Babel fish puzzle

A cascading series of puzzles, increasing in difficulty, in which a seemingly straightforward solution leads to a new and unexpected complication.

The term comes from Infocom's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy adventure game (based on Douglas Adams' books) in which the player must arrange various items in order to catch a special fish (called the "Babel fish") by controlling its trajectory as it ricochets ludicrously around the room.