The post we all have been waiting for is finally here.
Sequential Discovery is the favorite, most unique and rewarding puzzle trait.
In one word –
Supreme.
But one word isn’t enough, so keep reading for Sequential Discovery awesomeness.
You’re going to enjoy this one, especially if you’ve already read all previous Ultimate Guide posts.
I’ve been waiting to write this post for sooooo long.
Puzzles, in general, are cool. I love them.
What happens when you have more than one puzzle in one puzzle?
The coolness increases exponentially!
You see, puzzles require you to solve a problem.
Take apart and assemble a 6-piece burr;
Remove the interiors of the bottle.
Reach the end of the maze.
Open the box.
They all are pretty fun, right?
Now imagine the burr has a piece locked with a locking mechanism. To open it you need to find a tool inside it;
Imagine you have a set of 2 bottles, but you need to use the extracted pieces from one bottle to solve the other one;
Or a maze that has to be completed to access a new tool in a puzzle box.
If you like puzzles as much as I do, please stop reading.
Only for a moment.
Did you notice the feeling you had after these last examples?
Well, that’s only a small portion of how Sequential Discovery awesomeness feels!
Quick Navigation
What is Sequential Discovery???
Sequential Discovery is not actually a puzzle type.
Sequential Discovery is an element.
At this point, Sequential Discovery is also a mantra.
Sequential Discovery puzzles can be take-apart, burrs, combination puzzles… they can really be anything.
Most commonly, they will be take-apart puzzle. Boxes, locks and others.
They can also be more than one puzzle type at the same time.
A Sequential Discovery puzzle I recently solved was a box, a maze, and a huge treat to solve!
Another one, Strijbos’ classic Lotus puzzle, is an impossible object and a take-apart puzzle.
A different one I had is a puzzle box and a dissection asssembly puzzle together!
They all had something in common.
They had tools.
As you progress through the solution, the puzzle equips you with tools.
These tools can be anything from a ball bearing to a magnet, rod, key or a magic strawberry.
But having the tool in hand is one thing, and finding its use is another.
Discover the tool, discover its use/s.
Hence the name, Sequential Discovery.
What’s So Good About Them?
Everything!
Try to remember a puzzle you observed for the first time.
What did you do? Did you look from all sides? Shake it gently to hear if there’s some rattling inside? Inspect it’s pieces?
This is the normal flow of a puzzle, right?
In Sequential Discovery puzzles, you’ll need to do it again every time you complete a step!
This means 3 things:
1. You get to enjoy solving multiple puzzles in one
2. You’ll have more a-ha moments
3. The solution is a puzzling journey.
Because of this, Sequential Discovery puzzles are the favorite puzzles among puzzlers.
Let me tell you this – In many spheres in life, I’m always striving to achieve 80% of results with 20% effort, according to the 80/20 rule.
For me, buying the best Sequential Discovery puzzles I can achieves 80% of my puzzling fun.
That’s a big check on the value/money part!
Warnings
Make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into!
Sequential Discovery is a loophole.
Once you go through it, going back is not easy.
Their sheer awesomeness makes them extremely addictive.
As Sequential Discovery puzzles are packed with tons of puzzling, they’re usually more high-end, both on the quality and the price side.
Their prices vary, but usually you’d expect a sequential discovery puzzle to sell for around 150$.
The premium ones will be selling for around 500$.
And I must say, sometimes not purchasing them is hard.
Sequential Discovery is amazing, and I think every puzzle who can afford them absolutely should try them out.
But going bankrupt over puzzles is not a good idea!
And in that case, the secondary market will allow you to sell your Sequential Discoveries for retail price at least.
Another warning!
Sequential Discovery puzzles tend to be of higher difficulty as well.
Make sure you’re prepared.
Want to take a shot at them?
The first Sequential Discovery puzzle you should try is Cannon and Ball. The oldest Sequential Discovery puzzle to date.
It’s not too difficult, but still awesome. Fully made of metal, it’s really good for letting you experience the feel of Sequential Discovery puzzles on a budget.
You can get it from here if you’re EU based. For AU residents, get it from Mr Puzzle.
Conclusion
Sequential Discovery is just… Amazing.
It packs a whole set of puzzles to solve, tools to utilize and aha moments to experience.
Proceed with caution. Try not to get sucked into the vortex too much!
……………………………….
And thus, the Ultimate Guide is finally complete.
If you read it all, you should have a good grasp of mechanical puzzles and their types. Now the sky is your limit!
Stay wanderful.