You Are Games:
Letters In Boxes #18
Each week we feature a series of puzzles called Letters In Boxes, but sometimes the letters in the boxes get a bit too much attention. Every once in a while, it's nice to think outside the box, get a bit of fresh air, and find a new perspective on the problems you're facing. This week, we celebrate the box-troverts with a challenge where everything you need to know to solve each puzzle is out of the grid.
Take a look at your starter puzzle below. Some of the puzzles in this series might look a bit familiar! Click on the puzzle to open it up in a new window. When you've discovered an answer (and a little hint, all of the answers this week are five-letter words), check out your browser's address bar. Change the image's filename (in this case, "outsideeighteen") to your answer, making sure you stay in the same directory and keeping the same file extension. If you're right, the next answer is just a short walk away! If you're wrong, you'll have to backtrack a bit, but you can always try another path.
This batch of puzzles contains four puzzles to solve. On the fourth puzzle, you'll find the email address for sending your final answer. We'll hand out a prize to the first correct entry we receive, plus one additional randomly-selected correct entry. Please include your Casual Gameplay account display name with your entry. You must be at least 13 years of age to enter. Only one submission per participant, please. Offer void where prohibited. Your deadline for submitting your answers is Monday, October 17th at 11:59 PM (GMT-5:00). And don't forget to get out and enjoy the day! Good luck!
Update: Congratulations to the following winners! :D
Both winners were given a choice of prizes. Congratulations and thanks for playing with us! Look for another Letters in Boxes again soon!
- kdausman ...First!
- Nigma
Walkthrough Guide
(Please allow page to fully load for spoiler tags to be functional.)
All in! Here are this week's answers:
Puzzle 1
Puzzle 1 Answer
This first puzzle was a standard Picross puzzle. The numbers along the edges show the numbers of consecutive filled-in boxes, with at least one empty space in between numbers in the same row. When solved, the resulting image was the number 60, thus the five-letter answer in this case was SIXTY.
Puzzle 2
Puzzle 2 Answer
The second puzzle was a Tents puzzle (which is available in the Simon Tatham Puzzle Collection). The goal is to "pitch a tent" next to each "tree" in the diagram so that every tree has a tent next to it but no tents are adjacent to each other in any direction. The numbers on the edges tell how many trees are in that row or column. Once the tents are in place, the unused letters (read vertically) spell ANOTHER PICKLE AT FLOOD.
Puzzle 3
Puzzle 3 Answer
This third puzzle... Well, it's sort of an original creation, but it's based on a puzzle found in the German logic puzzle magazine Logisch. Each row and column will contain the numbers 1-4 and an X, in some order. The puzzle is played like a Picross puzzle, but instead of the numbers of consecutive boxes, the numbers on the edges show the sums of consecutive boxes, with the X acting as a block to break up rows. Once all of the numbers were in place, the Xes show the locations of your answer, PANTS.
Puzzle 4
Puzzle 4 Answer
The inverted colors of the final puzzle suggested that this grid represented the Black Box game. When solved, the boxes with "atoms" spelled out PESTO. (Anagrams such as POETS and ESTOP were considered when selecting winners for this contest.)
Winners will be announced soon!
Posted by: Steve
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October 18, 2011 12:20 AM