Unstable Eggs -- The Three-Part Essegg
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Jared Petersen's Unstable Eggs. For those who may have the misfortune of not yet being introduced into the world of eggy tottering, you are sorely missing out.
With the new release of series 3 in the Unstable Eggs story (now a trilogy), we are tasked with providing one of the core monumental tasks that befalls any puzzler that dares to enter the kingdom of tilt – providing a review.
I will now take you on journey filled with peril, great discoveries, heart-stopping moments, and most important of all – unstable eggs.
Let us begin.
As we begin the foray into the unending world of the instability of chicken-laid houses for those yet born – we must remind ourselves that these eggs have been given to a good cause – a cause for the minds and souls of those who must have their dexterities, logical thinking, and puzzling abilities challenged.
Series 1. The first set of instability that we will face. The appearance is already presenting its first puzzle – are these real eggs? Have I been bamboozled? Have I been sent most-certainly expired eggs, where the real “unstable” aspect of them will be attempting to balance holding back a righteous spew from the nauseating stench – challenging how stable you are?
Opening the carton reveals our safety. We are met with a variety of colors that are indeed non-eggy (minus the white – I’ve still got my uncertainties). Here we have the listing of the difficulties that each egg will give trial to:
Viewing what lies ahead – it appears that the only sensible option is to work in a pattern of least-to-most difficult. How will each eggy trial challenge the ability of the participant to hold enjoyment and wonder as they blaze the trails of stabilizing that which lies naturally-unstable?
We will find out now.
The first egg. White. Do we trust that this is not just an actual egg? A sniff reveals we may be safe. A shake reveals another guarantee of safety. A jiggle. A jolt. A shaky sensation within the egg. The egg is placed bottom-down. It falls over.
This is our first challenge.
Not much appears to be going on within this egg. Some would argue where the challenge is, but a challenge there is. Without much required fiddling and painful work-through, we have our first stabilized egg. It is pleasant in appearance. One could not guess that a standing egg would be so visually-appealing. A triumphant victory over our nemesis – the unstable egg.
One down. Five to go. This is easy. So easy. We’ve got this.
It’s time for blue. Intuitive? Yeah, we’ve so got this.
A shake, a jiggle – a jolt. Yet another unstable egg. How will this egg force our perceptions of inherent stability to change? Are we undergoing growth into a fully-actualized being – courtesy of Maslow’s hierarchy? Not yet. The blue is simplistic, but still provides its share of wiggles to be coerced into an upright position. Completed.
Four to go.
Now we get into the non-intuitive territory. The green egg. This is not of the green eggs that you recall being served with the ever-appetizing green ham. If Sam-I-Am had his hands on the uncertainty and deceptive appeal of the green egg, he would most certainly have kept his suffering to himself – questioning what had led him into a series of spiraling decisions – resulting in a near-mirror insight into his fervent obsession, and a quest to force an ever-constant stability through his cuisine of choice.
A wiggle-waggle. A tipsy-over. This is not your grandmother’s egg. Patience and virtue will lead the way into a sensible solution – different from the previous two eggs. And we are just getting started. Let the fear of instability sit restlessly within your soul. This sits only at the gate of what’s to come.
Three to go.
How confident one walks into an unknown can either spell certain victory, or certain death. As orange begins the descent into advanced via an “intermediate” rating, we begin to understand just what it is we have signed up for.
A jostle. A bump. There is too much noise in this one. How does one gain a sensibility in direction when there’s so much NOISE? Have mercy, o’ orange one. Violent shaking does not yield a satisfying solution. Approach is important in this one. Utilizing a gentle caress and a little TLC to loosen up the eggy-egg and bring its good favor onto us, we have this one solved.
Two to go.
Now we begin the deep descent into the circles of hell. If level one was orange, purple skips past the second and third, and moves directly into the fourth. Advanced it truly is. Maybe it is meant to bring to light those who are unworthy of the eggs. Maybe it is just a cruel joke.
A bumping, a nudge – a violent swirl. We are getting nowhere with purple. We are just beginning the trilogy of unstable eggs. We cannot give up within the first set. Cruel and evil as this may be, there must lie a reasonable solution within the small confines of this egg.
Indeed there is.
Much pain and suffering later, we have come to the penultimate conclusion of series 1. Purple has been solved. It is not as satisfying as one may think. The frustration has only just peeked around the corner.
One. To. Go.
Brass promises pain. Brass has more noise than ever heard before. Logical deduction seems fruitless. Or is it? We begin.
A sway. A rattle. The voices start their speaking in tongues: “if you dare to complete the first series, you must look deep within yourself and become the egg”. Challenge accepted.
We appear to actually have been elevated back up into the upper-circles. While there does promise to be some difficulty (this is, after all, advanced+), it is not the expected pain that we have prepared for. It is slightly lighter, and actually a much more pleasant end to the previous pain of the purple. Brass has been defeated.
Done.
Series 1 has been completed – not without its difficulties. Looking back on the journey, we can bring an honest assessment to the carton as a whole.
If this is just the beginning, I hesitate to peer into what may be the end.
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Series 2 – I Am Egg
Prepare your egg-based buttocks. We are now in the territory of the exotic egg fiends.
The second carton appears the same as the first. Hesitations about whether it contains rotten eggs is still very much a real concern. Chemical warfare is nothing to joke about. We are thankfully greeted with yet another variety of colors that speak to trustworthiness. The second series is as follows:
There appears to be an attempt to ease the point of entry by providing pleasant colors with cute names. Be not fooled. Trepidation is an inherent assuredness when dealing with these… “eggs”. If you do not tread lightly, you will be punished and cast further into the deep circles of egg DEATH.
Here we go.
Pink. How quaint. You would be wise to avoid direct eye contact with these eggs. They will begin to entice you with their dance of adorable form-factor and wacky wiggling. “Intuitive” may just mean that it should be intuitive for you not to continue past this point.
A twirl. A scramble. Yes. This is the pleasure that we once knew. Regardless of the noise and incessant uncertainty in which we lay previously, we are back in the realm of sensibility and (by proxy) stability. There is not much to write home about pink, but coming back around to a more standard solve is one to savor.
Five to go.
Ah, ivory. The “off” version of white – its older brother. There is something that you must know about ivory. Ivory doesn’t like you. Ivory will wobble, and you will let it. But do not be deterred. We will be able to vanquish this foe with a little perseverance. Be confident (but not too confident) in the “beginner” status of this one.
A shove, a shimmy – a totter. Ivory eventually begins to yield. Almost there… A light topple means that we must be near the solution. Lightly – lightly – take your fingers off. We… have done it. Yet another one in the egg bank. Although ivory’s inner-workings are not made apparently-known – it is still a feel-good success. Do not let blind sensation bring despair. We will do this.
Four to go.
Yellow is not just “beginner” – it’s beginner plus. And while you would think that the sounds of the hollow inside of this yellow friend of ours would placate any fears that we may have of a struggle – it has been ascertained that the plus is certainly not for naught.
A wibble-wobble turns into a teeter-totter, which turns into a violent (but gentle) throw. What circle of hell are we in now? By my guess, we are in a second circle. Nope, third. Somehow the orange from series 1 gave more leeway into a solve, but yellow is unrelenting. Maybe it’s the overly-complex approach to a solve that is making the yellow significantly more difficult than it should be, but this is not one you can just sock around. However, just as ultimate impatience begins to rear its ugly head, we have done it. What a brutal beginner egger.
Three to go.
Chartreuse is the first step into the series 2 novice-and-above difficulty. It is nice enough to allow you to feel that you are close to a balance, but will slowly topple over to remind you of your utter failure to administer any form of capable attempt to bring a stable foundation. If disappointed parents were to be represented in egg form, this would be it.
A gentle jerk. A joggle. A light jab. As assured as your disappointing presence in the face of your birth-bringers, a light nod is really a destined fall into a void of uncertainty. Chartreuse, as your grandmother may be called, is not one to give so easily. It may just be the cruelest in terms of false hope. But unlike those who are uncompromising in their assessment of your worth, chartreuse loves you, and gives you the solve.
Two to go.
As an “advanced” contender, fuschia provides you a considerable look into yourself and how you approach balancing eggs. This is, after all, one of the most quintessential life skills that one must build to become a valuable member in the society of “those who stabilize eggs”.
A jumble and a yank – we do not feel as pained with the fuschia as we did with its close cousin, the purple from series 1. As we pursue the trial, we must remind ourselves that not all solutions will be roundabout, just as all solutions will not be straightforward. If you just truly believe, you will showcase your newfound egg-balancing talent in a spectacular display of eggy bravado.
One to go.
Silver may indeed be the “silver bullet” to some. There is no explicitly-apparent sound-making coming from the showy silver. Just like the fuschia, silver promised an advanced experience that should not be taken lightly.
A rock and a roll – we cannot get this in control. We are cast back down into the depths of the inner-circles of fiery hell. We have not yet hit ice, and we must hope that this will not come to light (or to dark – however you may wish to view it). But aha! We have stumbled (pun intended) upon something. Patience always being the key, patience will be more required for this one than the others.
Just as it seems fruitless, we utilize the above tidbit in establishing the final egg’s solution.
We are done.
As accomplished as we may feel, we have one final foe to bring out into battle. You cannot escape, you will not escape, but most importantly – you should not escape. We are close to ultimate egg-lightenment, and we must take one last trek into the merciless void of unstable eggs.
Here we go.
There is a theme in this. Dark. These are very dark colors. Be inclined to believe that this will be the ultimate trial of eggcellency. Are you a contender for the champion of eggs? Will you become the egg? Or will you just be left in scrambles?
Let us begin.
Gray guarantees intuition. We should trust this, but in caution, if we are to make it to the end of this rigorous trial. Do you have faith to avoid plummeting into the sink of desperation? I have faith in you.
A gentle vibrate. A waggle. A jounce. Gray will not give up its secrets so easily, but as its difficulty promises, we have some leeway. That previously-mentioned faith? Bring it in. Just like Goku’s spirit bomb, bring about that energy from all those in the known universe. You will find that a simple approach later, we will have it solved.
Five to go.
Back to the beginner stage, black lets you know that the absence of light should not necessarily render you hopeless. There is enough feedback to not feel as thrown-down into the depths as you may think you are.
A jumbling. A jangling. Another synonym for shake that starts with ‘j’. Black will not stand. It appears that even with feedback, we feel almost as blind and hopeless as if we had none. Thus brings the fall into the hole of deggspair (this one was a stretch). If we keep at it, it starts to make sense, and then makes no sense again. This is “beginner”? We must bring great caution and be wary as we approach the future eggs. With a gentle-yet-aggressive touch, we bring peace and balance to the black.
Four to go.
Pine begins its taunt by saying “listen to me – I’m just like the others. My solve is most certainly exactly the same as the others!” Do not be tricked. Eggs are known for their lies and deceit. If you are not aware of this at this point, it is advised that you climb up out of this hole, because it seems inevitable that you will be buried alive.
A flitter. A loving oscillation. Pine takes no prisoners. Pine is here to remind you what “plus” means for an egg, and that you should not get comfortable. After enough fiddling and a rough idea of how to situate the internal unease within the egg, we have now come upon the solution, and the egg now sits as balanced as all previous fourteen eggs are.
Three to go.
Indigo is the intermediate one of the series. If you feel lost, do not fret. Indigo will bring you back to a reality in which things may go your way.
A rumble. A cute lil’ shove. Be it luck, or be it inherent skill. Indigo stands immediately. Is this a trick? We must be honest and confident in our standing of the egg. The egg is toppled and attempted again for a true solve. This time is slightly different. As we begin yet another tango with the egg, we find that it may not provide as much of a complicated sound as we envision. With enough fiddly-diddlies, we have solved indigo.
Two to go.
Was it intentional that maroon was number five? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe it’s just a distraction to make us forget that we are now in the advanced section of series 3. Only a fool would sing songs about Jane, but as we approach the end of all 18 eggs, it is most certainly getting harder to breathe.
A perturbation. A quake. Maybe it’s the previous sixteen eggs successfully solved. Maybe it’s this essay coming to its conclusion, but without much difficulty, the darkness of the maroon is vanquished, and life feels whole again. The varietous difficulty in the series 3 set sits in a comforting middleground of intuition and comprehensibility. We have but a final egg to conquer.
One to go.
Hoping it not to be the evil final boss in which any attempt seems forlorn in actuality, we now tackle the concluding foe in the entirely of the unstable egg trilogy. Copper.
A lucky sequence of fumbling, and a familiarity with all seventeen other eggs presents a pleasant out-of-carton balance. But this is not the game that we play. “Lucky Eggs” is not the name of the series – nor should it be. We are here to bring about the ultimate conclusion to this trilogy.
We grab the egg and shake and wobble and tilt it excitedly, yet as carefully as you would shake a baby (which is not at all, FYI).
An agitation. A riling. Here we go. There is something sinister happening inside this one. One cannot point to a direct culprit, but there certainly does require ultimate perseverance (and maybe even luck) to secure this one.
A few more fumblings and aggressively sudden motions – copper has been cracked.
We must celebrate.
Long-forgotten are the pains of purple – of uncertainty in the direction in which we are all heading. Death no longer feels imminent. Peace has been brought into the kingdom of instability.
Trilogy complete.
Epilogue
On a more serious note, I will give final thoughts onto the unstable eggs series as a whole. My favorites, my least favorites, best set, worst set, etc.
Summarizing the experience into one whole – the Unstable Egg series is not one to hold off on. As long as Jared is cranking out these sets, it will be forever necessary to undergo the trials that these toppling eggs provide. Each egg generally gives enough feedback to fumble your way into a solution, but you can indeed happen on them accidentally.
With all series, I would recommend that after you solve them you look at the solution sheets to truly appreciate the work that Jared has put into providing a unique experience for each set.
Series 1 I feel is a great entry into the trilogy – however evil I personally feel that purple is. It’s the beginning of Jared’s creative process with this balancing-act type of puzzle.
Series 2 has more of a fun factor to it. This is a good follow-up to the first series as well by introducing some more fun colors and establishing the difficulty scale.
Series 3 has some very unique elements added to the eggs that can often require a lot more deliberate movement. There’s a lot going on inside each egg in this series to say the least.
I have provided ratings for the eggs and sets for reference. I believe that each egg and each set is worth it. This is simply my personal experience and rating. Just because something rates low doesn’t mean it’s not good.
From least-favorite (AKA “good”) to most-favorite (AKA “fantastic”) egg:
If we then take these scores and add together their rank, we can see which order of “great” the sets are in. Lower score is better here.
If you must choose only one set (I honestly recommend them all), you would be happy with series 2. I believe that each set provides its own experience, but I’m just crunching numbers here, baby.
All in all, this was a great brute-force run-through of the Unstable Eggs trilogy. I am unsure if Jared desires to keep the series going and eventually crank out a series 4, but rest-assured that I will be one of the first to purchase it if/when it is done.
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