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Return to Mysterious Island Hints
How do I solve the puzzle at the bottom of the stairs?
1 of 32: You've seen another puzzle that looked very similar to this before.
2 of 32: In fact, it's not too different than the puzzle you had to solve to open the hatch, before you entered the Nautilus.
3 of 32: But this one is not quite as simple as that.
4 of 32: First of all, there are two sets of lights, and two sets of 4-character codes.
5 of 32: Second, the top code is numeric, and the bottom code is alphabetic.
6 of 32: And third, the keypad changes from numbers to letters (and back again) each time you click on one of the keys.
7 of 32: Note that as you click on a key, it will first get added to the top code (4 numbers), and the next click key will get added to the bottom code (4 letters).
8 of 32: So the goal is to figure out what 4-digit number, and 4-letter combination will provide the solution to this puzzle.
9 of 32: You are given no clue, as both codes remain blank until you enter something.
10 of 32: By this time in the game, you should be able to make a fairly educated guess as to what 4-digit number you want to achieve.
11 of 32: It's a number you've seen repeatedly throughout the game.
12 of 32: And it was even a critical part of an earlier puzzle...
13 of 32: ... the puzzle of opening the hatch to the Nautilus.
14 of 32: The number is 1860.
15 of 32: So the numeric code at the top will be 1860, if entered correctly.
16 of 32: But what letters should be entered after each of the 4 digits?
17 of 32: To begin the puzzle, enter one of the digits (in this case, the "1"). Do you see any way in which the eight letters supplied might related to the single digit that you just entered, or to the puzzle as a whole?
18 of 32: Continue experimenting with different letters, but keep entering the correct 4 digits when it is time.
19 of 32: After each digit, carefully examine the available letters, to see how they might relate to the digit just entered, or to the puzzle as a whole.
20 of 32: Actually, the letters are not so much related to any single digit, as to the overall theme that Captain Nemo keeps re-using.
21 of 32: What are his favorite themes?
22 of 32: One is "1860". We're already using that in this puzzle.
23 of 32: Another is the "N", which has appeared a couple of times now...
24 of 32: ... and represents his most prized possession, the Nautilus.
25 of 32: Keep going through the puzzle, but each time you come to the letter keypad, remember the Nautilus.
26 of 32: Do you see anything unusual about the 8 letters each time?
27 of 32: Despite the fact that "NAUTILUS" uses some pretty common letters (e.g., A, I, N, S, T), those letters don't show up very often on the letter keypads.
28 of 32: In fact, if you watch very closely, you may note that there is never more than one letter from the word "Nautilus" at any one time.
29 of 32: Which, of course, is the solution to the puzzle.
30 of 32: Start the puzzle from the beginning, and enter the "1" (for "1860").
31 of 32: When the letters come up, look for the only letter that is part of the word "NAUTILUS".
32 of 32: There is not a fixed solution to this puzzle, as it changes each time you play it. However, the logic remains the same. Each time, after entering one of the digits from "1860", look through the letters that are displayed, and find the one (and only) letter that is in the word "NAUTILUS". Click on that letter, and continue the puzzle, until all 4 digits and all 4 letters have been entered.
