If your clock in Creature Kitchen appears bugged, the mechanism itself is almost certainly working as intended. In The Rat Zone's atmospheric cooking simulator, players frequently report that the Oddities Room grandfather clock is broken because the dial behaves strictly like a combination lock: missing a target number by even one notch or following the clicking sounds resets the entire sequence without clear visual feedback.
Additionally, players frequently confuse the clock dial puzzle with a launch-day bug where the nearby Moth failed to drop the matching crest half. The developer patched the Moth drop issue on February 6, 2026, while the grandfather clock itself simply requires exact directional inputs.
Grandfather Clock Solution: Poem Clues and Exact Dial Steps
To unlock the grandfather clock in the Oddities Room, you must first inspect the desk on the opposite side of the room. Retrieve the typewriter handle from the sliding desk drawer, attach it to the typewriter, and wait for the paper to generate. The poem printed on the sheet provides the exact navigation directions for the hands of the clock.
| Line in Typewriter Poem | Decoded Direction | Target Roman Numeral | Numeric Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Went clockwise 'round the mountain, landed one pace past due south." | Turn Clockwise | VII | 7 |
| "Done shopping at Lumbtown, trekked back the way he came. Rune in hand, the man ended a couple paces past north's flame." | Turn Counter-Clockwise | X | 10 |
| "At sunset with bag and sword, the wizard made for the east. His goal was the town named Fore, beyond fields of evil beasts." | Turn Clockwise | IV | 4 |
Step-by-Step Dial Instructions
- Approach the grandfather clock in the Oddities Room. You do not need to align the hands to a specific starting number before beginning your attempt.
- Click the clockwise arrow to advance the clock hand until it points directly at VII (7). Stop immediately on the numeral.
- Click the counter-clockwise arrow to move backward until the hand points directly at X (10). Stop immediately on the numeral.
- Click the clockwise arrow to turn forward until the hand lands on IV (4).
Once input correctly, the face and cabinet door of the grandfather clock pop open. Inside, you can collect the first half of the blue crest and Recipe Card 38 (House Salad).
Why the Clock Puzzle Feels Bugged
Multiple design elements cause players on the Steam forums to report the grandfather clock as non-functional:
- The Click Sound at 8 is a Red Herring: Many players report hearing a loud mechanical click near the 8 o'clock mark and assume it indicates a correct lock notch or an initial starting point. Community testing and forum discussions confirm this sound is a reset trigger or mechanism warning. If you hear a click while turning past 8, you have overshot or turned too far, resetting the lock.
- Strict Roman Numeral Positioning: The numerals on the clock face are faint. Players frequently confuse VI (6) with VII (7), or stop at IX (9) instead of X (10). Because the puzzle acts like a rotary dial, landing on or crossing beyond an incorrect number invalidates the sequence instantly.
- No In-Between Feedback: The clock does not chime, glow, or click to confirm when step 1 or step 2 is successfully logged. It only opens when step 3 lands precisely on IV. If you make a mistake, the game does not show a visible error indicator; you must simply repeat the sequence from step 1.
Fixing the Blue Crest Bug: The Moth Drop
Opening the grandfather clock only gives you one half of the blue crest. The second half is held by the Moth, who appears at the window after you place the grown rose into the vase.
If you have already solved the clock but cannot unlock the French doors leading to the backyard, check your crest inventory:
- To earn the second crest half, feed the Moth four vegetarian dishes (such as French Fries, Pancakes, Mushroom Soup, and Toast). Meat dishes will not count toward this goal.
- On launch day (February 6, 2026), some players encountered a bug where feeding four vegetarian meals yielded no crest drop. The developer, The Rat Zone, resolved this issue in an early hotfix update.
- If you are playing an unpatched version or encountered the glitch, exiting to the main menu and reloading your save file forces the rewarded item to appear in the world or spawns it inside the Lost and Found basket by the cabin's front porch.
Once you have both the clock half and the Moth half, slot them into the French doors to open the way into the backyard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to start the clock hand at a specific number like 12 or 8?
No. The walkthrough and community confirmations show that your starting position before entering the combination does not matter. The lock activates as soon as you turn clockwise and stop squarely at VII (7).
Does the clock puzzle require solving the globe or other Oddities Room puzzles first?
No order between room puzzles is enforced by the game engine. You can solve the clock before or after feeding the Moth, reading the globe symbols above the fireplace, or picking up the avocado in the sliding cabinet. However, you must inspect the typewriter to make sense of the directions if solving without a guide.
What should I do if the clock still refuses to open after entering 7, 10, and 4?
Back away from the clock interface completely to allow the interaction to reset. Re-approach, then turn slowly using the arrows: rotate clockwise directly to VII, reverse counter-clockwise straight to X without overshooting, and proceed clockwise directly to IV. Avoid dragging rapidly, as accidental clicks past the Roman numerals trigger an invisible sequence reset.
