When I was young, my mother tried to share her love of jigsaw puzzles with me. I didn’t quite get it as a hyperactive kid, the idea of sitting still, sorting out the corner pieces, and then figuring out the picture as you went along. Now, as an adult, I find myself craving that calm, meditative space, not to mention the satisfying thrill of finishing a puzzle. Wilmot Works it Out is a distilled, concentrated dose of that feeling, in the best way possible.

If you’ve played Wilmot’s Warehouse, you are familiar with Wilmot. It turns out that in his spare time, Wilmot likes to put puzzles together, and then hang them in his home. Once you finish a puzzle, the postman (or lady) delivers a new puzzle. Of course, there might be extra pieces in the box, so be careful to stay organized.

In Wilmot Works it Out there are over 60 puzzles to put together, and Wilmot has 8 rooms in his house to decorate. Not only can you put finished puzzles on the walls, but you can choose the room color and the wallpaper design too. I even took things a step further by arranging the puzzles in each room by type or color scheme, just as an extra bit of challenge for myself.

Wilmot Works it Out is one of those games that I would want to play when I’m feeling a little bit depressed, or when chronic pain decides to rear its head. It is fully playable with a mouse and keyboard or a controller, and there are no time limits or fail states. If you get frustrated with a puzzle you can put the game down and come back later, though I do find it a little annoying that there aren’t any hints.

Some of the puzzles have one or two pieces that are just…odd. Pieces of the overarching picture that don’t entirely make sense. This isn’t a large issue, but a hint button would be nice, even if it was something like “You have [insert number] extra pieces right now.”

Yet at the same time I can’t actually fault Wilmot Works it Out for this. It is the same feeling of getting stuck on a puzzle in real life and shaking the box to see if a piece got stuck inside. This calm, relaxing game has a sort of heartwarming, heartfelt charm to it that feels like a warm hug or a cup of hot tea on a cold day.

Wilmot Works it Out is a nice, satisfying, low-impact puzzle experience. Getting to know Wilmot and experiencing his love of puzzles is a delight. Getting to see his friendship with the Postwoman Sam is wonderful too. If you want a nice, relaxing puzzle game then give Wilmot Works it Out a try.

A PC review copy of Wilmot Works it Out was provided by Finji for the purposes of this review.

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Wilmot Works it Out

$14.99

9.5

Score

9.5/10

Pros

• Calm, relaxing gameplay
• Great puzzles
• Fun Story
• Lots of customization

Cons

• Could use a hint system