

The main problem is the way JigSaw Solace controls. Firstly, it’s all button-based only. Secondly, it’s needlessly clunky. You move your cursor with the directional buttons, yet once a piece is selected you move it with the stick. Even when trying to do things like select a background or an image you first need to select then deselect in order to return to puzzle control. Trust me, with Joy-Con in hand, it’s awkward.

Aesthetics are unable to save the day. While there are some good music tracks in JigSaw Solace, the tunes are a bit all over the map. There’s no way to select individual ones – a lost opportunity – as they just cycle through on a loop. Meanwhile, a third of the screen is filled with icons, wasting real estate that would’ve been better used on the puzzles themselves.

JigSaw Solace is a small game that doesn’t seem to be a good fit for the Nintendo Switch. The poor controls sizably hampered my enjoyment. Meanwhile, several smaller issues all add up and prevent me from recommending this one – the game doesn’t even mark which puzzles you’ve already completed. I’d skip this one and wait for the next release from Playstige Interactive.

Looking for a better jigsaw game on Nintendo Switch? I recommend trying one of the games from the Animated Jigsaws line.