Puzzle 150 is Back to the Chamber, a 70-picarat Rotate puzzle in The Puzzle Keeper's House, the last of Layton's Challenges. Four stone pillars stand in a round chamber, each with an arrow on it, and the mechanism only starts when every arrow points to the center. Layton and Angela turn the pillars by standing on opposite buttons around the floor, and they can't use the same pair twice in a row.
This page covers bonus Puzzle 150 in Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, the 3DS game (US and UK English). The buttons, the pillars 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 150 or Puzzle 150 from another Layton game, see Wrong Puzzle 150? below.
What Puzzle 150 is
| Name | Back to the Chamber (US and UK) |
|---|---|
| Type | Rotate |
| Picarats | 70 |
| Location | Layton's Challenges, The Puzzle Keeper's House (Bonuses menu) |
| Chapter | None. It's a bonus puzzle outside the story |
| How you unlock it | Solve every puzzle in the adventure and the other twelve Layton's Challenges |
| Required? | No, it's optional |
| Previous puzzle number | Puzzle 149, From Right to Left (The Puzzle Keeper's House) |
| Next puzzle number | None. Puzzle 150 is the last numbered puzzle |
The puzzle reads: "The mystery pillars return! The mechanism will activate when the arrows on each pillar point to the center."
It goes on: "However, the pillars will only turn if Layton and Angela step on opposing buttons at the same time. When you have Layton press a button, Angela will press the one opposite. Also, keep in mind that they won't be able to press the same buttons twice in a row. Work together to solve the puzzle!" The objective bar says "Point to the center!"
The four pillars stand on the top screen, one at the back, one at the front, one on the left and one on the right. Each has its own symbol on top. On the touch screen, eight buttons sit in a ring around the chamber floor. Tap one and Layton walks to it while Angela walks to the button straight across from it, so the eight buttons work as four pairs.
Each pair turns two of the pillars a quarter turn, and the symbols on the two buttons show which two. It's the same kind of puzzle as the mystery pillars in the story, but as Hint 1 says, the buttons now turn the pillars in a different way. There's no wrong answer to submit. If you lose track, tap Restart and the pillars go back to where they started.
Puzzle names
| Version | Puzzle name |
|---|---|
| North America and UK | Back to the Chamber |
| Japanese | 無限回廊 (Mugen Kairō, "endless corridor") |
The name is the same in the US and UK versions. The UK text spells it "centre", Hint 1 ends "Try experimenting and see what happens.", and the UK Super Hint says "the top button twice, and the far-right button three times". The buttons, the pillars and the answer are the same in the US and UK English versions.
Wrong Puzzle 150?
- Daily Puzzle 150 is Kingdom 09, from the Kingdoms set.
- Puzzle 135, Mask Pedestal, is the first mystery pillars puzzle, in the Chapter 8 story, and it's worth 60 picarats.
- Puzzle 149, From Right to Left, is the puzzle before this one, also in The Puzzle Keeper's House.
- Puzzle 150 in another Layton game is a different puzzle. If yours doesn't have Layton and Angela turning pillars, you're in the wrong game.
Where you find it
Puzzle 150 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 Puzzle Keeper's House holds Puzzles 148, 149 and 150. Back to the Chamber is the third and last puzzle in that house.
The Puzzle Keeper's House is the last house to open. Solve every puzzle in the adventure and the other twelve Layton's Challenges, and the game tells you: "The Puzzle Keeper's House has been added to Layton's Challenges!"
When the arrows won't line up
- You don't know what a button does. Look at the two symbols on the pair you're about to press. The pillars with those symbols on top are the ones that turn.
- A button won't respond. You just used that pair. Press a different pair first, then come back to it.
- Fixing one arrow knocks another one out. Every pair moves two pillars at once, so plan the whole set of presses before you start. Hint 1 says six presses are enough.
- You've lost count. Tap Restart and start again from the beginning.
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 way the buttons cause the pillars to rotate has changed for this puzzle. Try experimenting to see what happens.
By the way, you can solve this puzzle with just six sets of button presses.
Hint 2
There are a total of eight buttons, but since Angela will always press the button opposite the one you choose for Layton, there are only four possible ways to make changes on the top screen.
Learn how to move the pillars, then think carefully about which buttons to press in order to move the arrows. It will take you more moves than last time, so you won't find the answer through sheer luck.
Hint 3
There are several ways to solve the puzzle.
Here's a tip, though: if Layton and Angela press the top-left and bottom-right buttons, they shouldn't press the top-right and bottom-left buttons. The reverse applies as well.
Super Hint
Have Layton press the top button twice and the far-right button three times. Then there's only one other pair of buttons that needs to be pressed to finish the job.
The order in which the buttons are pressed doesn't matter, but remember that they can't press the same buttons twice in a row.
Answer and full solution
The answer below takes six presses and shows which pillars each pair of buttons turns. Open it when you're ready.
Show the answer
Answer: have Layton press the top button twice, the far-right button three times and the top-right button once, never the same pair twice in a row. One order that works is top, far right, top, far right, top right, far right. Angela presses the opposite buttons: bottom, far left and bottom left.
What each pair turns. Each pair turns the two pillars whose symbols are on its buttons, a quarter turn each time.
| Press | Layton | Angela | Pillars that turn |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Top | Bottom | Back and right |
| 2 | Far right | Far left | Left and front |
| 3 | Top | Bottom | Back and right |
| 4 | Far right | Far left | Left and front |
| 5 | Top right | Bottom left | Back and front |
| 6 | Far right | Far left | Left and front |
Why it works. Two presses of the top and bottom pair give the right pillar a half turn. Three presses of the far-right and far-left pair turn the left pillar three quarter turns. The back and front pillars get turned by two pairs each, and the single press of the top-right and bottom-left pair turns them back the other way, so they end in the right place too. After the sixth press, all four arrows point to the center.
You can press the pairs in any order, as the Super Hint says, as long as you never use the same pair twice in a row. This answer never uses the bottom-right and top-left pair, which fits the tip in Hint 3.
When the last arrow lines up, the puzzle is solved. The game says: "Magnificent! If you can solve this puzzle, then there isn't an ancient riddle around that stands a chance against your powers of problem solving!"
If it still doesn't work out:
- The arrows don't all line up after six presses. Count again: two presses on the top button, three on the far right and one on the top right. Tap Restart and go through the table again.
- Layton walks to the wrong side. Tap the button you want Layton on, not Angela's button. If you tap the bottom button instead of the top one, the same pair still turns, so it doesn't matter which of the two you tap.
- The game won't let you press a pair. You just used it. Press another pair in between.
Picarats, hints and hint coins
Back to the Chamber shows 70 picarats when it starts. This puzzle can't be failed: there's no wrong answer to submit, and tapping Restart just turns the pillars back, so solving it always awards 70 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 pillars appear in 3D on the top screen, and you tap the buttons on the touch screen.
- US and UK English versions: the buttons, the pillars and the answer are the same. The UK puzzle text, Hint 1 and Super Hint are worded a little differently.
The scene around the puzzle
There's no story scene for the bonus puzzles. The top screen shows the four pillars on a round platform crossed by glowing blue lines, and the touch screen shows the mossy chamber floor from above, with Layton and Angela inside the ring of buttons. The closing line jokes that no "ancient riddle around" stands a chance against you.
FAQ
Where is the answer to Puzzle 150?
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 150 called?
Back to the Chamber, in both the North American and UK versions. In Japanese it's 無限回廊.
Where is Puzzle 150?
In Layton's Challenges, in the Bonuses section. It's the third puzzle in The Puzzle Keeper's House, which opens once you've solved every puzzle in the adventure and the other twelve Layton's Challenges.
Do I have to solve Puzzle 150?
No. It's a bonus puzzle, so it has nothing to do with finishing the story.
Can I get Puzzle 150 wrong?
No. There's no wrong answer to submit, and if you lose track of the pillars, tap Restart to put them back. It doesn't cost you picarats.
How many picarats is Puzzle 150 worth?
Worth 70 picarats. This puzzle can't be failed.
Is Daily Puzzle 150 the same as Puzzle 150?
No. Daily Puzzle 150 is Kingdom 09, from the Kingdoms set. Puzzle 150 is the pillar puzzle in The Puzzle Keeper's House.
More Miracle Mask puzzles
- Puzzle 149: From Right to Left
- Puzzle 148: Mummies' Revenge!
- Puzzle 147: That Rings a Bell 2
- Puzzle 146: Tilt to Traverse 2
- Puzzle 141: Fix the Fossil 2
- Puzzle 097: Tilt to Traverse
For the rest of the game's puzzles, see the Miracle Mask puzzle index.