[b]my jigsaw adventures: the source of power[/b] is the 3rd entry in a story-based jigsaw series. since I'm not keen on this puzzle type but love sci-fi, I was glad the stories are not connected, so I could jump into the only one I was somewhat interested in.
the story is told before and after the [b]20 diary levels[/b] (no time limit, unlimited hints), and additional bits can be gathered from [b]10 data levels[/b] (no timer, no hints, 10 minutes to solve a 60-piece puzzle) and [b]15 testimony levels[/b] (no timer, no hints, each has different characteristics, pieces can move around, have to be rotated, etc.). each mode is unlocked from the start, but only the first levels, have to go one by one. size on story levels can be [b]as few as 28 pieces or as many as 1000 (other options are 112, 220 and 500)[/b], but I was only interested in how things work and the story, so went easy mode, didn't want to spend hours on each puzzle.
[b]controls are straightforward[/b], mouse wheel and the +/- keys zoom in/out, zoom speed can be changed, and I really liked that [b]parts of the puzzle can be assembled anywhere on the screen[/b] and they'll stick together, though it might be standard practice in such titles. holding right click moves the level around, but right clicking a puzzle piece moves that when it shouldn't.
[b]customization options are plentiful.[/b] pieces can have 3 shapes (traditional, mosaic or arrow), 3 types of outline (soft, medium, hard), and within the border you can display a customizable grid or the final image you're trying to solve. the background can show either various parts of the current puzzle really zoomed in (blurry or sharp, doesn't look good either way), or just a single color of your choice, set by red/green/blue sliders. a few preset options would be useful here, but at least there's a preview to see what you're mixing up.
puzzle piece placement at the start can also be set, but [b]even distributing them on all four sides they'll be grouped together[/b] and there's already some busywork with 28 pieces, let alone with 1000. sure, it works like that in real life as well, but I don't see the point of replicating this aspect in a digital version. maybe there could be a social distance button to automatically and immediately separate pieces.
[b]the timer can be hidden[/b] even on timed levels and [b]shuffle is available[/b]. not sure why you'd want to do it after going through all the sorting though, plus there's no confirmation, only before restarting a level. I can easily see this as a problem, even if buttons have tooltips. on the upside, [b]progress is saved continuously[/b], so you can stop anytime without losing progress.
[b]the images and the music are excellent, the story's not worth mentioning[/b], very poorly written. separate volume settings anywhere, language options, in-game representation of achievements and windowed mode only in the main menu, though alt+enter produces a resizable window at least. [b]the ui is a bit amateurish-looking[/b], buttons covering things, plus some images have blue bars on the top and bottom as if they're not the right size. [b]there's a gallery[/b], as expected, but every image is visible from the start, even if only in black & white, spoiling things. you can grab them to use as wallpapers, another standard feature.
I'm not sure if 4 eur for 45 puzzles is a good deal or not in jigsaw-land, but sounds good enough to me, especially with about half of them optionally cut into 1000 pieces. it launched with many small issues that mostly got dealt with fast, so [b]it's an easy recommendation[/b] now.
After facing extinction a few hundred years ago, Humanity is rising again. But the old enemy is back and, as a Royal Archivist, you must find answers. How did Humanity defeat them in the past? What is "The Source of Power" the enemy is seeking and - more importantly - where is it?