Games are always seeking to challenge their players, be it with tough combat,damage-sponge bosses, difficult decisions they must make, or puzzles that will have them scratching their head as they attempt to think of a possible solution.
Puzzles usually revolve around a central theme or mechanic, usually befitting of the environment they are in or their reward for figuring out how to solve it. In the case of some games, music is utilized as a key mechanic for playing andsolving the puzzle, and to great effect.
With a name bearing a musical instrument, it is no surprise that music plays a large part inOcarina of Time, with Link making use of his ocarina to travel between timelines, warping from location to location and even solving puzzles scattered throughout the game.
One of the locationsin theOoTis the Lost Woods, given this name due to the twisting, confusing layout that usually gets people turned around and right back where they started. And this is exactly a puzzle players will need to solve, with music playing a key part. Throughout the entirety of the Lost Woods, a catchy and jaunty tune will play that if players follow, it should lead them to the end. If they follow a pathway and the music fades, it is the wrong way. Players will need to crank up the volume and listen careful to avoid ending right back where they started.
Piano Puzzle
Silent Hill
In Silent Hill, you assume the role of widower Harry Mason, who is trying to get away from the pain of his wife’s loss by taking his daughter on a road trip. After a car accident on the outskirts of the resort town of Silent Hill, you regain consciousness to find that your daughter, who was previously asleep in the backseat, has left–or has been taken–from the scene. To find her, you must go into town and unlock the secrets that linger seven years after a tragic fire scarred the town.The game features formidable monsters, perplexing puzzles, a realistic 3-D town, and, most of all, an acute sense of foreboding caused by Silent Hill’s creative lighting and sound effects. The makers have included four different endings, based on performance throughout the game, so think, be quick on your feet, and hope for the best of all possible outcomes.
Silent Hillgames are ripe with puzzles, with one of them being based around a piano in the very first game. Harry finds himself exploring Midwich Elementary School while searching for his missing daughter Cheryl, where players will encounter the piano puzzle in the music room on the second floor of the school.
When interacting with the piano, the camera will zoom in on a particular part of the piano, featuring several keys soaked in blood, highlighting them as the key to solving the puzzle. Players must figure out the correct sequence to play the bloody piano keys in to solve the puzzle, and gain the key item they need to progress.It is a simplepuzzle, but rather effective, and definitely not as simple as it may seem from first glance.
Nintendo’s dive into achild-friendly spooky experienceresulted inLuigi’s Mansion, a game in which Luigi wins a mansion in a giveaway he didn’t enter, and informs Mario who agrees to meet him there so they may investigate this mysterious prize. When he arrives, the mansion looks a lot more eerie than its picture and his brother Mario is nowhere to be seen, leaving Luigi to fill the shoes his red-hatted brother normally does.
As he explores the mansion and cleanses it of ghosts room by room, Luigi will eventually come to the music room, with a music-themed boss that also doubles as a puzzle. Melody Pianissima can be found in this room, a pianist before her untimely death. By tapping on the various instruments to play a melody, the ghost will appear, impressed by his musical talents and offer to play him a song, after which she will quiz Luigi regarding the song he played. If answered correctly, she would throw music sheets like projectiles, and if answered correctly the player would have to leave, reenter and start again.
Musical Score
Resident Evil HD Remaster
In 1998 a special forces team is sent to investigate some bizarre murders on the outskirts of Raccoon City. Upon arriving they are attacked by a pack of blood-thirsty dogs and are forced to take cover in a nearby mansion. But the scent of death hangs heavy in the air. Supplies are scarce as they struggle to stay alive.
Moonlight Sonata is one of the most famed musical scores of all time, and it gainednotoriety in theResident Evilcommunitythanks to its feature in one of the puzzles from the firstREgame. While exploring the Spencer mansion, the player will come across a piano, and all they need to interact with it is a musical score. The original just features a complete music sheet they take to the piano to play and progress through a secret entrance, but the remake steps it up a notch, tearing the score in half.
Now those who have played the first game know they can choose between Jill and Chris, which will change minor things throughout the story such as the other STARS members they encounter, but it also changes this particular puzzle. If players choose Jill, she can play the piano herself and immediately complete the puzzle. But Chris will need to wait for Rebecca to learn to play, which means the player will need to burn some time before progressing.
Music Box Puzzle
Silent Hill 2
THE SILENCE IS BROKEN…James Sunderland’s life is shattered when his young wife Mary suffers a tragic death. Three years later, a mysterious letter arrives from Mary, beckoning him to return to their sanctuary of memories, the dark realm of Silent Hill.Now James must go back to that special place to uncover the truth, unaware that the answers he seeks require the ultimate sacrifice.• Return to Silent Hill in an entirely new adventure with all-new characters and monsters.• Battle horrifying creatures with a new arsenal of weapons and items.• Riveting storyline, stunning graphics and true-to-life CG movies leave you on the edge of your seat.• Atmospheric lighting and ambient 3D surround sound shift and change at each terrifying turn.• Dynamic camera angles, beautifully rendered environments, and real-time weather effects deliver a cinematic horror experience.
One of gaming history’s most iconic horror games includes a music box puzzle, which gamers will encounter once they reach the Lakeside Hotel, James and Mary’s special place in their favorite holiday resort town,Silent Hill. After receiving a letter from his late wife beckoning him to meet her, James travels to Silent Hill and is met with amenagerie of monstersas he traverses across the town for his dead love.
Upon reaching the hotel, players will see a puzzle awaiting them in the lobby that they must gather three musical boxes for, each representing a different fictional Princess. The players must scavenge the music boxes, and if they are playing on a riddle difficulty higher than easy, they must figure out which Princess fits which slot using the inscription written. The customizable difficulty makes this puzzle beatable by most players, though for those that don’t know their Princess it could prove tough.
