The co-op walking simulator Big Walk features numerous puzzles that demand collaborative effort, emphasizing its design where solo progression is impossible. These challenges range from synchronized switch-flipping and long-distance communication to replicating symbol sequences based on a partner's description. Successfully solving a puzzle yields an item crucial for further exploration and unlocking new challenges.
However, one particular puzzle, encountered approximately six hours into the game, stands out not for its complexity, but for its unusual requirement: doing nothing. The puzzle presents itself as a small room containing a door, windows, seating, and a table displaying the obtainable prize. On one wall hangs a digital clock, initially showing 00:00.
Upon entering the room with companions, pressing three buttons simultaneously causes the door to seal, trapping the players inside. The clock then changes to 05:00 and begins a countdown, revealing itself to be a timer. The room offers no other interactive elements, leading to the realization that the puzzle's solution is to wait out the timer without any further input.
This revelation, far from being a relief, induced a sense of existential dread. Attempts to interact with the buttons again only reset the timer, reinforcing the necessity of passive waiting. The five minutes become an exercise in forced inactivity, during which players resorted to various behaviors to pass the time: discussing mundane topics like dinner plans, playfully interacting with each other, or attempting to find distractions within the limited environment, such as stacking to retrieve a misplaced flashlight. These actions highlight the discomfort of being compelled to simply exist without a task to perform.
Despite the frustration and restlessness, the players eventually found a way to occupy themselves, turning the experience into a shared, albeit peculiar, moment. Upon the timer reaching 00:00, the door opens, the prize is awarded, and the puzzle is resolved, leaving the players to contemplate the unusual challenge. The puzzle's design cleverly uses the absence of activity as its core mechanic, creating a memorable and thought-provoking encounter that subverts typical puzzle-solving expectations.