With this post, I'd like to revisit the Crypto Puzzle Domain, and introduce the latest creation of Blockade Games and the Neon District Team - The Pineapple Arcade.
If you haven't heard about crypto puzzles or Neon District, you might want to have a look at the following posts first:
If you like Puzzles and Arcade, you will love the Pineapple Arcade, which is a dream come true for any puzzle enthusiast. Neon Districts cyberpunk dystopia blends into an old-school arcade setting, creating an immersive experience. The attention to detail is absolutely breathtaking and allows the player to submerge into the world of Neon District, Arcades and Crypto Puzzles. The Project is a collaboration of Neon District (Blockade Games), the Pineapple Fund and Coiin.
"Got what it takes? Get ready to test your skills and shatter records at the Pineapple Arcade. Every corner will test your speed and intellect - so stay sharp, Degen! Only the most untethered will discover the bounty that awaits." - Pinapple Arcade - About
The Pinapple Arcade was first announced on February 18 on Reddit and Twitter, providing a sneak peak of the type puzzles that the pinapple arcade will be having in store for us. The post with the title Comming soon ... only consists of the encrypted message below:
U2FsdGVkX19C7zjFkYSqjFStzwyspl3ilzZKEHSqsxcXqWKL9NE+mZgIkrpJVJLb JTqkknhfObLdv9naPhir7UFvAVHteFHVJ3k+OLOafp7IqqGK72MTxZrBC/XTemxH ShvqcdVKyv5ft6V4WrCWXLAGR/pIT7rhX/BGQjpQ5PxJPxI79UQHlWiQk3r0oRmv PbTqoemp5TazrBegjdTNARSz95XiptqEonS+CmM+TNZroUDQUM/dqpWbh23bHSpT hUG2Xx7nXY4iRjQzZPS6CzPSn+vViMoMnib/+cBv6MTEa2TPjf8eHVjZJqRFrtDi l6ZiBUx2DnQQVBe9uDcYS/I6dHpkaGY2NTQNLcjAogn/xs1bEwbdIweYd8gQ9xQV DzDg9Dio5rP11MkpsIk/TJaXdYazh2R1k6wUOGPoMWaFk2ofeFoxGZ8eolNn+3mV 22+H+XtPpSXORm6DBHoz6bLhKsuyjmD/YwAx+hrbn0mUEz2LP0HOXmSCwgleTqXV vKiFHDIOiiUKojtb0qvKcSPnUomMqx0OiaGsRM+sqsdltYCzB57t1+1cz3AGEdPw VgE+K9c/2XCNe+NL5CqDwvTJ9bsaIrYuYygVzRr3vmcKkYNGy/KyGJbUudA3+n+a ADXz7mj+eFDQqXNv3+HweAcol1XmQz0Zs0CGbI7d+3aN55wvwTpgXNCUZp4Uw0FH qVLttWNGgeQ3vU1oLZF9vOF+MhvC0dzbLcjhxEY/S+RR2n6gnhJabQSdBNMpfe5f 7vKtBJ1B/9Vqty9QNgkoV6RWtJ6yA38fYRIEFfy3LzqAOJ6R1m34jlQ0lb8j4JAf dok0Gg8UgYQj1Th9MrJew8C8bxS6qi0mupQuhxzX3JHftGs9yNtaUs8/bw4OBj5L 5rOWeaU35Mx5ubAkwpgtzVzQP15LJr7RtDSWBQMJGSX9AuOJdvfbjSMzplDG7dmv R+cC1Yd2mvKa6CmdTKFKoUNtcSoHYeTVKkPvjMd1o+SQj8jtqZ97PNz/aUJf6OoR hX5AkBbE3VHZQkTDbJDOZq576pNzmSx4E6WvpN1/rPBFOzmwoFtgHckeVDo7lBNf XVD8p1DWbvx3tlT6ecbpzxdJ1tUr66XvsxWa6SvArQqHGCaVkQuMC0rtkPM7c1Gw ONkw81PErKtgd37Lnb8bVeWpEdWCo5mcppxGB1qlLbucx/DDzuUBNWebA5USt2TK 2gr+Xx1HniJS8elA/uhKIy5ghkL2zYnAe1WO0gW6eQqDXGnvWXuzNYvnLC9itCw9 84dYVjJPZsF4NQcX/dZSFFKei1O0fzqFbE4CCHZLkS9odvGvySieyWs5fYhkIxah oStMFjap4GEDcCZ+FvkgEJHesOUkxL9rwWwUxTw/dRU014jBT3feqzR43anyniCC eyMUemf+shJm6vPATUY9du/OSwCzMLC157CWA6+/aoEI6xKKl2hF9a050/FmmRk2 JOJreRTUlmHth68vmajRwHt9XU7qQqNSJllEx0Gwk5/TxRprpGJkBMU/Mk/M4B5o li8gHeuGc0F71pXpYpbIyVFW6f+1W3Bn2Wpd3xXa8FnXseKRD7PZlzoTDFA9g10P cuJZLTCF7nqALkGL65bIbpPiYn6tve3x4FMI+7xrzXUuPH4PVvtevtWge+LABW0Q FtoFR2i9m47tSTmR1IpE806GTML5beh3obSqEUA/mC2MMnesb/njO+ny6f4QzJfc Utgvd5sDgPXD6t8ssEqjUGKdQU+DWkHI2gJIVXfeHA8TcpakVVwYd4zyEDN0ZGmk 4ZDIx7EQt/dgjRDy1b8QZHulMg/3+tOa+ZijqrXEnYUGg38CCM7FSEUH7u3dm6c6 c9cZ0j92h5lYupMpNJEpGTuomJSlOY/lDBLA1kYaaANJtYAv0KudhsTx4QLQKYC6 63M3v6O43QvwRoVXTyaPVB7hRMp0QlAM9iiR1+/wRaEPa4l5F5JBH8dRICTYtDQu gpbI9ImmR/ajcWFblsLQKHLfd8EYgmjwTvejX84RQgDcL0jIO3yH1crF9eUCxkfg PMGmeexuKeYXQ4oFiSf0ziMHbGepH8qpRLBYRIBFWnR9Hdr2C56aHqDcgiOhv79V CBQx9P02dbKgUTkTEySnXbIouh4ZeYFauJBGFG9l2DSnAIV/xRNCYoOWkhJIC4NC hDNEYZUXH7C4kNAob29D3NI5GgPLEkAvhS0VFWBASJOBazEWoBzDM8MXk73au40M BAvqls4kICBZHPKbPv5XZrOzdf9l3VXLbS7ngywLBYWlTd+BnPuV6og53j3Qf/LM LHlJcI+fFZXV9696h0m7vrMTMGmONWvbp1USUA/pCS/WNo4vS7Jr/AZMWiDmZttK C8NvCj+q2iBdBJKLiE/5DHf7FOBuMJ/0VDMPQi1YsJ4F9m1pGp0G3L1ZW34Og5g1 r5oCwXZw9NFdG7xmnvCWxACfKF1PXesooNx3B3tcsVyATvZjEqxYTlmr1S37Gwhz g2/0+bDdgW9NaUxIXpgWw8SoB6ebEYRjJV4rGh0N5lOGc50LR+29oZ80St1yZYvv V68qcDVB4+tiUxvFxbU8NcJNyYVva0ROLWl9qUJDIKNJDYGZNQn4mbDM9wbqhVWI
Curious puzzle solvers immediatlely started to decrypt the message using openssl and some guesswork to figure out the required password.
➜ PA openssl enc -aes-256-cbc -base64 -pass pass:pineapple -d -p -in enc.txt -out dec.txt
salt=42EF38C59184AA8C
key=D1699F7C0EC56A51DAA252B647E705215226454E66603AF0AC49301988564D72
iv =D04F08D9D2D58B645007AB8F652C70EF
The decrypted message reveals an ASCII-Art of Pi containing the first 847 digits of Pi.
But are the numbers really the ones of Pi? This might very well be worth checking.
On March 1st, the next hint was released on Reddit and announced on Twitter, showing the image of a receipt, containing some secret information, ready to be discovered by the audience.
In Contrast to the previous one, this announcement contains clues that are visible to the naked eye. The receipt lists all the trophies the Pineapple Arcade offers for solving the puzzles. And the code on the bottom right, ATA-ND-031418 hints the release date of the Pineapple Arcade. But wait, there's more... there's something hidden that is revealed when playing around with Saturation of the image.
March 14th, Pi-Day, the day of the grand opening finally arrived, and The Pineapple Arcade was revealed to the public.
The Pineapple Arcade It is full of breathtaking details and hints that crave to be discovered. It is up to you, whether you want to jump right into the puzzle action or if you prefer to pass some time playing one of many, beautifully designed, arcade games. But be careful not to get carried away by the amusing arcades and always pay attention to possible hints woven into those mini-games.
That's kind of the question, isn't it? The Answer to this question is part of the puzzle itself. There's only one arcade game of which further details are known, which is The Coiin-Man Arcade Game:
"Discover and complete one of the many secret combinations of play within the game to unlock the prizes. Example of a secret combination: You have a total amount of points between X-Y and have eaten at least X fruits." - Pinapple Arcade - About
For any other puzzle, you have to figure out the win condition yourself. The only thing you know of is the prize pool and the fact, that they are hidden throughout the Pineapple Arcade.
"75 Neon District Trophies that can be redeemed for assets to play in the Neon District alpha test, $100,000 to be donated to the charity of the winner’s choice, 1 Bitcoin, 15 Ethereum, and two grand prizes of 10 Bitcoin, and 250 Ethereum! All prizes are hidden throughout the arcade puzzles and games. Players will have to use their puzzle solving and game playing skills to uncover unique answers which can then be submitted for the corresponding prize." - Pinapple Arcade - About
Besides navigating through the Arcade using visible UI-elements, it is always a good idea to open the developer tools of your browser to have a look behind the curtain. This not only reveals alternatives for discovering new arcade games or hints you might miss looking at the visuals but also brings a reunion with an old friend: The Terminal from the 15ETH Neon District Puzzle:
this.terminalSequenceFunction = TerminalEntrance.sequence(38, 38, 40, 40, 37, 39, 37, 39, 66, 65, this.constructTerminal.bind(this));
Which, after successful interpretation, gives you access to The Terminal:
Image Source
If you've never heard of the Neon District puzzle, you might want to have a look at the following blog post I wrote some time ago:
With the reward of the puzzle still being up for grabs and the fact that the trophy list contains a 15ETH price, we now know, that the Neon District Puzzle made it into the Pineapple Arcade. The Terminal of the Pineapple Arcade is the same Terminal that puzzle solvers know from the Neon District Website. The Terminal of the Pineapple Arcade website is mainly used to solve the Neon District Puzzle that was publically announced on January 29th by @cybourgeoisie on Twitter:
Besides providing features and information necessary to solve the Neon District Puzzle, the Terminal also provides a new feature that is used to claim the price of other puzzles hidden in the Pineapple Arcade:
"If you have found a unique answer and would like to claim your prize, you will first need to find “the terminal.” After finding and opening the terminal, type "claim prize answer". Replace answer with the unique answer you’ve discovered." - Pinapple Arcade - About
The Pineapple Arcade is a true paradise for puzzle enthusiasts and offers a broad set of puzzles, that are beautifully presented and designed with high attention to detail. It lets you explore a fascinating world of Arcade Gaming and Puzzling that is set in a cyberpunk dystopia and brings you a puzzle experience I haven't seen before. I advise you to see for yourself and dive into the world of Neon District, The Pineapple Arcade and Crypto Puzzles.
I hope I was able to provide an insight into the fascinating world of crypto puzzles and what the Pineapple Arcade is about and I'm curious to find out what your thoughts are. As always, please leave your feedback, inputs, and questions in the comment section below.
One last tip: If you intend to join the action, I highly recommend you to join The Neon District Discord.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
