The Cast Heart is a cast-metal puzzle from Hanayama, the Japanese toy maker behind the Huzzle Cast puzzle line. It consists of two hearts of different sizes, one silver-toned and one gold, linked by a chain that is also gold. The aim is to separate the two hearts and then put them back together exactly as they were.

• BrandHanayama
• SeriesHuzzle Cast
• TypeDisentanglement puzzle
• MaterialCast metal
• SizeApprox. 6.3 × 6.3 × 0.5 cm
• DifficultyLevel 4 of 6 (Hanayama scale)

Design

It is a disentanglement puzzle: the pieces are not joined by any catch or press-fitted together, but interlocked in such a way that they only come apart with the right sequence of moves. Here there are two hearts of different sizes and an articulated chain that passes through both, which adds flexible parts to a challenge that is completely rigid in other models in the series.

The glossy silver and gold finish is carefully done on the back as well, so the puzzle can be left assembled as a decorative piece. The polished surface does, however, show fingerprints easily.

What level it suits

Hanayama grades its puzzles on a scale of 1 to 6, and the Heart sits at level 4, already in the upper half. It is usually recommended for those who have solved a model from levels 1 to 3 and are familiar with how the metal pieces in the series behave. It calls for observation and patience rather than force: forcing the chain does not help and can damage the finish.