Philosophical Jigsaw: The Zen Koans

About

Your daily dose of philosophy! Assemble puzzles and watch thought-provoking animations based on Zen Buddhism. To meditate and relax.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Philosophical Jigsaw: The Zen Koans screenshot

100%

Audience ScoreBased on 13 reviews

music4 positive mentions

grinding1 negative mentions

The game features beautiful art and graphics, enhancing the overall experience.
The relaxing music and sound effects create a calming atmosphere while solving puzzles.
Each completed puzzle unlocks a cutscene with inspirational stories, adding depth to the gameplay.

The movement of puzzle pieces can be cumbersome, as they need to be picked up from the top rather than the middle.
The reset button is large and can be accidentally clicked, risking loss of progress.
Some players may find the jigsaw mechanics tedious compared to traditional physical puzzles.

music
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
36%
27%
The music in the game is widely praised for its relaxing and pleasant qualities, enhancing the overall ambiance and making it suitable for puzzle-solving. Many users appreciate the calming themes, likening the experience to enjoyable childhood memories, while some note that the music effectively complements the gameplay, creating a meditative atmosphere. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a significant asset to the game's experience.
- “The music is very relaxing in theme with the game; it is pleasant to hear while you work on the puzzles.”
- “The music gives the game a great ambiance, really making you meditate and relax.”
- “Nice puzzle with peaceful Japanese music playing in the background.”
- “The music is so relaxing and might just make you sleepy.”
- “I'm not sure why, but the backing music track selection or perhaps the way the music is mixed, works better while 'jigsaw assembling' than the music did in 'A Butterfly's Dream'.”
- “Very nice game, I love the jigsaw puzzles and the music.”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The game features a unique narrative for each series of puzzles, with players unlocking a garden upon completion. Each puzzle is followed by an inspirational story, enhancing the overall experience and engagement with the game's themes.
- “Each series of puzzles has its own story, and by completing the story, you unlock the garden (options menu then open the door in the middle).”
- “After every puzzle, you see an inspirational story that is very cool.”
- “Philo Games has learned to create a really fun game this time around; they are on a mission.”
- “Each series of puzzles has its own story, but the narratives feel disjointed and fail to engage the player.”
- “The storylines are underdeveloped and lack depth, making it hard to care about the characters or their journeys.”
- “While the concept of unlocking the garden through completing stories is interesting, the execution leaves much to be desired.”
graphics
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The graphics and art style of the game are highly praised, showcasing significant effort and creativity. Players appreciate the appealing visuals, which enhance the overall experience, although some suggest adjustments to the layout for better usability.
- “The art style and graphics are amazing, and you can see how much effort has been put into this game.”
- “This is a fine jigsaw sim with nice graphics and an original theme.”
- “Art work.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users appreciate the ability to light candles to enhance the game's atmosphere, creating a warmer and brighter environment.
- “You can also light the candle if you want to create a warmer and brighter atmosphere.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of jigsaw games to be tedious and repetitive, as all pieces begin in the same orientation, making the process of rearranging them feel monotonous.
- “It's a universal problem; every jigsaw game is the same. All the pieces start out correctly oriented, and moving them about with the mouse is tedious.”