Warning: This guide contains spoilers for Big Walk.
Purple gourds work like the familiar red gourds: completing their puzzles earns rewards that help finish towers. Their puzzles are tougher variations of challenges found elsewhere on the island.
You may encounter the purple gourds after unlocking the ski lift. They do not initially appear on the 3D map, but you can complete them at any time. Leaving them until later is sensible, as the easier versions teach the techniques needed for the southern challenges.
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Where to find every purple gourd puzzle
There are seven purple gourd puzzles, all in the southern part of the map. Reach this area by completing the green tower and riding the chair lift, or by following the southeastern coast on foot.
The seven challenges are:
- Timer puzzle
- Golf puzzle
- Button location puzzle
- Speaker puzzle
- Posing puzzle
- Obstacle course puzzle
- Symbol sign puzzle
Try their simpler versions first. Their locations are listed below.
- Timer: on the beach east of the blue tower.
- Golf: on a hill east of the red tower.
- Button location: northeast of the yellow tower beside the train tracks.
- Speaker: in the northwest corner of the map.
- Posing: in the northeast corner of the map.
- Obstacle course: southeast of the blue tower.
- Symbol sign: directly east of the blue tower.
How to solve the purple gourd timer puzzle
This is the same basic challenge as the easier timer puzzle, but the waiting period increases from five minutes to 30 minutes. Start it, then use the time to take a break or catch up with friends.
How to solve the purple gourd golf puzzle
The objective is unchanged: carry the heavy ball to the hole. The difficulty comes from having to transport it all the way to the new hole.
Before starting, make sure the chair lift is operating and the tunnels are unlocked. Carry the ball south, then travel east up the hill. When the blue spiral building is ahead, turn left towards the chair lift that crosses a large rock. Climb the rock and ride the lift south to the mountain containing the purple gourd.
Get off carefully, enter the purple tunnel down the hill, then turn right and climb the hill. Place the heavy ball in the hole to finish.
How to solve the purple gourd button location puzzle
This puzzle separates players between a room containing lights and another containing buttons. In the standard version, players communicate through windows: one describes the light’s position while the others relay the instruction when there are three or more participants.
The purple version removes the windows. The button-room player has an intercom and a light bulb, while the light-room player has a button that activates the bulb. Ask questions to narrow down the light’s position, such as whether it is on the wall straight ahead or on the floor. The light-room player answers with the bulb: one flash means yes and two flashes mean no.
How to solve the purple gourd speaker puzzle
There is no intercom in this version. Players must communicate what they hear from the speaker using gestures alone.
One workable method is to tap the rhythm on the window and move a hand across the glass. Raise or lower the hand to represent changes in pitch.
How to solve the purple gourd posing puzzle
The usual gesture signs are replaced with symbols, including a spiral, a snowman and a lowercase letter e. Recreate each symbol with your hands.
Drawing the symbol on the window with your hands provides a straightforward way to communicate it.
How to solve the purple gourd obstacle course puzzle
The course itself is identical to the easier version. The difference is that the tomato timer is already waiting at the very beginning, so be ready to start moving immediately.
How to solve the purple gourd symbol sign puzzle
Most sign-based puzzles offer nine choices. This one presents 36 signs, with several designs that look very similar.
Careful descriptions are essential here. Break each abstract symbol into recognisable shapes and explain the differences clearly to your teammates.
Like a well-designed arcade challenge, these puzzles reward observation, communication and practice. If you enjoy building a dedicated games room, RETROCADE also has an arcade machine buying guide, plus arcade parts for repairs and upgrades.
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