Looking for a real challenge to put your puzzle-solving skills to the test? Try Pure Hell, a maddening puzzle made up of extra tiny pieces that are all the same solid color.
Created by the sadistic minds at Beverly Japan, Pure Hell puzzles come in 1,000 and 2,000 piece variants and promise to make you miserable as you try to figure out what piece goes where. Looking at the image of the completed puzzle on the box, you may be tempted to think that all of the puzzle pieces are the same and can be placed anywhere to quickly complete it. Alas, that is just a cruel illusion. The puzzle pieces are actually based on seven different shapes and you are required to figure out all the subtle differences between them. Even when you’re sure you’ve found the right combination, if you feel any tightness or see the riniest misalignment when putting two pieces together, it means they don’t fit, so you’d better try again or risk having to start over later. They are called Pure Hell for a reason…
Pure Hell puzzles have been available on Amazon for about three years, with prices ranging between $20 and $34, and those crazy enough to buy them have left some pretty interesting reviews:
“This puzzle is the Devil reincarnated into an inanimate object! If you don’t read an updated review from me within 6 months please send help!” Alessandra B. wrote.
“Seventeen months so far, one wife, two jobs and two almost girlfriends (sort of). Seven thousand dollars worth of delivery food, twelve boxes of fingertip bandages and all the hope and prayers I could muster. Still, after all that, I have a side and a half complete. Kill me, someone, please…What fun!…really…” Todd L. complained.
“I bought this puzzle because my team at work was going through one 1000 piece puzzle a week. This puzzle stopped them dead in their tracks. They managed about 10 connections over the course of a month, after they separated the pieces into quarter puzzles based on the pattern on the back. They eventually gave up and got back to work,” user That Fancy Fish posted.
So if you’re looking for a reason to cry yourself to sleep every night, or if you want to teach a cocky so-called puzzle solving master a lesson, try Pure Hell.