Gem puzzle help: why a room is not powered

Start with the current room

The recorded demo Q&A states that the current room’s sockets must be occupied by gems to power it. Look for an unfilled socket before deciding that the gem itself is wrong. Moving a gem can change whether this condition is satisfied.

Make space to arrange the approach

The Explorer’s heavy harness restricts ordinary pushing and needs open space for right-angle turns in the narrated demo. A gem plan must leave the character able to approach and turn where needed.

Separate power from its effect

Once powered, different beams provide different abilities: the Q&A describes pushing, disrupting force fields and walking through walls. Filling sockets addresses the power condition; it does not prove that the active effect solves the obstacle ahead.

Sources

• Demo Q&A narration — Jonathan Blow highlights

Information checked October 2, 2026. Demo and pre-release details remain scoped to the sources described above.