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0 When Wilmot Works It Out was announced in August 2024, it was a pleasant surprise. I’ve played a few great games from both Finji and Hollow Ponds, so I expect a quality offering when either is involved in a game. I thoroughly enjoyed Wilmot’s Warehouse and am excited to return to his world.
This time we join Wilmot outside of his day job. When taking a break from being the world’s greatest warehouse organiser, Wilmot likes to unwind by organising puzzles – talk about a busman’s holiday.
Come For The Puzzles, Stay For The Vibes
Subscriptions are everywhere. Hello Fresh this, Loot Crate that. Even Wilmot’s alternate version of the UK can’t escape them. Wilmot himself is a proud member of the Puzzle Club; a bi-weekly puzzle subscription delivered straight to his door. As Wilmot, it will be your pleasurable task to take delivery of these puzzles and solve them.
We start the game in Wilmot’s very spacious hallway – warehouse work is clearly lucrative – and there’s a knock at the door. It’s Sam, Wilmot’s friendly local postie, with a small package from Puzzle Club. Inside is the first puzzle to be solved.
Gameplay
Wilmot can pick up one piece, or several pieces, of a puzzle at a time and move them around his hallway. The aim is to organise them into the correct order so they create a picture; like a jigsaw puzzle consisting of only square pieces. The first package allows you to complete a simple 4-piece puzzle. But hang on… there are pieces left over. Weird. Shortly after completing the first puzzle, there’s another knock at the door. Sam is back with your next delivery and this one’s slightly larger. Now it makes sense, some of the leftover pieces from the previous box help to complete a puzzle here. And so goes the gameplay loop.
After a few deliveries, you notice pieces of puzzles that look like they should be part of a picture you’re working on, but they don’t. Herein lies the genius of Wilmot Works It Out’s game design and artwork. The brilliant design of each picture, and when certain pieces are delivered to you, creates both confusion and amazement. The common colour palette and shapes shared between several puzzles mean you’re not entirely certain how many are in progress, or even what they depict. At times you could be working on 3 or more. However, as you progress and unveil more of the whole picture, tiles that seemed unrelated suddenly don’t and there’s a domino effect of a-ha moments leading to the completion of a puzzle.
A lot of the pleasure in solving the puzzles comes from the sense of wonder of what you’re working on and the surprise as it’s slowly revealed. Completing puzzles genuinely put a smile on my face.
Wall of Fame
Once a puzzle is complete, Wilmot can hang it on his wall. Completing and hanging an entire season of puzzles will unlock a new room in Wilmot’s house. You can now move all the puzzles from the hallway to the new room and choose how to decorate it. Pick your wallpaper style and colour and add unlockable accessories like bookshelves and fish tanks to give everywhere a homely feel. While not massively deep or rewarding, this part of the game provides a pleasant break between the puzzle seasons. Additionally, achievements are tied to decorating and organising the puzzles in different rooms.
You’ve Got Mail
Going into Wilmot Works It Out I was expecting the jigsaw-esque gameplay. What I was not expecting was the joy I’d get from the wholesome interactions between Wilmot and his postie. Sam and Wilmot’s friendship is a delightful part of each Puzzle Club delivery. I truly looked forward to her updates on her life. While most days the conversation is one-way, occasionally you can ask Sam about something she’s told you before. Strangely, there’s an option not to do this. Surely no one is being ignorant to her, right? Right!? Anyway, it’s handy that Sam delivers mail and Wilmot works in a warehouse because I absolutely ship them.
In conspiracy news, there could be some time travel shenanigans going on with some of the parcels. Someone’s going to have to explain to me how pieces of a puzzle, of a picture that hadn’t been taken yet, were delivered in my subscription box!
Graphics & Audio
I’d love to know the process behind the puzzle designs. There’s clearly a lot of thought that’s been put into how similar shapes can be used to depict different objects and scenes, and how the pieces of each puzzle can be divided in such a way that craftily obfuscates the image. The chessboard puzzle, in particular, was diabolical. Richard Hogg’s signature style, as seen in games such as Hohokum and Flock, is in fine form throughout. I’m not including any pictures of puzzles outside the first season so you can discover them and experience the joy for yourself.
Your puzzle activities are accompanied by a soft, cool, “slightly jazzy” soundtrack from Eli Rainsberry, who also collaborated with Hollow Ponds on Wilmot’s Warehouse and Flock. They are also responsible for the sound design, which I appreciated a lot in Wilmot Works It Out. When you align a puzzle piece next to another correctly, alongside a quick visual flash, you also hear a brief, pleasing tone. This audio feedback somehow had a direct connection to my dopamine and serotonin factories. Similarly, the jingle that plays when you complete a puzzle has a gratifying effect.
Longevity
My only complaint about Wilmot Works It Out, not that I am actually complaining, is that it was over too soon. I could happily solve these kinds of puzzles forever. Sign me up for Puzzle Club, please! I spent around 7 hours completing the 8 puzzle seasons. Once you’ve done those you unlock New Game+, or Marathon mode as it’s known. This is a new game mode where you receive a new delivery as soon as you’ve opened the previous one, and all the puzzles are muddled together. I look forward to tackling this and seeing how efficiently I can complete it.
Final Thoughts
While incredibly simple in its premise, Wilmot Works It Out is extremely charming and cunning in its challenge. There’s a real satisfaction to figuring out each puzzle and a sense of pride in hanging and arranging your completed artwork. I adored the story and interactions between Wilmot and Sam, and the culmination of the game in the final puzzle was splendid. The game is well worth it’s £12.79 price on Steam.
Now that we’ve squared all that away I can tell you that Wilmot Works It Out earns a Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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