8-Bit by MW Puzzles

It’s been a while since I reviewed a puzzle box from UK-based designer Matthew Williams.

For those already familiar with Matt’s work, you’ll know he’s a mechanical engineer turned professional puzzle designer who’s been steadily building a truly exciting portfolio over the past few years.

Matt’s first puzzle, 3 the Peg, was a compact cuboid of anodised aluminium, with a seemingly simple objective: remove the brass peg. That puzzle marked the beginning of my own journey into Matt’s world of design, and since then, he’s released a number of clever cuboid-style puzzles each with varying degrees of difficulty.

More recently, the creative edge has really been pushed when Matt tried his hand at creating a miniature keyring puzzle, which recently got a sequel in the shape of KeyRing 2 (If you’re curious about this one, head over to Allard’s blog for an in-depth look.)

Where Matt has really been turning heads, though, is in his shift towards larger, themed sequential discovery (SD) puzzles. This new direction began with Bandit, a playful and mechanically satisfying puzzle that demonstrated just how much could be achieved with a creative mix of materials; wood, printed PLA, acrylic, and annodised metal components all working in harmony.

Bandit was met with well-deserved praise from the puzzle community (myself included), and the positive reception sparked the beginning of a themed trilogy centered around the nostalgia of arcade games.

Naturally, it didn’t take long for the idea of a pinball machine to emerge. And so, in 2024, Pinball made its debut. This was a major step forward. Not only did it bring the mechanical joy of pinball into puzzle form, but it was actually functional. You could literally play pinball on it! And you were encouraged to do so, as part of progressing through the puzzle itself. It was an astonishing blend of tactile gameplay and mechanical puzzling resulting in a playful, interactive, and truly inventive design which helped lead it to a number one spot for a popular end of year poll voted for by puzzle enthusiasts.

Fast forward to 2025, and Matt’s been hard at work putting the final touches on the third and final entry in his arcade-inspired trilogy: 8-Bit.

I was lucky enough to test an early prototype earlier this year. Even though there were a few minor teething issues at the time (as you'd expect with any pre-release), I was blown away by what Matt had managed to create. After additional rounds of testing and polishing, the puzzle is now complete and I’ve once again had the pleasure of solving a fully finished, production-ready model.

Let’s start with the presentation: the unmistakable MW Puzzles aesthetic is here in full force. 8-Bit immediately triggers that nostalgic, childlike curiosity for me, the kind where you just have to poke and prod at something, as if it were a long-awaited birthday present. It evokes that same playful feeling I used to get as a kid, like the excitement of spotting a toy you'd beg your mum for at the local toy shop, and that's entirely by design.

The moment I unboxed it, I couldn’t resist giving it a little play, just trying a few things that clearly needed to be tried before setting it aside for a proper, distraction-free solving session later that evening.

Once the house was quiet (the kids had been put to bed), it was time to dig in.

Right away, there’s plenty to observe and interact with. Interestingly, nothing seems particularly useful at first. In fact, you might find yourself examining it multiple times without making much headway. But stay with it, after some careful inspection and thought, the first true “aha!” moment reveals itself. And from there, you're off to the races*.

*Yes, that was intended.

There's tools and walls a-plenty in this puzzle, with around 9 steps to complete and with multiple stages per step - the solve flows beautifully. Each step is clean, intuitive, and easy to repeat - something you’ll absolutely want to do. Some mechanisms are just plain fun to operate, while others leave you scratching your head, wondering how that particular tool or component will fit into the broader solve path.

The ultimate objective of the puzzle is to Find the chequered flag signalling the end of the race. Yes, even the goal ties into the arcade racing theme, which is one of the things I love most about Matt’s approach: every element is considered, cohesive, and playful.

Overall, I really enjoyed solving 8-Bit. Matt is continuing to push the boundaries of what a themed mechanical puzzle can be, and with this final instalment of the trilogy, he’s clearly set a new standard for this particular sub-genre.

8-Bit will be released on Wednesday 6th August @ 8pm BST, for £470.00, and will be limited to just 200 copies, available in three vibrant colour options—Red, Blue, and Green.

Visit MW Puzzles to grab one when they officially pull out of the pit-lane, you don’t want to miss this one.