There are 20 Shortcuts to unlock across the hotel, making navigation much easier. The catch is each one is locked behind a fiendish riddle or equation. Here’s how to solve every Shortcut Puzzle in Lorelei and the Laser Eyes.
Every Shortcut Puzzle in Lorelei and the Laser Eyes solved
Before we dive in, let me quickly explain where to find these puzzles. You’ll find multiple doors bolted shut across the Hotel, each with a Roman Numeral on the door. Those Numerals correspond to Puzzles in the “S.C. Bolt’s Number Puzzles Volume 1” in the Books section of your Photographic Memory. If you don’t have the book yet, head downstairs and walk past the toilets and up the back steps into the library.
Here’s the kicker: the puzzle numbers are randomized. After testing with multiple saves, the puzzle solutions seem to be the same, but my puzzle order will be different from yours. With this in mind, I’ve included a picture of every puzzle in the order they appear on my game. I’ll also update this guide with every correct answer if there are errors.
Puzzle 1
This is a brutal puzzle, as there’s so much to take in. The part you’re interested in is the number of dots above each word. If you count them, it lines up nicely with the three examples. As the puzzle is to solve the underlined sentence of two words, there are four dots on each if you include the ellipses, making 44.
Puzzle 2
This one looks very confusing at first glance, but it’s the difference between the numbers we care about. Both lines have a difference of 30, and that’s the number that will open the lock for Puzzle 2. On closer inspection, the angle of the line may be like the hour and minute hands on a clock, but the difference is still 30 regardless.
Puzzle 3
The relevant part of the story for Puzzle 3 is the final sentence. “I should count my teeth” refers to how many teeth the average adult has, which is 32.
Puzzle 4 (?)
This is a devious puzzle because if you’re trying to figure out the blank number, you’re already looking in the wrong place. The puzzle asks you which number is hidden behind the question mark. As this is Puzzle 4 for me, that’s the answer.
Puzzle 5
This puzzle is as simple as counting the turns, but there are many of them. I count 43 each time I try this, but the answer is 42.
Puzzle 6
Honestly, I guessed 3 for this one as it’s the first number I saw, and I was right. On closer inspection, I can see plenty of other numbers, but I am unsure how they relate to the question.
Puzzle 7
The first digit of each number is how many sides are on the outmost shape surrounding it. The second number matches how many sides the inner shape has. As the outer shape has 6 sides and the inner shape has 7, the answer is 67.
Puzzle 8
I’ve yet to confirm this one in the game, but the sequence above seems to follow a Perfect Square pattern. If this is correct, the answer is 25.
Puzzle 9
Every shape inside Puzzle 9 has several numbers that all add up to 100. Y must be 100, as it’s on its own. All the numbers in the shape with X add up to 78, which leaves 22 remaining. 100 – 22 is 78, which opens the lock.
Puzzle 10
If you imagine the directions on a clock face, North is zero minutes, and South is 30. These rules would mean East is 15 and West is 45, which makes the correct answer 60.
Puzzle 11
I struggled with this, but I knew the second digit had to be zero as the third column had the same numbers. The solution is 60.
Puzzle 12
The question is worded confusingly, but the six coins hidden in the hat are a quarter of the total amount. 6 X 4 gives you the answer, 24.
Puzzle 13
This is another one I struggled with and lucked out with the answer. 90 is the code for the door, although I’m unsure of the theory.
Puzzle 14
Puzzle 14 throws a lot of information at you, but it’s not too difficult if you take it row by row. X is 2, Y is 1, and Z is 5. Add them all together, and you get the lock code, which is 8.
Puzzle 15
I’ve not found the lock for this door in my game at the time of writing, so I can’t check the answer. That said, I’m confident the answer is 74, as the horizontal lines make those numbers combined with the permanent vertical bars.
Puzzle 16
I’ve not tested this one myself in the game, but I think the hidden number is 1215. If I’m correct, the solution is 21.
Puzzle 17
Both examples at the top are mirror images of each other, and the tiny shapes dictate that image. If you take the top half of the symbols in the diamond and put them on the bottom half of the other shape, you get 64.
Puzzle 18
If you look at a clock face and assume 12 is zero, 210 degrees around the clock will be 7 o’clock. The answer is simply 7 for Puzzle 18.
Puzzle 19
This puzzle is much easier to visualize if you have a protractor in front of you. If you imagine zero degrees is dead north, 45 and 315 are northwest and northeast, respectively. 270 degrees is west, which makes east 90.
Puzzle 20
I’m not proud of myself, but I brute-forced this one after at least an hour of trying to figure it out. The combination is 42. I’ll update this solution if I can work out the sequence, but at least we can all open the door now. In my game, this door is handy as it allows instant access from the house’s west wing to the front garden.
Shortcuts are helpful in Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, but they are optional, and you don’t need to interact with them at all if you don’t want to. Document Tubes are the same, although they provide maps of the Hotel, which are always helpful.
