The Doll by MW Puzzles
- CountryTurns
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Matthew Williams has built something of a reputation over the past few years for producing mechanical puzzles that don’t just prompt you to solve them, but invite you into a meticulously themed experience. His recent arcade trilogy proved exactly that, blending clever engineering with memorable themes to create puzzles that felt as entertaining to interact with as they were satisfying to solve.
The tantalising trio!
With that trilogy now complete, Matt is heading in an entirely different direction.
MW Puzzles’ latest release, The Doll, marks the beginning of a brand-new horror trilogy, and it may well be his most atmospheric and ambitious creation yet.
As someone fortunate enough to experience an early production copy, I can honestly say that this puzzle establishes its identity before you’ve even made your first move. From the moment it emerges from its seemingly protective? crate, there’s an immediate sense that you’re handling an object with a story to tell. Every visual detail has been considered, from the distressed finishes and aged metalwork through to the subtle decorative touches that help reinforce the theme.
The most disturbing and unsettling theme. Believe me.
Dare you open the crate and unleash what is within?
When it comes to MW Puzzles’ designs, details seldom feel decorative; everything has a meaning. The Doll really pushes this concept to the next level.
One thing I particularly appreciated was how committed Matt and Chris have remained to the narrative of the said theme. Without venturing into spoiler territory, there is a genuine story underpinning the experience, and unlike many themed puzzles where the narrative feels secondary, here it becomes part of the journey. It creates an atmosphere that lingers throughout the solve and gives purpose to many of the interactions you’ll have along the way.
Hoping the curse of The Doll remains within
Mechanically, this is another significant step forward. The goal, for sake of keeping the story a surprise to readers who intend to pick one up, is to summon ‘The Doll’ and ‘Find the relic’ hidden within the puzzle.
Matt has a proven track record for designing satisfying mechanisms, but The Doll feels noticeably more refined in the way each discovery is tied into the theme - I’m not kidding when I say that this is probably the most ‘themed’ puzzle I’ve witnessed, both as a solver and a voyeur of puzzle solves.
The puzzle rewards careful observation rather than random experimentation, and there are several moments that genuinely made me stop, smile, and admire the engineering before continuing. There was also a feeling of trepidation, it’s a genuinely creepy object to behold.
“Playtime hasn’t even begun…”
Some reveals are subtle, others are wonderfully theatrical, and yes, I mean that in a very literally sense! - But they all feel earned.
Perhaps my favourite aspect of the puzzle is there are interactions here that I haven’t experienced in another sequential discovery puzzle before, and they left a lasting impression long after I’d finished solving.
In terms of difficulty, I’d place The Doll firmly towards the more challenging end of Matt’s catalogue. There were certainly moments that demanded patience and careful thought, although I never found myself feeling that the puzzle was being unfair. Progress always felt achievable, and every breakthrough was immensely satisfying.
The ending is also devilishly laid out in the fact that you may just have one of those ‘am I sure I’ve truly solved the puzzle?’ moments. So watch out for that!
Experienced sequential discovery solvers should feel right at home, while those newer to Matt’s work can expect a rewarding challenge that will keep them occupied for quite some time.
The devil is in the detail(s)
As with any pre-production copy, I encountered a handful of minor issues during testing. However, every point of feedback had already been identified and discussed with Matt, and none of them detracted from what was otherwise an incredibly polished experience.
I’ve since had the chance to solve a true production copy of the puzzle, and the feedback provided by myself and a handful of other testers has simply reinforced how much care has gone into refining the final release.
What really stayed with me after finishing The Doll wasn’t necessarily a single mechanism or reveal, but the overall atmosphere and feel that the puzzle creates.
Good themed puzzles borrow an aesthetic; great themed puzzles make you feel like you’re interacting with an object that genuinely belongs in its own fictional world.
The Doll comfortably achieves the latter.
The unsettling theming is fantastic, but it never loses sight of the fact that first and foremost, it still has to be an excellent puzzle.
If the arcade trilogy showcased Matt and Chris’ ability to transform ‘arcade’ objects into compelling mechanical puzzles, then The Doll demonstrates how MW Puzzles is evolving beyond puzzle design and establishing itself as a true creator of puzzle art. It’s a thematically bold change of direction, and an exciting foundation for what promises to be a memorable horror trilogy.
If this opening chapter is anything to go by, horror fans and sequential discovery enthusiasts alike have plenty to look forward to.
I’m still here to tell the tale
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