RIDDLUM
Cast metal puzzles that look like sculpture and behave like a locked door. No instructions. No shortcuts. Only the one move you have not thought of yet.
Three ways to be stuck
THE COLLECTIONS
18 puzzles
INTERLOCKS
Solid forms that should not come apart, and do.
One object. Many pieces. No obvious seam.
12 puzzles
ENTANGLEMENTS
Two pieces bound together, waiting to be freed.
They were never joined. They were only trapped.
6 puzzles
VAULTS
Sealed things that keep a secret until you earn it.
A lock is a question. Answer it correctly.
Start here
YOUR FIRST LOCK
Solvable in one sitting, and just hard enough that the sitting runs long.
THE AMOURLOCK
One heart. One arrow. Infinite devotion.
THE CROSSHOOK
One hook. Two gates. Infinite resistance.
THE CYCLOX
One bike. One break. Infinite motion.
THE DUOCRYPT
Two keys. One lock. Infinite entanglement.
Before the first move
IT ARRIVES SEALED
A matte black box, gold foil on the inside lid, and a drawstring pouch holding the puzzle itself. Nothing about it tells you how it opens. That is the point.
Every piece ships ready to give away, which is the second most common thing people do with them. The first is refusing to put them down.
SOLID CAST METAL
Weight you can feel
NO INSTRUCTIONS
Only the object
GIFT READY
Boxed and pouched
Choose your resistance
HOW STUCK DO YOU WANT TO BE
- Difficulty: Moderate, 1 out of 5MODERATEAn evening, and a good feeling about yourself.2 puzzles
- Difficulty: Intermediate, 2 out of 5INTERMEDIATEYou will put it down once, then pick it back up.7 puzzles
- Difficulty: Advanced, 3 out of 5ADVANCEDMost people need a second sitting. Some need a third.21 puzzles
- Difficulty: Expert, 4 out of 5EXPERTBring patience. The obvious move is always wrong.5 puzzles
- Difficulty: Master, 5 out of 5MASTEROne puzzle. Very few solvers. No hints anywhere.1 puzzle
For the stubborn
THE DIFFICULT ONES
Expert and master tier. These are the ones people photograph half-solved and put back on the shelf, unfinished, for months.
THE AXISPIRE
Six arms. One frame. Infinite interference.
THE CRYPTEX CORE
Cold to the touch. Hot on the brain.
THE MARROWLOCK
One spine. One secret. Infinite resistance.
THE OBELIX
One box. One seal. Infinite secrets.
THE TWISTLINE
One rod. One seam. Infinite deception.
THE VORTEX
Five arms. One spiral. Infinite recursion.
The idea
A puzzle is the only object that improves by refusing you.
Riddlum began as a shelf of cast metal knots that nobody in the room could open. We kept buying them, kept failing, and eventually started making a collection worth failing at.
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