Gen Con 2024: University Games Unlocks Elevated ‘Legend Of Zelda’ Puzzles!

Welcome to the table,

I often have trouble sleeping. When that is the case, I find myself doom-scrolling on Instagram and TikTok. I will lock into a particular flavor of Reel or FYP and just deep dive into random topics like in-fighting between pop stars, how to make super lux tea blends, or deep side-B gaming lore.

Recently, I have been watching people solve all manner of brain teaser and pocket puzzles. Let me tell you, there is something so soothing about it that it normally knocks me out fairly quickly.

These puzzles have come such a long way from the wood and bolt puzzles I remember as a kid that I saw people selling at the local swap meets and trade shows with trendy branding, cool new mechanics, and durable design making them challenging. They are also comfortable to the hand and appealing to the eye.

When I was at Gen Con 2024, I found myself at a really cool get-together with some puzzle offerings from University Games.

Before I go into how rad these puzzles were, I want to take a second to say that the people facilitating this event, most notably Hailey, were exemplary in their knowledge of the products they were showcasing and absolutely accommodating for someone like myself who uses a wheelchair. Never once did I feel out of place or like I was a burden; that kind of thing deserves recognition. As someone who buys not only for the product’s quality, but also on the reps’ character, Hailey was a perfect ambassador of the brand. If you were looking for a reason to pick up one of these puzzles over another, look no further.  I can say first hand these are good people.

Now on to the puzzles!

I’ve always enjoyed the Legend of Zelda games, with Minish Cap and Link’s Awakening being two of my all-time favorite games for Gameboy. However, for those of you who have seen my gaming coverage and understand my vast TTRPG library, pounds of dice, and walls of miniatures, you know that my home library is dominated very much by Dragons, and the Dungeons they inhabit.

What you may not be aware of is that my better half is a hardcore Zelda fan. Because of this I have seen to it they have every console, game, statue, book, and “classy” looking piece of merch we can find, as soon as it comes out. I tell you all that to say that when I saw these Zelda Hanayama Cast Metal Brain Teaser Puzzles, I knew instantly she would want all of them.

These puzzles are so charming, in that they are not only challenging and have a great hand feel when you are working with them, but they are also beautiful, elevated decorations for the home or office. We may be a bit nerdy, but we keep a tidy house and do not have random stuff cluttering up our space. You can maintain a clean and elevated aesthetic and still have cool things that reflect your fandom. It does not have to be one or the other. With amazing offerings like these Hanayama puzzles, it’s so easy to do!

If you are looking for something that will challenge your brain in a meeting or while you are mulling over ideas, something that looks great on a shelf or desk in the home creative, or corporate office and is reasonably priced for a collectible of this quality, then you are going to want to jump on these before they are gone! You can find them on Amazon, at your local game stores, and wherever fine brain teasers are sold.

Until next time, she now has all three of them and they live on her desk at work. 10/10 super quality classy puzzles and the perfect fidget for mid-day meeting calls.