Top 10 Hanayama (10 Cast Square)

I feel the time is right to begin my countdown of the Top 10 Hanayama puzzles, all from their cast range. As you may have noticed I am a big proponent of the Cast range and I plan to review all their puzzles before moving on to others in my collection. Without further ado, My Top 10 Hanayama puzzles....

10. Cast Square


The Cast Square is rated 6 out of 6 by Hanayama, a bit much I think. I solved this puzzle very easily and almost by accident. Nonetheless, it is a fascinating design and very satisfying to solve and in particular to put back together. I think the puzzle is rated a higher difficulty as there is a hidden element to it (like the Cast News, or Sonic Games' Kuku puzzle). Owing to the fact I picked it up and it all but fell apart in my fingers leads me to believe that it may be better suited as a 2 or 3 at a push.

It consists of four pieces, two gold and two silver and is exceptionally well finished. It is weighty in the hand and would make an ideal conversational paperweight (though it is probably better suited to a display shelf). It was designed by Osker van Deventer who has made many puzzles for Hanayama - Cast Cuby, Cast Keyring, Cast L'ouef, Cast Marble, Cast H&H among others. Oskar van Deventer

As for placing it in my top 10, I personally like puzzles which are very tactile and attractive to the eye. The Cast Square meets these criteria perfectly! The reason it does not feature higher is that it is much to simple considering that there are four pieces, it has got few moves to it and does not compare to some of the others in the Top 10.

Overall, I would recommend this puzzle only to those who can appreciate a puzzle for more than its difficulty as it may disappoint on  that basis. Though I think it deserves a spot in my Top 10!

MB