Introduction to LEAVES 3

LEAVES 3 is an adventure, casual, and indie point-and-click puzzle game developed by ZAR 21 and published by Daedalic Entertainment. It invites players to dive into a handcrafted world filled with mysteries and wonders. The game's central narrative revolves around the Treefruities, who have become separated and hidden across various locations. Your mission is to free them and guide them to a beautiful, sun-drenched place where they can live in happiness and peace.

Core Gameplay and Objectives

LEAVES 3 is primarily a puzzle-adventure game. Players explore a 3D world, interact with objects, and solve a variety of puzzles to progress. The ultimate goal is to collect all the scattered Treefruities and lead them to their final destination.

Navigating the World

The game world is designed with intricate details and atmospheric scenes. A map is available in certain areas, such as the White Room and the City, which can aid in navigation. Some players have noted a change in controls from previous 'Leaves' games, with LEAVES 3 potentially utilizing WASD controls, which may be a point of adjustment for some players accustomed to purely mouse-driven gameplay.

Understanding Puzzles: General Approach

LEAVES 3 features a wide array of puzzles, often requiring observation, pattern recognition, and logical deduction. Many puzzles involve manipulating objects, connecting symbols, or following sequences. It's often helpful to take note of patterns, colors, and symbols found in the environment, as they frequently provide clues for nearby puzzles.

Key Early Game Puzzles & Locations

The Pyramid

One of the initial areas involves the Pyramid. Here, you'll need to collect small cat statues and place them on a stone pedestal, noting their positions. Rotating larger cats according to a specific pattern will open the pyramid, allowing access to a lift capsule.

White Room

In the White Room, a map is available (accessible by pressing 'M'). Key tasks include observing a blinking light sequence through a small window and solving a face puzzle by assigning correct images to wire faces. Successfully completing these can lead to obtaining a Blue Treefruitie. Another puzzle involves rotating and shifting blocks to match a pattern shown on a display to open a door.

Red Room

The Red Room presents several challenges. One puzzle involves an 'eye-wall' where you need to solve a tile placement puzzle based on indicators showing the number of tiles per row. Mastering a wire loop challenge with a golden ring is also part of this area. The faces on the wall will project symbols onto the floor, which then need to be entered in order into droplet-shaped buttons to open a city gate.

The City

The City acts as a central hub where a map is also available. You'll encounter locked doors with animal symbols, which require noting down. On the eastern side, an orange door with a pedestal needs a puzzle solved by placing black and white balls to match a pattern, where placing one ball opposite another changes its color. This opens the door to the Dome.

The Dome

Inside the Dome, you'll find cables with symbols above them. The puzzle here involves following these cables and setting levers to ensure correct connections on the back of a pillar, matching each cable to its corresponding symbol. The Dome mechanism will then display symbols with their colors.

Camera Room

To access the Camera Room, you'll need to solve another puzzle near a southern orange door in the City. Inside, you'll use a camera to focus on the pyramid and the Dome mechanism, taking photos of both. These photos can be crucial for later puzzles, such as revealing hidden openings or providing references.

Green Room / Fountain

In the Green Room, specifically at the fountain, you'll encounter color-mixing puzzles. Observing color charts on the wall to understand how colors are mixed is vital. The fountain itself has basins with primary colors, and you can rotate it, using buttons to release or empty colors to recolor Treefruities. An X-ray machine is also present to determine the original color of Treefruities.

Collecting Treefruities

Treefruities are the main collectibles in LEAVES 3. There are 16 collectibles in total, and finding them all is often tied to achievements. Each Treefruitie is usually found after solving a specific puzzle in an area. Once collected, they need to be guided to a peaceful place, which involves placing them into a gel dish near a portal and a beautiful tree.

General Tips for Beginners