There’s a lot of Zelda merch floating around the web, but these brain teasers from Hanayama are definitely some of the most intriguing products we’ve found. The Japanese company specializes in producing cast metal puzzles, which require you to figure out how to disassemble their pieces–before attempting to reassemble them (which is harder than it sounds). Hanayama makes dozens of these brain teasers–each with a Mensa difficulty rating of one to six–including a handful inspired by The Legend of Zelda.
Hanayama Brain Teasers – The Legend of Zelda
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Hanayama puzzles use a Mensa rating scale to rank the difficult of its puzzles, starting with the easiest at 1 and the most challenging at 6. For those unfamiliar with Mensa, it’s a society for people with high IQs (98th percentile or better). The “simplest” Zelda puzzle is the Hyrule Crest with a 4 rating. It tasks you with trying to untangle a metal chain from a gorgeous diecast Hylian Crest.
For something a bit more challenging, you can step up to the Triforce Set, which carries a 5 rating and asks you to free a triangular insert from the center of a Triforce.
The most difficult Zelda brain teaser is the Master Sword–which carries the max rating of 6 and is almost certainly more frustrating than the Water Temple from Ocarina of Time. Your goal with this one is to somehow remove the Master Sword from its resting place, then figure out a way to get it reinstalled.
Each puzzle costs $27, and even if you can’t figure out how to solve the brain teaser, you’re at least getting a high-quality metal collectible to display on your desk. Hanayama notes that these puzzles are suitable for ages 12 and up–but many adults will likely run into some trouble trying to deconstruct and rebuild these puzzles.
Once you work your way through all these Zelda puzzles, you can check out the rest of the Hanayama catalog, which includes dozens of puzzles of varying difficultly. These puzzles often have gorgeous designs that’ll look great on coffee tables or home offices, and since most are quite small, you can bring them with you while traveling to give your brain a workout.
