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How To Solve The 'Snake In The Garden' Mystery In Indiana Jones And The Great Circle

Here's how to solve the puzzle keeping you from Father Vincent's secrets

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Indiana Jones stares off into space while wearing glasses.
Screenshot: MachineGames / Kotaku

In Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, the Catholic priest and fascist collaborator Father Vincent gets on your radar almost as soon as you land in Vatican City. It can be a while before you meet him face to face, but before that point, you may get the chance to help yourself to some of his most closely-guarded secrets. Here’s how to solve the “A Snake in the Garden” Mystery in the Great Circle.

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Like many of the other Mystery missions, “A Snake in the Garden” is sort of hidden in plain sight. In practice, you’ll likely run across Vincent’s office in the Vatican when you’re making your way back into the building after your first meeting with Gina. His name isn’t on his office in any obvious place, however, so you might simply steal all Vincent’s snacks and go about your day.

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The player reaches for a desk with a typewriter on it.
Screenshot: MachineGames / Kotaku
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Swiping his treats by itself is a noble goal–fascists don’t deserve complex carbs–but there’s another secret to find if you pick up the Bookcase Note from Vincent’s desk. There’s something hidden in the office, behind a classic puzzle that involves Vincent’s 4 favorite books on medieval Latin.

The player turns over a piece of paper to reveal secrets.
Screenshot: MachineGames / Kotaku
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If you flip the note over while you’re reading it, you’ll discover a second set of notes that indicate which of the 4 books is which. This is straightforward, but it’s also one of the only notes in Vatican City that actually has something written on the back. If you’ve gotten out of the habit of routinely flipping over every note by now, you may think there’s another clue somewhere else and miss this one.

The player reaches out for a bookcase.
Screenshot: MachineGames / Kotaku
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The Bookcase Note indicates that the puzzle is solved by pulling out the books in alphabetical order: Francorum, Logicae, QDV, Philosophae. The books’ spines aren’t labeled, but each book’s title features an identifying sigil next to it on the note: a crown, a triangle, a 7-pointed star, and what kind of looks like a ship’s wheel. The last two sigils are the trickiest, as they aren’t particularly well-drawn by comparison to the books’ spines.

Books in a bookcase are arranged in a specific order.
Screenshot: MachineGames / Kotaku
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When facing the bookcase, pull on the books in the following order:

  • Crown
  • Pyramid
  • Wheel
  • Sun

Alternatively, from left to right, pull out the second, fourth, first, and third. You’ll know you’ve gotten the right answer when a secret compartment full of cash opens on the right side of the shelf.

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Your rewards for completing “Snake in the Garden” include two more Field Notes for your collection; 120 lira; and 100 Adventure Points, which are used to acquire new skills.


Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is available now for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Game Pass, and PC via Steam.

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