Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure introduces a fascinating new movement mechanic that I’ve never seen in a game before. Instead of just walking through the world, you change the world as you walk! The world is made up of tiles that slide around in rows and columns as you move. I knew I wanted to gather some Arranger tips and tricks to help with this.
As incredible of a concept as it is, it can be a little difficult to wrap your head around at first. This guide will give you some Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure tips and tricks so that you can get the most out of the game. Refer to this guide any time you get stuck, and see if it sparks some inspiration. Also, if you want a hand through the first quest, here’s a guide for the ‘Find Someone to Take Your Things’ quest.
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Some Initial Tips
Before we get into the more advanced advice, familiarise yourself with these basic tips for traversing the world.
- The tiles wrap around. The rows and columns of tiles wrap around to create one single chain. So when you get to the side of a row or the top/ bottom of a column, keep moving and you’ll come out the other side. This is a technique that will come in handy for avoiding obstacles.
- Obstacles. A lot of the items in Arranger can be moved along by the tiles, but sometimes you’ll find obstacles. These are identifiable as they have a glowing outline. You can still move a row/ column that has an obstacle on, but the obstacle itself will never move.
- Only one item per tile. You cannot move an item on to another item. You are moving the item tiles, not the items themselves. You also cannot move onto a tile that has an item, you can only move onto empty tiles (technically you’re not leaving your initial tile, but you take the place where the empty tile was). This applies to obstacles too, items will have to wrap around them like you do.
- The Square Method. This is a trick I discovered and have named ‘The Square Method’. Find a square (a space that’s at least 2×2 tiles) and move your item and yourself so that you are each in one of those 4 tiles. You can then move up and down or left and right until you are in the position that you want to be in relation to that item. You can then move the item by pulling/ pushing that row/ column.
Stats, Assists, and Buddy Mode
The game has a few different choices in the settings menu that can affect the gameplay and appearance. These can be found in the settings menu while playing, under ‘gameplay’. Let’s delve into them:
- Stats. You have the option to display 2 different types of stats on your screen when you play – a step tracker and an in-game clock of how much time you’ve spent playing. I’d advise against the clock as it could stress you out and make you feel rushed. However, the step tracker is a fun way of seeing how much you’ve walked in the game, and reminding you how far you’ve come.
- Assists. There’re two options in this. The first allows you to skip puzzles. That way, if you’re really stuck on something, the game will allow you to move past that puzzle and on to the next section of game. You’ll see a little square on the floor, and if you stand on this and interact, it’ll offer you the chance to skip. You can also enable a quest tracker which will always point you in the right direction that you need to go. This is perfect if you get a bit lost.
- Buddy Mode. If you have a little child in your life who always wants to play with you, Buddy Mode is perfect for placating them. They will spawn in as a little fairy to accompany you. Although they can’t move the tiles or interact with items in puzzles, they can float around and point things out to you. That way, they can’t negatively impact the game, but they can feel included.
Solving Puzzles
Now, a big part of Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure is, as the title suggests, solving puzzles. These often follow similar formulas, so here are my tips and tricks for figuring them out.
- If there are multiple items. If you’re in a puzzle room with multiple items, chances are they’re all involved in the solution. This isn’t always the case, but most of the time it is. If you feel like you’re getting close, but there’s an item you haven’t used yet, think about how it could interact with the other elements in the room. For example, if you need to stop a laser, putting two items next to each other could account for the tiles moving when you join the row/ column, and ensure the laser always stays blocked.
- If there are no items. If you need to solve a puzzle, but there are seemingly no items to use, you may need to double back on yourself and bring an item with you from the previous section. I find it good practice to always try to bring items with me anyway, just in case.
- Come back with fresh eyes. If you’re getting frustrated by a section, it might be worth pausing the game, taking a break, and coming back with fresh eyes. I find that I can fixate on the same things when I’m stuck, and that’s no good. Taking a break allows your mind a chance to try something new without being distracted by past ideas.
- There’s no shame in skipping. If you get really really stuck, then there’s no shame in skipping a puzzle. The game won’t penalise you for it, and it’ll allow you to enjoy the rest of the game.
Conclusion
These tips are only a starting point. The more you play, the more you’ll become accustomed to the way the world works. Hopefully these Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure tips and tricks will help tide you over until then. You’ll learn to anticipate solutions to puzzles, and the movement will feel more natural.
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