Clocktower puzzles
Bell Puzzle in Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School
For the Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School Demo’s upper Clocktower bell puzzle, translate the plaque’s numbers into letters with the clock, lens and sundial, then play the corresponding bell notes in the same order. Nine maps to A. Repeated numbers require repeated notes; reading the clock from inside is the most important orientation check.
On this page
Check that the decoder is working
You need the lens from the sun-box stage and a working number-to-shadow-letter mapping. If you are still choosing sun heights or cannot make nine give A, use the lens and reversed-clock guide before trying note sequences.
Hint — what does the number string mean?
It is an ordered message for the decoder. It is not a number of bell strikes, a time to enter on one clock, or instructions to press the ninth bell.
Decode the clue without losing its order
- Read the number plaque near the large clock and copy the entire string, keeping repeated digits.
- For each different number, rotate the large clock hand to that intended value and read the shadow’s letter on the sun clock.
- Write that letter under every occurrence of its number in the clue.
- Read the resulting letters from the first position to the last. Play the matching notes on the bell instrument in that order.
- When the note step is accepted, interact with the large escape bell as prompted to complete the room.
Use the clock’s outside-facing value, even though you are standing behind it. The developer confirms 9=A; the apparent XI/IX reversal can otherwise send the whole message in the wrong direction.
The recorded Demo clue, with a decoding worksheet
Reveal the number string seen in the Demo recording
The plaque in the reviewed Fyrestrike recording reads 9795639. This number string was checked directly in the video frames, rather than copied from an automatic transcript. If your build displays a different clue, use the one in your game.
| Position | Clock number | Letter to use |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | A |
| 2 | 7 | Read with the lens |
| 3 | 9 | A again |
| 4 | 5 | Read with the lens |
| 5 | 6 | Read with the lens |
| 6 | 3 | Read with the lens |
| 7 | 9 | A again |
You only need to read four more distinct values: 7, 5, 6 and 3. Decode them at the apparatus, fill the remaining positions, then play the letters. The repeated nine already fixes the first, third and last notes.
This keeps the solution tied to your working decoder. A spoken letter sequence from a co-op recording can include a wrong guess; it should not replace the actual number and shadow check.
If the bell sequence is not accepted
| What to check | What to change |
|---|---|
| Nine does not map to A | Recheck the back-facing Roman numeral and the hand’s actual target; return to the lens guide. |
| You decoded each value once but played fewer notes | Restore every repeated digit. The recorded clue has seven positions, including three nines. |
| You have the right pairs but an uncertain order | Rewrite the clue and put each mapped letter directly beneath its digit before playing again. |
| The note step changes the room but you are still there | Look for the large escape-bell interaction and follow its prompt. The note step and finishing the room are successive actions. |
No precise input-speed requirement or universal reset key has been verified for this guide. Follow the controls shown by your current Demo rather than adding an assumed delay or key combination.
Check for the room result
The reviewed recording reaches an Escape Academy Report Card headed That Rings a Bell. That result screen confirms the room is finished; a partly decoded clue does not. The creator’s A+ is an observed result from that run, not a grade guarantee for yours.
Sources & version
Developer method and 9=A: Clocktower discussion, June 15 (OP and four replies reread November 3). Creator: YouTube: Fyrestrike, 1:16:30 onward.
The relevant 1:12:03–1:17:27 transcript was reviewed, with direct decoded frames at 1:16:30, :40, :50, 1:17:00, :14 and :23. The plaque and final A+ report card are visible. Every co-op bell input was not visible in those frames, so this page teaches the confirmed numeral-to-letter method rather than calling a spoken fixed melody playtested. Recorded build unknown; full-release changes untested.