Puzzle 128 is Faded Photos, a 40-picarat Select puzzle in the Office at the Reunion Inn, in Chapter 7. Four faded photos show the same place, taken a short time apart, and in photo A a horse-drawn carriage is crossing the frame. You have to say which way it was heading: north, south, east or west. The photos turn up in an old expedition journal, and you need to solve the puzzle to go on with the story.
This page covers story Puzzle 128 in Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, the 3DS game (US and UK English). The photos 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 128 or Puzzle 128 from another Layton game, see Wrong Puzzle 128? below.
What Puzzle 128 is
| Name | Faded Photos |
|---|---|
| Type | Select |
| Picarats | 40 |
| Location | Office, Reunion Inn, Monte d'Or |
| Chapter | Chapter 7 |
| How you start it | Look at the old journal while you search the Office |
| Required? | Yes |
| Previous puzzle number | Puzzle 127, Ace of Diamonds (Office) |
| Next puzzle number | Puzzle 129, A Sweeping Solution (Sapphire Suite) |
The puzzle reads: "Four dusty photos are kept in a battered old box of keepsakes. They're faded and hard to make out, but they all show the same place and seem to have been taken within a short space of time. In photo A, you can see a horse-drawn carriage traveling across the frame. Can you tell in which direction the carriage was headed?" The objective bar says "Which direction?"
The top screen shows the four photos, A and B on top and C and D below. The touch screen has four buttons, N, W, E and S, around a compass rose. Touch the direction you think the carriage was going, then submit.
Puzzle names
| Version | Puzzle name |
|---|---|
| North America | Faded Photos |
| UK | Faded Photos |
| Japanese | 古びた写真 (Furubita Shashin, "old photos") |
The UK question starts differently: "Four aged photos have been stuck inside an old journal," which matches the scene, where the photos are in a journal. It also spells "travelling", and Hint 1 is worded a little differently.
Wrong Puzzle 128?
- Daily Puzzle 128 is Train 06, from the Trains and Train Spotters set.
- Puzzle 127, Ace of Diamonds, is the puzzle before this one, in the same Office. If yours shows three swords on a wall, that's the one you've got.
- Puzzle 129, A Sweeping Solution, is the next puzzle, in the Sapphire Suite. If yours asks about a route through the rooms of a hotel suite, that's the one you've got.
- Puzzle 128 in another Layton game is a different puzzle. If yours doesn't show four faded photos and a compass, you're in the wrong game.
Where you find it
After Puzzle 126, Mordy lets you search the Reunion Inn, and the objective becomes "Go to Henry's Office!" Once you're in the Office, the objective changes to "Investigate the Office!" Look at the old journal there.
Emmy says, "This looks like some sort of old journal. The cover is all faded." Luke reads the title, "Expedition Log," and Emmy wonders, "Could this be the record for the search party that went out after Randall?" Then she finds, "There's a photo stuck in here," and Luke asks, "Could it be a clue?"
The Office has three hint coins: on the shelf on the right, on the box on top of the shelf and on a small bottle.
You have to solve it to move on. It's part of the search of Henry's office.
When you can't tell which way it went
- Left isn't a compass direction. The horse faces left, so the carriage is crossing the photo from right to left. To turn that into north, south, east or west, you need to know which way the photographer was facing.
- Look for something that gives a direction. Hint 1 asks what people in olden times used to find their way.
- Compare the photos. They were taken a short time apart, so small differences between them tell you which came first.
- A wrong answer. It lowers the picarats you can get. Read Hint 3 before you try again.
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 carriage
First, take a close look at the carriage. The horse is facing left, so it must be traveling from right to left through the picture.
That's not enough information to work out the cardinal direction in which it's traveling, though. Is there anything else in the photo that could help you with that? Something people would have used in olden times to work out their directions?
Hint 2: finding the compass points
The sun is a useful guide when trying to determine compass points. It rises in the east and sets in the west without fail.
The sun is just above the horizon in these photos... But wait! Don't answer yet. Is it rising or setting? Compare the photos to see if you can work it out.
Hint 3: the passage of time
There is something else in the photos that will allow you to work out the passage of time between them. The number of leaves on the tree on the left should tell you something.
If you use this information combined with the position of the sun, you'll be able to work out which direction lies roughly straight ahead as you look at the photo.
Super Hint: putting it together
Compare photos A and D, where the sun is higher, with photo B, where it's lower. One of the leaves is missing from the tree in photo B. Therefore, B must have been taken later than A and D, and the sun must be getting lower in the sky because it's setting.
Picture yourself at the scene. If the sun is setting behind the hills in the west, which direction is the carriage traveling?
Answer and full solution
The answer below gives the direction, shows the clues marked on the photos and walks through the reasoning. Open it when you're ready.
Show the answer
Answer: south. Touch S on the touch screen and submit.
- The sun is setting. The tree on the left has a leaf in photos A and D that's gone in photo B, so B was taken later. In B the sun is lower than in A and D, so it's going down.
- The photos face west. The sun sets in the west, and it's straight ahead in the photos, so the photographer was looking west. That puts north on the right of the picture and south on the left.
- The carriage goes left. The horse faces left, so the carriage is crossing from right to left, which is from north to south.
The game confirms it: "Correct! It was heading south. A leaf has fallen from the left-hand tree between the times photo A and photo B were taken, so we can assume that the sun was setting. Since the sun sets in the west, the viewer must be east of the carriage, and the carriage is therefore traveling south."
If it still doesn't work out:
- You picked north. That's the answer if the sun is rising, with the photographer facing east. The missing leaf shows that time is passing toward sunset.
- You picked west. West is the way the photographer is facing, not the way the carriage is going. The carriage crosses the picture sideways.
- You picked east. East is behind the photographer. Nothing in the photos moves that way.
Picarats, hints and hint coins
Faded Photos shows 40 picarats when it starts. The puzzle can award 40, 30 or 20 picarats. Wrong answers may reduce the picarat value. A wrong answer brings the message "Too bad. What are you basing your answer on?" If you quit, Luke says, "Let's take a closer look at this photo." When you come back, he says, "We might learn something important if we solve the puzzle here."
Hints cost hint coins, not picarats. Hints 1 to 3 cost one hint coin each and the Super Hint costs two, five in total. The hints on this page are free to open.
Does it unlock anything?
It doesn't give you an item. Solving it lets you read on in the journal, which moves the story on. You get the picarats, and the puzzle counts toward your total.
Versions
- Nintendo 3DS family: this page covers the 3DS game. The photos are on the top screen, and the direction buttons are on the touch screen.
- US and UK English versions: same photos, same answer. The UK question says the photos are stuck in an old journal rather than kept in a box of keepsakes, and Hint 1 is worded a little differently.
The scene around the puzzle
When it's solved, Emmy says, "The fact that it's in this journal must mean it was taken during one of the expeditions," and Luke hopes there may be something about the Mask of Chaos in it. The journal then tells how the search for the lost boy began, with an inn at the oasis as the base of operations and a large reward for anyone who joined the search in the ruins.
Afterwards, Emmy notes, "He mentions making camp at an oasis, so this was before Monte d'Or was fully established." Luke asks, "Do you think that Henry actually quit looking for Randall?" and Emmy answers, "Considering the state of this room? No, I don't think he ever quit."
FAQ
Where is the answer to Puzzle 128?
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 128 called?
Faded Photos in both the North American and UK versions. In Japanese it's 古びた写真.
Where is Puzzle 128?
In the Office at the Reunion Inn in Monte d'Or, in Chapter 7. Look at the old journal while the objective reads "Investigate the Office!"
Do I have to solve Puzzle 128?
Yes. It's part of the search of Henry's office, and the story won't go on until it's solved.
How many picarats is Puzzle 128 worth?
It shows 40 picarats when it starts. The puzzle can award 40, 30 or 20 picarats.
Is Daily Puzzle 128 the same as Puzzle 128?
No. Daily Puzzle 128 is Train 06, from the Trains and Train Spotters set. Story Puzzle 128 is the carriage puzzle in the old journal at the Reunion Inn.
More Miracle Mask puzzles
- Puzzle 126: Mystery Room
- Puzzle 127: Ace of Diamonds
- Puzzle 129: A Sweeping Solution
- Puzzle 130: Water, Wood, Fire
- Puzzle 122: Kitty Solitaire 3
For the rest of the game's puzzles, see the Miracle Mask puzzle index.