*Floor 1: Solutions hidden in the environment; Floor 2: Main mechanics hiding in various artworks; Floor 3: Star patterns; Floor 4: Shaded screens

**And various floor-dependent ones as well: Floor 1: <instruments in bass range>; Floor 2: Sprinklings of instruments featured alongside the main mechanics; Floor 3: <instruments in treble range>; Floor 4: Reversed E-Piano

In addition, the background pad is a little different for each area, and much of the time it is based on the theme's instruments. It is sort of the musical equivalent of an environmental puzzle.

Also of note: sometimes the instruments behave a little differently as you progress throughout an area.

If a puzzle features multiple mechanics, instruments from those areas will play (e.g. if a puzzle features Dots, Dashes, and Diamonds, you'll hear Erhu, some Steel Drums, and Vibraphone in the music for as long as you have the puzzle active). The exception to this is the second floor of the Art Gallery.

The central hub area does its own thing: it features themes from each area for about a measure each, played in a clockwise fashion. There is only piano to start, but once you solve an area, that area's "Yang" instrument will also appear at the hub too (e.g. once you solve the Orchard, you'll hear the Shakuhachi that was present at the Orchard at the hub, where before there was only piano).

For the "Black" area, there is a rather omnipresent choir presence, perhaps tied to the "spirits" lingering about in that area.

In addition, there are regular instruments near the puzzles (with some reversed sounds), and the more excited-sounding "chaotic"/"super chaotic" versions that play by the Yin-Yang tree after you solve an area: Harp, Erhu, Vibraphone, and E-bass for the Gardens, Shrine, Mine, and Mill mechanics respectively.

For the "White" area, there are 9 pads for each main area that play until you solve the corresponding puzzle, at which point they will stop... until all that is left is complete silence. Note that these are only part of the same pads that play in the actual puzzle areas.

...and all of this is in F-major pentatonic (except for the endings).


Special thanks to the lead developer, Matthew VanDevander, for pointing me here, where some more detailed information on this game's music can be found. Also thanks to the game's composer for additional info.

Many mechanics in this game rely on regions. Each time you make a selection of tiles in the grid, you subdivide the grid into regions determined by touching black tiles, and touching white tiles. In the above example, there are 13 regions.










The two-color theorem means that any 3 regions will never meet by 2 corners and a side, so if a solution seems to require such a thing, then it's not really a solution and you should backtrack.









If at first you don't succeed, invert your solution! If you still don't succeed, try something else.

• All corresponding tiles as given are in the solution.
  
• Unmarked tiles are recursively filled in according to a majority rule: if the tiles directly above, below, to the left, and to the right have a black or white majority respectively, the tile is white or black respectively. Boundary tiles have only 2 (corners) or 3 (sides) considerations instead of 4.
  
• At each stage, unmarked tiles are treated as "neutral" for the purposes of the majority rule.
  
• If all 4 surrounding tiles are unmarked, that tile remains unmarked until the next stage.
  
• If there is an equal number of black and white tiles at any stage, the tile may be either black or white (i.e. both possibilities are valid).
  
• If by chance you're stuck here, all puzzle solutions in the tutorial can also be found in the environment! Save for one...

An example:



In the puzzle above, the question marks indicate which tiles we are uncertain of since an equal number of black and white tiles surround them. However the open tiles without question marks in them have a majority of black surrounding them, so we can fill those in as white:



Now we repeat the process, and this time the central tile is no longer uncertain, so we fill that in:



The rest should then be easy:



Notably, all it takes is a single tile to be white or black to determine the entire grid!

Match the pattern to the surrounding environment within the puzzle. Later on, this mechanic becomes interwoven with other puzzles, which may or may not depend on the surrounding environment.

• Tiles next to sides with thick edges are always white; tiles next to sides without thick edges are always black.
  
• Pillars come in pairs, and the solution for each pillar is flipped vertically and inverted from the other. This should help later on with the partially wrecked puzzles, where careful environmental observation is needed.
  
• For the final puzzle, which is the only one in the area with 4 columns, apply a certain combination of inversion and reflection in the central 2 columns to win!

BONUS: For the puzzle just north of the Ruins, which has thick and thin sides on the same tile, you'll need to apply the mechanic learned from the Graveyard to solve it, as normally this would be contradictory (thick edges, where they occur on single-column puzzles, typically must occur on both sides of the pillar).

• Each diamond must pair with exactly one other symbol of the same color (often a diamond, but not necessarily so). The multicolored flower petals (1, 2, or 3 orange petals) count as both purple and orange.
  
• Can be paired in black tiles or white tiles.

• In each "stage" of a puzzle, the longest of tree branches is white, and all else is black.
  
• For trees with multiple splits, only consider up to the next splitting point for the solution.

An example:



In the puzzle above, the question marks indicate which tiles we are most certain of. Looking at the tree in question, we see that the left branch up to the green joint is longer, so we fill in only that one:



Now we focus from the joints, again, up to the next green joints. Here we can see that each left side is longer, so we fill those sides in, leaving all else at that level blank:



Finally, we should be able to figure out the rest to arrive at our solution:

• The pillars with squares and vertical lines on it are a key.
  
• The rule here is basically XOR addition modulo 2 (e.g. 01001011 + 01111000 = 00110011). In a puzzle solution, 0 is black and 1 is white.
  
• The dot indicates where to start. If it's on the left, read from left to right. If it's on the right, read from right to left.
  
• Symbols may overlap (see below), but this does not change the rules!

• Each dots icon must contain exactly that many squares in its region.
  
• The region can be in black tiles or white tiles.
  
• Dots of like color can be adjoined (e.g. a 4-dots icon and 2-dots icon can co-occur in the same 6-square region).
  
• Shape does not matter.
  
• Any dots icon must not see another dots icon of a different color. However, any dots icon can see any other icon of a different color.

• Holes (or "inverted dots") "subtract" a dot (or dots) from a region. For example, a 1-hole icon and 7-dots icon are meant to co-occur in a 6-square region.
  
• Like with dots, holes of like color can be adjoined.
  
• All holes in a puzzle must "subtract" something.
  
• If a region with dots and holes "subtracts" to 0, it may be any shape and have any number of squares.
  
• Any holes icon must not see another holes or dots icon of a different color. Consequently, holes must "subtract" from dots of strictly the same color. However, any holes icon can see any other icon of a different color.

• Regions with dashes of like color must match shape without rotation or reflection.
  
• Size does not matter.
  
• The dashes must occur in the same relative positions inside all shapes, and each dash in a region must have a unique color (though the same is not entirely true for slashes — see below).
  
• Said regions can be all white, all black, or some mix of the two.
  
• Where there are dashes of multiple colors, each color must have its own distinct region or position.
  
• Where there are dashes of multiple colors, multiple colors may co-occur in the same region.

• Regions with slashes follow the exact same rules as those with dashes, except that a shape with a slash may differ by a 90°, 180°, or 270° rotation. Reflection is still disallowed, however.
  
• Regions with slashes and dashes of the same color follow the exact same rules as if the slashes were dashes, with the rotation exception for slashes as above.
  
• Due to rotation, 2-4 slashes of like color can represent the same shape as long as they occur in symmetrical positions within the shape and follow the uniqueness principle outlined above.

Note: dashes and slashes do not care about the colors of anything else.

TIPS (since this mechanic is the most confusing and daunting):

• If there are locked tiles around multiple dashes, expand accordingly before all else.
  
• When shapes look like they're gonna touch, this mechanic tends to force the shapes to tessellate a little, particularly with dashes, but beware the two-color theorem (see above)!
  
• Don't forget that it's OK to have multiple colors of dashes/slashes in the same shape!
  
• For slashes, beware of rotation, and don't forget that multiple dashes of like color may occur symetrically within the same shape!

If this still sounds confusing, I have some images to demonstrate:





(the tan area is where the rotated shape is placed)

• Each purple flower petal indicates a required difference in an adjacent square, whether that is black or white, or even "outside of the puzzle".
  
• Each orange flower petal indicates a required sameness in an adjacent square, whether that is black or white.
  
• Orange flower petals take priority over purple ones, hence why any puzzle with an all-orange flower in a corner or side is impossible, but a puzzle with an all-purple flower in a corner or side is possible.
  
• Direction does not matter!

• Look at the screens row by row. There is a one-to-one correspondence from the screens to the puzzle grids.
  
• Also focus on those tiles on the screen that "face" the same direction. The brightest of each are white and all else is black.
  
• The columns alternate direction, and will interleave in the puzzle.

• There are always as many tiles as there are lines. An upstroke represents white, a downstroke represents black.
  
• There is always a line on the left to indicate where to start.
  
• Sometimes a puzzle is fragmented and/or mirrored.

BONUS: For the Mondrian art, there are exactly as many rectangular regions of a given color as there are tiles in a given colored puzzle. Make note of the size and position of each colored rectangle.

• Gallery Floor 1 contains much of the same mechanics from Black & White and the Plateau. Look around the environment for clues (all solutions are found on that same floor).
  
• Gallery Floor 2 contains puzzles with mechanics found elsewhere. Such mechanics are hiding in plain sight in the artwork.

For those wanting to look past the art or are confused about what the puzzles are for Gallery level 2, we have, from top to bottom, then left to right (not including the upper central puzzle, which should be rather easy, if not trivial):





(The sides of the road are not part of the puzzle!)



(The "3"s in the image are quite literal!)



(The black tile is determined by the owl's eyes, which are two "0"s, hence why you hear tubular bells in the music.)

There are over 50 bonus puzzles here, though none with any new mechanics (or that lead anywhere).

• To enter, you need only complete 5 out of 9 areas. It's best to have at least visited the Mill, Mine, Shrine, and Gardens.
  
• All this time you've found solutions for puzzles. Now you just need to find a puzzle for the solutions! You should know the rules for each mechanic in this area.
  
• Once a puzzle is solved, the associated musical instrument will grow more intense. Is the end nigh?

How to enter:

• The location is near the very start of the game.
  
• Notice how each puzzle solution in the intro area can also be found in the environment! Save for one...
  
• That one puzzle solution that does not match up with its environment should be solved not according to those small stone blocks, but by the larger structure.

Teleporter:

• Hint #1: Don't be confused by the spiral! It has absolutely nothing to do with the puzzle!
  
• Hint #2: Notice that the puzzle grid is 9×9. Why do you think that could be?
  
• Hint #3: 9 main areas, each with a 3×3 teleporter...
  
• Solution: Right, so just enter in the teleporter solutions into their relative locations on the puzzle grid. The main grid of the White area may help.

Upper-left (Mine):

• Hint #1: Did you see the <!> signs? Notice how they're diamond-shaped. Also note their colors.
  
• Hint #2: Do you remember taking that moving platform? Imagine extending its grid.
  
• Solution: The <!> signs, with their colors, combined with the diamonds from the moving platform, are all the diamonds in the puzzle. All of this is on the required 5×6 grid size.

Puzzle to solve:


Upper-middle (Graveyard):

• Hint #1: Take another look at those gravestones.
  
• Hint #2: If you haven't already visited the bonus area for this region, go do so!
  
• Hint #3: There are 5 rows of graves, and a stone nearby most of them (two are symmetrical).
  
• Solution: Combine the rows using the usual XOR addition modulo 2 rule to get the solution.

Puzzle to solve:


Upper-right (Orchard):

• Hint #1: Notice how the only initial entrance to that region runs into a tree trunk...
  
• Hint #2: Think broadly, and pay attention to where one would normally walk.
  
• Solution: The stone paths form a tree! The rest should be easy to figure out.

Middle-left (Ruins):

• Hint #1: Think broadly, and notice something about the area...
  
• Hint #2: The whole area is tall and slender, just like its puzzles. But how could this be a puzzle in itself?
  
• Solution: The whole area is broken up into chambers. Some areas are one-wide and some are two-wide. Should be easy to figure out what to do from here.

BONUS: The cheater's solution: use the tower from the shortcut puzzle. It coincides.

Center (Shrine):

• Hint #1a: Certain arrangements resemble dots. Think big, but not too big.
  
• Hint #1b: Such arrangements are in purple/lavender and yellow. You'll find them nearby the shrine itself.
  
• Hint #2a: But how about the puzzle grid? Some of the arrangements are in the lake...
  
• Hint #2b: Not all lilypads are the same color...
  
• Solution: The off-green lilypads form the required 7×4 grid. The lavender lilies and yellow lanterns, as well as one semi-hidden set of purple lanterns, all form the dots of the puzzle.

Puzzle to solve:


Middle-right (Gardens):

• Hint #1: This puzzle is broken down into 3 parts. Think about how the flower designs might fit into each one.
  
• Hint #2a: The first part matches the 6 flowerbeds by the area's initial entrance.
  
• Hint #2b: The second part matches the area with the bridges, but which configuration is correct?
  
• Hint #2c: The third part combines 2 sub-parts. The lower 3 tiles has an environmental clue.
  
• Solution #1: The correct configuration for the second part assumes the door to the bonus puzzles (i.e. the one with the 9 dots) is open.
  
• Solution #2: For the third part, the central tile in each floor puzzle matches what it is in the White-area puzzle. In addition, the environmental clue is a half-purple, half-orange growth in the garden, centrally located.

Puzzle to solve:


Lower-left (Gallery):

• Hint #1: You may have stepped outside the gallery on the third floor and wondered about the colors through the windows...
  
• Hint #2: This is in fact the solution! If a window is red (from one of the carpets), it is white in the puzzle. Otherwise if a window is not red, it is black in the puzzle.
  
• Solution: It may help to solve this puzzle row by row, as with this area's Shaded Screens.

Lower-middle (Plateaus):

• Hint #1: No additional puzzle solving is required — just some observation.
  
• Hint #2: Take a look in the areas underneath the plateaus. Don't those paths look curious?
  
• Hint #3: There is really only one way each path can fit into the puzzle without rotating it...
  
• Solution: The paths, as well as their surroundings, are tile-like and each form almost all of 2 halves of the puzzle. By connecting the paths, you should find the solution.

Lower-right (Mill):

• Hint #1: Do those solar panels seem significant in any way?
  
• Hint #2: They in fact harbor a solution... if you're in the right location.
  
• Hint #3: By walking among the solar panels, much like that one area in The Witness, you can see that glare reveals some dashes.
  
• Solution: There are 2 black dashes and 2 white dashes in the puzzle. Once you know their locations, the rest is relatively easy.
  Puzzle to solve:
  
  
  

Thought I'd wrap up this guide with a few bonus puzzles. Listen, the answer for each of these is unique!







Hint: Remember Gallery floor 3?