On my post about impossible objects, I mentioned a realtively new Hanayama –
Cast Arrows.
Well, someone was a good boy and got it as a present from Santa –
I mean, from PuzzleMaster!
The happy boy took it with himself everywhere to try to solve it and tell you guys about it.
But what happened next the boy could not expect…
First Impressions
Out of the box, Cast Arrows was bigger than I anticipated, and somewhat heavier.
I could hear the winds of Hanayama whisper… ‘quality….quality…’
The puzzle itself is a heart with four arrows stuck inside. Impossible object looking.
In Hanayama’s scale, Arrows’ difficulty is 3/6. Not too hard, you’d think.
The arrows move freely, and upon closer inspection, you can see something that could prove itself useful…
Hanayama Cast Arrows
| Characteristic | Details |
|---|---|
| Puzzle Type | Take-Apart, on first glance an Impossible Object |
| Designer | Andrei Ivanov |
| Manufacturer | Hanayama |
| Budget | Low |
| Difficulty | Medium- |
| Material | Metal |
| Quality for Price | Good |
| Puzzling Value for Price | Good |
| Best for | Wanderers* |
| Warnings | None |
As soon as Arrows was on my table, I had an abstract idea of disassembly.
Dexterity was part of it.
Sipping my morning coffee, I tried to implement this idea.
It took some time to tame the arrows, but I kept at it.
Each failure has driven me forward more and more.
I knew –
That’s it, I’m there!
To no avail.
A 20 minute session was not enough to take Arrows apart.
It needed more time.
So when I had the chance, I took it with me to work.
I went at it some more.
But with each attempt the Arrows seemed to grow more stubborn.
No problem. I took it with me to the doctor.
Not for surgery, no. Just to try it while waiting for him.
Luckily for me, the queue was long enough and I managed to sneak in 30-ish minutes with it.
My theories have become more complicated by then.
I tried all kinds of directions.
Complex and simple alike.
But it wasn’t it.
Suddenly, exactly 1 minute before my turn has come,
The first arrow got extracted.
I was not complete sure WHY it happened.
But it did.
Why?
“Greg, go to room number 2 please”
The answer had to wait.
When I got back at it, I found the missing link.
…Sneaky little puzzle. Not bad.
Definitely not hard, but not as easy as I expected.
Well played, Hanayama.
The Verdict
Cast Arrows ended up being unexpectedly deceptive.
My bottom line would be that it is best suited for Wanderers that want a mild challenge.
It’s dirt cheap for an overall fun puzzling experience and a manageable solve.
Even though I didn’t test it yet on my friends,
I suspect that non-puzzlers would enjoy it as well.