The Island of Unnecessary Puzzles
The island was made by a lesser deity. The puzzles were not requested. They are nonetheless present.
* The Lesser, who made the island, is sympathetic. The puzzles are not. Mrs Henderson has noted the imbalance.
Filed by the Bureau of Civilisational Assessment. Mrs Henderson has a copy.
What it is
The island was made by Pibblesmith the Lesser — the Minor Deity of Unattended Things — whose commission was for a plain headland with no notable features. Pibblesmith misplaced the brief shortly after beginning. The island now has a pavilion, a lighthouse, a bridge over nothing in particular, and eight puzzles. Pibblesmith does not remember placing the puzzles.
You arrive in the wreckage of unclear origin. The Bureau has already filed the paperwork. The box marked "swam in without looking" was pre-ticked. It has always been pre-ticked.
Roll a dice. Walk a forty-step loop around the island's visible features. Take branching paths to the puzzle locations. Win a puzzle: two points. Lose: one point less, floored at zero. The goal is one hundred.
The closer you get to one hundred, the more uneasy the Lesser becomes. The Lesser begins to interfere. A shrub may politely grab your ankle. The dice you rolled may no longer be what it was. The Lesser is sorry about this. It cannot help it.
Reach one hundred. Mrs Henderson will file a note. The Peacock will notice.
A prototype is on file. The Island is in active development. No account is required for casual play. Progress is saved locally in your browser.
The Eight Puzzles
Eight puzzle locations have been documented on the island. Their origins are unclear. Pibblesmith has filed a statement of regret. The Bureau has noted the regret and filed it separately.
- I The Mirror Maze A bat. Heard, not seen. Has acoustics.
- II The Cube Pavilion Under Bureau jurisdiction. A pangolin, seconded and uniformed.
- III The Nim Cairn Seven standing stones. They speak plurally. Playable
- IV The Three Doors A heron, a fox, and a sheep. One tells the truth. One does not. One is a sheep.
- V The Lighthouse Mr Pellew, an elderly parrot. Apologetic about the testing element.
- VI The Bridge Commissioner An angry swan with strong views on Euler.
- VII The Ferryman Edwin, a donkey on a barge. He charges by the decision.
- VIII The Sorting Beach A hermit crab who sorts by shell, tideline, and mood.
Free. Always.
The Island is free. It has always been free. It will always be free. No payment tier. No premium mode.
No account is required to play. An account will be required to save progress between visits — the account system is in development. Until it is ready, your progress is saved locally in your browser.