10 Video Game Puzzles You Couldn't Solve (Even With A Guide)

3. Baseball - Zork II

the witness
Infocom

Long before Zelda, Donkey Kong, or Super Mario, gamers had to settle with text-based titles like Zork II. Since this game came out in 1981, access to walkthroughs was virtually non-existent, which is why few people have ever completed it.

More specifically, those who actually played Zork II probably never got further than the Oddly Angled Room. Although this section is a maze, you'd assume you can get to the exit through trial and error. Sadly, this doesn't work, since the game keeps teleporting you to random places.

But if you noticed the bat-shaped club near the diamond-shaped window, you may have deduced the solution is connected with baseball. If you run the bases in the maze like you're playing a baseball game, you should find the exit.

Few people figured this out because, well, why would you?? Even if you know baseball inside out, NOBODY would've made this leap in logic.

Unfortunately, making this baseball connection doesn't help since there's no hint which direction you are meant to head in from the home base!

This puzzle is so universally hated, the designer, David Lebling, apologised for it... as he should.

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James Egan has been with Whatculture for five years and prominently works on Horror, Film, and Video Games. He's written over 80 books including 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts About James Bond 1000 Facts About TV Shows