ResQ

$219.00
DESIGNER: Frederic Boucher & Eric Fuller
MATERIAL: Hawaiian Koa Box; internals from Ebony or Mixed Exotic Woods (Canxan, Catalox, Bloodwood, Chakte Viga); Paduak and Walnut Spaceship
RELEASE DATE: 5.3.21
EDITION: 150
SIZE: 2.65" (6.7 cm)

ResQ is a unique Sequential Discovery Puzzle based on Boucher's brilliant Visitor Q. We took the original design and modified it by adding additional goals, tools, and tricks. ResQ is the result of nearly three months of prototyping and features previously unseen concepts and hardware.

The brilliance of Boucher's VQ design is in the depth of possible movements and states the puzzle can be in. Visitor Q is very much like a maze; you find configurations that won't allow you to progress and must back-track to find another approach. I can't overstate the sophistication and elegance of VQ. To the extent ResQ turns out to be a good puzzle, it's because I was standing on the shoulders of a giant.

Solving ResQ requires imagination, analysis, close observation, a bit of dexterity, and a lot of exploration. A minimum of 70 moves is required, with no upper limit.

Are you up to the challenge? If so, here are your instructions:
A Visitor from another dimension needs your help! A mysterious evil has trapped the Visitor in a psychic prison, damaged his spaceship, and thrown it into a deadly vortex. You can save him by accomplishing these tasks:

1. Free the Visitor from his Psychic Prison
2. Unlock the vortex
3. Retrieve the Spaceship without using rotations (to avoid making the vortex even more unstable)
4. Navigate the vortex and retrieve the spaceship parts:
-The thick and thin Antenna Assemblies
-The silver Fuel Disk
-The gold Reactor Orb
-The six-orb Navigation AI Module

You must use the parts you retrieve as tools to retrieve other components. Be careful not to put loose parts into the vortex, or you may find yourself faced with difficult and frustrating salvage operations. Good luck!

We produced ResQ in two batches. The regular batch of approximately 120 copies uses four different exotic kinds of wood for the vortex, which helps with the solution. A smaller, limited release of about 30 copies uses solid ebony for the vortex, which increases the difficulty. Both editions feature a box made from Hawaiian Koa, a scarce and difficult to obtain wood. ResQ ships in an unsolved configuration and includes a piece diagram to aid in resetting the puzzle.

ResQ contains small parts and should be kept away from children. We recommend exploring ResQ on a flat surface using the provided solving mat.

Reviews and Blog Posts:

  • ZenPuzzler's blog review of ResQ
  • Boxes and Booze's blog review here
  • PuzzleMad's blog review here

Our work is handcrafted to very precise tolerances and must be kept within the range of 40-60% relative humidity at all times. Failure to do so may cause inoperability or permanent damage.

Please read the Caring for Wood Puzzles guide to ensure proper fit and operation. We recommend an occasional polishing with Renaissance Wax to keep wood puzzles in top condition.

Customer Reviews

Based on 5 reviews
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I
Ivar
ResQ is awesome

The ResQ puzzle is incredibly well made. I had lots of fun solving the maze and finding the solution. And then I had to bring the puzzle back to the starting position. It was well worth it. Definitely a puzzle I'll solve again and again.

J
Joe
Incredible!!! Frustrating too, but in a good way :)

This. Puzzle. Drove. Me. Nuts. I don't know why, I just wasn't open minded enough I guess... I struggled with it for about a week for 5-10 minute intervals while working (mostly as a distraction from work here and there). I couldn't get it started so I just kept putting it down. Then I took some time and really focused on it. I still couldn't get it started! I needed a tiny hint to get going (thanks Tom at CD!), but once I got started, I couldn't keep my hands off this crazy alien box. It would take another week of 10-20 minutes of focused sessions with it to make any progress. I needed another little hint from the puzzle community on Discord (thank you) to get past another hurdle but then I solved it and put it back together with some very taxing brain exercise. I have to say I'm disappointed in myself for needing those hints, I should have been more patient and I would have figured it out eventually on my own. However, this is a truly creative piece with immense satisfaction to be enjoyed at several phases of progress. I am giving it a rest for now but can't wait to pick it up again and re-solve it. Then I'll show it off to friends and family so they can appreciate the genius that went into designing and crafting this work of art! This ride was well worth the price of admission. If you are able to get one for yourself, don't hesitate. My only advise is to keep at it and work through the challenges. Even with some hints it was very rewarding for me.

G
Goetz
Excellent multi stage puzzle with much to discover

This puzzle is small compared to the long list of objectives to solve for, and beautifully crafted in very high precision. It offers several stages of increasing difficulty, and each stage will give you a reward, and there are some nice Aha! moments as well. I had a lot of fun solving the puzzle with the various aspects, which include sequential discovery, sliding/interlocking blocks, and also applying some advanced techniques in these fields. The openings in the box are not overly big, but still allow you to see inside and deduce possible steps and form theories. No blind guessing is required, an aspect I like a lot about this puzzle.

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