Logical Journey of the Zoombinis (All Puzzles, Every Difficulty) Walkthrough

Fleens? You're not Fleens!
Yes, it's the legendary edutainment game Zoombinis! Later released as Zoombinis: Logical Journey by The Learning Company (this walkthrough is of the original Brøderbund version) this is a fondly remembered and well-loved game centered on logic puzzles. It surprisingly does a fantastic job both on a creative side and an educational side, as it has a very unique premise, charming visuals, and some pretty memorable voice work. On top of that, unlike most edutainment games, this one can be quite challenging regardless of your age.
So, right off the bat you will probably take note of the fact that this is not a "625 Zoombinis to the end" walkthrough. Simply put, doing that would test my patience to levels not seen since JumpStart 3rd Grade. That takes an absolute eternity to do and there's no reward for doing so. And while I realize I could have potentially tried getting all of the buildings, that also takes more time to do than I really care for. If someone else wants to try for that, be my guest -- it's not going to be me who does it. In order to advance the difficulty of the paths, you have to get a full group of Zoombinis through them three times each without losing any -- in total, that would mean I'd have to do every path six extra times in addition to recording the first attempt, which would just mean a lot of wasted time on my end, all to see some extra building graphics at the end. Yeah, sorry, no chance.
This walkthrough, for obvious reasons, is heavily edited down to remove the parts where I agonize over what choice to make.
Difficulty acronym key:
NSE -- Not So Easy
OSH -- Oh, So Hard
VH -- Very Hard
VVH -- Very Very Hard
Allergic Cliffs: The most straightforward of all the puzzles. With OSH, you will look for another iteration of the same feature, while on VH and VVH you will look for two and three specific features respectively.
Stone Cold Caves: Honestly, this is pretty much Allergic Cliffs but with two more paths and way more room to mess up.
Pizza Pass: Only the last difficulty of this poses any real threat. The other three can easily be cheated by simply checking all the toppings once and then giving what all the trolls want. I only narrowly got through VVH without getting any Zoombinis lost, and it was sheer stroke of luck.
Fleens!: With careful focus this never really gets difficult at all, even after they try to mix it up.
Hotel Dimensia: I somehow managed to get through VH on my first attempt without being forced to leave any Zoombinis behind. That's not an easy feat, since they board up several of the rooms and you can potentially set yourself up to be unable to progress.
Mudball Wall: This one never gives me any sort of trouble, even on the ones where the pattern shifts diagonally.
Captain Cajun's Ferry Boat: Believe it or not, this one actually consistently gave me the most trouble out of all the puzzles. This is one of those that is significantly harder than it looks. And, yeah, I admit it, I cheated on VVH. It was going to take me hours to get past it if I didn't and I know good and well it makes very little difference to watch me cheat as opposed to doing it legitimately, since in the end you still get to see a solution anyway. Thank you very much to Colorful Arty for his Python program to help solve this puzzle for you.
Titanic Tattooed Toads: This one is painful. Due to my own insecurity I frequently trace the same paths over and over just to be absolutely sure I don't accidentally screw myself over. In VH and VVH, it's best advised to only swap lily pads of the same shape -- the crabs are set up to be able to get through no matter what, and they only ever move by shape, so swapping shapes can break the flow.
Stone Rise: This didn't give me any real issues until VVH.
Lion's Lair: A lot of people consider this the hardest puzzle in the game on VVH, but I don't see why. If you use two Zoombinis that share all but one trait, that already can help you narrow it down significantly.
Mirror Machine: Ironically, I think this one actually gets easier the higher the difficulty. Once you figure out the "flow" of this puzzle it's really not too bad.
Bubblewonder Abyss: This one can be problematic if you try to rush it. You really have to be good at planning to succeed at this one. Thankfully, there are a finite amount of layouts you can get, so once you figure out the trick to a layout you can keep using that same tactic all future times you get it.
After all that was done, I went ahead and showed what happens when you fail/lose a Zoombini in each puzzle, then ran the credits. Hope you enjoy the walkthrough!

[@golightning291]

It's easier to send someone to Mars and back than figure this game out as a kid

[@fidgetypenguin8153]

That’s me with The Lost Mind of Dr. Brain.

[@TheArsenalMan125]

i got up to the final level as a 7 year old so i did ok hahhaa

[@suziedragicevic8167]

I thought it was just me 😵

[@freyjameadow3338]

I loved this game. It took me so long to find it I thought it was a fever dream.

[@ishmaelz.9915]

I thought you had to get all of the zoombinis to the safe village or as many as you can

[@swahiliranger1022]

Oh man, I was waaaaaaaaaay to stupid to understand anything more difficult than the easiest puzzles.

[@jeremyscungio16]

I don't know why they had us go to the computer lab to play this when I was in first and second grade. I was too dumb to get past the pizza level

[@aquilleswinkler5051]

@@jeremyscungio16 Same, it was a game, so we 6 year olds thought it was meant to be fun, but didn't know what to do shit.

[@bowmaj8666]

I always found I understood how the puzzles worked, but was just never any good at them!

[@DanzelGlovington]

It was me. I was the genius who actually beat all the levels. Crowds would gather in the computer lab as I spent all of lunch recess at the machine. Kids would stop a person from tattling that I wasn't sharing so they could watch me get to the end

[@thebeast8875]

I always got to the bridge n got stuck

[@KarunaSatoriASMR]

It’s been 20 something years since I’ve played this. I am so happy to have run into this video.

[@Victoria.O04]

I Use To Play This Game In 2nd Grade

[@Xukir]

Never thought I would see you comment on a video like this lol. And I’m in the exact same boat. I’d almost forgotten what a cool game this was

[@beaukennedy4618]

I have dreamt of this game for nigh on 2 decades straight each time being just groggy enough to let its name slip from memory this brought me to tears I've been going manic unable to remember which parts of my childhood were real I'm not alone this is surreal

[@matthewwilson1226]

It's an awesome flashback! Would love to get it for my kids.

[@candlerbennett2155]

I remember making pizza for those trees and I’ve just rediscovered it and all I could remember is “I dOnT lIkE tHoSe ToPpInGs”

[@lowkeykhaotik]

OMFG LITERALLY

[@TheArsenalMan125]

HAVE A PIZZA PARTYYYYYY

[@elliekitchener3339]

SoMeThInG oN hErE i DoNt LIKE

[@dromalloma2651]

“MOOOAR TOPPINGGS!”

[@goobied_goober]

MORE MOR EMORE MORE MROE more more more....

[@bobwaters7787]

I was a lonely child. The first time I can remember feeling proud of myself was all the way back in 2002 in third grade when I and a girl were the two best players of zoombinis in our classroom. What a deep wonderful memory. Our “computer lab” teacher used this game to teach us problem solving skills on the rainbow plastic iMacs. The richness of the art and music filled my dreams and was something I thought about for hours after I came home from school every day.

[@isaacdelarm1490]

Same omg 😂 I loved this game as a kid

[@thearkedcrown]

I was also very lonely when I was a kid. I played this game a lot back in the 90s and playing games like this helped me feel better. Life seemed very boring and lonely to me back then. I don't know why that was.

[@sethost2548]

YOOO same I was the only one to make it all the way to the lily pad level in my computer lab and everyone thought I cheated or something. I just had played a ton of it at home on our old shitty laptop. Still have the rom in my room to this day :)

[@kwameoluwasomi]

Ah... guess I didn't spend enough time thinking about the game.

[@carolinehartwell8596]

Me realizing twenty years later that I could have hit the question mark for clues instead of just guessing on everything and losing my Zoombinis....

[@I_hate_card_games]

I SWEAR that I've never seen it until now

[@goobied_goober]

WHAT

[@crueltyfreecolorist1025]

How did I not know you could do that

[@BenGilman]

as a kid i remember clicking it and seeing a wall of text and closing it 😂

[@PrincessLuna131]

​@@BenGilman lmao same

[@Myne1001]

I was just thinking about this game today. I haven't seen or played it in 15 years, and it's exactly as I remembered it.

[@gorgeousjai]

You can purchase it through iTunes. It got remastered. It’s awesome

[@Myne1001]

@@gorgeousjai I've seen the unofficial remaster. Looks cool.

[@laceystuffstuff9236]

I've played this game when I was really little.

[@laurenwoods4199]

It's on steam

[@Myne1001]

@@laurenwoods4199 it's an unofficial fan made remaster. Looks really cool, but just doesn't quite have have that 90's video game aesthetic

[@davidgigauri2512]

I'm about to cry man thats my childhood...

[@raiden72]

Yeah where did the time go wow

[@Raptorias]

The rally cry of my childhood. "Whoever you are. MAKE ME A PIZZA!"

[@RanterInShades]

My elementary school had this game on all the computers and it was a favorite among us. So much so that I asked my mom to get us the game for PC. I always loved the pizza troll and would sometimes say "MAKE ME A PIZZA!!!" whenever I wanted pizza. But one thing I'll never forget was being in college and scribbling around in my planner. I wrote in big letters "MAKE ME A PIZZA!!!" and showed it to a couple of my classmates trying to strike up a conversation about childhood nostalgia. They had no idea what I was talking about, and that made me super bummed.

[@akajulester]

Yeah, I played this in my 7th and 8th grade computer class. I had transferred in for 7th grade and never played it before, whereas everyone else had. I was the only one who didn't know how to play it, haha. I don't know why, but I never realized that the question mark button would give you tips on each section, so every time I played I would leave behind many Zoombinis (especially at the Allergic Cliffs XD). I really, really, REALLY want to play this game again, but I have no clue where I'd get a CD of it, I don't have an old PC, and the updated version of the game is apparently a mess. :( It really bums me out...

[@user-ys2ms5jw3g]

@@akajulester Not only you can get them from Steam, but there are also versions for Android!

[@akajulester]

@@user-ys2ms5jw3g Aren't those just the bad new version tho? The updated sprites alone already turned me off, but the game itself is also apparently broken.

[@sercranio9246]

My God how can i play this version again???

[@infinitum8558]

@@akajulester The game still really good! It's exactly the same, but with updated design-they even kept the same audio from the original! Yeah, the fleens level gets broken around "very hard" (yellow), but overall, it's great!

[@Thehulksterbeast]

I was like 10 when i played this , Im now 34, So happy to have found it again

[@jadenschroeder6015]

I played this so much as a kid, but to come back as an adult and hear, "Soon the bloaks stole everything. . . Taking profits. . . CANCELING HOLIDAYS. . . the zoombinis were getting VERY STRESSED OUT" This clearly proves parents in the early 2000s were wrong, video games prepared children for adulthood probably more than school 💅🏽

[@anthonysanchez5651]

This game was so difficult when I was a kid but I didn’t care. I just love how funny and cute it was!

[@milobytz]

Old friend of mine used to play this years ago, in 2003. Still so classic. The amount of nostalgia I feel for this is ridiculous. Lol

[@ShadowGirlyz]

I've got serious goosebumps. I played this when I was 9 in elementary school in 2006 ish I can't remember exactly

[@jeremyscungio16]

Me too. I used to be too dumb to win though

[@TJGAMINGSCOTLAND]

So many great memories from school, we had the Mac version on an old G-Mac system. Absolute genius of a game to help kids learn things and think about things

[@TheDoomCupcakes]

That narrator is an absolute mad lad!!! Especially at 14:16

[@VeETv89]

The tears coming in my inner child is happy I haven’t seen this game in forever ❤❤❤

[@DoctorAllanGrey]

no one: absolutely no one: my brain at 2am: Huh, what about Zoombinis...

[@beaukennedy4618]

This took me 17 years of painfully lucid memories to find you have no idea how much serotonin is currently coursing through my veins gorging on the pure nostalgia from my 4 to 7 year old self this one of almost innumerable core memories that has for almost 2 decades been relegated to vague confusing seemingly false memories that have long proved impossible for myself to verify if they indeed occurred at all as looking back and trying to decipher fact from fiction in my childhood delirium is a simultaneously agonising and yet ectasy filled endeavour I AM A HAPPY MAN NOW THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU BEAUTIFUL BEING!!!

[@MovieGeek34]

I know. I tried searching this for years. I thought I was high and it didn’t exist. Lol.

[@beaukennedy4618]

@@MovieGeek34 they can't erase the memories we store in our childhood souls

[@mbnew]

I LOVED this game. Still do. "Make me a Pizza!!" "There's something on that _I_ don't like!!"

[@williamk7517]

Make meeee a pizzzUUHHHHHHHH I've been saying that lately

[@manicnovae]

“MORE TOPPINGGGGSuh!”

[@AngeloSNT23]

I feel like I just opened like 16 eyes for the first time is my time looking back and hearing the sounds of this old game.

[@Andreas5564]

A good Serious Game: Learning with joy + interest = enthusiasm. Very competent! there should be much more of this.

[@manicnovae]

There are tons of games like this from the 90’s and 2000’s. Zoombinis, Freddy Fish, man there’s so many but I can’t remember them all now. Definitely want to raise my kids if I have any on games like this like I was! Educational games like this are so great for kids.

[@MeekayUK]

I love that this game has been remastered. It's good to keep it playable

[@nick1822]

The face that Arno makes when you get his pizza right

[@evo2500]

my brother played this at the library when we were 5 years old... we are 27 now

[@W0LFB3AT5]

1st grade 1998 7 years old And I never understood such a SIMPLE puzzle! 😆

[@beaukennedy4618]

You'd be my older brother age he showed me this game and helped me through the puzzles until I could figure them out for myself

[@JeremyBX]

I only know this game from the Reader Rabbit 6-9 Learning Launcher. I never realized how timeless this game was until today, September 18, 2020.

[@dinotoebean]

my birthday 😁

[@xanthonyjamesx]

Oh my gosh, I just randomly thought about this game for the first time in YEARS!!! Good memories 💯🙌

[@strawbert879]

This was loaded onto every computer in the computer bay in the library of my primary school, though most of the speakers and headphones never worked so when the monster asked you to make a pizza I could never get it right

[@DanzelGlovington]

Cool, I spent several months in 2018 creating speedruns for every level on all difficulties, as well as all full path routes. I have 72 world records in the game now using the steam version

[@DevilishBeaver0]

Impressive work pal

[@thearkedcrown]

Are you still running this game?

[@davidhillsman6204]

Captain Cajun is such a liar. "Ah, sit wherever you want to, I don't really care", when he actually does care, a lot.

[@christophercourter4757]

Oh my god I totally forgot about this game. This opened some deep memories

[@whowantsabighug]

I love the storybook artstyle.

[@manicnovae]

The art is actually amazing. I miss the art from this era of games

[@MyratheDunmer]

Felt such a sense of accomplishment finally completing this as a child. An absolute classic

[@JustJustin0225]

The fact that this game is on Steam is amazing. I remember being completely invested in this game back in elementary school Very nostalgic

[@GemGames3]

Used to play this game in primary school when macs were once multicoloured, I loved it.

[@MaximumTips]

Loved this game as a kid, still love it now.

[@BrianMalibu]

Maaaan I loved this game in 2001 back when I was in the 5th grade. I’m 33 now and was just randomly thinking about it. It’s a beautiful thing when something magical from your childhood caries over into your adulthood ❤

[@DevilishBeaver0]

Ah yes I remember playing this in primary school, what a treat it was. Skipping PE to play this

[@Dinaroski]

I finally found this gameeee, I remember I played it when I was boosting, but that was about 6/7 years ago. I thought I would never play this game again

[@jamespowers3817]

My childhood. Zoombinis was one of my favorites.

[@bongsnhell]

Played this in like the third grade back in 1994-95. I couldn’t ever get far i was too stupid to figure out the puzzles but mmmaaaan this is soo nostalgic

[@kittogashi8561]

That crab pile-up was so satisfying.

[@Nerd0ut]

I love this games and I'm so glad to see this again

[@jonathanbarron8311]

Just loved these old games, something i will always cherish

[@BioTechEntertainment]

jesus this brought back locked away memories. EVERYONE in my elementary school used to play this on the dinosaur computers we had

[@Sara06227]

I remember playing this as a elementary school kid. Problem being was that it was AT said school so nobody was able to finish it. In fact, if i can recall correctly, nobody got past the level 1 version of the pizza minigame so most of this was namely blind for me.

[@Sadie-hf6ue]

In like 2008 we had a windows 95 or some shit at my great grandmas house and me and my sisters would spend hours playing this. I have no idea how my great grandparents acquired a copy of this game as back then you had to buy the cd, however whenever I try to tell anyone about this game they think I am crazy. I always wanted to play more but it also gave me nightmares. Its so somber and such a listless lonely vibe. I'll always remember the pizza minigame, and watching my older sister beat it so easy when I couldn't understand anything

[@MrEightThreeOne]

Oh wow, that's really incredible to be honest. I love hearing stories from people who played anything I played past its prime, and how you can find common ground with people worlds apart in age. They may have found the game either at a thrift store or on eBay, not sure how they would have known of its existence though. But regardless of that I'm glad you got to experience the game, and it doesn't sound like every memory is fond but I still enjoyed hearing you recount that. Thank you for sharing your story!

[@melliewilliams1044]

I remember we had this in school and we would try to finish our class work as fast as possible so we could jump on the computer and play. I was in the 4th grade. I am 32 now. Wow. Great memory. Thanks!

[@Theshark15z]

At the beginning I didn't realize the whole patterns of solving the puzzles to this game. In fact I used to just randomize the Zoombinis which was a big mistake because you have to arrange them all in a certain order according to Hair, Eyes, Nose Color and feet.

[@AmyJLiang]

I would make them all with one common feature to make things easier lol

[@tiberiusfemur374]

A Jazz Conductor, hotel owner and one of the few folks on the island that ain't a jerk to the Zoombinis, tell me I wasn't the only one to have a crush on Ulla Instantaneous as a kid.

[@brundlefly88]

Game creators: it’s just a kids puzzle game, no need to get too wild with it The narrator: 🗣️ 🔥 🤪 😱 😈 😤 🤩

[@EcclesiumLux]

I remember playing this with my mother *all* the time as a kid, it was only in one of those nostalgic 3AM dreams that I remembered this existed. The amount of time spent on this game was unreal. I have such fond memories of this. Even at 25 I can easily say this was a staple in my life, playing this with my mother

[@Darkninja105]

Fun fact: If you have a small number of Zoombinis at the start of Titanic Tattooed Toads, the crabs will move based on flowers or colors instead. I don't know why. A few of the puzzles will change if you only have a few Zoombinis. I can see why the devs did that with, say, Bubblewonder Abyss but I don't get why it does that with the toads since it's not based on the Zoombinis themselves.

[@Brian.U]

I played this in elementary school. Classic.

[@taijhaytaylor1495]

the only thing i remember about this game is "Make me a pizza!!" and nothing else 😂😂 it's also the only part that stood out to me and other classmates who played it in elementary school; thanks for sharing! 😁

[@achapril]

Wow I completely forgot about this game. What brought me here is a TikTok video with the pizza part sound in it and I thought that it sounded familiar so I looked it up and then I found this video. It has been so so long since I played this game back when I was in elementary school in the '90s. I am now 33 and this makes me feel extremely old. Lol

[@rene17ist]

I’m glad I found it’s my childhood educational game when I’m in school I’m 28 years old.

[@no.1machopfan503]

This is the first time I've been confronted with the failure sequence from the Stone Cold Caves since primary school. That used to freak me out SO badly when I was younger, especially since that puzzle didn't have a visible number of tries before failure like many others did.

[@NuclearDuckie02]

Shit man, that's so true.

[@lexx.stormm]

The beginning narration is so nostalgic and I wish I can get the game on my phone

[@Maria-pf5hb]

You actually can. Both the Android and Apple store have it! For like $2

[@ghettogrinch2130]

It’s been 16 years since I’ve played this game when I was homeschooled

[@beaukennedy4618]

I feel you man wasn't allowed to see any of my friends from school for a long time only had my cat and my brother to guide me through these games it was magical

[@wh91lion]

Is anyone here who was reminded that this game, concept, or atmosphere has given you a kind of anxiety or scary feeling (yet still enjoyed the game) back in childhood? just like me? (I'm Japanese and there was a Japanese-speaking version of this game btw) I'm guessing this feeling is coming from those emotionless faces and wondering what will happen to those who can't pass and were left in each stage.....

[@NuclearDuckie02]

The world seems quite grim and unfeeling toward the Zoombinis' plight. Have you heard of the parody game "Illogical Journey of the Zambonis"?

[@MappaPetts1999]

So much nostalgia!!

[@insanelyrighteous]

the dislikes are from The Bloats

[@NuclearDuckie02]

14:36 "Ulla, the forest's foremost and perhaps only band leader, is about to begin rehearsals!" Found this sentence difficult to parse as a kid

[@slavsterbater]

Narrator is totally unhinged

[@mrlucasftw42]

Great walkthrough!

[@CryptoSeb]

Some of these Puzzles on Very Very Hard, are still to this day some of the most difficult things to accomplish -

[@jessicaphillips4542]

That pizza level up pissed me off

[@jerryharon98]

Same!

[@teentitans0]

i never played it on hard difficult. thank you for making this

[@CatwortRambullKerr]

Some of those posts anchoring the bridges onto the Allergic Cliffs look like honeypots.

[@stephoct8]

So this is how I became so good at pattern recognition.

[@ahaili]

My favorite thing ever was when a spring-footed zoombini ended up serving the pizzas in the pizza game. BING BOING BING BOING BING!

[@HAUSOFAARON]

I’ve been quoting “there you go, you got it” for 20 years… and no one ever understands. 😂

[@user-ct4pi9ku7d]

I though this game was a fever dream until I saw it on youtube

[@laceystuffstuff9236]

It's been a long time since I played this game! I was so young!

[@brettshanahan173]

Mr. Eight-Three-One, my older brother Peter used to play this game when he was young and I watched him.

[@alanwatts3280]

Me too. This game is one of the most prominant memories from my childhood. The music never leaves you

[@laurenmontera9516]

Funny how the zoombinis never minded how much they looked alike, but everyone else does to the point of not serving and violence.😅 I was 7 and it was only at home. I loved the narrator and the jokes. I've always wanted to complete it, but never had that kind of time.😅😂

[@bradlyrose343]

Just had a random access memory. Glad I'm not the only one. Man that takes me back

[@cryptonize2105]

Omg I finally found it 😢 6th grade pc games were life !

[@bryany7344]

If the 16 zoombinis all have at least one feature in common (eg. feet), they should take the Ferry Boat, else it might be better to take the Fleens.

[@Jaibabymusic]

i didnt understand any of this when i was a kid lol i just guessed

[@thomassmith8140]

Its so strange, i remember so much from this game, other than the sound. I don't at all remember there being a narrator

[@donnythedingo]

Best playthrough 💯

[@anthonysanchez5651]

When I see pizza pass, I like to eat McDonald’s McNuggets and French fries at the same time

[@mighty_milady_maren6766]

I remember 4th grade we had one computer in the classroom and everyone else got to play this game....except for me. I was so cheesed about it back then lol

[@sandbag6803]

Jerma could never

[@PLK123]

my 5 year old autistic mind was no match for the almighty zoombinis.

[@JillDanie]

Since people were sharing memories and how they got here I'll share mine. I had this game in mind for months. I didn't know where i played the game or much of anything. I was just looking up random key words and hoping for the best. I finally found it by looking up game about a rock island for computer. I remember something about a door/gate puzzlr and a catapult. Something like that.

[@jaders0805]

me too!! i literally looked up blue things going on a boat

[@ChaosUnown]

I legitimately don't understand the mirror panels where the pieces shuffle around. How were you able to ensure it would be the correct reflections back to back?

[@Hallu5653]

Great game!

[@ayedrey]

This game strengthened my skills in logic and recognizing patterns

[@jeremytung1632]

I was today years old when I learned that there were two sequels.

[@markmercier568]

The sounds in this game god!!! as a kid I did not understand the camp sights were checkpoints I never got past the chain link platforms I think the library’s computer weren’t the best that or I was dumb I mean I’m still dumb

[@jamesthomas6476]

I remember this game very well only there was never any background music during the activities, the help would be immediately read to you once you opened it, and some music like at the beginning when creating your zoombinis was quite deeper.

[@MrEightThreeOne]

You are thinking of The Learning Company's re-release. That one has a recorded version of the original MIDI file from the beginning and it got rid of all the other MIDI music. So yeah, sadly that makes it the lesser experience by default.

[@afton_miller_vlogs]

The nostalgia 😢

[@My_Lacrimosa]

I haven't seen this in almost thirty years, and it's still the scariest shit I've ever seen

[@tlebron8426]

8:09 I came here from Choctopus’ Miitopia Gameplay…

[@eleganthorrors5958]

I haven’t seen this game since I was a kid!