Puzzle to the Center of the Earth - Tips, Tricks, Strategies, and Cheats for Daring Spelunkers

Posted by Campbell Bird on October 23rd, 2014

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

Dig this:
Would you like to know what we thought of all this puzzling-around the deep recesses of the planet? Check out our Puzzle to the Center of the Earth review!

Puzzle to the Center of the Earth is a surprisingly deep and challenging puzzle platformer. Here are a few tips for players looking to stay alive while down in the depths.

Energy Management is Key

Once you start using formulas, make sure you build combos of blocks toward your character and not away - The catalyst energy that allows for formula usage always drops at the end of a string of six blocks, so if you start linking blocks as far away as possible and move in, they are easier to get (see above). The combo on the left will end up dropping the red catalyst crystal in a hard-to-reach place significantly further down into the cavern whereas the combo on the right, which is the same exact structure, will drop the crystal right at your feet.
Use moves wisely - Players begin every level with 20 energy and it costs 1 energy to interact with any amount of blocks. This means that dropping blocks or linking 4, 5, or 6 blocks all costs 1 energy. Since the ultimate goal is at the bottom of each level, using 1 energy to dig as far down as possible is generally a good strategy - at least in the beginning.
Look for energy blocks - To help recoup energy, there are blocks in the world that have pieces of energy in them. These energy blocks give players 4 energy. Therefore, it's not necessarily worth going out of the way to mine an energy block if it costs more than 4 energy to get.

Exploration Tips

Don't worry too much about going too deep - You can always drop blocks to climb out of places. Just make sure there are blocks left above that can be dropped. That being said, don't drop blocks on yourself. This sounds stupid, but I've accidentally done it a bunch.
The camera is your friend - Players can break any blocks that are viewable in the game screen, which means that if players move the camera around they can see more blocks, which means more block combo potential. Going along with this, combos can continue off-screen provided there are blocks that link off-screen.
When using explosives, get as far away as possible to be safe - They might not seem as dangerous as they could be since they only take one heart, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. Also note that TNT blocks behave differently than explosion formulas. Where the explosion formula destroys blocks in a predictable square pattern, TNT doesn't destroy any blocks, but will fill extra empty space around it with its explosive force. This makes TNT mostly useful for dealing with enemies rather than traversal.

Collection Tips

Items aren't worth getting stuck - Items, gold, stars, and switches don't come with you if you die or get stuck, so when in doubt, mine to get out, not to get items. Levels randomize blocks enough that they're fun to replay on their own for exploration purposes anyway. Plus, with upgrades, earlier levels become much easier to run around in.
Locked doors might be worth the risk, though - On the flip side, things like door keys don't come with you when you leave either, so if you find an item like that in a level it might be worth looking for the secret behind the locked door. Provided you can spare the energy.
Look for gaps - If you see a large cavity devoid of blocks, it may have a switch or a chest in it. It's worth checking out if you can spare the energy. In later levels it may also have some dangers lurking in there too, so be careful.
Make sure you use your map - Sometimes it will be able to spot paths you might not have seen, so it's always worth visiting the pause screen just to see the lay of the land a few times per level.