Bach Rediscovered — a music jigsaw game

Each puzzle is a passage of Bach torn into fragments. Drag them onto the staff, press Play, and listen. When every fragment sits where Bach wrote it, the passage plays back whole.

As with any jigsaw, brute force isn’t the method. Jigsaw solvers sort pieces by color, shape, and pattern. Here you sort fragments by key, contour, rhythm, and cadence: a phrase that hasn’t finished its thought, a bass line that wants to resolve, a second voice answering the first.

The recitals begin with single melodies, then add the other hand, then counterpoint. Fugues follow, where a subject enters, is answered, and keeps going underneath. The last recitals hand you fragments played backward or upside down, and you have to hear them for what they are.

If you enjoy puzzles and listening closely, there’s a place for you here. If you’ve played an instrument or sung in a choir, you may hear familiar ideas in a new way. You don’t need to read music to begin.

Made by a musician.

I’m Serge, the developer behind Bach Rediscovered. I started learning French horn at nine, picked up trumpet for jazz and pep band, and taught myself piano from my brother’s old books. I spent more than a decade singing in choir to be with the woman who became my wife. Along the way, I played in musical theater, then arranged and conducted.

I’ve spent almost a decade helping build and ship games. When I started making a game of my own, those musical roots found their way into it.

Bach Rediscovered began at a game jam in the summer of 2025. The theme was looping, and I thought of a pit orchestra repeating a few bars while the scenery changes. After the jam, I couldn’t stop thinking about moving pieces of music around to make a puzzle. Bach’s keyboard music became the source for those puzzles.

The musicians who tried it finished every level I’d made, then started telling me who else should play. Watching them listen for where each part belonged made me want to keep building.

FAQ

What is Bach Rediscovered?+

A puzzle game made from Bach’s own music. Each puzzle is a passage torn into fragments, and you put them back on the staff by ear until the passage plays the way Bach wrote it. There are no points or stars; the reward is hearing the whole piece and knowing why it works.

Do I need to read music?+

No, though it helps. The notation is on every fragment, and players who read will use it. The puzzles are solved by listening: where a phrase belongs, which voice answers which, when a line has finished its thought. The game never asks you to name anything.

Can I play if I’m not a musician?+

Yes. The first recitals use short melodies and simple choices. You listen, place, play, and revise. Reading music helps, but your ears do the work.

Who is it for?+

Anyone who thinks in music, and especially players with a few years of lessons, ensembles, or choirs behind them. The first recitals are short melodies; the last are fugues and fragments played backward or upside down.

What music is in it?+

Bach’s keyboard works: the Two-Part Inventions and preludes and fugues from both books of the Well-Tempered Clavier, grouped into recitals that each open with a letter from your teacher.

What happens if I put a fragment in the wrong place?+

Nothing. Like a jigsaw, each piece gives you clues. Listen for a melody that needs an ending, a bass line that feels unfinished, or one part answering another. Try a different arrangement and hear what changes.

Is there a daily puzzle?+

Yes. The sealed envelope on the music stand holds one numbered puzzle a day. Miss a day and nothing is skipped: the next puzzle waits for you.

Where can I play?+

On Steam, for Windows, macOS, and Steam Deck. Wishlist it to hear the day it’s out.

A musicjigsawgame

Solved by ear.

Announcement Trailer

Made by a musician.

FAQ