Inspector Waffles: Early Days is a puzzle game. The puzzles found along the main story path are pretty easy, but there's a harder set of puzzles involving the "Mad Catter" that runs parallel to the main story and is considerably harder.

Then there's the special puzzle found in the middle of Case 4. One of the tents in the circus contains a bed, and choosing to sleep in the bed brings Waffles to... a strange encounter with a shadowy version of himself. This puzzle is the game's trickiest, and it is entirely optional; nothing in the story is impacted by it, and it's not even linked to any achievements. It's intended to be an extra challenge for those who really want it.

As such, I'm in the curious position of encouraging you not to use this guide. The entire purpose of this puzzle is the puzzle itself; there is no material reward. As such, this guide will be structured as a series of progressive, spoiler-tagged hints, the purpose being to get the reader pointed in the right direction without doing any more solving than is necessary. The solution *will* be provided at the end, if you positively must know and do not wish to solve it on your own, but I strongly suggest you do not use it.

The first hint (spoiler-free):

The game provides all the information you need... except for the very last piece.

The second hint (very small spoiler):

There is no relevant information outside the maffles room itself. Don't bother looking anywhere else.

The third hint (very small spoiler):

Don't consider only the dialogue.

The fourth hint (very small spoiler):

This is a Game Boy Color game. Nothing you can't do on a Game Boy Color is involved.

The fifth hint (small spoiler):

One of your buttons behaves differently in this room from how it behaves everywhere else.

The sixth hint (small spoiler):

It is not for nothing that the word "cheat" keeps coming up.

The seventh hint (spoiler):

Maffles's movement -- both his mirroring Waffles and his inaccuracy in doing so -- is a red herring.

The eighth hint (spoiler):

Consider the relationship between Waffles and Maffles. Between W and M characters who function as "funhouse mirror" versions of each other.

The ninth hint (major spoiler):

What other Game Boy games are there featuring such characters?

The tenth hint (major spoiler):

Not that one. Try the next one.

The eleventh hint (major spoiler):

Does that game have any well-known cheat codes involving the button that works differently in this room?

The twelfth hint (major spoiler):

The game you're looking for is Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3.

Final warning! The complete solution to the puzzle is below. Do not read any further if you wish to solve this puzzle yourself!

While no dialogue is open, press the Select button sixteen times -- the debug mode cheat from Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3.

n.b.: A previous version of this guide said you had to press Start first before the sixteen Selects. This was erroneous. While it does work if you do that, the Start is entirely unnecessary.