Puzzle 60 is Dangerous Holes (A Ropey System in the UK version), a hidden puzzle in a bush in Old Towne during Chapter 4. It's an optional 45-picarat Draw Line puzzle. A dig site has six holes, A to F, and a 6×6 grid of stakes. You have to run one rope from the blue starting stake to the red finishing stake so that it boxes in every hole, using as little rope as possible, with no diagonals and without running along the same gap twice.
This page covers story Puzzle 060 in Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask on Nintendo 3DS, using the North American text and screens. The UK and European versions use the same grid and the same answer under a different name. The hints come first, and the answer stays hidden until you open it. If you meant Daily Puzzle 60 or Puzzle 60 from another Layton game, see Wrong Puzzle 60? below.
Puzzle 60 at a glance
| Name (North America) | Dangerous Holes |
|---|---|
| Name (UK and Australia) | A Ropey System |
| Type | Draw Line |
| Picarats | 45, dropping to 41 and then 36 after wrong answers |
| Where | Old Towne, Chapter 4: the bush in the middle of the street |
| Required? | No. It's a hidden, optional puzzle |
| If you miss it | Nanna Grams (known as Elizabeth in the UK version) keeps it from Chapter 5 |
| Solved by | Young Hershel |
Dangerous Holes, A Ropey System and other names
| Version | Puzzle name |
|---|---|
| English (North America) | Dangerous Holes |
| English (UK, Australia) | A Ropey System |
| French | Tirez sur la corde ! |
| German | Geländesicherung |
| Spanish | Cordón de seguridad |
| Italian | Scampato pericolo |
| Dutch | Het touw en de gaten |
| Japanese | Rope o Hare ("Stretch the rope") |
The number is 060 in every version, so if you're following a UK walkthrough, A Ropey System is this exact puzzle.
Wrong Puzzle 60?
- Daily Puzzle 60: the daily puzzles are a separate, D-numbered set, not part of the 150 story puzzles.
- Puzzle 60 in another Layton game: every game has its own numbered list, so Puzzle 60 in Curious Village, Last Specter or Azran Legacy is a different puzzle.
- The other Old Towne puzzles: Puzzle 021, A Lick of Paint, is Doug's puzzle from Chapter 2, and Puzzle 059, Flowery Footpath, is Doug's puzzle in Chapter 4.
Where to find Puzzle 60
Dangerous Holes is a hidden puzzle in Old Towne, the shopping street of young Hershel's village, during the Chapter 4 flashback. It appears once you've snuck out of the house ("Sneak out of the House!") and stays there for the rest of the chapter. Search the bush in the middle of the street, near where the road turns, just to the left of Doug. When you tap it, Hershel finds the puzzle and Randall admits he hid it there on purpose.
Don't confuse it with the two other puzzles on this street. Doug gives you Puzzle 059, Flowery Footpath, in the same chapter. Puzzle 021, A Lick of Paint, is the one Doug gives you on your first visit to Old Towne in Chapter 2. The bush has nothing for you in Chapter 2.
While you're in Old Towne, the sign, a chimney and the space under the eaves are worth tapping for hint coins.
Missed it? Nanna Grams has it
Once Chapter 5 starts, the bush is empty. You don't need to replay anything: from Chapter 5 on, Nanna Grams keeps the puzzles you missed, and Dangerous Holes is one of them. You'll find her in the lobby of the Dromedary hotel. Missing the puzzle never blocks the story.
How the rules work
The question asks you to tie one rope around the stakes so it runs from the starting stake to the finishing stake, encloses each hole and uses as little rope as possible, with no diagonals and no doubling back between stakes. In practice that means:
- Each hole needs all four sides closed. A hole sits in the square between four stakes, and the rope has to run along all four sides of that square.
- Crossing is fine, doubling up isn't. The rope can pass through a stake it has already used, including crossing its own path there. It just can't run along the same gap twice.
- Shortest wins. The game only accepts a rope of the shortest possible length. A rope that closes all six holes but takes a longer route is marked wrong.
In this page, one "length" means the gap between two neighboring stakes.
Hints, one at a time
These follow the game's own hints, in the same order, with a little more explanation. Open only the next one you need. In the game, Hints 1 to 3 cost one hint coin each and the Super Hint costs two.
Hint 1: where to begin
Deal with hole A first. It's right next to the starting stake, so box it in before you go anywhere else. Then ask yourself which hole is the cheapest one to reach from there.
Hint 2: the second hole
Once A is done, run the rope straight down and along the bottom of E, then bring it back up and go all the way around C. Which hole is the most efficient one to do after that?
Hint 3: the side-by-side holes
After C, close off D and E completely. They sit side by side and share a side, so one run of rope does work for both of them. You can finish the pair in very few moves.
Super Hint: the last two holes
With A, C, D and E done, do F next. Keep the finishing stake in mind: you want to arrive at F's top-left stake and work around it from there. That just leaves B. Go straight up from F, circle B, and you're at the finish.
Answer and full solution
The answer below covers every step, with pictures of the finished puzzle and the second layout the game accepts. Open it when you're ready.
Show the answer
The answer is a single rope 35 lengths long. Box in A, come down past E and box in C, wrap D and E together, go along the bottom row to F, then go straight up to B and across to the finish. Anything longer than 35 gets "Too bad", even if every hole is closed off.
| Run | Direction and lengths | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Right 2, up 1, left 1 | Bottom, right side and top of A |
| 4 | Down 4 | Closes A's left side, then runs down between D and E |
| 5–6 | Right 1, up 2 | Along the bottom of E, then up its right side and the left side of C |
| 7–8 | Right 1, down 1 | Top and right side of C |
| 9 | Left 3 | Bottom of C, then the tops of E and D |
| 10–11 | Down 1, right 1 | Left side and bottom of D: D and E are now both closed |
| 12–13 | Down 1, right 2 | Drop to the bottom row and run along it |
| 14–15 | Up 1, right 2 | Step up and run along the top of F |
| 16–17 | Down 1, left 1 | Right side and bottom of F |
| 18 | Up 5 | Closes F, then goes straight up the column and along the right side of B |
| 19–21 | Left 1, down 1, right 2 | Top and left side of B, then along its bottom to the red stake |
That's 2+1+1+4+1+2+1+1+3+1+1+1+2+1+2+1+1+5+1+1+2 = 35 lengths, with 22 turning points including the start and finish. The rope crosses its own path at a few stakes, and that's allowed: it never runs twice along the same gap.
Both accepted layouts:
After you solve it, the game says "One possible solution is shown above", and it means that. It accepts two layouts, both 35 lengths, which differ only at one corner between E and F:
- Layout 1 (the one the game shows): after dropping to the bottom row, go right 2, up 1, then right 2 along the top of F.
- Layout 2: after dropping to the bottom row, go right 1, up 1, then right 3 along the row above. This passes back through the stake at the bottom-right corner of E, which is allowed.
No other rope is accepted. A check of every rope on this grid that closes all six holes finds exactly these two at 35 lengths, none at 36, and the next shortest at 37.
If your answer keeps failing:
- Count your lengths. If you're over 35, you've taken a detour. A longer rope can't be the answer, however tidy it looks. The next shortest rope that closes every hole is 37, and that fails.
- Look for a hole with an open side. The easiest ones to miss are the left side of B and the shared side between D and E.
- Check the ends. The rope has to start at the blue stake on the left and finish at the red stake on the right.
- No diagonals. Every run is straight across or straight down.
- No gap used twice. If you drew back over a gap, use Undo and take a different line.
Picarats, hints and hint coins
Dangerous Holes is worth 45 picarats. A wrong answer lowers that to 41, and another to 36, so it pays to check your rope before you submit. You can retry straight away after a "Too bad".
Hints cost hint coins, not picarats: each of the first three costs one coin and the Super Hint costs two, so opening all four costs five coins. If you're short on coins, the hints above follow the same order as the game's.
Versions and systems
- Nintendo 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS and New 3DS: no difference. You draw the rope with the stylus.
- North American and UK/European copies: same grid, same holes and the same accepted answers. Only the name and some wording change.
- Japanese Miracle Mask Plus: Puzzle 060 is part of the original 150 puzzles, not one of the extras Plus added.
FAQ
Where is the answer to Puzzle 60?
It's in the Answer and full solution section above, hidden until you open it. If you only want a push, open the hints one at a time first.
Where is Puzzle 60?
In Old Towne during Chapter 4, after you sneak out of the house. Tap the bush in the middle of the street, to the left of Doug.
What is Puzzle 60 called in the UK?
A Ropey System. In North America it's Dangerous Holes.
How many picarats is Dangerous Holes worth?
45 picarats on the first try, 41 after one wrong answer and 36 after two or more.
Why does the game say "Too bad" when every hole is boxed in?
Your rope is longer than it needs to be. The game only accepts the shortest possible rope, so look for a detour. The checklist inside the answer section covers the usual mistakes.
Can the rope cross itself?
Yes. It can pass through a stake it has already used. It just can't run along the same gap between two stakes twice.
I left Chapter 4 without it. Is it gone?
No. From Chapter 5, Nanna Grams keeps it in the Dromedary lobby, along with the other puzzles you missed.
More Miracle Mask puzzles
- Puzzle 100: Gate to the Ruins!
- Puzzle 113: Chip Champions
- Puzzle 118: Evenly Matched 3
- Puzzle 122: Kitty Solitaire 3
For the rest of the game's puzzles, see the Miracle Mask puzzle index.