Nintendo tumbler puzzle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids  |
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| Type | Puzzle |
|---|---|
| Inventor(s) | Gunpei Yokoi |
| Company | Nintendo |
| Country | Japan |
| Materials | Plastic |
The Nintendo tumbler puzzle is a fun and tricky brain teaser. It's also known as the Ten Billion Barrel in English. In Japan, its original name is tenbirion (テンビリオン).
This puzzle is a bit like a Rubik's Cube, where you have to move pieces around to solve it. It was created by Gunpei Yokoi from Nintendo in 1980.
Contents
How the Puzzle Works
The puzzle looks like a clear plastic cylinder. It has six different levels. A black plastic frame goes through the middle of the cylinder.
The very top and bottom parts of the cylinder are one piece. In between, there are two parts that can spin. Each of these spinning parts is two levels high.
Each of the four middle levels has five small spaces, called chambers. Each chamber holds a colorful ball. The top and bottom levels have only three chambers. These hold either three balls or parts of the black frame.
You can move the balls up or down. To do this, you raise or lower the black frame. This lets balls in three of the five columns shift one level.
The main goal of the puzzle is to sort the balls. You want each of the five columns to have balls of only one color. It's a real challenge to get them all in the right place!
Puzzle Appearances in Games
This cool puzzle has made special appearances in several video games!
Metroid Prime Cameo
The puzzle shows up in the game Metroid Prime. This was a special nod to Gunpei Yokoi, who invented the puzzle. He was also a producer for the Metroid game series.
In Metroid Prime, the main character, Samus Aran, can interact with the puzzle. She uses her morph ball form and charges up to do it.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
You can also find the puzzle in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. It's one of the prizes you might win from Redd. He gives out prizes during the fireworks shows in August.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D
The puzzle is a hidden secret, or "easter egg," in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D. Players can look for it as a fun surprise.
WarioWare Gold
In WarioWare Gold, the Nintendo tumbler puzzle is even a microgame! You have to quickly match four of its colorful marbles to win.
