Puzzle 055 is Spinning Maize 2, a 40-picarat maze on Pebble Lane. The red ladybug has lost its blue friend on another corncob, and this time there are tunnels that go right through the cob and come out the other side. The tricky part comes right at the start: the first tunnel leads to a dead end, and you need it anyway.
This page covers story Puzzle 055 in Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask on Nintendo 3DS, in the US and UK English versions. If you're after the first corncob, Daily Puzzle 055 or Puzzle 055 from another Layton game, see Wrong Puzzle 055? below.
What Puzzle 055 is
| Name | Spinning Maize 2 |
|---|---|
| Type | Maze |
| Picarats | 40 |
| Location | Pebble Lane, Stansbury |
| Chapter | Chapter 4 |
| Given by | Esther (the UK version probably calls her Gloria) |
| Comes after | Puzzle 054, Archaeological Feet |
| Comes before | Puzzle 056, Clear-Cut Contrasts |
The question reads: "The red and blue ladybug friends seem to have lost sight of each other on another corncob! This time they not only have kernels blocking their way, but they must also find their way through tiny tunnels that go right through the cob and come out the other side. Can you once again guide the red ladybug to the blue one?" The objective bar says, "Guide the ladybug!"
You steer on the touch screen. The game's help text says: "Tap the Touch Screen to make the ladybug change direction. Hold down the stylus to make the ladybug walk in that direction."
How the tunnels work
- Kernels block the way. The ladybug can only walk on the bare cob between them.
- The cob is round. On our flat map, walking off the bottom edge brings you back in at the top, and the other way round.
- Each tunnel has two holes. Step onto one and you come out of the other, on the far side of the cob. On our maps, holes with the same number are the two ends of one tunnel.
- Tunnels work both ways. You can go back through a tunnel the way you came.
Why it looks hard
The first tunnel you can reach leads to a tiny dead end, so it looks like a mistake. It isn't. Going through and straight back is what lets you walk on to the left of that hole.
Half of the cob is always out of sight, too, so it's hard to plan which hole comes out where.
Spinning Maize, 2 and 3
There are three corncob mazes in the game. Make sure you're looking at the right one.
| Puzzle | Picarats | Where | What's new |
|---|---|---|---|
| 019, Spinning Maize | 25 | Pebble Lane, Chapter 2 | Kernels only |
| 055, Spinning Maize 2 | 40 | Pebble Lane, Chapter 4 | Tunnels through the cob |
| 142, Spinning Maize 3 | 55 | Layton's Challenges | The third and last cob |
Puzzle names
The puzzle is Spinning Maize 2 in both English versions. The UK text says "ladybird" instead of "ladybug".
| Version | Puzzle name |
|---|---|
| English (US and UK) | Spinning Maize 2 |
| Japanese | ぐるぐるコーン2 (Guruguru Kōn 2, "spinning corn 2") |
| German | Käferchen, such! 2 |
| French | Entomologistique 2 |
| Italian | Pannocchia rotante 2 |
| Dutch | Draaiende maïskolf 2 |
Wrong Puzzle 055?
- Daily Puzzle 055 is Kingdom 06, from the Kingdoms set. In the UK version the set is probably called Feuding Fiefdoms.
- The first corncob is Puzzle 019, Spinning Maize. If your cob has no tunnel holes, that's the one.
- Puzzle 055 in another Layton game is a different puzzle. If yours doesn't show ladybugs on a corncob, you're in the wrong game.
Where you get it
Spinning Maize 2 comes from Esther, the old lady on Pebble Lane who gave you the first corncob. The UK version probably calls her Gloria. Talk to her on Pebble Lane in Chapter 4.
Pebble Lane has four hint coins: on a bucket, a barrel, a cloth and a pump. If you haven't picked them up already, that's enough for the first three hints.
You don't have to solve it to move on. 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 ladybug won't get there
- You think the first tunnel was a mistake. It wasn't. The far end is a dead end on purpose. Go back through the same tunnel, then walk left from the hole.
- You walked off the edge of the map. The top and bottom edges join, so walking off one brings you back on the other.
- You came out somewhere useless. Not every tunnel helps. Go back through the one you just took and try a different hole. The hints below say which.
- "Too bad. There should be a tunnel somewhere that leads straight to the blue ladybug..." If you see this, look for the tunnel that comes out next to the blue ladybug. 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: Take the plunge
Start with the hole slightly below and to the left of where the red ladybug begins. Go through it.
Hint 2: The dead end
The other end of that tunnel is a dead end. Take the tunnel back, then walk left from the hole you first went into. You have to take that tunnel both ways before you can go left.
Hint 3: Two holes
Next you have a choice between two tunnel holes. Take the lower one.
Super Hint: The way out
When you come out of that tunnel, head for the hole diagonally down and to the left of you. After that, it's hard to go wrong.
Answer and full solution
The answer below shows the whole route on our map, move by move. Open it when you're ready.
Show the answer
The answer: take tunnel 1 there and back, then tunnels 2, 3 and 4 in that order. Tunnel 4 comes out just above the blue ladybug.
Step by step:
- Tunnel 1. Go right 1, down 2 and left 3, then up into tunnel 1, the hole just below and left of where you started.
- Back through tunnel 1. You come out at a dead end. Step up off the hole, then back down onto it, and the tunnel takes you back.
- Tunnel 2. Go left 2, then down 4 into tunnel 2. That's the lower of the two holes you can reach from here.
- Tunnel 3. When you come out, go right 1, down 2 and left 2, then up into tunnel 3, the hole diagonally down and left of where you came out.
- Tunnel 4. Go down 1, right 3, then down into tunnel 4.
- The blue ladybug. Tunnel 4 comes out just above the blue ladybug. Go down 1, then left 1.
The game's message when you're right says, "Well done! Let's hope they stay close in the future."
Picarats, hints and hint coins
Spinning Maize 2 shows 40 picarats when it starts. All three of its picarat values are 40.
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 four coins on Pebble Lane fall one short of that.
Versions and systems
- Nintendo 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS and New 3DS: no difference. You steer with the stylus.
- US and UK English versions: same cob, same route. The UK text says "ladybird", and the giver is probably called Gloria instead of Esther.
FAQ
Where is the answer to Puzzle 055?
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 055?
On Pebble Lane in Chapter 4. Talk to Esther, the old lady with the corncob (probably Gloria in the UK version).
Why does the first tunnel go nowhere?
It's meant to. The game's second hint says you have to take that tunnel both ways before you can walk left from it.
How many picarats is Puzzle 055 worth?
It shows 40 picarats when it starts, and all three of its picarat values are 40.
Is Daily Puzzle 055 the same as Puzzle 055?
No. Daily Puzzle 055 is Kingdom 06, from the Kingdoms set. Story Puzzle 055 is the second ladybug maze on Esther's corncob.
More Miracle Mask puzzles
- Puzzle 019: Spinning Maize
- Puzzle 056: Clear-Cut Contrasts
- Puzzle 054: Archaeological Feet
- Puzzle 053: Poke 'Em Totems 2
- Puzzle 060: Dangerous Holes
For the rest of the game's puzzles, see the Miracle Mask puzzle index.