Light and shadow
Light and shadow is the last mechanism to unlock, and it often confuses players the first time. Part of the code is drawn on the wall; the rest is a blue shadow cast by a lamp. You do not drag the shadow itself: you drag the lamp, and the shadow follows. When the shadow lies exactly on the wall’s strokes, the code lights up.
The key idea
The shadow always moves opposite to the lamp, just as in real life: move a light to the left and an object’s shadow slides to the right.
- Drag the lamp left → the shadow moves right.
- Drag the lamp up → the shadow moves down.
The shadow also moves further than the lamp: a small move of the lamp can shift the shadow a lot.
How to play
- Press and hold the lamp (the yellow light with a glow) and drag it.
- Watch the blue shadow move and look for the spot where it joins the strokes on the wall.
- When the shadow is close enough, the lamp snaps into place and the whole code glows gold.
How it gets harder
| What changes | When first met | Late game |
|---|---|---|
| Shadow speed (relative to the lamp) | about 1.2× | about 2.5× |
| Snap distance | generous | very tight |
| Decoy strokes | few | many |
At 2.5× a 4-pixel move of the lamp shifts the shadow 10 pixels, so your control must be very gentle.
Techniques
One axis at a time. Do not fix horizontal and vertical together. Drag the lamp sideways until the shadow lines up left-to-right, then move it up or down.
Reverse it in your head first. If the shadow must go right and down, the lamp must go left and up. Say it to yourself before your finger moves.
Move less than you think. Because the shadow travels further than the lamp, if it is an inch away from the target the lamp may need half an inch or less.
Use long strokes as rulers. Long horizontal strokes of letters like E, F, T or Z show clearly whether the shadow is too high or low; long vertical strokes show left and right.
Tell shadow from wall. Wall strokes are cream, the shadow is blue, and decoys come in both colours. Look for blue strokes that complete the shapes of the cream ones.
Common mistakes
- Dragging the lamp in the direction you want the shadow to go. By far the most common mistake. Always opposite.
- Dragging too fast on deep floors. A very fast shadow overshoots the target in an instant.
What the magnifier does
The magnifier circles in gold, for three seconds, where the lamp must go (not the shadow). Drag the lamp into that circle and the shadow falls into place.