The goal on every level is to reach an endpoint, which is most often a square set in a starburst. To reach that endpoint, you must change the configuration of each level with buttons and gears while avoiding blackbirds.
As you work through each level in the game, you will need to suppress the parts of your brain that tell you that it’s impossible for Ida to reach certain locations. To enter a doorway on the ceiling, for example, you must turn a crank to spin the entire level. Spinning the level may change a support column into a walking path, or after you change the way you view the level a wide gap becomes a solid path.
Characters
Ida
Ida is the main character you control during the adventure, and it is her story you are uncovering. Touch any point on the path to command Ida to move to it. If she doesn’t move, then she has no path to that point.
Totem
Totem is introduced in Chapter VI: The Labyrinth as an ally that helps Ida complete her journey. You have limited control over the yellow totem. It can slide freely along clear paths and rest on buttons, but it can’t use stairs.
Blackbirds
Blackbirds are more nuisance than threat. They don’t appear on every level, and only the ones in motion will block your path. Blackbirds follow set patterns that you can alter if you move the path from their feet. A few blackbirds become unwitting accomplices when Ida needs help with buttons.
Interactive Environment
Buttons
To help them stand out, multicolored buttons are raised higher than the path around them. There are two types of buttons: those that are pressed once, and those that will spring up if weight isn’t kept on them. For the second type of button, any weight left on it will do the trick—it could be Ida, Totem, or a blackbird.
Gears & Pulls
Gears are the most obvious way for you to manipulate the environment. Touch them with your finger and spin them. If turning a gear in one direction doesn’t help, turn it the opposite way. Gears become unusable while Ida stands on the path they manipulate. Pulls are simple to use. When you see one, put your finger on it and slide it in or out to grow or shrink the path.
Raised Circles
Raised circles indicate pieces of the environment you can manipulate directly. Touch the circles and slide your finger in different directions to see what changes are made. In some cases, what you change is the side of the level you’re viewing. Just as with gears, make the changes slowly and move the circles in multiple directions.