Puzzle 095 is Snakes and Keys, a 40-picarat Multiple Choice puzzle on Ruins B5 in Chapter 6. Young Hershel and Randall find a locked door guarded by five stone snakes, each coiled around a key. A plaque shows the one key that opens the door. Your job is to find the snake whose key is an exact match and touch its letter, A to E.
This page covers story Puzzle 095 in Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, the 3DS game (US and UK English). The keys and the answer are the same in the US and UK English versions; quotes use the North American text. If you're after Daily Puzzle 095, the other puzzle on Ruins B5, or Puzzle 95 from another Layton game, see Wrong Puzzle 095? below.
What Puzzle 095 is
| Name | Snakes and Keys (US and UK) |
|---|---|
| Type | Multiple Choice |
| Picarats | 40 |
| Location | Ruins B5, Akbadain |
| Chapter | Chapter 6 |
| Objective | "Continue Your Descent!" |
| How you start it | Walk up to the locked door in the top wall of the middle room on B5 |
| Required? | Yes, you must solve it to get through the door |
| Previous puzzle number | Puzzle 094, Cursed Case (Ruins B5) |
| Next puzzle number | Puzzle 096, Arach-attack! (Ruins B6) |
The puzzle reads: "In front of the door are five stone snakes, each coiled around a key. There's also a plaque depicting a key. Only one snake's key matches the one on the plaque, and that key will open the door. Which snake holds the correct key? Select from A, B, C, D, or E." The objective bar says "Select the right key!"
The top screen shows the five snakes on their pillars, two at the back (B and D) and three at the front (A, C and E). The touch screen shows the plaque with the key to match and five round buttons lettered A to E. Touch the letter of the snake you've chosen to answer. The snakes hold their keys at different angles and wrap their coils over parts of them, so you have to turn each key around in your head to compare it with the plaque.
Puzzle names
| Version | Puzzle name |
|---|---|
| North America | Snakes and Keys |
| UK | Snakes and Keys |
| Japanese | 鍵とヘビ (Kagi to Hebi, "the key and the snakes") |
The name is the same in the US and UK versions. The UK text differs only in small wording details: the question ends "D or E" without the last comma, Hint 2 says "have a look" and "facing outwards", and the Super Hint says "which can face" instead of "that can face". The keys and the answer are the same in the US and UK English versions.
Wrong Puzzle 095?
- Daily Puzzle 095 is Fountain 03, from the Pipework Patch-up set.
- Puzzle 094, Cursed Case, is the puzzle before this one, dug up in the first room of Ruins B5. If yours is about packing stone blocks back into a case, that's the one you've got.
- Puzzle 096, Arach-attack!, is the next puzzle, on Ruins B6. If yours has a spider, that's the one you've got.
- Puzzle 95 in another Layton game is a different puzzle. If yours doesn't show five stone snakes holding keys in front of a door, you're in the wrong game.
Where you find it
Chapter 6 is the long flashback in the Akbadain ruins, where you play as young Hershel exploring with Randall. Ruins B5 starts in the room at the bottom left of the floor map. Hershel asks, "What is all this? Are these...crystals?" and Randall notices, "Hmm. It looks like those blue crystals are blocking our path." Follow the corridor to the room on the left of the map, then on to the room in the middle.
The locked door is in the top wall of that middle room, toward its right side. Walk up to it and Randall says, "The door is locked, but there are five different keys here." Hershel answers, "Well, clearly it's a challenge to see if we can earn our way inside. Look, there's a plaque with a diagram." Then the puzzle starts.
You have to solve it to move on. The door leads to the rest of B5 and the way down to B6.
When the keys won't line up
- All the keys look the same. Compare one part of the key at a time: first the grip, then the teeth, then anything else. Hint 1 starts you on the grip.
- The keys point in different directions. Turn each key in your head so it points the same way as the one on the plaque before you compare the teeth.
- A snake is covering part of its key. Look hard at the parts the coils almost hide. Hint 3 and the Super Hint are about exactly that.
- You picked a snake and the game says "Too bad." The game's wrong-answer message is "Too bad. Examine each part of the key individually, and compare the options closely."
- You're not sure how to answer. Touch the round button with the snake's letter on the touch screen.
Hints, one at a time
These are the game's own hints, word for word from the North American version and in the same order. 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: the grip
Look at the grip on each key.
The one on the plaque has a triangular grip. Snake B's key has a square grip, so you can exclude B as a possibility.
Hint 2: the teeth
Following on from Hint 1, next take a look at the keys' teeth.
It's hard to tell because the keys are all facing different directions, but if you compare them closely, the key depicted on the plaque has indentations on two sides--the side at the end and the side facing outward.
Which other keys fit this description?
Hint 3: two keys left
Based on the second hint, it can't be A or D, because these have different indentations on the teeth.
This leaves only C and E. What other differences could there be between the keys?
In particular, think about the parts that are almost covered up by the snakes.
Super Hint: the hidden plate
Near the base of the grip of each key is a rectangular plate that can face one of two directions.
Snakes C and E both cover up most of this plate, but if you look closely, you can see which direction each one faces.
Which one faces the same direction as on the plaque?
Answer and full solution
The answer below names the snake, compares all five keys with the plaque, and shows the finished puzzle. Open it when you're ready.
Show the answer
Answer: C. Touch the C button on the touch screen.
Check the keys one part at a time against the plaque. The plaque's key has a triangular grip, teeth notched on two sides (the end and the outer side), and a small rectangular plate near the base of the grip.
- The grip. Snake B's key has a square grip. The other four have triangular grips, so only B is out.
- The teeth. Turn each key to point the same way as the plaque's. The teeth on Snake A's key and Snake D's key are notched on different sides, so they're out too. That leaves C and E.
- The plate. The snakes on C and E cover most of the plate near the grip, but you can still see which way it faces. On Snake E's key it faces the other way from the plaque. On Snake C's key it faces the same way.
Snake C's key matches the plaque in every part, so C opens the door.
The game confirms it: "Fantasssstic! It's snake C that has the correct key. The next question is...how on earth are they planning to get it out?"
If it still doesn't work out:
- You chose E. Its grip and teeth match, but the small plate near the grip faces the other way.
- You chose A or D. The grips are right, but the teeth are notched on different sides from the plaque's key.
- You chose B. Its key has a square grip, not a triangular one.
Picarats, hints and hint coins
Snakes and Keys shows 40 picarats when it starts. The puzzle can award 40, 32 or 24 picarats. Wrong answers may reduce the picarat value. A wrong answer brings the message "Too bad. Examine each part of the key individually, and compare the options closely." When you come back to try again, Randall says, "We're not going any farther until we find the right key, so..."
Hints cost hint coins, not picarats. Hints 1 to 3 cost one hint coin each and the Super Hint costs two, five in total. Ruins B5 has four hint coins, each buried under a glowing spot: one in the first room and three in the middle room with the door. Those four coins cover Hints 1 to 3 with one coin left over, one short of the Super Hint, so you'll need a coin saved from earlier for that one, or you can use the free hints on this page.
Does it unlock anything?
It opens the door. You don't get an item, but solving it lets young Hershel and Randall carry on through B5 toward the stairs down to B6. You also get the picarats, and the puzzle counts toward your total.
Versions
- Nintendo 3DS family: this page covers the 3DS game. The snakes are on the top screen, and the plaque and the answer buttons are on the touch screen.
- US and UK English versions: the keys and the answer are the same. The UK text differs only in small details of wording.
The scene around the puzzle
If you quit the puzzle, Randall groans, "Ugh! They all look the same! Do any of them work?"
When it's solved, the door swings open. Randall says, "I knew it!" Hershel replies, "The door opened so easily! That was a bit anticlimactic." Randall answers, "Don't you see?! The puzzle made a boring door into a mysterious door! The Azran had a real dramatic flair!"
FAQ
Where is the answer to Puzzle 095?
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 095 called?
Snakes and Keys, in both the North American and UK versions. In Japanese it's 鍵とヘビ.
Where is Puzzle 095?
On Ruins B5, in Chapter 6. It starts when you walk up to the locked door in the top wall of the middle room.
Do I have to solve Puzzle 095?
Yes. The door stays locked until you solve it, so you can't go any further on B5 without it.
How many picarats is Puzzle 095 worth?
It shows 40 picarats when it starts. The puzzle can award 40, 32 or 24 picarats. Wrong answers may reduce the picarat value.
Is Daily Puzzle 095 the same as Puzzle 095?
No. It's a different puzzle, listed under Wrong Puzzle 095?. Story Puzzle 095 is the stone-snake key puzzle on Ruins B5.
More Miracle Mask puzzles
- Puzzle 096: Arach-attack!
- Puzzle 094: Cursed Case
- Puzzle 093: Hershel vs. Mummies!
- Puzzle 092: Ancient Artistry
- Puzzle 091: Totem Tumbler
- Puzzle 090: Loose Connection
- Puzzle 099: Ancient Artistry 2
- Puzzle 100: Gate to the Ruins!
- Puzzle 089: Pumpkin Spinners
- Puzzle 088: Glass Arrows
- Puzzle 60: Dangerous Holes
- 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.