Daily Debate: What Scene Would Be Featured in Your Dream Zelda-Themed Jigsaw Puzzle?

It’s a logical leap for a franchise known for its intricate puzzles to have a series of complementary jigsaws. As someone who always has a puzzle on the table as a work-in-progress, I will eventually run out of Zelda-themed ones. Gorgeous designs from The OP Games/USAopoly, Winning Moves, and Ravensburger are only several makers known for making Zelda puzzle — this doesn’t even include the vast sea of fan-made jig-saws.

Last year, USAopoly gave fans a stunning 1,000-piece Tears of the Kingdom puzzle featuring the iconic game poster, but another “official” puzzle hasn’t been seen by fans since. Other notable images chosen for previous puzzles include Hyrule’s map, a stained-glass portrait of Link in The Wind Waker-style, and a watercolor-inspired Majora’s Mask image with Fierce Deity Link. However, most jigsaws feature the standard “poster” stills, like the Skyward Sword, Breath of the Wild, and Ocarina of Time releases.

There are many missed opportunities here. Naturally, choosing these images makes the most sense from a financial perspective because they are recognizable and contain no spoilers. However, if there’s anything Zelda fans adore, it’s the franchise’s artistic genius. If fans could have any Zelda scene for an official puzzle release, what would make the perfect jigsaw experience? There are many custom puzzle-making companies online which allow you to transform any image into a jigsaw. However, there is something to be said for puzzle experts who take a found image, refine it, and edit it for a curated assembly experience.

It requires considering what makes a good puzzle image in the first place. Color variety and image clarity are key. Consider the Tears of the Kingdom puzzle, for example. It has a large patch of white in the middle with lots of blue surrounding it. Assembling a blank white section is not as satisfying as constructing the floating platform Link’s resting on. Though there are shade variances, some puzzlers may not enjoy sorting pieces based on the subtle differences from one blue to the next. Others may welcome the challenge — it depends on the person.

Since we’re dreaming, here are two scenes I would love to assemble:

The first is a detailed still of Rutile Lake, featured in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. It is easily one of my favorite areas in the game, and it’s perfect because so many puzzles feature serene landscapes. The puzzle designer could easily sprinkle the water with lily pads, line the shores with Silent Princesses, and place some beetles on the trees. Then, you have a setting chock-full of details to break up the swaths of blue and green.

The second is the Minish Village from Minish Cap. Though it features a lot of leaves, they are sprinkled with white and pink blossoms, which contrast the textured dirt paths, red Picori hats, mushroom abodes, and the barrel house. It would be super cozy to put together a 1,000-piece version of the zoomed-in map. Though, I think having any pixelated Zelda in jigsaw-form would be charming.

What scene would you wish for in your dream Zelda jigsaw? Should makers experiment with the imagery they choose? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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Sorted Under: Breath of the Wild, Daily Debate, Games, Majora's Mask, Ocarina of Time, Original Content, Skyward Sword, Tears of the Kingdom, The Minish Cap, The Wind Waker
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