Ravensburger Gloomy Carnival Puzzle Review - Jigsaw Jungle

Recently, I wrote about the Ravensburger Abandoned series. I completed the Hotel Vacancy. It was dark and satisfying!

I was going to do the Department Store next, but my plans changed and I ended up doing Gloomy Carnival instead. 

As I expected, I enjoyed this one more than the hotel. It was brighter, and not as creepy.  

As with all Ravensburger puzzles, the quality was great. The pieces were solid and fit nicely. There was some puzzle dust. Unfortunately, no poster, and the image was slightly obscured on the box. No matter, this is standard with most offerings from this brand. Did I mention how much I LOVE the green boxes from this series? I heard that some US retailers offer these with a white box. That would make me sad!

In my view, this image was gloomier (as titled) and sadder than it was spooky. There were no ghostly children hiding in the image, and there was some light in the sky. This image reminds one of the way things used to be, better times and childhood memories. So yes, abandoned.

There was a lot more color in this puzzle. After I did the edges, I started sorting the pieces with words. I always do this because such pieces are easy to spot. The sky and Ferris wheel were next because it was easy to place the pink tones from the sky and the pops of color from the seats on the wheel. I was stuck as to where to go next until I saw the vertical poles holding the horses and sorted all those pieces. I separated the sections of the carousel by the vertical lines and worked around them. Then I just filled in the rest. The green foliage was the most challenging for me.

I know the description of this puzzle states: “ Part of our Abandoned Series, this puzzle illustration is sure to spark the imagination of any horror fan and scare up some exceptional fun!” For me, this wasn’t as “scary” as the others – except for the clown on the wall, this was more sad than scary. And I’m kind of a chicken, so I will be doing the next two in the daytime.

This series also made me realize that there aren’t many frightening puzzles out there. This series is unique because it markets itself to a more somber audience. Most puzzles are cheerful. We see so many landscapes and flowers and food. We rarely see clowns and ghosts and images meant to spark a dark mood. I really appreciate that, and I welcome the creativity of this collection. It’s always nice to do something different.

Hotel Vacancy was more challenging and darker than Gloomy Carnival. This was sadder and more nostalgic. Which do you prefer? I welcome your feedback on this series.

Let me know!