Last edited 7/20/2021
Rules you should know
With each successive post, I will assume you have learned the rules necessary to get to this point, but I’ll post the most recent rules here. I won’t assume you’ve fully completed any world, but to get to the Ruins, you’ll need to have cleared both The Lake and Solitary Island, and know especially the following rules:
Float (Island 01 through 05)
Not only can you manipulate the actual Text, but you can see the noun “Text” which can be used in rules such as Text is Float!
Move (Island 07 and 09 at least)
Temple Ruins
This is my least favorite world. There I said it.
Thankfully it’s a small one.
Go up after Solitary Island to get to the Ruins. Save the Forest for later.
You have to clear 6 of the 10 levels in the Ruins, so most of them. Luckily, there are at least 6 easy ones. I recommend completing every level but 08 and the extra one for now. The extra level in particular is crazy hard for this point in the game. Actually, it’s pretty hard for any point in the game.
The first level in this world teaches Weak. The rest of the levels teach Has.
Remember that hints are invisible until the text is highlighted. Bold text discusses the rules. Italic text discusses all objects of the named type. Regular text discusses the actual instances. Text “in quotes” refers to the actual text in the level.
Stuck elsewhere? Navigate using the following pictures:
Ruins 01: Fragility
Description: *
About the Level
New material: property Weak
Walk Baba to the right. What happens eventually? On what tile does it happen? How about if you walk Baba down instead? What happens this time? What conclusion can you draw about Weak?
Hints
Gentle Nudge: If an object has both properties, which takes precedence, Weak or Defeat?
Ruins 02: Tunnel Vision
Description: *
About the Level
New material: connecting word Has
Baba is running to his death. Instead of trying to stop her, let her go. What happens when Baba reaches the Water? What does this tell you about the word Has?
Hints
Gentle Nudge: How many total objects do you need to cross the water? Does it matter what kind of objects they are?
Bigger Nudge: There's a suspicious area beneath one of the rules at the top.
Ruins 03: A Present For You
Description: **
Hints
Gentle Nudge: You know you have to destroy the box eventually. What rule could you change to allow for this?
Bigger Nudge: You is definitely going to cross the water.
Ruins 04: Unreachable Shores
Description: **
Hints
Gentle Nudge: Think back to your solution to Ruins 02. Could this be replicated somehow? Where on the screen would you do that?
Bigger Nudge: Surely you don't need a Box and a Keke... at the same time.
Ruins 05: But Where’s the Key?
Description: ***
Hints
Gentle Nudge: Work backwards. The Door is stopping you from reaching the Flag. How will you open this Door?
Bigger Nudge: Are you imagining Key is You? What other rule must exist so that you do not lose the game as soon as you open the Door?
Specific Hint: If you have figured out how to get the door open and still have something be You, then surely you can perform that activity multiple times.
Ruins 06: Love is Out There
Description: ***
About the Level
Just wanted to say: that little cubby at the top right of the pen is not technically needed to win the level, but it can prevent the level from doing something very annoying. If you’ve figured this one out, you know what I mean.
Hints
Gentle Nudge: How many objects are dropped with Has?
Bigger Nudge: Is there a sentence you can create which may allow you to get more objects from Has?
Specific Hint: Winning this level involves making one single crossword-like appendage of sentences. You can set it up and never change it and still win.
Ruins 07: Perilous Gang
Description: ***
Hints
Gentle Nudge: There is not one extra object in the pen with you. Every single one will be used before you escape, and each one has a very specific use.
Bigger Nudge: You will get out of the pen before breaking up Skull is Defeat.
Ruins 08: Double Moat
Description: ****
About the Level
From what I’ve seen, most of you don’t really like the puzzles with Move all that much. This is understandable as these puzzles can have many more steps than others and you have to plan very far ahead. But don’t overthink puzzles with Move. Just plan what you have to do and take your time setting things up, and don’t have objects moving around until you absolutely need them.
Hints
How to cross the first river: Baba is never going to cross this one, not now, not ever.
Getting through the Door: You know Keke will open the Door. What other rule do you need to keep from ending up with a single Baba on the wrong side of the river?
How to cross the second river: It is no accident this river is only one tile wide.
Specific Hint: Is there a difference between Keke is Move and Baba is Move? What is it? Why does it happen?
Ruins 09: Walls of Gold
Description: *
About the Level
I vote this level as “Most Boring.”
Hints
Gentle Nudge: What was your solution to Lake 08?
Bigger Nudge: After that, what was your solution to Lake 05?
Ruins Extra 1: Further Fields
Description: *****
About the Level
This level is far and away the hardest in this world - to the point where it really feels like it belongs closer to the endgame. Do not feel obligated to solve it your first visit.
There is also an interesting alternate solution that I will provide a hint for simply because it is absolutely insane if you can pull it off.
Hints
Gentle Nudge: What happens when there is no object which is You? What if this happens while something is Move?
Bigger Nudge: Why would you need three Babas?
Specific Hint: You might already know you need to get Keke across the Grass. To do this, you will need every single piece of text at once, all of which will cross with Keke.
Alternate Solution (provided by Reddit user zygoloid): What if the rule Keke is You were spelled out horizontally? How would you make that happen and what would you do then?
World Complete!
After clearing this world, a lot of places open up! It’s likely this is your third cleared world, which will unlock the gate at the south of the overworld. Behind that gate is the final level in the game. If you want, you can navigate to that post, but that level is probably way too hard for you at this point. I recommend returning after you clear through world 5 at the absolute earliest.
Aside from that, you should see five new places appear, two of which are locked behind more gates. The open areas look to be a garden to the west, a forest to the east, and the rocketship to the northeast. You can pretty much go to any of those open worlds, but I suggest not doing that until going to Forest of Fall to the south, which you unlocked after finishing Solitary Island.
In the meantime, do these hints work? Anything spoil too much? Do the hints actually help or are they too vague? Maybe you thought of a really good hint yourself? Send them to me. (Don’t comment them below.) You can find me @keyofw on Twitter or keyofw on Reddit. DM me anytime.