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Thanks for making this topic, I probably should’ve set something like this up from the start. Just as a general tip for anyone struggling, I would strongly recommend trying the original Shackle first if you haven’t already. It has a significantly gentler difficulty curve and it should help with getting used to how the ball and chain move. If you want to get back to Shack-o’-Lantern quickly, the first 6 level sets in Shackle should cover all of the mechanics you need.

Lighting:

Thanks for the kind words, good luck with your pursuits!

That’s a really fun idea. The original Shackle needed the current behavior for a few levels, though I do think having tangled objects work more like snake segments would work well with the light mechanics.

I use GameMaker Studio 1.4, it has its own language called GML.

This game now has a puzzlescript version if you’d like to try making your own levels (I’d recommend visiting all level clusters in the game first to avoid spoilers): https://www.puzzlescript.net/play.html?p=9510050a0dc6805a4380182d8044eb45

Feel free to share your levels here!

Sorry for the wait, hope this helps!

I made a new post here, hope it helps: https://itch.io/t/3647592/hints

Depth:

Feel free to ask for hints!

Thanks, glad you’re enjoying it!

Yes, that was the unintended solution. I’ve left some hints below.

I finally made the HTML available for download (along with a map of the game), sorry for the long wait!  My original plan was to make it available once I had fixed all of the known unintended solutions, but there were a couple I was really struggling with that I just never got around to fixing.  I'm still hoping to get through those at some point (I'll update the downloadable version and leave a new reply here when I do) but I wanted to upload this now before I forget again.

Trggvat gur punva onpx va gur gbc evtug vf na vzcbegnag fgrc, naq gurer vf vaqrrq ab jnl gb trg guebhtu gur ebj bs erq oybpxf (n fgebat nethzrag pbhyq or znqr sbe univat gur zvqqyr vairegrq erq oybpx whfg or n jnyy, ohg V gubhtug vg jnf na vagrerfgvat fgehpgher gb guvax nobhg).  Vg fbhaqf yvxr lbh'er ba gur evtug genpx jvgu gur obggbz yrsg.

V guvax gur orfg jnl gb cebterff guebhtu gur yriry vf gb svefg svaq n jnl gb ghea vagb n tubfg va gur obggbz yrsg.  Nsgre gung, ybbx sbe n jnl gb trg onpx guebhtu gur cnffntr ba gur evtug (rira nsgre trggvat lbhe punva onpx).  Sebz gurer, vg vf whfg nobhg chggvat gubfr gjb cvrprf gbtrgure (gurer ner gjb jnlf gb qb fb, ohg V guvax gur rnfvre ebhgr vf gb frg hc gur cvrprf sbe gur obggbz yrsg, qb gur gbc evtug, naq gura erghea gb gur obggbz yrsg ng gur raq).

Yrg zr xabj vs lbh jnag zber fcrpvsvp uvagf sbe nal bs gur fgrcf.  Whfg gb cebivqr fbzr qverpgvba, gur gjb npprffvoyr pengrf cynl na vzcbegnag ebyr va rnpu bs gurve erfcrpgvir cnegf, fb sbphfvat ba ubj gb znxr hfr bs gurz jvyy cebonoyl yrnq lbh va gur evtug qverpgvba.

Here is how to reach it (in rot13 just in case):
Nsgre lbh svavfu nyy bs gur yriryf va gur znva unyy, gur jnyy va gur pragre bs Rkvg jvyy ybjre.  Hfr gur rkgen fcnpr gb ghea lbhefrys nebhaq naq gura npgvingr gur ohggba hfvat gur onyy vafgrnq bs gur cynlre.

Yes, there is another ball off to the side.  The quirk the gif is showing off is that the chain doesn't attach if it is on the same tile as the ball.

I can't make an executable because this game uses a different engine, but I could probably have an html file available for download.  I'd like to iron out more of the unintended solutions before doing that though, so I'll let you know when I do!

Thanks!  It seems I had forgotten to add Puzzlescript as the engine, hopefully it shows up properly now.

Make sure both blocks you are using to make the square block are sticky.  You can put a downward block on top of one and a rightward block on top of the other and the diagonal will be formed directly on top of the square block when the pistons trigger.  The extra setup is moving the rightward block over to one of the pistons before getting onto the platform with the blocks.  The third piston is for making the second diagonal, which happens after dropping back down from the platform.

I'm not super happy with how the puzzle turned out.  I missed a lot of moves (mostly alternate ways to form the diagonals) and it ended up being more difficult and frustrating than intended, though I do know of two people who have solved the latest version without help.

It sounds like you are making the square block correctly (those restrictions are all planned) but you may be stuck unless you already have a diagonal made.  You can make the first diagonal at the same time as the square block.  You shouldn't need to change the way you make the square block much, it just requires some extra setup.  Let me know if you want more details.

The timing for this part is tricky, hopefully this explanation helps (also, just to confirm, you won't need to drop more than two downward blocks to the ground and you won't ever need to raise blocks off of the ground again after you get onto the platform with the blocks).   The paths to each button from the diagonal don't need the same number of pieces, as you can essentially speed up a path by having another stationary block sitting along it.  As an example, suppose a block is sitting two spaces away from a diagonal and you push a new block onto that diagonal. After the first time step, the block is one space away from the diagonal.  On the second time step, it pushes the stationary block onto the tile three spaces away from the diagonal, so you get an object three spaces along the path in only two time steps.  You can use this trick to synchronize the button presses even if the paths aren't equal length.

I don't know the specifics of your previous solution, but my guess is the way you made the diagonals probably won't work anymore.  Regarding making the square block, using the diagonal is correct and using the risers on the right to elevate yourself is also correct.

The diagonals are still going to be made on the upper level if that is what you are referring to, but if you were using additional downward blocks that might not work anymore.

The player can generally only send objects along a single path because you only move in one of the cardinal directions.  Try using an object that doesn't have these restrictions.

Making the square block does not require using all three switches, but all will be used eventually.  The square block indeed needs to be made on the ground using the pistons/pushers, and if I understand your method correctly, you are already using the right two.  There is a way to hit both switches while you are still on the upper platform, let me know if you'd like more details.

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for playing!

Just a heads up, S.5 will be getting an update that will hopefully reduce the possibility space a decent amount (I believe one of the fusions you've found will be blocked as well, but the solution shouldn't change much).  My suggestion would be to focus on making the square sticky block first.  As you've seen, you can only get on the upper platforms once (at least without using a bunch of pieces building a bridge) so try to get as much done as you can before dropping back down.  I know this is still very vague, so feel free to reply with any further questions you have.

Here's level 15 for Redirect: https://imgur.com/a/MhT4hkA

You are correct, you will want both the ball and chain on the top row before stepping onto either locking tile on the top row.  Try using the locking tile on the row below to reach the top; you may need to use this tile more than once to get the shape you want.

Thanks for playing!

Lbh qb unir gb zbir gur obk qbja gb gur obggbz, ohg lbh qba'g arrq nyy bs gur erq fjvgpurf cerffrq va beqre gb qb fb.  Lbh jvyy jnag nyy bs gur erq cerffrq vzzrqvngryl orsber fb gung lbh pna oernx serr sebz n onyy naq yrnir vg va gur ybjre unys bs gur yriry, ohg sebz gurer, lbh jba'g arrq gb qvr ba gur erq ntnva hagvy nsgre gur obk unf orra zbirq.  Jura lbh svefg bcra gur terra qbbef gb oevat gur obk qbja, lbh'yy jnag n obk ba gur hccre terra fjvgpu gung vf abg fghpx ntnvafg n jnyy naq n qrgnpurq onyy ba gur obggbz erq fjvgpu.  Sebz gurer, lbh pna fjnc gur gjb (lbh'yy jnag gb oevat gur onyy hc svefg fb gung lbh pna xrrc gur terra fjvgpurf cerffrq).

4 vf qrsvavgryl ba gur evtug genpx - lbh pna nibvq lbhe vffhr jvgu gur obk orvat fghpx ntnvafg gur jnyy vs lbh trg gung frpbaq onyy ba gur terra fjvgpu bhg bs gur jnl.  Lbh pna npghnyyl qb guvf evtug ng gur fgneg bs gur yriry ol qlvat ba gur terra, ybbcvat nebhaq, naq cvpxvat hc gur onyy ghpxrq vagb gur pbeare (vs lbh ybbx ng cvpgher 2 bs lbhe cerivbhf frg, lbh npghnyyl unq gur onyy bhg bs gur jnl naq guerr vgrzf va gur obggbz unys).  Sebz gurer, lbh pna qb rknpgyl jung lbh qvq sbe gur erfg bs gur tvs naq lbh jvyy or va n irel tbbq cbfvgvba.

6 vf nyfb n irel tbbq vqrn, V guvax vs lbh pbzovar gur gjb lbh unir cerggl zhpu rirelguvat lbh arrq.

V oryvrir lbhe svefg zbir vf jebat.  Juvyr vg qbrfa'g znxr gur chmmyr hafbyinoyr, lbh cebonoyl qba'g jnag gb bcra gur terra qbbef evtug njnl (bcravat naq pybfvat gurz gb qvr, ubjrire, vf n ivnoyr bcgvba).  V guvax gur xrl guvat gb pbafvqre vf jul lbh jnag gb zbir gur onyy bss bs gur oyhr fjvgpu va gur svefg cynpr.  Gur nafjre vf eryngrq gb lbhe frpbaq dhrfgvba.

Lbh jvyy or zbivat bowrpgf npebff gur gjb unyirf bs gur yriry.  

Vg vf cbffvoyr gb trg gur onyy onpx gb gur oyhr fjvgpu sebz jurer lbh unir vg, ohg qbvat fb jvyy abg uryc lbh, nf vg erdhverf hfvat n ybg bowrpgf gung lbh qb abg jnag va gur ybjre unys bs gur yriry ng gung cbvag.

Vg vf cbffvoyr gb jva sebz obgu cvpgherf 1 naq 2, gubhtu (naq V guvax guvf vf jurer n ybg crbcyr obgu urer naq n guernq ryfrjurer ner trggvat fghpx) qbvat jung vf fubja va gur svefg cvpgher vf abg npghnyyl urycshy.

Lbh ner fyvtugyl pybfre gb gur fbyhgvba va cvpgher 2.  Gur zbir lbh ner qbvat gurer vf rkgerzryl pyrire ohg, nffhzvat V haqrefgnaq lbhe vagragvba, abg irel urycshy (gubhtu gur onfvp pbasvthengvba znl freir nabgure checbfr).  Lbh qb arrq gb zbir gur onyy bss gur oyhr fjvgpu, ohg znxr fher lbh nyfb haqrefgnaq jul qbvat fb vf hfrshy (V rkcynva va gur cnentencu orybj).

Gurer vf n jnl gb hfr gur yrsg cnffntr orgjrra gur gbc naq obggbz unyirf gb zbir na bowrpg hc, ohg lbh arrq gur onyy bss bs gur oyhr fjvgpu be ryfr gur vairegrq oyhr jnyyf jvyy oybpx lbh.  Vs lbh chg gur onyy onpx ba gur oyhr fjvgpu juvyr gurer ner fgvyy guerr bowrpgf ba gur ybjre unys bs gur yriry, lbh ner tbvat gb unir gb zbir vg bss ntnva ng fbzr cbvag, nf bayl gjb bowrpgf fubhyq or va gur ybjre unys ol gur raq.

Gur ernfba jul vg vf hafbyinoyr sebz cvpgher 3 vf orpnhfr lbh ab ybatre unir nal jnl bs zbivat gur onyy onpx bss bs gur oyhr fjvgpu naq lbh unir gbb znal bowrpgf va gur ybjre unys.

Lbh ner pbeerpg, gur oyhr vairegrq tngrf va gur zvqqyr ner gur bayl cynpr jurer lbh pna oernx lbhe punva.

Bapr lbh erzbir gur onyy ba gur obggbz terra fjvgpu, lbh jvyy arire or noyr gb trg na bowrpg bhgfvqr bs gur obggbz-yrsg ebbz bagb gur oyhr fjvgpu ba gur vafvqr ntnva.

Urer vf uvag ertneqvat gur zbir lbh jnag gb qb gung erdhverf univat ab punva: Vs lbh ernyyl pna'g trg evq bs lbhe punva, jung bgure guvat nobhg gur fvghngvba pbhyq lbh punatr gb znxr vg jbex?

V nyfb unir n dhrfgvba whfg gb znxr fher V haqrefgnaq jurer lbh ner ng: Jura lbh cerff nyy bs gur terra fjvgpurf, jurer vf gur svany onyy?

Minor hint:

Xrrc Uvag 3 sebz nobir va zvaq.  Guvax yrff nobhg gelvat gb trg lbhe punva gb bireync jvgu n obk naq zber nobhg ubj gb xrrc vg bireynccrq jvgu n obk.  Guvf vf cebonoyl rnfvre gb abgvpr ryfrjurer, cnegvphyneyl va gur svefg srj fgrcf bs yriry 47.

Major hint:

Cnl pnershy nggragvba gb jung unccraf jura lbh oernx lbhe onyy juvyr lbh unir n obk fghpx ba lbhe punva.  Vf gurer n jnl lbh pbhyq rkcybvg gung?

Gur cynlre-oybpx-onyy sbezngvba jbhyq or avpr gb unir va n srj ybpngvbaf, ohg abar bs gurz frrz ernpunoyr hfvat gur evtvq/serrmvat gvyr.  Vf gurer nal bgure gvzr lbh jbhyq unir n obk bireync jvgu gur punva?

I've encoded the hints below using rot13 so that you (or anyone else who is stuck here) can reveal as much or as little as they want (also, thank you for naming the post this way).

Hint 1:

Gur evtvq/serrmvat gvyr jvyy cynl n xrl ebyr va gur fbyhgvba.  Vs gur cbfvgvba lbh ner gelvat gb trg gb frrzf vzcbffvoyr, ybbx sbe bgure cynprf jurer pneelvat na bowrpg ba gur punva jbhyq or hfrshy.

Hint 2:

Rirelguvat vf vzcbegnag.  Gur gbgny ahzore bs bowrpgf, gur cbfvgvbaf bs gur jnyyf, naq gur snpg gung gurer ner guerr onyyf (vapyhqvat gur bar nggnpurq ng gur fgneg) nyy znggre.

Hint 3:

Gur yriry'f anzr znl or yrnqvat lbh nfgenl.  Vs lbh ner abg cerfreivat bowrpgf, jung ryfr vf gurer gb cerfreir?

Hint 4:

Gur fbyhgvba jvyy erdhver n zbir lbh unira'g hfrq orsber.

Here is a direct reply to your question (this is a bit more direct than most of the hints, so you may not want to read it first):

Trggvat na bowrpg ba gur oyhr fjvgpu jvyy erdhver qrfgeblvat ng yrnfg bar bowrpg; trggvat gb gung gvyr jvgu na bowrpg ba gur punva vf abg cbffvoyr.

Correction: Vg vf cbffvoyr, ohg abg va n jnl gung jbhyq or hfrshy.

Hopefully this helps, let me know if you want any further information.

Thanks for posting this, in this case this is the intended solution.  The extra box is there for a few reasons, but it basically comes down to appearance and making the solution slightly less telegraphed.  With five boxes it is somewhat easy to see where each one needs to end up and then reverse-engineer the solution (a tactic I would not usually discourage, but I felt it undermined the satisfaction of finding the "trick" here); with six the idea was that it would feel like too many so the player wouldn't know how many they actually needed to use.  It ended up being more jarring than I intended, especially when the previous 43 levels used pretty much everything provided.

You have to kill all of the enemies and then follow the purple arrow.  If you press 2, you will change to a teleportation ability that allows you to get through the wall towards the end.  You have to make sure your mouse is close enough (it will show a faded version of the character when it is in range) and then right click to use the ability.  Then you left click while standing on the brown circle to go to the next level.  Honestly though, you aren't missing much, this game is a worthy competitor for my worst game on this site.

Also, since I don't think I can reply directly to reviews, I'd just like to thank you, reading through your reviews has been a lot of fun.

No worries, it's basically just another way to say attached.