# An Interesting Puzzle Box

So, a puzzle box recently turned up at my doorstep. I'd never seen anything like it before. It was a perfect cube, about a foot long. After messing with it a little, I got stuck and decided to post it here. Because my phone camera is weird, I had to draw a sketch of the each of the puzzle box's sides instead of posting pictures of the box itself. I've numbered sides for your convenience, and even told you which ones they're opposite from. Aren't I nice?

A few things to note.

1. Any weird marks may be part of the puzzle, or they may just be byproducts of my attempt to draw it. Who knows?
2. The numbers on side 1 can each be changed from 0 to 9 to create a passcode of sorts. I'm assuming that is the final puzzle.
3. Yes, you will have to find where every face in relation to every other face. It's part of the challenge.
4. As usual, partial answers are welcomed, and hints will be posted occasionally, when I feel like it.

Good luck as always!

### Hints Go Here

1

Sometimes, you need to connect the dots and look at the bigger picture.

2

After solving any puzzle make sure to retrace your steps.

### This puzzle has been solved. If you want a step-by-step approach please see my self-answer that I posted recently. Thanks!

• Nice One! +1 @ExcitedRaichu – Omega Krypton Oct 26 '18 at 4:34

# Step-By-Step Solution (From OP)

Hey, questions have been raised in comments about me giving a step-by-step answer to this, so I am. This solution will also credit the people that figured out each step.

### 1. Orienting the Cube

So, what we want to do first is at least find some sides' relation to each other. @AHKieran discovered that sides 1,2, and 3 line up to create a number 2 across the corner, and @Dorrulf noticed that that was one of the final numbers in the code. Also, sides 4 and 5 line up to create an arrow pointing at side 4 (which we'll get to later)

### 2. Side 2, 3, and 6

@gabbo1092 was the first to find that side 2 was the word CODEX cut in half, as demonstrated here (excuse my bad editing skills):

Now, if we find the letters of CODEX on side 3 (as also discovered by gabbo1092) we get a color pattern: red, blue, black, green, red. Dorrulf realized that if you traced the shape formed by the letters, you get a 7, as illustrated here

which is another number in the passcode. Two down, two to go! Now moving onto side 6, gabbo1092 saw that the color pattern (red, blue, black, green, red) entirely matches the color pattern of the number 4 on side 6. So, we have three of our numbers: 2, 4, and 7.

### 3. Side 4 and 5

First of all, gabbo1092 saw that it was possible to move the blocks on side 5 to match the position in side 4, following the arrows, in the intended order, by sliding the block on the bottom left, then the vertical one on row 3 down, then the horizontal one on row 2 right, then the other vertical block down and finally, the last block left. Dorrulf then saw that, if you copy the movements (left, down, right, down, left) with a physical pencil, you get the number 5, as shown here.

### 4. Side 1:

We're almost there. gabbo1092 pointed out that the graph diagram on top of the four numbers corresponded to the size of the numbers, with higher up points on the graph corresponding to higher numbers. The order is second lowest, second highest, lowest, highest. Using this with the numbers we have (2,4,5,7) gives the correct passcode of 4527!

### 5. Inside the Puzzle Box

Inside the puzzle box was 100 bounty, which will be rewarded to @Dorrulf for being the first person to completely synthesize and present the correct answer. The bounty will be awarded soon!

Overall, this is one of my hardest puzzles that was solved, and I was really excited to see the community work on it and solve it together. Thanks, everybody!

• Oof, can't accept my own answer until tomorrow. – Excited Raichu Oct 25 '18 at 11:58

I think I may have some of the pieces together but haven't fully figured it out or understood all the pieces yet.

Side 1:

Not sure yet what to input here. Worth noting on this side there is an inscription stating 'Herd Ringer Puzzle Co.' (Which as found by @AHKieran Herd Ringer is an anagram for Red Herring), a marking that appears to be a 2 in the bottom left corner. Part of me wonders if the graph like image above the passkey input is an indication of the values in that spot being lower or higher compared to others.

Side 2:

The writing appears to be the word CODEX cut in half. There also is a marking that appears to be a 2 in the top left corner.

Side 3:

Based on what I found in the previous side I first looked for the letters in codex and found the associated colours to be: C-red, O-blue, D-black, E-green, X-red. There is also a marking that appears to be a the bottom part of a 2 on the upper right side of the square. As suggested in the hint and pointed out by @Dorrulf if you connect the letters it forms the shape of a 7.

Side 4/5:

These sides appear to be a sliding blocks style puzzle. Not entirely certain the goal of them yet. On Side 4 you can move the pieces in such a way that there is a straight empty path through row 3. On Side 5 if you follow the arrows on the blocks you can set the puzzle to match the beginning spots of the puzzle on Side 4. There is also a marking that appears to be a the end of an arrow on Side 5 mid-right. Based on the hint right now I am thinking that for Side 5 it maybe is supposed to correlate to the path we have taken along the cube.

Side 6:

Based on the colour coding I got from side 3 I first looked to compare numbers colours in the order the colours appear in CODEX. First thing I noticed was the row of 4s perfectly matched the colour order. Other numbers had a spot that matched the colours in codex: C-red-4,5, O-blue-4,1, D-black-4,5, E-green-4,1,2, X-red-4,1,0. Possible answer but maybe I am just drawing connections where there are none but from these number possibilities if you assume a number can only be used once the passcode of 1-2-0-5 or 1-2-0-4 seems to follow the trajectory on the first side. Again could be nothing but who knows.

Orientation of the sides:

As mentioned by @AHKieran you can line up the markings to figure out the orientation. The 4 and the 5 have markings that line up to be an arrow when they are beside each other in the correct orientation. The 1, 2 and 3 have markings that form a 2 across a corner. When put all together you can determine the shape to be:

      |1||4|5|3|2|      |6|
Note the 4 and 5 must be upside down compared to how drawn in their pictures. This link helps show this (Thanks @BmyGuest).

• Before you get too far, try (rot13) nantenz gur pbzcnal. – Excited Raichu Oct 24 '18 at 15:47
• The company is a rot13(erq ureevat) – AHKieran Oct 24 '18 at 15:55
• What you see as a 1 on side 5 could also be the tail of the arrow on side 4. Possibly an alignment mark? – Chris Cudmore Oct 24 '18 at 16:57
• @BmyGuest No, as I said the 4 and the 5 need to be flipped upside down (compared to the 3 and 2) for it to work with all the markings and opposites. – gabbo1092 Oct 24 '18 at 17:34
• @BmyGuest No because 2 must be opposite of 5 and 4 must be opposite of 3 – gabbo1092 Oct 24 '18 at 17:44

New:

Getting 5 to 4 results in movements left, down, right, down, left.
If I literally perform these movements with a pen/cil, I get a 5.
Now, on side 1, if the bouncing arrow not only denotes the number order of larger, smaller, larger, but also the length of each line denotes the degree of change, then the order of numbers I get is:
4 5 2 7
Also, I would solve side 5 before inputting the numbers on side 1.

Other thoughts:

The black square to the top left of side 3 bothers me. Can't tell if it has meaning or not.
Why can't the orientation of the sides be as such:
_|1|
|3|2|4|5|
-|6|
Then 4 and 5 don't have to be flipped.

Partial:

So far, I think 3 numbers are: 2, 4, 7
2: Seems anything could have been used to provide orientation, but a 2 was used. So, maybe it's one of the numbers?
4: @gabbo1092 already pointed out the codex to color pattern relation
7: If you follow the order of the codex letters on side 3, the resulting shape of the "dots" makes a 7.

Are we to assume the pieces on sides 4 and 5 slide?

If just the pieces on side 5 slide, then following the numbered order of 4, and the directions listed on 5, you can easily form the starting shape of side 4. But other than being a necessary step to unlock a latch, I don't see how this helps. Doesn't provide a number, at least to me.

• +1, (rot13) Guvf vf IREL PYBFR, naq zbfg bs be rirelguvat lbh unir vf pbeerpg. Gur zbfg erprag uvag fubhyq uryc jvgu fvqrf 4/5. – Excited Raichu Oct 24 '18 at 18:47
• As far as the orientation note, if it were displayed how you suggested the sides would appear as: |>4|5-| Since the pointy end of the arrow is on the left side of 4s face and the other end of the arrow is on the right side of 5s face, meaning in this orientation they would not link up. – gabbo1092 Oct 24 '18 at 19:25
• This is right! :D – Excited Raichu Oct 24 '18 at 19:29
• @ExcitedRaichu What is right? What is the solution and how do you arrive at it. Somehow this answer as a whole doesn't make sense to me as answer as whole to the puzzle as a whole - and yet it is the accepted answer? Maybe I'm just thick at the moment but ???? – BmyGuest Oct 25 '18 at 7:23
• @BmyGuest hmm. I guess I’ll post a self/community wiki accepted answer and toss a bounty here. Thanks for informing me. – Excited Raichu Oct 25 '18 at 10:33

Partial: Note i fucked up, ignore this, leaving it here for continuity

There are markings (the 2 and the arrow) that link the sides such that if you fold this shape up into a cube, it should represent the correct orientation. However, side 6's rotation is unknown as it doesn't have any connected markings that I can see.

• Huh? There was a comment which just disappeared, which I wanted to second. Should not be 4 right of 5? I think you've created this: i.stack.imgur.com/ml58G.jpg and i.stack.imgur.com/01EuW.jpg – BmyGuest Oct 24 '18 at 17:21
• If the 4 and 5 are flipped upside down from how they are displayed in the question the arrow can match up and the order still work. – gabbo1092 Oct 24 '18 at 17:23
• Did you mean it to look like this? a360.co/2q9oiel – BmyGuest Oct 24 '18 at 17:29
• @BmyGuest If you have it that way it messes with the alignment of the 2 in the corner between 1, 2 and 3 – gabbo1092 Oct 24 '18 at 17:32
• Corrected (same link), Posting this comment just to reflect that a change has been made after the previous comment. Link still a360.co/2q9oiel – BmyGuest Oct 24 '18 at 17:49