Puzzle 027 is That Rings a Bell, a 40-picarat slingshot puzzle outside Ascot House, during the Chapter 2 flashback to Hershel Layton's school days in Stansbury. Hershel and Angela want Randall to open his window, so they need to ring the little bell hanging under it. Four slingshots sit on the touch screen, and a cat ornament, a flowerpot and a brick are in the way. You decide which slingshot fires first, second, third and fourth.
This page covers story Puzzle 027 in Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask on Nintendo 3DS, in the US and UK English versions. If you're after Daily Puzzle 027, the later That Rings a Bell 2, or Puzzle 027 from another Layton game, see Wrong Puzzle 027? below.
What Puzzle 027 is
| Name | That Rings a Bell |
|---|---|
| Type | Shoot |
| Picarats | 40 |
| Location | Ascot House, Stansbury |
| Chapter | Chapter 2 |
| When | Hershel's school days |
| How you start it | Tap Randall's window from outside the house |
| Required? | Yes. Solving it opens Randall's Room |
| Comes after | Puzzle 026, Mangled Math |
| Comes before | Puzzle 028, Bunny-Hop Swap 2 |
The question reads: "Ring the bell and send the signal to Randall! Set the order in which the four slingshots are shot. The shots will bounce off walls once, and any obstructions they hit will break and disappear. If you get it right, the bell will ring!" The objective bar at the top of the touch screen says "Ring the bell!"
You don't aim anything. The four slingshots are fixed in place, each pointing its own way. Below them sit four stones numbered 1 to 4. Drag one stone onto each slingshot, and the numbers set the firing order: stone 1 goes first. Once all four stones are placed, touch Submit and watch the shots fly.
The game's own rule says the shots bounce off walls once. In practice a shot can only touch two things: the first thing it hits sends it off in a new direction, and the second thing it hits stops it. Ledges and the brick pillars at the sides count as walls. The cat, the flowerpot and the brick break when a shot hits them, and they're gone for every later shot. That's why the order matters: a shot that would hit the bell on a clear wall gets stopped by an obstruction that's still standing.
This page names the slingshots by where they sit on the touch screen: Left (in the bushes on the left), Bottom (the lowest one, left of center), Top (the highest one, near the middle) and Right (on the far right).
Puzzle names
The puzzle is called That Rings a Bell in both the North American and UK English versions. The answer is the same in the US and UK English versions.
| Version | Puzzle name |
|---|---|
| North America | That Rings a Bell |
| UK | That Rings a Bell |
| Japanese | がらくた連鎖 (Garakuta Rensa, "junk chain reaction") |
The Japanese title is がらくた連鎖. The North American version carries a different Japanese label for it, ピタゴラナゾ１.
It's sometimes listed as an Arrange puzzle, but the North American game data files it under Shoot, the same type as the other slingshot puzzles. You solve it using the slingshots.
Wrong Puzzle 027?
- Daily Puzzle 027 in Miracle Mask is a different puzzle: Tile 03. There's no bell in it.
- Puzzle 147, That Rings a Bell 2, is the later slingshot puzzle with the same idea. It's one of Layton's Challenges and is worth 50 picarats. The slingshots and obstructions are different, so this page's order won't work there.
- Puzzle 027 in another Layton game is a different puzzle. If yours doesn't show four slingshots and a bell, you're in the wrong game.
Where you get it
Puzzle 027 comes in Chapter 2, the flashback to Hershel's teenage years in Stansbury. Go to Ascot House, the Ascot family home, and tap Randall's window. It's probably the window at the top left of the house. You don't get this puzzle inside Randall's Room: you're still outside, and solving the puzzle is what lets you in.
Before the puzzle, Angela says, "The ivy on the wall is really the VIP entrance to Randall's room, isn't it?" Hershel jokes that he could count the times he's used the front door "on one hand...with three fingers." Angela adds that Randall's father isn't that bad, "He's just...strict. Very strict." Hershel answers, "I know. Let's give Randall the signal."
You can't skip it. Solving That Rings a Bell is what opens Randall's Room. You probably can't reach Ascot House before Puzzle 026 either: the only way there is through Memory Knoll, and Dalston stops you heading to Memory Knoll until you've solved his puzzle.
Ascot House has four hint coins: in the shrubbery at the bottom right, in the round tree, on the chimney and in a window. Four coins pay for the first three hints, with one left over toward the Super Hint, which costs two.
When the bell never rings
- You aimed at the bell first. With the cat, flowerpot and brick still standing, the shots that could reach the bell get stopped on the way. Clear the obstructions first.
- The brick won't break. No slingshot hits the brick head-on. The shot that breaks it has to bounce off something first.
- A shot hit something you wanted for later. Each shot breaks the first obstruction in its path. If a shot breaks the wrong one, the shots after it fly through empty space.
- You quit and came back. Quitting doesn't change the puzzle. Angela says, "Hershel? You're not giving up, are you?" Tap the window again to have another go.
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: Don't go for the bell yet
The cat ornament, the flowerpot and the brick are in the way. Work out how to get rid of all three before you think about the bell. The bell shot should come last.
Hint 2: Start on the right
There's more than one order that works. One way in: set the Right slingshot to fire first. Its shot breaks the cat. Now, in which order do the other three need to fire?
Hint 3: The order of the obstructions
One order that works is cat first, then the brick, then the flowerpot. After that the bell is in the clear. The tricky one is the brick: think about how a shot could reach it.
Super Hint: The first two shots
Fire the Right slingshot first to break the cat. Fire the Left slingshot second: its shot bounces off a ledge and breaks the brick. That leaves the Top and Bottom slingshots for the last two shots, and one of them takes out the flowerpot.
Answer and full solution
The answer below covers every step, with a picture of the solved puzzle. Open it when you're ready.
Show the answer
The answer: Right 1, Left 2, Top 3, Bottom 4. Put stone 1 on the Right slingshot, stone 2 on the Left, stone 3 on the Top and stone 4 on the Bottom, then touch Submit. The cat, the brick and the flowerpot break in that order, and the fourth shot rings the bell. The game says, "Well done! The bell rang. Hopefully Randall heard it!"
Step by step:
- Shot 1, Right slingshot. It fires up and to the left, hits the cat ornament on the low ledge and breaks it, then bounces into the right-hand pillar and stops.
- Shot 2, Left slingshot. It flies up to the small ledge high on the right, bounces off its underside and comes down onto the brick standing on the low ledge by the right pillar. The brick breaks.
- Shot 3, Top slingshot. It fires up to the right, bounces off the right-hand pillar and comes back across the wall into the flowerpot. The pot breaks.
- Shot 4, Bottom slingshot. It flies up to the left, bounces off the small ledge in the bottom-left corner and heads up to the right, into the bell. The bell rings.
Two other orders should also ring the bell: Left 1, Top 2, Right 3, Bottom 4, and Left 1, Right 2, Top 3, Bottom 4. In both, the Left shot still takes the brick. In the first of these, the Top shot bounces off the right-hand pillar into the cat, and the Right shot breaks the flowerpot, then stops against the right-hand pillar without touching the bell. The Bottom shot rings the bell last, just as in the main answer.
If the bell still won't ring:
- Check the Bottom slingshot. It's the lowest one, left of center, not the one in the bushes on the far left.
- Check which slingshot has stone 1. The order is set by the numbers on the stones, not by the order you place them in.
- Don't fire the Bottom slingshot early. In all three working orders it goes last.
Picarats, hints and hint coins
That Rings a Bell shows 40 picarats when it starts. A wrong order gets "Try again." If you try again, Angela says, "We need to give Randall the signal so he'll open the window for us!"
Hints cost hint coins, not picarats. The costs are one coin each for the first three hints and two for the Super Hint, five in total. Ascot House's four coins cover the first three hints, plus one of the two coins the Super Hint needs. Or use the free hints on this page and save your coins.
Versions and systems
- Nintendo 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS and New 3DS: no difference. You drag the stones with the stylus.
- US and UK English versions: same slingshots, same obstructions, same answer.
The scene around the puzzle
When the bell rings, Hershel says, "Always a satisfying shot! Let's go!" With the signal sent, Randall's Room opens up, and you can head inside.
FAQ
Where is the answer to Puzzle 027?
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.
What is Puzzle 027 called?
That Rings a Bell, in both the North American and UK English versions. In Japanese it's がらくた連鎖.
Where is Puzzle 027?
Outside Ascot House in Stansbury, during Chapter 2. Tap Randall's window, probably the one at the top left of the house.
Do I have to solve Puzzle 027?
Yes. Solving it is what opens Randall's Room.
Do I need to solve Puzzle 026 first?
In practice, yes. Dalston probably blocks the road to Memory Knoll, the only way to Ascot House, until Puzzle 026 is solved.
How many picarats is Puzzle 027 worth?
It shows 40 picarats when it starts.
Is this the same as That Rings a Bell 2?
No. That Rings a Bell 2 is Puzzle 147, one of Layton's Challenges, worth 50 picarats, with a different layout.
Is Daily Puzzle 027 the same as Puzzle 027?
No. Daily Puzzle 027 is Tile 03. Story Puzzle 027 is the slingshot puzzle under Randall's window.
More Miracle Mask puzzles
- Puzzle 026: Mangled Math
- Puzzle 001: Stumble's Balloons
- Puzzle 010: The Place to Be!
- Puzzle 015: Fix the Fossil
- Puzzle 60: Dangerous Holes
- Puzzle 100: Gate to the Ruins!
For the rest of the game's puzzles, see the Miracle Mask puzzle index.