itch.io

(Un-ciphered spoilers after this)

Thanks for your reply. I got to step 4 on my own before making my first comment, and my intuition told me the exact thing I need to prove after that.

I did consider one form of parity, which is the numerical parity of horizontal/vertical lines. I thought the total number of either horizontal or vertical lines must be even because you must draw 2 lines per move, which could prove only one possibility works, but that's wrong because you can go from 2 to 0 by drawing "1 line", so I couldn't prove step 5 as easily as you have described.

But now that you mention it, I notice that there's also "positional parity", which allows me to color every (vertical) line with black or white, then notice you must draw 1 line in both black and white per move considering the relative positions of the astronauts. Drawing one line can cause the total number of lines go +1/-2 as mentioned before, and after all moves, the difference between black and white line numbers will always be a multiple of 3, finally proving that a difference of 1 in that other two possibilities can't ever happen.

I do feel satisfied with my proof no matter if it is the intended thought process or not, maybe there's an easier way to tell that? But if it is, I have to say you are evil LOL

I did 6-1 mostly and found a solution that works, but I'm having trouble proving its uniqueness. I know it had to be something related to the Section 5 mechanic, because otherwise I know it would not be unique, but I don't think I can find a satisfying way to prove it's impossible to get the others work. Any hint?

Nice game! The biggest "Aha" moment for me is definitely figuring out the true nature of what's happening, though I did that at about half way through, after that, there's not much mystery about what will happen next, as we all know how the story will end. Still, I enjoyed the writing, as it made the inevitable process painful to read (in a good way).

How exactly did I (supposedly) cheese them (ROT13):

3-10: V chg n sna orgjrra gjb snaf cbvagvat gbjneqf rnpu bgure, gura guvf sna jbhyq tb onpx naq sbegu naq gur ohggba jbhyq or uvg vaqrsvavgryl

4-2: V whfg hfrq gur punyx gb uvg gur ohggba

Also in 4-2 I didn't need the P. E. T. as well

Great game, though I think I cheesed 3-10 because I didn't need to use the chalk

Really interesting! I felt like more puzzle potential would open up if the scaling is less limited than it is now, or the 'glitch' could be useful in some way. But I'm not a puzzle designer in any way, so don't take my word for it haha

Interesting idea, though I'm not sure whether some behaviours are working as intended. For example (ROT13): jura gur fvghngvba ybbxf yvxr: (11)(KK)|K... , jurer 1 zrnaf cynlre punenpgre, K zrnaf obkrf naq | zrnaf jvaqbj obeqre, gur guvat V'z rkcrpgvat gb unccra jura chfuvat evtug vf ..(11)|(KK)K. , ohg gur tnzr vafgrnq cebqhprf ..(11)|(KK).K

Another example is kinda like this (ROT13): chfuvat evtug va fvghngvba (11)(KK)|2.K. , jurer 2 zrnaf nabgure cynlre punenpgre, guvf jbhyq erfhyg va 2 naq K fgnpxvat ba rnpu bgure.

Nice game! Though I didn't need to use all the boxes in Secure, here's what I did (ROT13): V perngrq n fgnpxvat obk hfvat gjb obkrf naq gur cunfr obk, gura chfurq gur fgnpx bagb gur fxhyy, pybfrq gur qbbe jvgu gur cunfr obk, xvpxrq bar bs gur obk sebz gur fgnpx vagb gur qbbe, gura pbzcyrgrq gur erfg.

I wonder if I solved Twists and Turns in the intended way: (ROT13) V whfg chfurq gur ubybtenz oybpx bar gvyr orybj gur pebff whapgvba, gura tb sebz gur obggbz gb chfu vg hc vagb gur whapgvba, gura chfurq vg gb gur evtug. Gur cngu gb gur gbc-evtug bs gur whapgvba vf abg arrqrq.

Really nice idea! Enjoyed my time with it

I think it has something to do with (ROT13) pbaarpgvba (ROT13 end). Specifically, you can slice them if and only if (ROT13) nyy tencr crbcyr ner pbaarpgrq (ROT13 end).

Finally did it with some subtle hints from my friend, that was really really hard lmao, brilliant design!

Wow this is good, would like to see this being explored further! Though my mind is already blown multiple times just by these 15 levels haha

Ah yes that would work, then I think your re-ordering would help

Just to confirm, (ROT13) fjnccvat n obk sbe n punenpgre (ROT13 end) is a step for level 5 (now 6), right? I might be overcomplicating it.

If true, then I think it is still too much of a leap for the player to take. Maybe it is nicer to have that level near the end where you (ROT13) arrq gb fjnc n punenpgre sbe n obk (ROT13 end) at the front so that the player could have a clearer objective in mind and also has a smaller possibility space to experiment with.

Some mindbending ideas here, though the order of the levels feels mixed up. For example, level 5 feels way more difficult than the ones that come after it, and I think some later puzzles actually do a better job of conveying that mechanic.

Still a good jam submission though, I think this can be explored further if you really want to.

Liking the mechanics, though I don't see how 'Comeback' is possible. But it is possible, right?

(Edit: thankfully it was fixed in the latest update)

Really interesting mechanic, and the puzzle design is excellent!

Though I may have cheesed 5-3 as I (ROT13) qvqa'g hfr gur yrsg-cbvagvat neebj ng gur obggbz.

(Edit: apparently the old 5-3 is gone, so that's settled)

It's no longer possible to solve it in this state, but you have the right idea, there is just a not-so-intuitive interaction you need to know.

Small hint: Abg rirel vgrz arrqf gb or hfrq.

Big hint: Abg rirel vgrz arrqf gb or hfrq *gb or hfrshy*.

Nice! Thought the movement could be quite fiddly, but the puzzles actually turned out  to be pretty elegant

N'ice'ly done, the lack of undo and several points of no return make 100%-ing a bit annoying, the puzzles are cool though

A really smooth solving experience, love all the little twists

Really clever, and really difficult too XD

The final level is really stumping me, had to come back another day to try again

Surprisingly challenging for an idea this simple! Really need to crank up the brain power to figure out the tricks to some levels.

Nice game! Though the mechanic of (ROT13) oyhr pbaqhpgvat terra (ROT13 end) is only required at the final puzzle and can be confusing. I looked at the other comments and you said an earlier puzzle should illustrate that, but it kinda didn't?

Solved again, I think this time the solution I used was similar to what I used in the first version of the level. Is the intended solution just (ROT13) ohvyqvat n 4-gvyr gnyy funcr jvgu gur cvax bar ba gbc, gura teno gur oyhr bar, gura pbzr onpx gb sbez nabgure gnyy funcr ohg jvgu gur cvax bar ba gur obggbz?

No it doesn't work any more, I'll try solving it again, thanks!

Nice, just re-solved all the changed levels and almost all solutions were different from my initial solution haha, but now they all seem like proper solutions. Though I still have a question about level 9, because it actually felt easier to solve this time, I just (ROT13) tenoorq gur fgenaqrq oyhr fyvzr onpx gb gur evtug fvqr, naq gura vg jnf irel rnfl gb fbyir

What a wonderful game! I tried this game when it first came out, but it was too hard for me back then. Now it is still as difficult as I remember, but I prevailed, and it only took me a week to chip away at the puzzles! Completing this game and Alephant are two of the most significant achievements of my puzzling journey, and I won't forget them any time soon.

Sorry about the deleted post, that was me asking for a hint for a level that made me stuck for 2 days straight, I have solved it since.

Excellent idea and execution!

Haha, that last puzzle made me laugh, good game!

It's been a long time, but here's how the rule works (rot13.com): guerr-va-n-ebj bayl pbhagf jura gur fgngrf bs guerr pbafrphgvir gvyrf ner PBZCYRGRYL gur fnzr. Sbe rknzcyr, bar gvyr bayl unf n obk, nabgure gvyr unf n obk naq n gnetrg, gura gurfr gjb qbrf ABG unir gur fnzr fgngr.

Finally got around to play this game. I remember playing a pre-release version of the game and then abandoned it because I wasn't feeling it, but now I've completed it in its entirety, I can say that it's very, very clever, and the puzzles only get better and better.

I like the fact that rather than having one specific core mechanic and hook, this game has multiple unique and seemingly irrelevant mechanics at play. While you can argue that some of those are more 'core'-y than others, like the portals, all of the mechanics just work so well together that they feel equally important. I believe the game did a good job bringing all these ideas together and exploring them to their fullest potential.

All in all, great game, strongly recommended.

Great mechanics and puzzles, though maybe it could use some epilepsy warning since the continuously wiggling chromatic abberation effect could be hard on the eyes

The final puzzle is a completely different beast than the rest, I won't go into details but here's the general thought process I went through, expressed as hints:

1: Pbafvqre lbhe tbny: Znxvat vg gb gur rkvg jvgu gur negvsnpg. Jung'f gur svany fgrc?

2: Gur negvsnpg arrqf gb gryrcbeg ng gur fnzr gvzr nf lbhe cynlre punenpgre. Ubj pna lbh znxr guvf fvghngvba unccra?

3: Lbh arrq nabgure jnl gb gevttre gur gryrcbegre jvgu "." flzoby.

4: Lbh arrq gb erpbafvqre rirel cneg bs gur yriry gb svaq n jnl gb qb guvf, fgnegvat sebz gur evtug fvqr bs gur svany ebbz.

5: Lbh arrq gb gevttre n punva bs gryrcbegngvbaf gb ernpu gur tbny, guhf, rirel cneg bs gur yriry vf vzcbegnag va guvf arj pbagrkg.

Originally I was one step away from solving the final puzzle for a long time and was asking for a tip here, but I have pushed through and wow isn't it satisfying! Really elegant puzzle, another masterpiece from Le Slo!

I started following you from Magicube, which I think is a masterpiece in puzzle design, and this game is a blast as well, thanks for the great game!

That said, I seem to have cheesed lvl 19 because some of the lanterns (is that what the 'boxes' are?) are left unused, is there some way I can contact you privately?

This game is a complete package of pleasing aesthetics, interesting mechanics, and tough but elegant puzzles. Really enjoyed it!

Maybe cheese solution for level 9? I didn't use the white things below