Unsolved: The Noita eye messages
For ten months, nine encrypted messages from the computer game Noita have been waiting to be deciphered. Can my readers help the Noita players?
The tip for today’s topic comes from blog reader Tobias. He wrote me: “It’s about nine (probably) encrypted messages in the computer game Noita. These messages consist of eye symbols looking in five different directions.”
Noita
Since I didn’t know Noita, the first thing I had to do was read up on it. Thanks to Wikipedia, that wasn’t difficult. Noita (Finnish for “witch”), I found out, is an action-adventure computer game characterized by a procedurally generated, two-dimensional game world. The player plays a witch who, on her journey through the underground cave system, tries to get deeper and deeper to the end. It is up to the player to decide whether to walk the path, teleport, or dig through the earth.
The nine eye-messages
The nine messages mentioned by Tobias have been known for ten months. There have been intense discussions about them in the Noita community, but they haven’t yielded much so far. On a fan page they are shown on two graphs. Here are the first four cryptograms, which are called West Side messages:
Quelle/Source: Noita Wiki
There are also five East Side messages:
Quelle/Source: Noita Wiki
There are only five different symbols in total. Each symbol can be seen as an eye. The differences arise from the pupil being at the top, bottom, right, left or center.
Transcription
On the said fan page, a document is linked in which numerous Noita players have filed their thoughts and findings on the eye messages. A transcription of the nine cryptograms can also be found there. Sensibly the five eye symbols are represented by the numbers 0 to 4. The order is different from the two pictures. In order not to make things too confusing, I have taken the order from the discussion document in the following, even if it contradicts the above pictures:
Message 0 (East 1)
2010132233040411302321143130330040240005
0320412200014222421222201100032013411135
3102210440002001040401441420330220342415
2313131300311321201422313314413414412115
0140032121141300411101002412410040310015
0403314323411221010100401204124424424025
133312203301031131112112103223145
13104242241303041102031232043135
Message 1 (West 1)
3110132233040411302321143130330040240045
0320412200014222421222201100032013411015
0202010440001040440401441420330220341315
1112131300011020201422313314413414414015
2122233032440002432311102212310310220435
4034314012221113402103014133412213301325
024142214222030242001232124023232014035
31013221121302032222004223103132241135
Message 2 (East 2)
1210132233040411302321143130330040240045
1320412200014222421222201100032013411325
3020132300442101430012141403110241042235
1024411132222314033301302310103224414225
0141130301441020203111142410342321321125
1411201200401030221224020400001032210405
0011322100422310432420131030102003002215
0201422403120313302310001033104412014225
0342010431011002001245
1314020220201413223115
Message 3 (West 2)
3010143042311111301032001142111420421445
1320410024412002221410132400222201204025
1101202100440120220141002021300132433125
4011301120103223134314223132130311000035
1431102230242242010212231422001031112235
2034012300412222131322202302421402114405
1222010000121431012333120102242032215
0110101013212311030320302413203220305
Message 4 (East 3)
2210143040001003022202312222321441442115
3320410022224313410032420000102200424315
3132233121201340041413023100012310431305
0200201400020212123111000031122201100325
1402142220230420012142412112231040100345
0030210313002122103100003123320032404225
0012402410202320430430312241313123011425
2323111302110210202223414121132403212305
0010301242212240330032110242131332310015
4102101033004320314121114223304034000415
041240123045
04230101045
Message 5 (West 3)
1110143040440231010332321201132400320235
4320410023421203014412122224014202111305
0330311342241441113030031422340421311125
4314132002101412021124312302031114300215
1031332142002300111430341430331101221205
1011322111204423101313212310203110222005
1201201231300110240141330210230022200445
2103122200014401220032321421413321312205
1202240222342030331202440402005
0021211001411022421034024114425
Message 6 (East 4)
1010143040001000000102132331201421330035
2320410022224312124304303001102034211305
1010042232100343001442142240222003000225
3034110223132024033020302224411420101415
1432343001202422301103013020010400301305
0123324013413413024413014124122223033225
2122221431303020131021131022300031032325
4323314110324032001221031124314401202315
122024230101311232213035
34212102201003230340345
Message 7 (West 4)
3010143040001000000102132331201400400025
2320410022224312124304303001102221131425
2113102140010321222411243001001312233135
0302212301323014304134203000323324211405
0402102401032022102430210121030120332325
4022111031324121021424403111220214311415
2042332412033020233010412042410122321015
3111403114212321224102401324400302214405
2243141140421211141401305
0202310000310001021400115
Message 8 (East 5)
1110143040001000000102132331201430441335
3320410022224312124304303001102111124305
1012142233020240141442122222302122132335
3034110224012020413020022424202403412025
0141101141031110102401102040100131001305
2112111301104412111124034101220400412135
1020410412211341301330132430110420102215
0202030022400101204423110421111420311025
1312242202220415
2324421013314315
Possible solutions
Tobias wrote me: “The game is full of obstruse and complicated mysteries, so it is relatively likely that there is a solution.”
One possibility would be that each pair of numbers stands for one letter. Since there are 25 different pairs of numbers (00 to 44), one could represent almost the entire alphabet in this way. However, there is not an even number of digits in each line, which makes the assignment difficult.
An interpretation as ternary numbers is also possible and is described in the linked document. In addition, there are frequency analyses and some other information there.
Overall, though, I don’t get the impression that too many crypto professionals have joined the discussion yet. This is the opportunity for Cipherbrain readers. Anyone who can find out more about these nine cryptograms, please get in touch. Maybe we can help the Noita players. Tobias and I are looking forward to hopefully many comments.
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Further reading: Ein Krypto-Klassiker: Das Fair-Game-Kryptogramm
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