
How to Solve the Cursed Chicken Coop Puzzles in Under The Island and Unlock the Wonder Magnet
The Allure of Puzzles in Under The Island
Under The Island blends nostalgic Zelda-like exploration with a unique flavor of irreverent ’90s cartoon humor. One of the highlights that keeps players on their toes are the frequent, varied puzzles that arise as you traverse dungeons and quirky environments. Among the many creative detours the game offers, the Cursed Chicken Coop stands out as an optional side quest with a rewarding payoff for players who enjoy a good brain-teaser.
Finding the Cursed Chicken Coop
The Cursed Chicken Coop lies near the center of the map, just north of the large house guarded by a formidable dog. Accessing this puzzle sequence isn’t part of the main storyline, but its coveted reward can make your adventure smoother. Before you embark on the ghostly poultry challenge, you must have acquired the shovel — a core utility in your toolkit. The shovel lets you fill in the hole leading to the mysterious well next to the Cursed Chicken Coop, granting entry to a bizarre underground series of challenges.
Descent into the Well: Meeting the Ghost Chickens
Upon dropping into the well, you’re greeted by the delightfully eccentric Ghost Chick, whose spectral companions have engineered a gauntlet of nonogram puzzles for their own amusement. Nonograms, for the uninitiated, are grid-based logic puzzles where players uncover hidden patterns by digging in specific locations, following number clues aligned with each row and column.
- Puzzle 1: The grid forms an arrow pointing to the bottom right, providing a gentle introduction to nonogram mechanics.
- Puzzle 2: The structure is straightforward—focus on filling all seven spots in the indicated bottom row and third-to-last column to see the picture emerge.
- Puzzle 3: The solution looks like a whimsical head adorned with a top hat, thanks to clever arrangement of filled spots; starting with filled-out rows and columns streamlines this stage.
- Puzzle 4: Here, the image resembles a star. Prioritizing the row and columns that require a full line helps crack the solution.
- Puzzle 5: The final challenge is trickier and more abstract, presenting a lopsided «N» shape. Strategy involves targeting columns that prompt for six filled spots, carefully leaving lower cells untouched.
The Ghost Key and the Secret Inside the Coop
Finishing the fifth puzzle grants access to a small chamber containing a chest. Inside isn’t gold or legendary weapons, but a Ghost Key. This key unlocks the mysterious blue door on the surface Level—the Cursed Chicken Coop itself. For convenience, chatting with the Ghost Chick teleports you straight to the surface, skipping the climb back up the well.
Claiming the Wonder Magnet: A Minor Game-Changer
Back at the farm, the once-locked coop is now yours to explore. Inside, friendly ghost chickens patrol the dilapidated floorboards, setting the mood for a payoff that’s more quality-of-life than essential to victory. Within the room’s central chest lies the coveted Wonder Magnet: an item not required for story completion, but a true joy for completionists and treasure hunters. This passive upgrade ensures any money or collectible drop—be it from vanquished foes or an innocent patch of grass—flies directly to your inventory, removing the tedium of manual collection. The design is a nod to classic game quality-of-life improvements, reminiscent of similar auto-collect features in modern titles.
If you’re searching for clever diversions, the Cursed Chicken Coop in Under The Island encapsulates the spirit of indie innovation—quirky, rewarding, and peppered with affectionate homage to puzzle traditions. The Wonder Magnet isn’t necessary, but it’s a reward worth the detour, and those ghost chickens will appreciate your company on the way down.



