Puzzle 141 is Fix the Fossil 2, an 80-picarat Arrange puzzle in The Shopkeeper's House, one of Layton's Challenges. A fossil that was once a 5 x 5 square has broken into 25 pieces scattered over a 7 x 7 grid. You slide the pieces back together, but only in lines of five, along a row or a column, and the finished fossil has to sit in the middle of the grid.
This page covers bonus Puzzle 141 in Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, the 3DS game (US and UK English). The board 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 141, the first Fix the Fossil, or Puzzle 141 from another Layton game, see Wrong Puzzle 141? below.
What Puzzle 141 is
| Name | Fix the Fossil 2 (US and UK) |
|---|---|
| Type | Arrange |
| Picarats | 80 |
| Location | Layton's Challenges, The Shopkeeper's House (Bonuses menu) |
| Chapter | None. It's a bonus puzzle outside the story |
| How you unlock it | Finish all ten aisles of the One-Stop Shop minigame |
| Required? | No, it's optional |
| Previous puzzle number | Puzzle 140, Evenly Matched 4 (The Shopkeeper's House) |
| Next puzzle number | Puzzle 142, Spinning Maize 3 (The Ringmaster's House) |
The puzzle reads: "Here's a fossil that's been broken up into bits. It had been fully reconstructed, but sadly, it was broken in an accident. The fossil was originally a 5 x 5 square. Can you put it back together? It's very fragile, so you're only permitted to move lines of five pieces horizontally or vertically. Put it in the center when you've completed it." The objective bar says "Put the fossil together!"
It works like Puzzle 015, Fix the Fossil, on a bigger board. A row or column slides one square at a time, and only when it holds five pieces in an unbroken line. A single piece, or a line with a gap in it, won't move. The finished 5 x 5 fossil has to fill the middle of the grid, leaving one empty square all the way around it.
Puzzle names
| Version | Puzzle name |
|---|---|
| North America | Fix the Fossil 2 |
| UK | Fix the Fossil 2 |
| Japanese | 化石の復元2 (Kaseki no Fukugen 2, "restoring the fossil 2") |
The name is the same in the US and UK versions. The UK question is worded a little differently: it says the fossil is "extremely fragile, so in order to prevent it breaking even more" you can only move lines of five, and it leaves out the line about putting the fossil in the center. The board, the hints and the answer are the same in the US and UK English versions.
Wrong Puzzle 141?
- Daily Puzzle 141 is Sweets 07, from the Sweet Truth set.
- Puzzle 015, Fix the Fossil, is the first fossil puzzle, in Mr. Collins's class in Chapter 2. It has nine pieces on a 5 x 5 grid, moved three at a time.
- Puzzle 064, Norwell's Secret, is the same kind of sliding puzzle with an inscription instead of a fossil, moved four pieces at a time.
- Puzzle 141 in another Layton game is a different puzzle. If yours doesn't show fossil pieces on a 7 x 7 grid, you're in the wrong game.
Where you find it
Puzzle 141 is one of the fifteen bonus puzzles in Layton's Challenges, which you open from the Bonuses section. The challenges are split into five houses of three puzzles each, and The Shopkeeper's House holds Puzzles 139, 140 and 141. Fix the Fossil 2 is the third puzzle in that house.
The Shopkeeper's House opens when you finish the One-Stop Shop, the shop-shelf minigame in the Professor's trunk. The shop arrives in Chapter 1 with Puzzle 010, The Place to Be!, and it has ten aisles. Once every aisle is done, the game tells you, "The Shopkeeper's House has been added to Layton's Challenges." The Miracle Mask minigames page has help with all ten aisles.
Column and row numbers used on this page
The game's hints count lines from the edges, like "the second column from the right". This page also numbers the whole 7 x 7 grid: columns 1 to 7 from left to right and rows 1 to 7 from top to bottom. So column 4 is the middle column, and the fossil has to end up in columns 2 to 6 and rows 2 to 6.
When the fossil won't come together
- A line won't slide. It needs five pieces in an unbroken line. A line with a gap in it stays put.
- You've made a few moves and lost track. One wrong slide is hard to undo by sliding more lines. Use Undo, the way Hint 1 suggests, or start again from the original layout.
- You counted rows inside the fossil. The game's hints count rows and columns across the whole 7 x 7 grid, not the 5 x 5 fossil.
- The fossil is together but off to one side. It has to sit in the middle of the grid, with one empty square on every side.
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 first move
Getting back on track after making a mistake will be quite hard in this puzzle. Make good use of Undo.
You'll want to start off by moving a column up.
Hint 2: the second move
Continuing from Hint 1, move a row from the right to the left.
Hint 3: the next two moves
Continuing from Hint 2, move one column down. Next, move one row left. Now you just need one more move to solve it.
Super Hint: four moves spelled out
Here's a more specific explanation. 1. Move the second column from the right one row upward. 2. Move the third row from the bottom one column left. 3. Move the middle column one row downward. 4. Move the third row from the top one column left.
Think you can work out the last move now?
Answer and full solution
The answer below lists every slide, shows the board before each one, and shows the finished fossil. Open it when you're ready.
Show the answer
The answer is five slides: column 6 up, row 5 left, column 4 down, row 3 left, then column 2 up. Each slide moves a line of five pieces by one square. The first four are the moves from the Super Hint, and the fifth is the one it leaves for you.
| Move | Line | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Column 6 (second from the right) | Up one square |
| 2 | Row 5 (third from the bottom) | Left one square |
| 3 | Column 4 (the middle column) | Down one square |
| 4 | Row 3 (third from the top) | Left one square |
| 5 | Column 2 (second from the left) | Up one square |
Step by step:
- Column 6 up. At the start, column 6 holds five pieces in rows 3 to 7. Slide them up into rows 2 to 6.
- Row 5 left. Row 5 now holds five pieces in columns 3 to 7. Slide them left into columns 2 to 6.
- Column 4 down. The middle column holds five pieces in rows 1 to 5. Slide them down into rows 2 to 6.
- Row 3 left. Row 3 now holds five pieces in columns 3 to 7. Slide them left into columns 2 to 6.
- Column 2 up. The last loose line is column 2, with five pieces in rows 3 to 7. Slide them up into rows 2 to 6, and the fossil is complete.
The game says: "Correct! Excellent work. You've managed to put this rather complex fossil back together again. That's one for the prehistory books!"
If it still doesn't work out:
- Move 2 or move 4 won't slide. Check the move before it. Row 5 only has five pieces in a line after column 6 has gone up, and row 3 only after column 4 has come down.
- You slid the far-left column. The last move is column 2, the second column from the left. Column 1 stays empty.
- The order was different. The five moves only work in this order, so use Undo back to the start and follow the table.
Picarats, hints and hint coins
Fix the Fossil 2 shows 80 picarats when it starts. This puzzle can't be failed: it ends as soon as the fossil is complete in the middle of the grid, so solving it always awards 80 picarats.
Hints cost hint coins, not picarats. Hints 1 to 3 cost one hint coin each and the Super Hint costs two, five in total. There are no hint coins to find in Layton's Challenges, so you'll spend coins saved from the story, or you can use the free hints on this page.
Does it unlock anything?
No. It doesn't give you an item. You get the picarats, and it counts toward the fifteen Layton's Challenges. Solve all fifteen and the game congratulates you: "Congratulations! You solved all 15 of Layton's Challenges!"
Versions
- Nintendo 3DS family: this page covers the 3DS game. The fossil is on the top screen, and you slide the pieces on the touch screen.
- US and UK English versions: the board, the hints and the answer are the same. The UK question is worded differently, and the UK Super Hint says "upwards" and "downwards".
The scene around the puzzle
There's no story scene for the bonus puzzles. The top screen shows the broken fossil on display behind a rope barrier, with a newspaper on a stand beside it. Once you've solved it, the top screen shows the whole fossil put back together, with visitors crowding around to look.
FAQ
Where is the answer to Puzzle 141?
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 141 called?
Fix the Fossil 2, in both the North American and UK versions. In Japanese it's 化石の復元2.
Where is Puzzle 141?
In Layton's Challenges, in the Bonuses section. It's the third puzzle in The Shopkeeper's House, which opens once you've finished all ten aisles of the One-Stop Shop.
Do I have to solve Puzzle 141?
No. It's a bonus puzzle, so it has nothing to do with finishing the story.
Why won't a line move?
A line only slides when it holds five pieces in an unbroken row or column. If you're stuck after a wrong move, use Undo or start again from the original layout.
How many picarats is Puzzle 141 worth?
Worth 80 picarats. This puzzle can't be failed.
Is Daily Puzzle 141 the same as Puzzle 141?
No. Daily Puzzle 141 is Sweets 07, from the Sweet Truth set. Puzzle 141 is the fossil sliding puzzle in The Shopkeeper's House.
More Miracle Mask puzzles
- Puzzle 142: Spinning Maize 3
- Puzzle 015: Fix the Fossil
- Puzzle 064: Norwell's Secret
- Puzzle 100: Gate to the Ruins!
- Puzzle 099: Ancient Artistry 2
- 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.