Your phone and computer aren’t the only ways to sharpen your brain with fun brain games. The GiiKER Super Slide takes you away from a screen and gives you a hands-on brain teaser that’ll keep you busy for hours. While targeted to kids, it’s perfect for adults as well. I had the pleasure of testing this handheld STEM game to see how challenging it really is.
This is a sponsored article and was made possible by GiiKER. The actual contents and opinions are the sole views of the author who maintains editorial independence even when a post is sponsored.
Overview of Features
The GiiKER Super Slide is a handheld game featuring pieces you slide around to solve brain teaser puzzles. At 7.52 in. x 4.53 in. x 1.89 in., it’s the perfect size for kids and adults alike and is designed for ages 6 and up. Due to the removable pieces, it’s not ideal for smaller kids who may try to eat the pieces. It weighs less than a pound, making it easy to take with you anywhere for a quick game on the go.
The Super Slide is a portable sliding puzzle. A small LED screen shows you the layout of the puzzle, then it’s up to you to slide the individual pieces (without lifting them off the board) to get the larger square to the designated area.
With over 500 levels, it’ll keep you busy for a while. Plus, by the time you get through all the levels, you likely won’t remember the solutions for previous levels, giving it great replay value.
Levels increase in difficulty to help players build crucial reasoning skills. Thanks to three play modes, no one ever has to feel stuck. Try standard mode for endless time to figure out a puzzle. Or, make it extra difficult with challenge mode, where you have a limited amount of time. Can’t figure out a puzzle or aren’t sure how to play? Just use learn mode, where the game guides you step by step through the process.
It can easily be used as a brain teaser, stress reliever, fidget toy, or to help improve concentration and critical thinking skills. While designed for solo play, it’s easy for two or three people to collaborate, which may be ideal for younger kids who are just learning.
In the Box
Almost everything you need to start playing the GiiKER Super Slide is included in the box. You’ll need to get two AA batteries, though, as these aren’t included. Thankfully, you don’t need a screwdriver to change the batteries in and out, which makes changing them much easier.
There’s a detailed game manual, the game itself, and some extra single squares, which you’ll need for some puzzles. Overall, there are 12 yellow single square pieces, five blue rectangle pieces, and one red square piece.
I highly recommend a quick read of the instructions before you start playing to better understand the controls and how to set up a puzzle. It’s simple, but if you happen to be a parent who wants a quiet toy for your child, you’ll definitely want to know how to silence it.
You may want to keep the box to store everything for travel, but a zippered pencil case or plastic storage bag would work well too, just so that you don’t lose the extra pieces.
GiiKER Super Slide App
The manual also advertises the GiiKER SuperSlide app, which is a digital ad-supported version of the game. What’s great is that you can create your own levels. It’s free for both iOS and Android.
Some users complained In the Google Play Store that there were too many ads and that the app crashed after ad breaks. I personally didn’t encounter any crashing issues myself. I played through 10 levels before having to watch two 30-second ads. Each level has a small banner ad at the bottom of the screen, but nothing distracting. However, you can turn your data/Wi-Fi off and avoid the ads completely if you’d like.
The app works just like the game. You choose a level, then start moving the pieces around. A timer pops up as soon as you move your first piece so that you can see how long it takes you to finish.
If you’re struggling, tap the Play button at the bottom of the puzzle, and it’ll take you step by step through the solution. You can then restart the puzzle if you would like to see if you can get through it without the assistance.
If you’ve played through all 511 levels and want a new challenge, create your own levels or have someone else create levels for you. Creating puzzles is just as challenging as solving them. After all, you have to make sure what you’re creating is solvable. Once you’ve added all the required pieces, a magnifying glass icon becomes tappable. Use this to see if the puzzle you created has a solution. If so, it’s ready to play. If not, you’ll need to make some adjustments.
This is a puzzle I created, and surprisingly, I created one that has a solution on the first try. You can also create 3×3 and 4×4 puzzles with numbered squares as well.
Getting Started
The layout is fairly straightforward. At the top of the GiiKER Super Slide, there’s a small square LED screen that shows you the puzzle layout so that you can prep for the next game, the puzzle number you’re on, a countdown (in challenge mode), and a step-by-step solving guide (in learning mode).
The magnetic pieces stay in the playing area quite well. I could hold it vertically and upside down without any of them falling out. Yet, if I tapped the back of the game a little while holding it upside down, a few pieces did fall out, but that’s to be expected.
There are also three buttons at the top that do the following:
- L – Start learning mode by pressing and holding, move to the previous puzzle by pressing once, and jump between steps in learning mode
- C – Start challenge mode by pressing and holding, move to the next puzzle by pressing once, jump between steps in challenge mode
- On/Off – Press and hold for a few seconds to turn the game on/off, press once to confirm that you’re ready to start a game
- Press and hold L and C together for a few seconds to mute and unmute the game
It’s easy to learn the controls, even for young children.
After putting in the batteries, I turned on the GiiKER Super Slide and was presented with the first puzzle. You have to move the pieces into the position that matches the LED screen. You can remove pieces from the board at this point since you’re not solving anything yet.
Once set, I pressed the On/Off button to start playing. I started in regular play mode to get a feel for the game first. As expected, the early levels are definitely easier, but they still make you think.
The goal is to simply get the big red square to the target area in the bottom center of the playing area each time. Easy, right?
Challenge and Learning Modes
After playing through a few dozen puzzles, I gave the other modes a try. Learning mode was nice. If you ever get stuck on a puzzle, don’t hesitate to use this mode versus getting frustrated. You don’t have to go through all the steps if you don’t want to, bug it’s a good way to get you started in the right direction. The LED screen shows you exactly how the puzzle should look each step of the solution.
If you think the puzzles are too easy, give challenge mode a try. I honestly think it’s too difficult for younger kids. For instance, the first puzzle, which is an easy one, only gives you around 10 seconds to solve it. It’s actually difficult to slide the pieces fast enough. As puzzles get more difficult, you get more time.
In this mode, there’s a countdown in the LED screen. When all the squares disappear, you’re out of time. Around puzzle 15, I had just over 20 seconds to solve and barely finished in time. You’ll get a score when you’re finished:
- S – Super
- A – Elite
- B – Master
- C – Intermediate
- D – Beginner (my first score)
- E – Failure
I’d take some time to get used to the game before jumping into challenge mode, especially if you’re new to puzzles like this.
Final Thoughts
With the high replay value of the GiiKER Super Slide, it’s worth the higher price. Kids and adults can both play. It works well as a STEM toy and brain teaser. With increasing difficulty, it becomes more and more challenging, making it fun to sit and try to solve a few levels a day.
Thanks to extra modes, it’s even more enjoyable. It makes a great gift for any logic puzzle lover. You can pick up your own GiiKER Super Slide for $44.97.
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