The Seedling Design Your Own Marble Maze is a great combination of technology and old fashioned building, maze and puzzle fun. I really enjoyed this toy myself because it does have a lot of versatility for a long play value.
My Seedling Maze came with an additional bonus of a virtual reality headset. Which, was basically a cardboard box with goggles in it. The rest of the package was standard and easy to open. Once I removed the plastic and paper displays on the package I was left with a solid wood box with the maze platform on top. There are wooden handles along the side that tilt the maze platform one way or the other, to aid in playing the game. Also included were paper backgrounds, stickers, wooding maze walls and three small silver balls to navigate the maze. The only piece not included that you need to get the full benefit of this toy is a Ipod or Iphone with the Seedling Maze app downloaded.
The Playtime Experience
The package instructions explain how to use all the components together with the application. There are white base sheets with perforated small circles all over. These sheets are the base of your maze and you can pull small perforations to create “holes” for your maze. There are several black rectangular blocks used to build the maze walls and stickers inside help keep everything in place on the mobile table. Another sheet of stickers is a series of start and end stickers, the app uses these stickers to establish the beginning and the end of your maze.
There are two ways to play. First you can physically play using the knobs on the side of the Seedling table. Second you can use the application to take a photo of the maze and turn it into your very own cell phone or virtual reality game. The application uses the stickers and any holes in the base to create the start and end points as well as holes that make your maze more complicated. Using the Ipod or Iphone you can tilt the device to direct the small ball around your maze. Added bonus: if you ordered the kit with the virtual reality headset, you can take the play to the next level.
Things I Liked
I really like that there are multiple ways to play with the Seedling Design Your Own Marble Maze. The app is a great component and certainly enhances the game play but its absence doesn’t deem the set useless by any means.
Things I Didn't Like
When I first opened the set the smell coming from the wood was very chemical in nature. I had to let it air out a little but after about 12 hours out of the package the smell was gone.
Appropriate Ages
The Seedling Design Your Own Maze is recommended for players 6 and older. I think this is probably appropriate after playing with it myself.
Final Note
I really enjoyed playing with the Seedling Design Your Own Marble Maze. I don’t like that it is restricted to just the Iphone or Ipod since it severely limits the audience. However, the application isn’t mandatory to play, it just really enhances the overall experience. I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase this again for myself or for a gift.