JigWild

About JigWild

JigWild, by Vivienne Andrews, is a short daily puzzle played on its own website, with a page on itch.io. Each day brings one new picture from nature, such as a sunflower, a capybara pair, cherry blossom, a tree frog or an owl, and every player gets the same one.

The photo is cut into a grid of pieces, twelve in the example shown, and the pieces start out of order on the board. You drag one piece onto another to swap them, and a progress bar shows how many are in the right place. There is no timer pushing you, though the finish card notes how long you took, and you get three hints if you are stuck.

When the picture is complete, a card names the species, gives a Did you know fact about it, shows your time and your day streak, and credits the photographer on Pixabay. A button lets you share today's piece as an image, and a strip of past days lets you scroll back and play earlier pictures from the archive. The game ends with a nudge to close the tab and go outside to find the real thing.

JigWild is free, with no ads and no sign-up. The same maker also made Chromoku, a colour-based sudoku.

How to play JigWild

1. Open JigWild and look at today's muddled picture.
2. Drag a piece onto another to swap their places.
3. Watch the counter to see how many pieces are in the right spot.
4. Use one of the three hints if you get stuck.
5. When the picture is complete, read the fact about the plant or animal and share your piece.

Screenshots

Tips

• Start with pieces that have strong edges, such as sky, water or the border of the subject.
• Find the eyes or the centre of a flower first; the rest falls into place around them.
• Missed a day? The past days strip lets you play earlier pictures.

Questions