Results of the Bumfuzzled Showdown!

Hey Puzzle Bomb Fam,

Thanks to all 200 of you who submitted votes, and my apologies to everyone who missed the cut! I hadn't realized the software I used was limited to 200 responses. But, still a great sample size to gauge your collective favorites!

With 32 puzzles, there were a total of 496 unique head-to-head matchups. Collectively, you all voted on 12,350 match-ups (an average of 62 matches per voter), meaning each unique match-up was voted on about 25 times.

From the results of all of those head-to-head match-ups, here are the results from worst to first! I also separately voted on all 496 match-ups to make my own personal results, to see how my own tastes compare and contrast to yours.


#32 - Nebular Skirmish
My Rank - #20 (+12)



While all of the Bumfuzzleds are wonderful in their own ways, someone had to be last! I really enjoy the top section of this puzzle, figuring out the adjacencies of the various characters. If I could go back and redesign this one, I'd make aesthetic improvements, such as a retro arcade cabinet around the composition, as I think it would pull the design together a bit better.


#31 - Tricky Trapeziums
My Rank - #16 (+15)



Another unique solver experience, as it almost serves as a sequence of two puzzles. Most folks first solve each trapezoid, and then figure out how the trapezoids all connect to each other. The sections with holes also provide for some interesting difficulty in an otherwise fairly easy puzzle!



#30 - Enigmatic Gewgaw
My Rank - #22 (+8)



The original! It probably scored higher for me due to nostalgia. Still a fun puzzle, but it lacks a real identity that most of my other designs have.


#29 - Wiggler Concavity
My Rank - #30 (-1)



Another oldie! The "chaining" mechanism here is the star of the show, which is a unique feature I don't think I've utilized in other designs.


#28 - Hexagonal Landscape
My Rank - #26 (+2)



My favorite part of this puzzle is the pink/green central color scheme, which is a bit oddball! This is also among the more difficult Bumfuzzleds, which I think comes as a surprise to most puzzlers!


#27 - Simian Cask
My Rank - #23 (+4)



A fun, whimsical subject matter, with the wood texture barrel being the real puzzling challenge here. There's nothing else like that puzzle section anywhere else in the Bumfuzzled series!


#26 - Vertex Ruse
My Rank - #5 (+21)



Our first huge disagreement! I get it though, as it's not a big "wow" visually, and it's a solve experience that doesn't appeal to everyone. However, I *love" the void-solving experience and how this puzzle feels like it fills in like a Sudoku or crossword puzzle. It's the puzzle I've taken back out and resolved the most times.


#25 - Dashing Locks
My Rank - #4 (+21)



Our second huge disagreement! I do like the quirkier designs more than most folks. This is also a bit nostalgic for me. I don't have a history as an artist of any kind (unless you count my work as a Landscape Architect, which requires an aesthetic eye), and I remember this is the design where things started clicking, and I started to believe I could really do this!

I distinctly remember praising the Lord for putting these giftings and skills in me, which I previously either didn't have, or didn't realize I had. He puts a subset of giftings in each of us, ultimately to point people to Jesus!


#24 - Towering Repast
My Rank - #19 (+5)



I love the subject matter and the way it came out visually more so than the solve experience on this one. It would rank higher if it was purely based on visuals, and lower when it comes to my desire to solve it.


#23 - Spilled Spellings
My Rank - #1 (+22)



Our biggest disagreement! I absolutely adore this one on all counts: subject matter, aesthetics, and solve experience.


#22 - Inscrutable Scrawl
My Rank - #2 (+20)



And yet another big gap! It's in my top few puzzles aesthetically, as I've always been drawn to the look of well-done graffiti.


#21 - BUBL Machinator
My Rank - #32 (-11)



My favorite part of this one is the light beam, which adds an interesting visual element.


#20 - Unmasked Bosc
My Rank - #9 (+11)



About 3 or 4 puzzles in one, with extremely distinct sections in both color and cut pattern. I love all the styles of curly whirlies in this one!


#19 - Waning Geometries
My Rank - #28 (-9)



A solid middle-of-the-pack puzzle. For me, probably one of the least memorable of my designs.


#18 - Abyssal Absorption
My Rank - #31 (-13)



To be honest, probably the only puzzle I'm not super satisfied with designing, as I don't love it visually. But, still a fun solve!


#17 - Porcine Ascent
My Rank - #17 (0)



This one is just pure, simple, fun. The bubble gum of Bumfuzzled designs!


#16 - Bucolic Mechanoverse
My Rank - #7 (+9)



My absolute favorite abstract design purely from a visual standpoint. I just love the color scheme here and how they interplay. This one also has a distinct solve strategy when it comes to an optimal starting point.


#15 - Cartographic Divide
My Rank - #14 (+1)



This is one where a very simple initial concept (an undulating central line) made such a neat visual impact! I also enjoy how the light/mid/dark areas have their own cut styles, and that "aha!" moment when you first connect the blue side to the orange side.


#14 - Skyline Oasis
My Rank - #15 (-1)



I feel like voids instantly make most designs more popular. Combined with really neat visuals, it makes this puzzle a standout. I also enjoy the "stitches" in the lower right section of puzzle.


#13 - Gooey Galaxy
My Rank - #6 (+7)



Speaking of voids, this is the void champion! One of the more difficult Bumfuzzleds as a result.


#12 - Epochal Interlinks
My Rank - #13 (-1)



While we matched up on this one, I was very surprised the public voting wasn't higher here, as it's the all-time best seller, and is the top visual we've used in our advertising. I thought this would be #1, so I was shocked to see it at #12!


#11 - Aerostat Eve
My Rank - #18 (-7)



Similar to Porcine Ascent, in my book, as just a fun design on the easier end.


#10 - Haybound Needle
My Rank - #24 (-14)



Entering the top 10! The 200 respondents must have been on the more hardcore puzzler end, as this one is off-the-charts difficult for the Bumfuzzled series!


#9 - Majestic Breach
My Rank - #21 (-12)



While this ranked much lower for me, I can't blame you. It's a beautiful piece that's fun to puzzle!


#8 - Polychrome Slalom
My Rank - #25 (-17)



I was a bit shocked this made the top 10, as it's one of my personal least favorites. But, I do think the snowflake section is a super fun puzzling experience, with the bottom section holding its own as well!

Spoiler: I'll have this back in stock this fall heading into the holidays/winter! 


#7 - Arboreal Abode
My Rank - #8 (-1)



This puzzle just plain has a cute/cozy feel to it. It's a bit tougher than Porcine Ascent or Aerostat Eve, but has that same sort of visual feel.


#6 - Tin Virtuoso
My Rank - #12 (-6)



I was surprised how high this ranked both for me personally and for y'all! The highest ranking of all the weird/wacky sort of designs. The unicode section is a real treat to puzzle, and the rest is just plain fun!


#5 - Greenwood Burg
My Rank - #29 (-24)



The largest divide between your rankings and mine! But, I can't argue; still a fun one, with very unique piece shapes vs. the rest of the series!


#4 - Prismatic Parasol
My Rank - #27 (-23)



And, right on the heels, another big divide! But, I get what y'all are seeing here with the stunning visual. A real quirky solve, as the rainbow and girl are incredibly easy, contrasted with the blank space that is among the most difficult sections of puzzle in the series. This will likely come back as a Legendary, as it also sold very well!


#3 - 34 Keys
My Rank - #11 (-8)



Neat to see how the third ever Bumfuzzled remains a favorite! This one has so much misdirection with a very busy cut pattern full of key-like shapes and cuts.


#2 - Chromacular Meander
My Rank - #10 (-8)



Interesting to see this one at #2, but it seems like rainbow features are a common theme in the top four! Another really unique solve here, as unlike most Bumfuzzleds, color is your main guide here. Unlike anything else in the series!


#1 - Skyward Spectrum
My Rank - #3 (-2)



THE CHAMPION, which we all agree is great! I'd already planned to bring this back as a Legendary, as it's the most commonly requested out of print puzzle. Again, that rainbow theme, and like Prismatic Parasol, the stark contrast between the colors and a blank background. I do think the solve experience here is also superior, as the various cut patterns are fun, but not too easy.


I hope you all had fun clicking last week, and then seeing the results today! Thank you all for participating, as it was immensely fun for me, and a nice trip down memory lane to review all of the puzzles!

How about your rankings? Are there any rankings you massively disagree with?

Love and blessings,
Chad aka the Puzzle Bomb Designer and Other Stuff Guy