Lost MonstersDifficult puzzles, solved step by step
Difficult challenges take up to seventeen moves. Often two or three helpers, and an order of moves that has to be exactly right.
Here are two difficult boards from the game, picked because each one teaches a trick you will need again. For each one: the board, the idea behind the best solution, and every move with a picture. Every challenge in Lost Monsters has a known best solution, found by a computer that tried every possible move, so these are the shortest ways there are.
- Close the door behind him: Roland has to cross the exit first, and only then may the helper take its place next to it.
- One monster, two jobs: Griffin first steps out of Roland's lane and later becomes his stopper. Goof parks Roland in the right column.
Close the door behind him
Difficult · Best solution: 7 moves. Stars: 7 moves for all five (the crown), up to 11 for four, up to 15 for three, up to 19 for two, up to 25 for one.
The exit is on the right side of the board, one square from the right edge. Roland starts at the far bottom left. Goof, the blue monster, is close to the exit, one row below it and a few squares to the left.
Seven moves is the best solution, and only two of them are Goof's. Many players solve it, but few in seven moves.
Want to try it yourself first? Play this challenge
The trick
On the exit's row, the right end has a wall corner above it: a monster that slides up the right edge from below stops in that row, right next to the exit. That square is the stopper's place. Goof can get there in two moves.
But Roland also needs that square, as his way into the row. So Roland goes first: around the board, up the right edge, and left across the exit. Then Goof closes the door behind him, and Roland slides back.
The best solution, move by move
-
1. Roland down. One square, into the bottom row.
-
2. Roland right. All the way along the bottom row to the bottom right corner.
-
3. Roland up. He slides up the right edge until the wall corner stops him, in the exit's row.
-
4. Roland left. He slides over the exit and stops a little further left, against a block of wall.
-
5. Goof right. He slides along the row below the exit to the right edge.
-
6. Goof up. One square, until the wall corner stops him. He now stands right of the exit, where Roland was two moves ago.
-
7. Roland right. He slides back and stops on the exit, against Goof. Seven moves and the crown.
The trick to remember: a helper can take a square only after Roland has used it. When the stopper's spot is also Roland's way in, send Roland through first.
Play this challenge and see if you can do it without looking.
One monster, two jobs
Difficult · Best solution: 7 moves. Stars: 7 moves for all five (the crown), up to 11 for four, up to 15 for three, up to 19 for two, up to 25 for one.
The exit is in the upper left part of the board. Roland starts in the bottom left corner area. Goof, the blue monster, is two squares to his right, and Griffin, the red monster, stands high up in the column that leads towards the exit.
The best solution has seven moves, three of them by helpers. It is one of the harder boards in the game.
Want to try it yourself first? Play this challenge
The trick
The column above Goof leads straight up to the row of the exit. Roland can use it, but only if two things happen first: something must stop him in that column, and Griffin must get out of it.
Griffin has a second job. Once Roland has slid past the exit, Griffin moves up next to it and becomes the stopper. Each helper move here is just one square, and the order is everything.
The best solution, move by move
-
1. Griffin right. One square, until a short wall stops him. The column is now free.
-
2. Goof right. One square, until a wall stops him. His old square is free, and he now stands just right of it.
-
3. Roland right. He slides right and stops against Goof, at the foot of the free column.
-
4. Roland up. He slides up the column until the top wall stops him, in the row of the exit.
-
5. Roland right. He slides over the exit and stops against the wall further right.
-
6. Griffin up. He slides up and stops right next to the exit, on its left side.
-
7. Roland left. He slides back and stops on the exit, against Griffin. Seven moves and the crown.
If Griffin moved up too early, he would block Roland's way to the right. Difficult challenges are often like this: the right moves in the wrong order give a much longer solution.
Play this challenge and see if you can do it without looking.