Alexis Kestler
Since first speeding into our hearts in 1991 on the Sega Genesis, Sonic the Hedgehog has remained one of gaming‘s most iconic franchises. After years of experimental 3D games of varying quality, 2022‘s Sonic Frontiers marks a return to open world platforming form for the blue blur. Scattered across its mysterious islands are environmental puzzles that must be solved to progress and reveal the map. In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll walk through how to solve the tile-based M-074 puzzle on Chaos Island step-by-step.
An Overview of Sonic Puzzles Through the Years
Puzzle-solving has been a staple of Sonic games since the early 2D days. From rearranging hieroglyphics in Sandopolis Zone in Sonic 3 to manipulating statues in puzzles rooms of Sonic Adventure, putting Sonic‘s speed on hold to engage the mind has offered great variety to complement the kinetic action stages.
In recent 3D entries like Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Colors, puzzles became more complex with light beams to redirect, weighted buttons to trigger doors, and deductive reasoning to uncover solutions. Reviews praised these puzzles for breaking up the pace and adding rewarding mental challenges.
For Sonic Frontiers, Sonic Team wanted to capture the open exploration spirit of the OG Sonic titles on Genesis. As Game Informer‘s review said: "Complete puzzle rooms to earn keys that unlock pathways and reveal more of the environment on the map." Optional puzzle mini-games add rewarding depth without disrupting Sonic‘s signature speed.
The Vast Lands and Lore of Chaos Island
Chaos Island is the first major land players explore after the prologue in Sonic Frontiers. Rife with ancient ruins, read crystals, and roaming Gizoids enemies constructed by the ancient civilization, Chaos Island poses great mysteries. IGN‘s guide praises the diversity of challenging platforming, enemy battles, and puzzles spread across its domains.
As Sonic runs across grassy plains, rocky ridges, and small mushroom-filled islands along the Chaos Island coast, he‘ll encounter dozens of environmental puzzles. Solving them reveals more sections of the island, creates shortcuts, and gains puzzle piece tokens that unlock Memoirs with story and lore details.
One of the most complex early puzzles is M-074 – a maze of light blue tiles that must be stepped on in the correct order. Let‘s break down how to solve it.
Where to Find the M-074 Tile Puzzle
The M-074 puzzle is found along the southern peninsula of Chaos Island, south of Portal 1 that warps to Cyber Space. Look for a circular altar-like structure with the glowing light blue tiles atop it.
The location of the M-074 tile puzzle on Chaos Island (Image credit: Sonic Frontiers Map)
As you approach the puzzle, the objective will be displayed: "Cross the maze stepping on each blue tile only once." This confirms the tile-stepping mechanic at play. Now let‘s discuss the optimal strategy.
How The M-074 Tile Puzzle Works
The M-074 puzzle consists of a 6×6 grid of tiles. 15 of these 36 total tiles begin glowing light blue. The goal is to step on each of these 15 tiles once to turn them black. You cannot step on any tile more than once!
By completing this, the puzzle will be solved and more of southeast Chaos Island will be revealed on your map. You will also earn a puzzle piece token from the center.
Some key points about the mechanics:
- The puzzle instantly resets if you step on a tile twice
- You must step on all 15 glowing tiles to complete it
- Stepping on a tile turns it permanently black
- The glowing tiles are arranged in a maze-like pattern with dead ends and overlaps
- There is only one correct path that hits all tiles once
This tile arrangement means the order of steps matters greatly. One wrong move can force a reset. So let‘s break down the optimal path.
How to Solve M-074 Tile Puzzle – Step-by-Step Walkthrough
By carefully observing the tile layout, we can deduce the only correct order of steps that will step on all glowing tiles once without duplicates. Study the layout and follow each move described below precisely:
Step 1
From the starting position facing the puzzle, move forward and step on the first glowing tile to turn it black.
Step on the first tile in front of you
Step 2
Turn 90 degrees left and step onto the next glowing tile.
Now go left to the second tile
Step 3
Face down and step on the next two tiles below you in order.
Go down two tiles
Step 4
Make a 90 degree turn to the right and step on the tile in that direction.
Then go right to the next tile
Step 5
Now face up and step on the next two tiles above you.
Go up two tiles
Step 6
Again go right, then up onto the next two tiles in that corner.
Right then up two
Step 7
Take one step right onto the next tile over.
One step right
Step 8
Face down and step on the next two tiles below.
Now go down two
Step 9
One step left onto the tile in that direction.
Left to the next tile
Step 10
First go down one tile, then right two tiles.
Down one, right two
Step 11
Finally, go down one more tile to complete the puzzle!
Last tile stepped on
Follow these exact steps sequentially from start to finish while only stepping on glowing blue tiles once to solve the M-074 puzzle. Let‘s recap the full sequence:
Down > Left > Down > Down
Down > Right > Up > Up
Right > Up > Right > Up
Right > Down > Down > Left
Down > Left > Down > Right > Right
This path through the maze hits all 15 goal tiles once without any duplicates. Once done, the puzzle will be complete!
Completing the M-074 Puzzle and What You Unlock
When executed successfully following the steps above, all of the glowing light blue tiles will turn black. A congratulatory message displays that the puzzle is complete.
All tiles turned black means the puzzle is solved
More of the southeastern peninsula of Chaos Island will now be revealed on your in-game map. This connects more pathways and landmarks in this portion of the island together to enable further exploration and discovery.
A puzzle piece token will also appear in the center of the tile maze for Sonic to collect. This puzzle piece contributes progress towards unlocking Memoirs, which provide backstory details and lore about the ancient civilization of the Starfall Islands.
Completing M-074 gets you one step closer to uncovering all of the mysteries scattered across the lands of Sonic Frontiers!
More Sonic Frontiers Guides and Resources
With its open zones and numerous challenges, Sonic Frontiers gives players lots to discover across its five islands. For help on other puzzles and features in the game, check out these additional guides:
- How to Solve M-060 Puzzle – Sonic Frontiers
- How to Defeat Gizoid Miniboss – Sonic Frontiers
- Cyber Space Level Walkthroughs – Sonic Frontiers
- All Vault Code Solutions – Sonic Frontiers
- Sonic Frontiers Review Roundup – What critics think
We hope this guide to solving the M-074 tile maze puzzle provides the steps and insights you need to master this tricky challenge. Let us know if we can help explain any other aspects of navigating the mysterious Starfall Islands with Sonic!
