Puzzle 054 is Archaeological Feet, a 30-picarat Draw Line puzzle hidden in Randall's Room, in one of the flashbacks to Hershel Layton's youth. An archaeologist dug up six artifacts at six holes but forgot to note which one came from where. He only remembers the order he found them in. The footprints around the dig site tell you the rest.
This page covers story Puzzle 054 in Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask on Nintendo 3DS, in the US and UK English versions. If you're after Daily Puzzle 054, the other hidden puzzle in Randall's Room or Puzzle 054 from another Layton game, see Wrong Puzzle 054? below.
What Puzzle 054 is
| Name | Archaeological Feet |
|---|---|
| Type | Draw Line |
| Picarats | 30 |
| Location | Randall's Room, Stansbury |
| Chapter | Chapter 4 |
| How you get it | Hidden in the room: tap the right spot to find it |
| Comes after | Puzzle 053, Poke 'Em Totems 2 |
| Comes before | Puzzle 055, Spinning Maize 2 |
The question reads: "An archaeologist uncovered six artifacts at this dig site, at the points marked A to F. Unfortunately, in the heat of discovery, he completely forgot to make a note of where each artifact was found. On the plus side, he did at least have a record of the order in which they were found: jug, necklace, dish, axe, sword, and woodblock. Can you work out where they were found?" The objective bar says, "Locate the artifacts!"
The touch screen shows the six holes, A to F, along the top, each with a dot under it, and the six artifacts along the bottom, each with a dot above it. You answer by drawing lines between the dots, matching each hole to the artifact found there.
How to read the footprints
- The footprints show which way he walked. Each print points in the direction he was going, so you can tell prints arriving at a hole from prints leaving it.
- The order is the list in the question. The first hole on his trail is where the jug came from, the second is the necklace, and so on to the woodblock.
- Every hole gets one artifact. Six holes, six artifacts, six lines.
Why it looks hard
The trails cross each other in the middle of the dig site, so it's easy to jump from one trail to another by mistake.
There's no starting point marked, either. You have to work out which hole he dug first before you can follow anything.
Puzzle names
The puzzle is Archaeological Feet in both English versions.
| Version | Puzzle name |
|---|---|
| English (US and UK) | Archaeological Feet |
| Japanese | 足跡のナゾ (Ashiato no Nazo, "footprints puzzle") |
| German | Verwirrter Archäologe |
| Spanish | Excavación fructífera |
| French | Fouillis archéologique |
| Italian | Impronte agli scavi |
| Dutch | Chaotische opgraving |
Wrong Puzzle 054?
- Daily Puzzle 054 is Zoo 06, from the Pen Pals set.
- The other hidden puzzle in Randall's Room is Puzzle 053, Poke 'Em Totems 2. If tapping the room gave you totem blocks and a mallet instead of footprints, you found that one.
- Puzzle 054 in another Layton game is a different puzzle. If yours doesn't show a dig site with footprints, you're in the wrong game.
Where you get it
Archaeological Feet is hidden in Randall's Room, during one of the flashbacks to Hershel's time in Stansbury. That's in Chapter 4. Nobody gives it to you: you find it by tapping the right spot in the room.
Look on the top shelves of the bookcase on the left. The room has two hidden-puzzle spots, and this puzzle's is the left-hand one. If you get Poke 'Em Totems 2 instead, you found the other one.
Randall's Room has three hint coins. They're probably on the papers, on an open book and up on the loft. That's enough for the first three hints, but not for the Super Hint as well.
You don't have to solve it to move on. The spot probably keeps offering the puzzle until you solve it. You only visit Randall's Room in the flashbacks, though. If you leave without solving it, it should be sent to Nanna Grams (known as Elizabeth in the UK version) from Chapter 5. Not every missed puzzle is easy to track down later, so it's safest to solve it while you're there.
When the footprints won't add up
- You started at the wrong hole. The first hole has prints leaving it but none arriving. Every other hole has a trail coming in.
- You switched trails in the middle. Where two trails cross, follow the direction the prints point, not the nearest print.
- You matched the order to the letters. The order on his list has nothing to do with the letters A to F, which only name the holes.
- "Too bad. Take another good look over the dig site." That's the game's message for a wrong answer. Try again with the hints below.
Hints, one at a time
These hints follow the game's own hints. 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: Arriving or leaving?
Look at the prints next to each hole and check which way they point. Some holes have prints arriving and prints leaving. The first hole he dug has prints leaving it and none arriving.
Hint 2: The first find
B is the only hole with no prints leading to it, so the jug came from B. Follow the prints that leave B: they cross the site to D, so the necklace came from D.
Hint 3: The third find
From D, the trail to the next hole is very short, only four prints long. It goes to C, so the dish came from C.
Super Hint: The fourth find
From C, the trail runs all the way back across the top of the site to A, so the axe came from A. Two more to go.
Answer and full solution
The answer below shows the order of the holes on the trail, which artifact came from each, and the finished touch screen. Open it when you're ready.
Show the answer
The answer: the trail goes B, D, C, A, F, E. So A is the axe, B the jug, C the dish, D the necklace, E the woodblock and F the sword.
Step by step:
- B, the jug. B is the only hole with prints leaving it and none arriving, so it's the first find.
- D, the necklace. The prints leaving B cross the site to D.
- C, the dish. From D, a short trail of four prints leads up to C.
- A, the axe. From C, the trail runs back across the site to A.
- F, the sword. From A, the trail heads down to F.
- E, the woodblock. From F, the trail goes across to E, the last hole.
On the touch screen, draw lines from A to the axe, B to the jug, C to the dish, D to the necklace, E to the woodblock and F to the sword.
The game's message when you're right says, "Correct! You can trace the footprints to work out the order: B, D, C, A, F, and E. Careful note taking is essential on digs like this!"
Picarats, hints and hint coins
Archaeological Feet shows 30 picarats when it starts. The puzzle can award 30, 25 or 20 picarats. Wrong answers may reduce the picarat value.
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. The three coins in Randall's Room fall two short of that.
Versions and systems
- Nintendo 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS and New 3DS: no difference. You draw the lines with the stylus.
- US and UK English versions: same dig site, same answer. The UK text spells it "artefact" and ends the question with "Can you work out where each one was found?"
FAQ
Where is the answer to Puzzle 054?
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 054?
It's hidden in Randall's Room, in a flashback in Chapter 4. The spot is the top shelves of the bookcase on the left. If you get Poke 'Em Totems 2 instead, you found the room's other hidden puzzle, Puzzle 053.
Which hole was dug first?
The one with prints leaving it and none arriving. The game's second hint jokes that maybe the ground was dry until he found the first artifact, and then it started to rain.
How many picarats is Puzzle 054 worth?
It shows 30 picarats when it starts. It can also award 25 or 20. Wrong answers may reduce the picarat value.
Is Daily Puzzle 054 the same as Puzzle 054?
No. Daily Puzzle 054 is Zoo 06, from the Pen Pals set. Story Puzzle 054 is the footprints puzzle hidden in Randall's Room.
More Miracle Mask puzzles
- Puzzle 053: Poke 'Em Totems 2
- Puzzle 052: Spectacular Views
- Puzzle 022: Poke 'Em Totems
- Puzzle 060: Dangerous Holes
For the rest of the game's puzzles, see the Miracle Mask puzzle index.