About this item

Hansel & Gretel is a magical puzzle game for children of age 5 to 8, where thinking before you act is crucial. Logic, planning and hand-eye coordination all come into play in this educational solo game. Plus, enjoy a family-friendly picture book that puts a modern twist on the classic fairytale. ‍Hansel & Gretel is a new fairy tale puzzle game I created for SmartGames in 2024. Initially I never intended to develop one for several reasons. First, my colleague Emma was already working on a preschool puzzle game with a fairy tale theme (The Wolf and the Seven Goats) so there didn’t seem to be a need for another game in the same category. And even if I had planned to create a new fairy tale-based game, Hansel & Gretel wouldn’t have been my first choice. The original story is fairly grim by today’s standards for children's books. While many fairy tales have dark elements, Hansel & Gretel presents particular challenges, especially when it comes to adapting the story for the included picture book. The second reason not to choose Hansel & Gretel was the game mechanics. One natural choice for a puzzle game based on that story would be a connection game, reflecting the well-known part of the tale where the children try to find their way home by following a trail of white pebbles, and later, breadcrumbs. But SmartGames already has a popular preschool game that uses a similar path-building mechanic. However, despite these concerns, several colleagues pushed so hard for a Hansel & Gretel game that I decided to explore the idea anyway. ‍ ‍The first thing I did was look for a different game mechanic. We already have a fairy tale-themed packing puzzle ( 3 Little Piggies ), a connection game ( Little Red Riding Hood ), a matching game ( Jack & the Beanstalk ), and a logic puzzle ( Snow White ). The only puzzle type suitable for a SmartGame we hadn't yet used was a sequential movement puzzle, unless you consider a maze ( like in Sleeping Beauty ) as one. Sequential movement puzzles…