Game Review: ZenBenders

By Greg Schloesser
May 31, 2008

Publisher: Out of the Box Publishing
Designer: Ariel Laden
Players: 1
Playing Time: 10-30 minutes
Rules Language: English
Price: $10

Most folks are familiar with small “slide” puzzles that challenge players to push and slide eight squares inside a frame in an effort to form the desired picture or configuration. I can remember playing with those puzzles as a child, and they are still commercially available today. I can also vividly recall the mounting frustration I always experienced, as I was simply horrible at solving them. My wife, on the other hand, is a wizard at these puzzles and can regularly solve them at mind-boggling speed.

Designer Ariel Laden has taken the slide puzzle concept to an entirely new level. In her ZenBenders series, published by Out of the Box, the flat squares are now cubes, with each side depicting a different piece of the finished picture. Now, players must not only slide the cubes within the frame, but they must also flip the cubes over and over to get to the desired side. Since the cubes cannot be lifted out of the frame, they must be in the proper position – adjacent to the open space in the frame – in order to be flipped. I’m not a statistician, but I can appreciate that the number of moves required to successfully complete the puzzle has increased exponentially.

The ZenBenders series is nicely packaged in a compact, round container that can fit easily inside your pocket. The lid twists on tightly, safely securing the puzzle, cubes and cards inside. The cubes are the size and weight of standard dice, and all fit snuggly inside the frame, which is part of the case. The attractive cardboard package is designed to catch the attention of customers, but you’ll likely toss it and just keep the round container.

The idea is simple: Select a challenge card which depicts the finished picture, then slide and flip the cubes in the frame to successfully recreate the pattern on the card. As mentioned, you cannot remove cubes from the frame, so you must properly position them in order to flip them. For me at least, this is FAR more difficult than it sounds! In a nice touch, the challenge card selected slides into a groove on the side of the frame, so it remains stationary and visible.

Each of the four sets in the series – dragons, quilts, racetracks, and my personal favorite, dachshunds – comes with 18 double-sided challenge cards in three levels of difficulty.  There are enough puzzles here to keep one occupied for hours, days or even weeks. In my case, though, it would keep me occupied only for a handful of minutes, as I am generally forced to abandon such puzzles in frustration!

Even though I am personally lousy at successfully completing these puzzles, I must admit that this new development in the concept is quite clever. Due to the number and increasing difficulty levels of the challenge cards, each installment in the series will remain fresh for a considerable period of time. The portability of the puzzles is a HUGE plus, as folks can enjoy them in so many situations: as a passenger on a plane, train or automobile, while waiting for an appointment, or even while waiting for an in-progress game to end so you can join the next game! They even make for a great end-table diversion, as guests and visitors are sure to fiddle with them.

A word of caution, however: The puzzles can be addicting and possibly harmful to a marriage. My wife has always adored slide puzzles and immediately dedicated an afternoon to solving as many of the challenge cards as she could. Any attempts at conversing with her during this period were met with a few grunts and “un hunhs”. Fortunately, she eventually snapped out of the hypnotic trance and became the loving, attentive wife I so adore!

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