Free Houdini from his cell in this ingenious puzzle, where you’ll make new discoveries step by step. (In other words: free the metal ball!) As you go, you’ll discover various tools—and you’ll get your hands on one right away to help you get started. There’s no need to guess or force anything; every step has a purpose, each requiring a specific tool.
This puzzle is inspired by a mechanism from an earlier work by Brian Young, *The Opening Bat*, but in this version, everything is completely out in the open. Most of the components are immediately visible; it’s up to you to figure out how to use them. It’s a puzzle you can start thinking about even before you pick it up.
Awarded Jury First Prize at the 2012 Nob Yoshigahara Puzzle Design Competition. Also featured in Peter Hajek’s 2021 book Enter If You Can.
Dimensions: 80mm tall, 35mm across the diagonal at the base.
