Zonk
Zonks are large, gray, stone-like spherical objects that play a central role in the gameplay mechanics. They are approximately the same size as Murphy. They are subject to falling due to gravity, freezing, rolling, and pushing.
Due to their predictable physics and versatile interactions, zonks are among the most important dynamic elements. They form the basis of many puzzles that require precise timing, spatial planning, and careful manipulation.
A larger 2x2 variant of regular zonk is called a zonker.
Falling
Zonks are subject to gravity and will fall vertically when they are not supported from below. Falling zonks pose danger to tiles below them and to Murphy if he tries to move into one from the side. Inevitably a falling zonk is going to stop once it hits something below. It can trigger additional interactions.
Hitting
A falling zonk striking Murphy is typically fatal. In addition to posing a threat to Murphy, falling zonks can destroy hostile entities such as snik-snaks and electrons, and can trigger the detonation of utility disks upon impact. These interactions allow zonks to function as tools for controlled destruction and tactical elimination of obstacles.
Rolling
Upon landing on a solid surface or another object, a zonk will attempt to roll sideways, as long as the object below is considered to be rounded. It will first attempt to roll to the left; if that movement is blocked, it will then attempt to roll to the right. If neither direction is available, the zonk remains stationary.
Pushing
Zonks can be pushed horizontally by Murphy, allowing him to reposition them strategically. This ability enables a wide range of puzzle-solving techniques, including blocking hazards, activating mechanisms, triggering chain reactions, and constructing protective barriers.
Zonk cloning
Zonk cloning is a trick that can be performed by Murphy that causes one zonk to split into two identical copies. It relies on a glitch that happens when an empty tile appears below the zonk mid-push. Mid-push the zonk has no idea it is being pushed, because this process is handled by Murphy, which allows a zonk to be pushed and fall down at the same time. This results in zonk cloning.
Charging
When a stationary zonk detects an empty space below it - it will enter a special state of pre-falling and wont start moving until the next tick. That narrow window gives some objects the opportunity to intrude upon the zonk. If the tile below becomes occupied again - the zonk will remain in the pre-falling state and will become charged. The zonk will stay like this until the intruded space becomes empty again.
A similar thing happens during rolling. When a zonk first notices it should roll - it will initiate rolling, will start moving and will place a reservation on the tile next to it. However it will not reserve the tile below until the next tick, which also opens a window for intrusion. If that tile becomes occupied the rolling zonk will halt its movement and will become charged.
Short-lasting charging occurs often when a lot of zonks are moving together and intrude upon each other.
Murphy can intentionally intrude upon zonks to charge them, which is a required step in some tricks.
Cleanup above
Cleanup above is a mechanic that makes falling zonks initiate rolling of zonks and infotrons above it earlier. It essentially pulls other zonks into rolling state earlier.
Adjusting above
Adjusting above is a special mechanic of Murphy that makes some of his movements to cause early initiation of movement of objects above him. Zonks are subject to this. It is usually not noteciable
Freezing
Zonks have the special ability of becoming frozen, which essentially stops the passage of time for them. Frozen zonks do not fall and do not roll. However the movements of Murphy can still affect their behaviour once they are unfrozen. Adjusting above becomes very apparent when zonks are frozen, but results are counterintuitive. The behaviour of frozen zonks when Murphy is around is defined by Laws of the Stopped Zonk
