All Purple Gourd Puzzles and How to Solve Them in Big Walk

11 Aug at 15:59 Comment Views: 6

Purple gourds function similarly to standard red gourds in Big Walk. Secured as rewards for completing intricate puzzles, they are ultimately used to finish towering structures. The primary distinction lies in their distinct coloration and the elevated complexity of their corresponding challenges.

You might stumble upon these unexpectedly after unlocking the ski lift. While they won’t immediately appear on your 3D map, you can tackle them at your leisure. Nevertheless, we advise saving these until the end of your journey, as having broader experience will make them significantly easier to interpret.

Here is a complete breakdown of where to find every purple gourd puzzle in Big Walk and the exact strategies needed to conquer them.

[Ed. note: This guide contains major spoilers for Big Walk. Proceed at your own discretion!]

All purple gourd puzzles in Big Walk

There are seven distinct purple gourd puzzles scattered across Big Walk, all situated in the southern region of the island. To reach this area, you can either finish the green tower and ride the chair lift southward or trek along the southeastern coastline.

The Big Walk map with the locations of puzzles marked with purple gourds. Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: House House/Panic via Polygon

These seven trials are advanced, demanding iterations of familiar puzzles found elsewhere on the island:

Timer trial
Golf challenge
Button coordination puzzle
Acoustic speaker puzzle
Posing challenge
Obstacle course
Symbol sign puzzle

Below, we break down how to master every purple gourd challenge. However, we strongly suggest practicing their introductory versions first, which can be found in these areas:

The locations of seven puzzles marked on a Big Walk map. Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: House House/Panic via Polygon

The timer puzzle rests along the coastline just east of the blue tower.
The golf challenge sits atop a ridge east of the red tower.
The button placement puzzle is positioned northeast of the yellow tower, adjacent to the railway tracks.
The speaker challenge occupies the northwestern corner of the map.
The posing puzzle is tucked away in the northeastern corner of the map.
The obstacle course can be discovered southeast of the blue tower.
The symbol sign puzzle lies directly east of the blue tower.

How to solve the purple gourd timer puzzle in Big Walk

A 29 minute and 55 second timer on a wall in a house in Big Walk. Image: House House/Panic via Polygon

This challenge mirrors its simpler counterpart, except this time you must patiently wait out a 30-minute countdown instead of a mere five minutes. It serves as an ideal window to grab a snack, stretch your legs, or chat with companions.

How to solve the purple gourd golf puzzle in Big Walk

Fortunately, the core objective of the purple gourd golf challenge remains identical to the red gourd variant—you must physically haul a heavy sphere to a designated target hole. Regrettably, that entails lugging this cumbersome weight across a much longer distance.

The Big Walk map with a route from the start of the golf puzzle to the finish. Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: House House/Panic via Polygon

We strongly recommend adhering to the path outlined in the map above, though you will first need to activate the chair lift and clear the tunnels. Transport the heavy sphere southward, then ascend eastward up the hillside. Once the distinctive blue spiral structure comes into view ahead, angle left to spot the ski lift passing over a massive boulder. Scale the boulder, board the ski lift heading south toward the peak housing the purple gourd, disembark carefully, and proceed through the purple tunnel down the slope. Finally, veer right, climb the final incline, and drop the sphere into the hole.

How to solve the purple gourd button location puzzle in Big Walk

This trial features two segregated chambers: one saturated with illuminated lights and another packed with switches. In cooperative play with two participants, one player previously had to guide their partner by describing light placements. For larger groups, intermediaries relayed instructions through a connecting window.

A wall with an intercom, a button, and a red light bulb in Big Walk. Image: House House/Panic via Polygon

In this upgraded purple gourd iteration, the layout remains identical, but the observation windows have been completely sealed off. Instead, the button operator is equipped with an intercom and a signal bulb, while the light operator holds a switch that triggers that exact bulb. The player managing the buttons must verbally ask targeted questions over the intercom to pinpoint the light’s location, and the partner replies using coded bulb flashes. During our playthrough, we relied on questions like, “Is it positioned on the wall directly ahead?” or “Does it rest on the floor?” Meanwhile, our partner flicked the bulb once for an affirmative response and twice for a negative.

How to solve the purple gourd speaker puzzle in Big Walk

A room with green walls and orange speakers scattered around the room in Big Walk. Image: House House/Panic via Polygon

The purple gourd version of the speaker trial closely mirrors the red gourd setup, minus the convenience of an intercom system. Consequently, you must figure out how to convey unique audio frequencies relying solely on visual gestures.

We successfully cleared this puzzle by tapping out rhythms against the window pane and dragging our palms vertically across the glass to indicate rising or falling pitch.

How to solve the purple gourd posing puzzle in Big Walk

Signs with symbols scattered on the ground in Big Walk. Image: House House/Panic via Polygon

For this challenging variant, standard body gestures are swapped out for complex symbolic shapes. You are now required to physically mime abstract forms like spirals, snowmen, lowercase letters, and various geometric signs using hand movements.

An efficient workaround to simplify this challenge is to sketch the requested symbols directly onto the glass surfaces using hand motions.

How to solve the purple gourd obstacle course puzzle in Big Walk

A black spiral with a red ball sitting on a green pole in Big Walk. Image: House House/Panic via Polygon

While the physical obstacle course layout remains entirely unchanged, the catch here is that an active tomato timer is waiting to pressure you right at the starting line.

How to solve the purple gourd symbol sign puzzle in Big Walk

A wall of signs and pegs in Big Walk. Image: House House/Panic via Polygon

Standard sign-matching puzzles typically limit your options to a manageable nine choices. However, this advanced variation introduces 36 unique signs, many of which look remarkably similar. This final challenge will truly test your team’s verbal communication skills as you attempt to precisely describe these intricate, abstract glyphs.

Source: Polygon