In Atomic Heart, players are often tasked with solving unusual puzzles to satisfy some strange circumstance Agent P-3 finds himself in. As P-3 quickly discovers, Facility 3826 is a very unusual place. The theater mission for example–easily among the most exciting missions in Atomic Heart–includes some wild moments that keep players on their toes.
One such moment is the Ballerina Puzzle, in which four ballerina statues need to be posed in a particular order to open a door. It’s a creative, evocative puzzle, and players can even learn the names of a handful of ballet positions along the way.
The Solution to the Ballerina Puzzle
The ballerinas in this hallway each have a spotlight shining on them and a button attached to the podiums they’re standing on. There’s also one or two corpses suspended around them. Each pas de deux and pas de troi casts a shadow on the large, white wall behind them.
The solution to the ballerina puzzle is to position the ballerinas so that their shadows punch or kick the shadows of their dance partners. Specifically, in such a way that the blood splatters on each shadow look correct.
Players could simply try every command to find the right poses, especially for players that might want to learn something along the way. Alternatively, players can use the following list to determine which position to command the ballerinas to take. The ballerinas are numbered one through four, starting with the one closest to the door Agent P-3 walked in through.
Ballerina One
The first ballerina needs to be commanded to Croisée in the fifth position, arms in the third position.
Ballerina Two
The second ballerina needs to be commanded to Relevé in the fifth position. Effacé. Arms upright and loose in an allongé.
Ballerina Three
The third ballerina needs to be commanded to take the Attitude position.
Ballerina Four
The fourth ballerina needs to be commanded to A la seconde, arms free.
After all four ballerina statues are in position, the door in the center of the hallway will open. Discouraged by P-3’s success, Petrov will continue to berate P-3 and monologue about his dastardly plans over the intercom. With the ballerina puzzle out of the way though, P-3 is one step closer to catching up to him.
Atomic Heart is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.