The Tall Stump

October 26, 2007

Tags: ballphysicstheme, cgdc4, competition, game, kidsafe, macwinlinux, platform, puzzle, shooter, teammaw

By JohnB | add to favorites | add to your website | Comments (227)

It's got action. It's got puzzles. It's got zany... everything. And most importantly (for the competition), it makes extensive use of ball physics. The Tall Stump scored exceptionally high on all of our judges' radars, edging out the other entries in our 4th Casual Gameplay Design Competition for the top spot. Created by three talented individuals who form Team MAW — Adam Wilkinson (Australia), Alex May (US) and Handre DeJager (South Africa), The Tall Stump is an action platformer that feels like an adventure game laced with short puzzles. As you travel through the game you find strange items and learn to use them in even stranger circumstances, all in the name of working your way deeper into the stump.

Use the [A] and [D] keys to move the character left and right while [W] serves as a jump button. To pick up and switch items press the [S] key, and to use whatever is in your hands, just tap the [spacebar]. Or, if you prefer, you can use the arrow keys for movement instead. You begin with empty hands but very quickly get something to start your inventory: a potted cactus. Along the way you'll grab many strange items you'll need to use at the appropriate time in order to open a door or gain access to the next area.

Helping you solve puzzles in The Tall Stump is a handy little item that looks like a bazooka but fires balls that activate switches as they bounce around the stage. Not only is this a clever way to incorporate the competition theme, it also adds another layer of strategy to the genre-bending game. Many times you'll have to bounce a ball through a tiny gap in order to progress. Sometimes you'll have to hop on a moving platform, aim, and fire all within a few seconds time. Thrilling!

The Tall Stump has an in-game save feature that lets you play through in more than one sitting. There is, however, a good reason to do it without leaving your computer: an online high score table. Complete the game as fast as you can without saving/resuming to have a chance to put your name on the board. Collecting all of the hats and coins shaves precious minutes off your score.

Analysis: From top to bottom (and probably left to right as well), The Tall Stump is a superb game. Great music and sound effects and a polished visual style draw you in right from the start, while the game's zany sense of humor keeps you begging for more. It blends puzzle solving and platforming action quite well, giving just enough challenge on each front to keep you driven to beat the game. Add to that loads of fun extras and you have a game that can't be ignored.

A great game on all levels and a fantastic entry from Team MAW! Play The Tall Stump.

dancemonkey - This is the game in every competition that I can't wait to play, but I just don't realize it until I play it. The charming artwork and simple story lulled me into thinking it would be a brief and breezy romp, but I was very pleasantly surprised by the challenge of many of the puzzles. I was also impressed by the simplicity and intuitiveness of the control scheme. The ball physics theme implementation wasn't the strongest in the competition. Heck, it wasn't even the second strongest, but it was creative and integral to the gameplay. I would love to see further development of this game and this game world.

Jay Jay - Wow. The Tall Stump excelled in every category we scored on this competition. It might be an easy game to pass off as too frustrating or too difficult by someone giving it only a cursory play test to see if it's something worth diving into. But those that approach it from the perspective of a brilliant puzzle game rather than one that requires split second perfection in hand-eye coordination will be handsomely rewarded. Oh, you'll need good hand-eye coordination to get through it, but if something you're trying seems near impossible, chances are there's an easier solution to the puzzle. It's an exceptional game that is polished, well balanced, loads of fun, and not a bug or glitch to be found, proving that its designers really know their stuff. Congratulations Team MAW on this fine game you've made, and on one well deserving of the grand prize.

The Tall Stump walkthrough now available!

Currently 4.9/5
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Rating: 4.9/5 (51 votes cast)

Walkthrough Guide

Phew! No wonder a walkthrough hasn't been posted yet. Well, it took forever, but I did it! Makes you wonder how the guys at Maw got it all programed in time. What a game!

The Tall Stump Walkthrough

Screen One:

Captured in a bubble, you can only watch in horror as an evil magician turns your girlfriend into a pink cube. After he sails off and the bubble pops, hop onto the dresser and pick up the cactus. Run after him, brandishing the cactus if you wish (it will come in handy at some point).

Screen Two:

Put on the newspaper hat. Continue to chase the magician.

Screen Three:

Admire the mushroom houses, practice your jumping, then continue on your way.

Screen Four:

Enter the cave…

Screen Five:

Jump onto the cube with the straw hat (Another hat! Too bad it got stuck when the person was turned into a cube…) then over the ledge and down.

Screen Six:

Jump to the left, off the grey cube, and onto the switch (the round ball). A ledge will emerge from the right wall. Quickly jump back over to it, and use it to jump onto the platform with the coin (it only moves out once, so if you don't get there in time you'll have to reactivate the switch). Pick up you first coin, then move on.

Screen Seven:

Jump straight down, then walk into the wall with a hole in it. Hit the space bar and come out wearing a red cap. Jump back up to the ledge, onto the first and second grey cube, then onto the moving blue platform. As it nears the ceiling, jump to your left, and pick up your second coin. Drop back down onto the platform, then jump up as it nears the ceiling again, this time to your right (this is easier to do if you jump before it reaches the very top).

Screen Eight:

Jump onto the platform (notice how when you walk over the switch the red cube moves up?) and pick up the green thing. Now, how to activate that switch from a distance… Oh, isn't that a gun you just picked up? And hey, it shoots balls! (Note: While holding the spacebar to shoot, pushing the up arrow/W moves the gun up faster and the down arrow/S slowly brings it down. Also, once you've released the spacebar to shoot a ball, as soon you push it again the ball will pop.) Quickly jump directly onto the red cube, then onto the platform and over. Drop back down to screen 7, and make your way back to screen 6.

Screen Six (Take 2):

Use your gun to shoot the switch – the one you activated before by walking over it. This time, a fish hat will fall from the ceiling. Put it on, then reactivate the switch and return to screen 7.

Screen Seven (Take 2):

Jump onto the higher grey cube, then aim the gun up and shoot a ball through the gap in the wall. It'll drop down and activate the switch. Drop through the hole that opens in the floor, before it re-closes, to screen 9.

Screen Nine:

From the right, shoot the wall to the left of the poor hanging green thing to make it drop the third coin, and pick it up. Don't save yet – there's no risk of dying here. Go right, to screen 10.

Screen Ten:

Hop onto the blue moving platform, then onto the ledge at top left. Aim and shoot balls through the hole in the wall to your right until one bounces off a blue square and onto the switch, instead of popping on the wall. Jump down and get your first crystal, then go back to screen 9.

Screen Nine (Take 2):

Jump onto one of the diamond platforms and push the spacebar to drop the diamond into place. Now, go to your left, to screen 11. If you're not too good at jumping accurately, you might want to save first – while holding a coin, push the spacebar while standing in front of the save machine. (Note: if you do use the coins to save, you will not be eligible for one of the last bonus hats and will also waste bonus time points for each coin spent.)

Screen Eleven:

Stand at the very left edge of the red cube in the ground and aim the gun all the way down. It should bounce over the spikes and activate the bottom switch, making the red cube rise up. Jump onto the steps and get the diamond, then jump back down one step. Aim and shoot the gun at the very bottom edge of the leaves at top right. The ball should bounce back and activate the top switch, opening the door. Jump up and get the wizard costume. Jump back down and return to screen 9. Careful - If you hit the ceiling as you jump you will rebound down onto the spikes and die (it helps to drop down onto the little ledge first, and jump from there).

Screen Nine (Take 3):

Jump onto the second diamond platform and deposit the diamond. Drop down through the hole that opens in the floor.

Screen Twelve:

Pick up the fourth coin. Now would be a good time to save. Walk to your right to screen 13.

Screen Thirteen:

Here's where it starts to get tricky. Wait until the first ninja star is either at the top or bottom of the screen, then jump onto the grey cube. Aim the gun at the top left corner and wait, keeping the gun cocked. You'll have to shoot to activate the switch to raise the red platform, then use it to jump straight onto the ledge, avoiding both the second and third ninja stars (Note: it's better to do this pretty fast, or the ninja stars will move closer together, making the jump more difficult. If this does happen, you can either wait for ages till they cycle back, or step out of the room for a second and return. The cycle will have resumed from the beginning. This comes in handy in later rooms as well). A good way to suceed is to shoot when the second one is almost at the top of the room and the third almost at the bottom, then make a run for it. Once you've made it, breathe a sight of relief and head for screen 14.

Screen Fourteen:

Beware dog! Don't worry, its bark is worse than its bite. Walk as close to it as it'll let you, then aim up and shoot the gun at the moving blue platform so that the ball rebounds back into the beehive, stirring up the bees which will chase it away. Once it's run off with its tail between its legs, head on to screen 15.

Screen Fifteen:

Jump onto the grey block, then up to hit the ceiling above the smudge on the wall. A light will come on and a viking helmet will fall from the ceiling (alternatively, just shoot the ceiling). Aim up and shoot the diamond, then jump down and pick up the diamond and helmet, stopping to laugh at the cowering dog. No, unfortunately you can't jump up on the ledge and get the coin yet. Go back through screen 14, keep your fingers crossed that you'll make it through screen 13 alive (you don't actually need to activate the switch this time, though it may help you get onto the red platform), and return to screen 12.

Screen Twelve (Take 2):

Deposit the diamond on the platform. If you're feeling cowardly, save again (any sane person would). Walk left to screen 16.

Screen Sixteen:

Oh no! More shurikens! Again, moving as soon as you enter the room works best. The first shuriken should move up to the top of the screen, and then down, reaching the bottom at the same time as the grey cube. Wait for it to move back up a bit, then jump onto the cube. It should be smooth sailing across. Pick up the fifth coin, then aim all the way up at the apple and shoot it down for when you come back. Move on to screen 17.

Screen Seventeen:

Wow, what a big an— oh no! The door's closed! You're trapped! Before you panic, pick up the sixth coin and the ominously femur-like bone, then go and stand on the ant's head. Aim and shoot the switch five times as it moves around the room, then exit before the door slams back down (once you learn the pattern, this is not all that hard – all are direct shots except for the third, where you have to bounce the ball off the right wall).

Screen Sixteen (Take 2):

Jump back across the gap, deftly avoiding the shurikens (Note: this time it helps to wait a bit before jumping – let the left shuriken go up and down three times, then jump immediately after it meets with the grey cube, as you did on the way in). Stop to pick up the apple mask, then head back through screens 12 and 13 (stop whining, you should be a pro by now – but if you're really not sure you can make it in one go, stop at 12 and save again first), then 14 and all the way back to 15 with the dog.

Screen Fifteen (Take 2):

Deposit the bone in the dog bowl (nice doggie!) then jump onto its head to get to the ledge. Pick up the seventh coin, then it's on to new challenges!

Screen Eighteen:

Drop right down and go into the part of the wall to the left that's camouflaged. Pick up the Sherlock Holmes hat. You know the drill by now: grey cube, blue moving platform, then shoot the ball from the platform through the gap in the wall to activate the switch. A sure bet is to aim all the way up and shoot through the top gap (from below) as soon as you're close enough to clear the edge. Bullseye! Quickly drop down and go through the newly-opened door before it slams shut again. Jump onto the ledge, onto the blue platform, then onto the ledge near the ceiling. It's just a short hop to the left to screen 19.

Screen Nineteen:

Is that – could it be… Elvis? Never mind him for now. Focus on those two transporters that take you between the first and second floors. Walk into the bottom one and quickly get out to the left at the second floor so you don't go bouncing back and forth annoyingly, but stay as close the edge of the transporter as you can without getting beamed back. Aim at the hanging vine, and release the ball. Don't bother waiting to see if you've hit the switch – head right back into the transporter, and pop out on the first floor, again staying just outside its perimeter. Aim up and quickly shoot the switch. Just as quickly, hop back in the transporter. Exit to the left and jump up to activate the switch in its third and last position. You did it! Now, about that cactus… use the spacebar to drop it in the crack between the other potted plants on the upper floor to release Elvis from his glass cryo tube. Go back down and put on the Elvis Hair. Head back up and save if you wish (recommended) before moving on to screen 20.

Screen Twenty:

Right. As soon as you enter the room, walk to the very edge of the ledge, shoot the switch, jump directly onto the second platform and on to the opposite ledge. Keep right on going ‘till you reach the far left (Note: if you fall straight down without hitting any shurikens here, you'll end up back at the dog, alive and well). Phew! You're safe! Now, if you're suicidal, jump back to the right ledge and pick up the ninja costume, then come back across a third time and onwards.

Screen Twenty-one:

Bounce off the cute kitty's head until you go high enough to jump onto the grey cube. Aim roughly at the centre of the wall with the blades, and shoot as they are retracted so the ball rebounds off and activates the switch. Move through the door and pick up the eighth coin, then jump onto the toothy blue platform. When it reaches the ceiling, jump to you right.

Screen Twenty-two:

Carefully jump over the blades and on.

Screen Twenty-three:

Don't bother saving yet; just keep going.

Screen Twenty-four:

Stand just to the left of the hanging vine, aim the gun up and try to shoot the ball directly under the right edge of the cube, so it bounces up between the wall and the cube. If done correctly, the ball should bounce up to the switch. Go through the door and do the same for the second switch. Pick up the diamond. Shoot the left side of the pink cube so that the ball rebounds onto the blue one. Go through the secret door.

Screen Twenty-five:

In the boudoir, put on the brown wig and shoot the girl-cube. She jiggles like jelly! Go back through screen 24 to screen 23, and either head back the way you came over the blades to screen 22 or, just after the save machine, jump up to the stairs with the clock, over the unhappy green cube, onto the grey cube and down to the diamond platform.

Screen Twenty-two (Take 2):

Place the diamond on the platform. Jump back over the blades, up the steps at screen 23 (now you can save), and back to the upper floor of screen 22. Jump onto the now mobile grey cube and let it carry you across the gap.

Screen Twenty-six:

Jump down onto the red cube. Aim the gun all the way down and shoot the top of the small moving cubes. The ball should bounce off and activate the switch. Rise up and jump to the left ledge. You probably don't need to bother saving here. Jump onto the blue platform and, when it reaches the ceiling, up and right.

Screen Twenty-seven:

Jump onto the blue toothy platform, and onto the ledge over the big blue rat. Keep going straight.

Screen Twenty-Eight:

Jump over the sliding blades. Bounce on the kitty's head and, once you go high enough, jump to the left.

Screen Twenty-Nine:

Stand on the red cube and shoot at the left wall to the side of the switch, timing it so the ball rebounds off the right wall when the blades aren't visible to activate the switch. Wait till you rise up, then jump off onto the right platform. Pick up the ill-fated green cube (once a mommy-bird, it seems). Return through screen 28 to screen 27.

Screen Twenty-seven (Take 2):

Face the blue rat and use the spacebar to feed it the green cube (and observe a moment's silence for the cube's selfless sacrifice). Follow the rat across the first floor of screen 28 (pick up the ninth coin) and on to screen 30.

Screen Thirty:

Pick up the diamond. Standing at the entrance of the room, in front of the green stuff, aim all the way up and shoot a ball over the rat's head so it hits its tail. Pick up the chef's hat the rat coughs up. Return through screen 28 to screen 27, use the toothy platform to get back on the ledge, go back across the blades on the upper floor of screen 28, bounce back up to screen 29 and go on to screen 31.

Screen Thirty-one:

Place the diamond on the special white platform. Go through the door that opens.

Screen Thirty-two:

Pick up the tenth and last coin and save. You'll be glad you did. Look around for ways to open the next door. Finding none, head back to screen 31.

Screen Thirty-one (Take 2):

Stand just inside the room, right up against the door so it can't close. Hey! There's that evil magician again! And he's shooting at you! Do not try to reset by going back to screen 32; the magician will pick you up and place you in the centre of the room, the better to shoot you. Stand at the door and shoot the magician as often as possible. You're more likely to hit him when he's close by. To pack a bigger punch, try to shoot the green balls he throws at you; they will do a lot of damage if they bounce back and hit him (he will also then tip his hat to you!). Every now and then the magician will succeed in shooting a ball into your corner. Make sure you shoot these before they reach you. Keep going until you vanquish him. It will happen eventually, then woo hoo! Take his hat, and it's off to find your girl. Go back through screen 32 (wave to the happy grateful people!) and on.

Screen Thirty-three:

Jump off the ledge. Yup, just like the arrow says. Wheeeeee! Hey – wait a minute. This looks familiar. Isn't it…

Screen Three (Take 2):

Head to your right, through screen 4 and back into the mouth of the cave.

Screen Five (Take 2):

Remember that straw hat? You can take it now (that top hat just wasn't your style…). Go back through screen 4, 3 and 2, until at last you reach home sweet home. Enter and…

Screen One (Take 2):

Bask in your girlfriend's loving admiration and gratitude. You did it! You will get a bonus hat for getting all 13 in-game hats, and another for not using any of your ten coins to save.

Posted by: kassandra | October 26, 2007 7:48 PM

227 Comments [leave a comment]

Jay, the preloader of the game doesn't work here. It's stuck on 0 kb of 173kb and I waited a while already, and tried it from the start twice.

Posted by: Tsuken | October 2, 2007 11:04 PM

Yes, it was my error (again) when publishing. Sorry. It should work now.

Posted by: jay

| October 2, 2007 11:07 PM

Oh my. This game is delicious.

Posted by: Scramble125

| October 2, 2007 11:19 PM

ummmm
freaking
wow

this game is amazing

thank you makers of this game...
so far it is HUGE toO!

Posted by: OfficiallyHaphazard

| October 2, 2007 11:23 PM

This is pretty cool so far, but I'm currently slightly stuck trying to get past the first elevator. *scratches head*

Posted by: lizardling | October 2, 2007 11:44 PM

Great fun, I got stuck around the teleportation device for awhile until I learned that pushing up raises your gun faster.

I got the third high (47:35)score but it put a blank instead of my sig :(

oh well still enjoyed it. Good use of the theme.

Posted by: Iasa | October 2, 2007 11:54 PM

I'm stuck at the part where you first get the gun. I can't jump back up and I don't know where to go or what to do??

Posted by: Raitoo | October 3, 2007 12:06 AM

This game is great. I'm stuck at one point:

There are two floors, a set of teleporters, and a switch that moves when you shoot it and disappears really quickly. Is there a trick to this? If not, then someone really should have put more time into playtesting. A frustrating point like this just completely ruins the experience.

Posted by: Brandon | October 3, 2007 12:06 AM

Brandon,

You need to start walking to the next spot while the ball is in the air. Don't wait until you hit the target.

Hats I got:

Newspaper hat Wizard hat Apple hat Elvis hair Brown hair Top hat

But apparently there are more because I didn't get the

clock

Posted by: Ted

| October 3, 2007 12:21 AM

Brandon, there is a small trick!

The coder has hinted at an easy way in the JIG chatroom, but I have found the best way for me to do it was the following:
I stood outside the top teleporter, pretty close to it, but not right next to it, and shot at the button. You have to be sure of your shot, because as soon as it goes, go into the teleporter. When you come out on the bottom, the button will be at the bottom. Walk out just enough to get a shot at it, and let it loose. The best way to do this quickly is to hold the shot button and press up or W. This makes your gun's sight rise about twice as fast. This is the trick. As soon as that shot goes off, go back in the teleporter and use the same trick to hit the last button.

I hope that helps!

Posted by: Scramble125

| October 3, 2007 12:22 AM

I think the overall concept of the game is very good. I like the way the creator used the ball physics theme. The sounds added to the atmosphere, the animation is quality, and the puzzles have a lot of potential. That being said, I found a few of the puzzles more frustrating than necessary. At one point the timing of the fans vs. the red lift square took so many tries I was ready to give up. I finally made it. The dog puzzle afterward was creative. Then I headed back and got to the room beyond the door. After having died so many times, the death by fans in that next room was too much and I quit. Maybe it's me, I felt the timing could've used some work. Up until that point, the game was challenging and enjoyable. I'll try again when I've got a little more patience.

Posted by: Margot | October 3, 2007 12:23 AM

even easier for the teleporter, the last button:

just jump into the teleporter :D

Posted by: OfficiallyHaphazard

| October 3, 2007 12:29 AM

I quit when I was at the teleporter, until I read about being able to raise the gun quicker by pressing up.

Now I'm suck at the floating boss guy though.

Posted by: Tsuken | October 3, 2007 12:32 AM

There is a trick to using the gun. If you don't know about it you'll be stuck in the room where you find it.

If you hold down the space or ctrl key the gun's sights will move. Alternatively you can use the w&s or up and down arrows to move the aim of the gun.

Posted by: . | October 3, 2007 12:34 AM

Yippee!! Great game! The end was incredibly frustrating though and seemed somewhat random. I wish I would have known ahead of time that you had to play the whole game without leaving and resuming to record your name and time at the end though. I tried the resume function just to see if it worked so I couldn't record my score. I'm just happy I finished!

Posted by: Monienon | October 3, 2007 12:44 AM

I am stuck where the dog is hiding. I know I need to

get up on the level above him

, but I have no idea how. I tried every object I have with everything in the room. Any hints?

Posted by: Zengief

| October 3, 2007 1:01 AM

hey zengief, you see what's above you right? you have what you need to get it

Posted by: Ruka K. | October 3, 2007 1:05 AM

zengief: Have you considered all the wonderful possibilities that LEFT might offer you?

Posted by: zxo | October 3, 2007 1:10 AM

Nice looking game. Horridly frustrating controls... especially with the entirely luck-based final boss (which I just gave up on because solely luck-based bosses should *never* be in games).

Once I realized you had to hit the villain's shot (a moving target) to damage him (also a moving target) with delayed firing due to slow aiming I just closed the window.

Holding up while aiming doesn't help either. It feels cumbersome and I end up accidentally jumping or misfiring because the aiming goes from a snail's pace to the Incredible Flash. Plus, I just don't like the whole "hold down a button to arc a shot and hope you hit your target" mechanic, especially when I can't see the arch of the shot.

Also, I didn't realize what the coins/machines did until I died. I initially thought the machines were vending machines and "the prices were so low that you'd be saving money from the competing companies". It seemed to fit the style of humor I've seen in games like this. *shrug*

I would have liked the gun better if when you had the gun selected your cursor became a cross-hair and a click/hold/release would fire (possibly a moving powerbar to determine how arched the shot is).

I don't intend for my comments to be destructive if they come off that way. Quite the opposite. :)

Posted by: Nemo07

| October 3, 2007 1:16 AM

Apologies to those of you whose name did not register on the highscore table. The problem has been corrected, but I am afraid all those names were lost to the ether.

Posted by: slight

| October 3, 2007 1:20 AM

This game is my favorite one for now,I can't wait for the other 48 that are left. Currently missing six hats not counting the two red ones.

Nemo:

You don't necessarily have to hit his shots back at him, as far as i know you can hit him with your shots but they wont do as much damage.

Posted by: Sean | October 3, 2007 1:26 AM

Oh, this is wonderful. I love the graphic style and the funky, funky music. The game tells a complete, intriguing story entirely through simple pictures. The world is packed with great little details and miniature side-stories. It made me happy.

I did have a problem with the speed of the game, though. I would be more comfortable if it moved twice as fast. And the collision detection between the main character and the corners of platforms is occasionally a little weird. So I wasn't drawn in quite as much as I could have been, which is unfortunate, because I want so very much to love this game like it were my own child.

Still, I missed a bunch of costumes/secrets on my first run-through, and the sheer inventiveness is worth seeing over and over, so I'll definitely be playing this again. Spectacular storytelling. I'm a sucker for games like this.

Posted by: Psychotronic

| October 3, 2007 1:51 AM

Great fun. I made 11th place on my first run (about 49 minutes), but with only 4 or 5 hats. I didn't get the save mechanism when I saw the first machine, so I deposited two coins in it :(

Posted by: LSN

| October 3, 2007 2:45 AM

I would have much preferred the aim not automatically go upwards, such that it had to be compensated for when trying to make downward changes (and also such that it caused upward changes to go significantly faster). Other than that, it wasn't too hard to get through, and well worth the minor bits of discomfort. Fortunately, I don't mind having to guesstimate parabolic arcs, but I can certainly see how someone who did might not like this game very much. Can't say personally I'd care much for the mouse version requested above since this way has a nice oldschool feel (aside from the gameplay-impairing mechanic of automatic raising mentioned).

Posted by: Ben | October 3, 2007 2:47 AM

Very nice well done game. Nice story which is so lacking in many games. A good story really makes a game compelling, even a very simple story like this.

I'm surprised at how big the game is considering the short time to make it.

Anyway, has anyone found all the hats? I think I found 9 hats:

1. Newspaper hat, 2. Baseball cap(hidden), 3. Wizard hat, 4. Viking hat(hidden), 5. Apple hat, 6. Sherlock hat(hidden), 7. Elvis hair, 8. Evil guy's top hat, 9. Turn-of-the-century-barbershop-quartet-style straw hat from the first guy in cave entrance after you finish.... There must be more?

Posted by: bigorangedot | October 3, 2007 3:29 AM

some things I found on my second run

hidden room + brown hair

at the part with the clock, go to the right where all those floating things are. hit the girl and boy floating thing at the end to open the wall there. There is brown hair inside and a girl, I suppose you need to get the girl and the guy in the prison back together

ninja suit

so as I went back form the clock part down to where to "kitten" is you can bounce on, If you hit the switch where the kitten is, it will open a secret box at the prison with the ninja suit in it (room with the 3 roting moving things). it's the room to the right of the kitten you can bounce on

Posted by: Tsuken | October 3, 2007 3:31 AM

A few comments:

- This was very, very enjoyable.

- Thank goodness for the forgiving platform collision detection. If it weren't for the fact that you can jump on the very corner of a platform, this game would have been brutal.

- It's a little disappointing to learn at the end that you've been penalized for trying out the "resume" feature. I assume you're worried about keeping track of time otherwise?

- It speaks well for the game that I'm tempted to try again to see how well I can do. . .)

Thanks for the great game!

Posted by: nobody | October 3, 2007 3:31 AM

Wonderful game. I think that this one is my favourite so far. I love how the consept of ball physics is used, which in turn is quite a common thing. I used to, and still do, play with nerf guns!
I took an incredibly long time. This was due to just not getting the timing right on a few things, but that just made me like it all the more. What was hard was still a lot of fun to try to do.

I would not have been able to do the transporter if someone hadn't posted about being able to get the gun to rise faster by pressing up. My goodness, that ate up a lot of my time!

As did the final boss, but I did notice that in the courners, I was able to hit him a lot, and as long as I moved once I realised the boss was "learnng" how to get me in the courner, I didn't have a problem. I did try to hit his ball back, and that really hurt him. But as I was trying to kill him, I think that there might have been 15 times where one more hit may have killed him, because when he did die, I was shocked on how little it took to kill him. It made it kind of frustating on the replay, because I didn't know how much I needed to do, but it wasn't that big of a deal.

Cute ending. This really reminded me of my adventures as a kid, as well as a movie called The Point by Ringo...but just in some of the elements, and I think I might be the only one.
Also the art style reminds me of my friend's cartoon, which always makes me happy. Very beautifully done!

Posted by: Pinky | October 3, 2007 3:35 AM

Just found the chef head as well.

after feeding the mouse, hit his tail with a ball and he will burp it up :)

Posted by: Tsuken | October 3, 2007 3:36 AM

I tried to do a speedy run after I finished my secret-hunt-run. But when I entered the house to end the game, I ended up with the high score screen instead of inside the house where I could fill in my name. I don't even know how fast or slow I was now.

Posted by: Tsuken | October 3, 2007 4:11 AM

Yes, yes, this _is_ good.

My opinion differs from some of those stated above. I _do_ like how the corners of objects are "soft", letting you scramble up if you did quite make the jump. And I love the final boss battle... never really felt "random", to me. I mean, yes the boss moves in a random pattern and throws balls at you a random times, but as he doesn't move very fast and charges before throwing, there's plenty of time to react to those events.

Love the hats, too. I've got 11, missing two!!! The ninja costume, is of course, the best.

-J

Posted by: jwanders | October 3, 2007 4:21 AM

I'd like to chime in and say that I love this game! Easily my favorite for CGDC4, but more than that, this game in particular feels more polished than a lot of other contest games in the past. Particularly how key the physics aspect is, while being mostly unobtrusive. I'll be a little contrary here, and say that I didn't get frustrated while playing through the first time. So yay. Oh, and I really like the art too. :)

Hats:

Newspaper hat, Wizard outfit (anyone spot a simpler shot other than a 3 or 4 bounce starting off the right wall?), Viking helmet (hidden :), Apple outfit, Chef's hat (hidden :), Evil Top Hat.

Boss:

Having played through a few times, and done some counting, it seems like 20 regular hits to take him down, but rebounding your shot onto him counts as 5 hits.

Standing in the corner, where the door wants to close, gives you good protection, and with the door forced open, the balls can't bounce and hit you in the back. It's important to keep in mind that the boss is smart enough to avoid the path of your ball, so unless he gets pinned against a wall, you won't hit him unless it's in the first few moments. So when you can, hold your fire until he's close and can't move in time, and then hit him. It's common sense, but just to throw it out there.

Ending Problem:

I loved the ending too, and obviously wanted to improve on my 3.5 hour time caused by eating and working. So I went ahead and beat it two more times, under 20 and 15 minutes (with 6 and 7 coins) respectively, but every time I reached the end, it would flash the room and then jump to the high score list. I was looking forward to seeing the rollback of time, and of course hopefully getting on the list, but no such luck. The first time I thought I hit the wrong key, but the second time I was pretty careful. Doesn't seem anyone else has the same problem though. Hm. :( The in-game clock close to the end was a nice touch. My first time through it took me some time to realize that it wasn't resetting whenever I re-entered.

Big General Hint:

Every time you enter a room/scene, everything resets. Obviously big changes are preserved, but enemy and mover positions in particular go back to where they started. This means you can step in and study your path, leave and then enter the room running. It also means there's usually a specific trick or timing available when you enter (though there seem to be a few exceptions, or they're just to dangerous for me so far :).

Posted by: Filip | October 3, 2007 4:30 AM

Got 12:29, which is the best time for now. Apparently I'm still missing some hats, at least one of which is the ninja suit.

Posted by: Ted

| October 3, 2007 4:40 AM

I would guess that there are 13 or 15 different hats. If you press 'Extra' you can see 15 squares representing the different hats. 2 of the squares are red so either they should stay empty or you have to do something very different to get them.

Posted by: Perra | October 3, 2007 4:55 AM

4th place so far :) Finished with:

Newspaper, Baseball, Wizard, Apple, Panama, Sherlock, Elvis, Bowl cut, Chef, Viking, Tophat

I think there's only 2 others including the clock.

Posted by: GDstew4 | October 3, 2007 4:56 AM

WHAT YOU DID TO THAT DOG IS ANIMAL ABUSE.

Now. I'm stuck on the part where there's a gold coin on the ledge above the dog where he's hiding behind his dog bowl. I tried going back through the room before it, but that room was kind of hard for me to complete the first 7 times I tried going forward thru it, and now I have just died going back. And there was no save machine beyond it. So now I have to do it all over again. That sucks.

Other than that, I'd like to say that this game has a nice slick polished finished feel to it. I'm enjoying the humor so far, except for the dog part. I like the little ball gun. I've been having way too much fun shooting it randomly. I've been using the stripes on the walls to help me aim, which is a nice aid.

Hats I've found so far:

1. paper hat
2. a red hat, not sure if it's a baseball cap or frying pan. I found it

in a hole in the wall

3. wizard outfit
4. viking outfit, which I found

while randomly shooting and jumping at stuff in the dog's hideout so I don't know how I really got it

And I have a few questions: Why am I wielding a cactus and does it actually do anything? Also, it's not possible to accidently miss something in a room that I can't go back to that I need to complete the game, right? Just want to make sure. And, why don't I get stung when I get the bees to swarm after me while wearing my manly bare-chested viking outfit?

Posted by: charmander

| October 3, 2007 5:58 AM

The game's not bad, a little too hard at many points, and not much in the term of ball physics, but not bad overall.

Posted by: the_corruptor

| October 3, 2007 6:53 AM

Hmm... running _really_ slow now... could that be due to server load?

Posted by: jwanders | October 3, 2007 6:57 AM

How exactly do I get the Elvis hair?

Posted by: LazyPint

| October 3, 2007 6:59 AM

Yikes, such a big level, in such a small timeslot! Really good gameplay, with puzzle elements. Good show of ball physics too.

I only have problem with the teleporter part. I've read the comments, and it seems that you can hold the up arrow key to aim faster. I have to say that I performed quite a feat, by completing that part without knowing this. Heh heh.

The hats are great easter eggs, a feature that's lacking in a lot of casual games out there. Congrats, Team MAW. gg!

Posted by: Wan Hazmer | October 3, 2007 6:59 AM

I like this game a lot.

The only thing I disliked about it was that there was no explanation of the save system, so at the first save point, I thought it was some kind of bank system, and "deposited" all my coins...

Here are the extras I have found so far (11 of 15):

1. Newspaper hat
2. Red cap (hidden)
3. Wizard costume
4. Apple mask
5. Straw hat
6. (?)
7. Sherlock Holmes hat (hidden)
8. Elvis hair
9. Brown hair (hidden)
10. (?)
11. (?)
12. Viking helmet (hidden)
13. Boss top hat
14. Ninja costume (hidden)
15. (?)
One of the extras I haven't found is a cook's hat. I saw it in the high score board.

Boss tactics:

You can beat the boss by shooting directly at him. It takes many more shots than if you bounce his own shots back at him, but it is easier.

Boss cheat:

When you enter the boss screen, stay at the edge of the screen, and the door won't close. This makes it easy to avoid incoming shots since there is no wall they can bounce off behind you.

Posted by: Ninja Guy | October 3, 2007 7:03 AM

Great game - very solid. No major complaints. I like how you have to pay to save. I like the use of backtracking, just enough, not too much. Also, a couple of puzzles were almost too hard, which is really perfect. The boss fight was also almost too hard, which is also perfect. Also, it was about the right length. Much shorter would have left me wanting more, much longer would have me wishing it was split into a sequel.

The only problem I had was there was a glitch which forced me to leave and resume, which for some reason kept my name off the high score list. Don't see the purpose of that feature (not the glitch, but the leaving and resuming keeping your name off the score list).

I was surprised to see how few of the secrets I got. I thought I did a good job exploring, but I missed a lot. That really adds to replay value!

Very very good.

Posted by: Linus | October 3, 2007 7:16 AM

How and Where to get the extras I know of (excluding the obvious ones):

2. Red cap
How:

Fake wall.

Where:

The screen below where the gun is.

5. Straw hat
Where:

The cave entrance, after you've beaten the boss.

7. Sherlock Holmes hat
How:

Fake wall.

Where:

The screen below where the Elvis hair is.

8. Elvis hair
How:

Place the cactus among the other plants.

9. Brown hair
How:

Shoot the pink square to open a secret door.

Where:

The screen with many moving small blue squares and a pink one.

12. Viking helmet
How:

Shoot the ceiling.

Where:

The screen where the stung dog is.

14. Ninja costume
How:

Cross the room, and it will be revealed to the top right. Jump back to get it (easier said than done...).

Where:

The screen to the left of where the Elvis hair is.

Posted by: Ninja Guy | October 3, 2007 7:19 AM

To answer both these questions:
Why am I wielding a cactus and does it actually do anything?
How exactly do I get the Elvis hair?

plant the cactus, which you (might have) picked up at the start of the game and add it to the row of plants near the elvis hair... the teleport room.

Posted by: Tsuken | October 3, 2007 7:28 AM

LazyPint, to get elvis hair:

first you have to have grabbed the cactus plant from the very first room. Then in the room with the teleporters, there are three other potted plants. Place the cactus plant with them, and the glass case around the elvis hair will open.

Posted by: jwanders | October 3, 2007 7:54 AM

Also: One hit kill games are intensely frustrating!!

Posted by: Scramble125

| October 3, 2007 8:24 AM

With my first try on this game I got frustrated really quickly. I think it was because I hadn't got through to the ball/gun bit and was confused as to how this fitted in). Slap on the wrist for me as after an hours work and a return to it I'm really liking this game now.

A lot

Posted by: jimlefevre

| October 3, 2007 8:35 AM

LOADENING xD

Posted by: Cookie | October 3, 2007 8:40 AM

this game reminds me a lot of the pie game on foon... and that is a good game (press , to send a psychic message to tony blair!!)

however im stuck now. in the room to the left of the save machine there is a diamond and a little thing hidden behind a wall and i cant shoot the switch or get to it because of the huge amount of spikes?!

i probably don't need to get it but it annoys me. sitting there. smugley. 'you cant get me'. pft.

Posted by: sam goodby | October 3, 2007 8:47 AM

How are you supposed to do the bit with the teleporters? The shots dissapear before they hit the button, and sometimes hit the button and nothing happens.

This game is very unforgiving at time

Posted by: teebor | October 3, 2007 8:50 AM

I am stuck at the area with two black boxes with a blue diamond in each. I cannot work out where to proceed. pushed button on the right, and cannot get the one on the upper left.

Posted by: d | October 3, 2007 9:10 AM

it will appear a ninja mask at the right of the moving spinning saw screen after you have jumped to the left

Posted by: samsonaba | October 3, 2007 9:30 AM

more hats:

brown hair in the secret room after pink moving things

chief's hat from big rat's

Posted by: Samsonaba | October 3, 2007 9:46 AM

Wowzers. Wonderful little platformer, great drawing too. I took my time beating it, but it was tons of fun. The boss battle was taking a while until I learned about the up/down sock control..

Posted by: Valarauka | October 3, 2007 10:14 AM

Can someone help me? I'm stuck where the dog hides under the coin.. How do I get this coin?

Posted by: Muzklash | October 3, 2007 11:51 AM

Awesome game. So far this is my personal favourite of the bunch, as a game, if somewhat lacking in the actual implementation of ball physics.

Posted by: Madacaek | October 3, 2007 12:01 PM

This one has the best style of any of the games so far. The music may get a little overdone after a while, but maybe that's just me. It does have some weird issues with jumping, it seems like I didn't make it to the edge of something when I actually did. Anyway, good stuff.

Posted by: coldfrog

| October 3, 2007 2:01 PM

THAT's an excellent game. A little story, good use of the theme. The only quibble I have is that it was too difficult to figure out how to properly use the gun (holding down the space bar). Nice work guys!

Posted by: Steven Johnson | October 3, 2007 2:03 PM

Wow. I like this game a lot. I had so much trouble with the dog part because (big dog part spoilers!)...

I had no idea that there was a bone in that room with the ant!

It was driving me crazy. Once I figured it out, I didn't have much trouble until the final boss (who wasn't nearly as frustrating as many of you made it him out to be. Once I figured out that...

You could ricochet his own balls back at him

...I dispatched him easily.

Anyway, I love the game. This one gets my votes thus far, and I love the implementation of the "ball physics" theme.

Posted by: Ben!

| October 3, 2007 3:14 PM

Wow, thanks everyone for all the great comments so far! To answer some comments...

BOSS:
The boss is not random or luck based, but he is not stupid either. As far as I know, there is no 100% guaranteed way of killing the boss.

He has 45 hitpoints, basic shot does 2, rebounded shot does 20

AIMING:
It is possible to finish the game without ever using the aim up and down keys, that was added later because people were having trouble with the boss and the teleporter room.

HATS:
I noticed on the scoreboard nobody has finished with the clock yet, so this is a small hint for anyone looking for all the hats.

If you look at the 15 slots on the extras page, you can use as a rough guide the idea that they are ordered from left to right by their position in game, and top to bottom by difficulty. Viking hat is probably the exception, since it was changed to make it easier.

WEIRD EXIT AT END:
That only happens if you cheated.

NO SAVE AFTER RESUME:
Apologies to anyone caught out by not being able to submit scores after testing out the exit/resume. The reason behind this is twofold: to stop someone with a really good time at the last save point from flooding the highscore board with very similar scores, and because saving the elapsed time would open up a lot of avenues for cheaters to exploit.

The exit and resume function is for casual players who don't have the time to sit through the whole thing in one go, while the highscore table is more for those who have beaten the game and gone back to do it as quickly as possible.

SAVE MACHINES:
Some good points there, it could definitely be better explained to the player. Likewise with figuring out the gun. Perhaps in a future version I could add a hints & help function by clicking on things with the mouse, but we really wanted to avoid using mouse in game.

Posted by: slight

| October 3, 2007 3:40 PM

Does ANYone have ANY hints on getting the ninja costume? For the life of me, I can't figure out the timing!!!

As far as game critique goes, this is far and away my favorite so far.

Posted by: Andy | October 3, 2007 4:14 PM

Brilliant usage of game theme:

I personally think most points should go to the person who incorporates the theme in the most unobtrusive way possible: games that are focused on the ball suffer a little bit from unimaginativity, whereas this game uses balls as an integral part of gameplay, though the goals are focused elsewhere.

And talk about replay value!! Costumes are a brilliant collectible, and the timer makes the whole thing remind me of Prince of Persia, which is always a great model to work from (though this is different enough I doubt Prince is anything but vague inspiration for the author.)

Thanks so much for a great gaming experience!! Top marks.

Posted by: elemeno | October 3, 2007 5:18 PM

Yay, finally got all hats. The one I had most trouble finding (and which I can't see listed in any previous comment) is a rather neat

fish,

and you can find it in

the first screen with a switch, which is the second screen inside the stump, just after you fall down.

To get it you have to

return once you've gotten the gun and shoot the switch instead of touching it.

Your hat will fall from the sky.

Posted by: R | October 3, 2007 5:27 PM

Thanks for the tip R. How'd you get the crown/cape combo I see on the high scores?

Posted by: Andy | October 3, 2007 5:41 PM

Hmm. Does anyone know how to get to that green block with the shocked expression in the cage above the three moving saws and the up and down block? It's making me kind of nutty trying different things.

Posted by: lizardling | October 3, 2007 6:29 PM

Woo!!! First place high score!!! Great Game!!!

King Costume: beat the game WITHOUT using ANY save coins

Posted by: Harold Krell | October 3, 2007 6:46 PM

Woohoo! I'm number one!

I got all the extras now, so here is an updated version of what I posted above.

A complete list of the hats:

1. Newspaper hat
2. Red cap (hidden)
3. Wizard costume
4. Apple mask
5. Straw hat
6. Fish hat
7. Sherlock Holmes hat (hidden)
8. Elvis hair
9. Brown hair (hidden)
10. Cook hat
11. Clock (locked)
12. Viking helmet (hidden)
13. Boss top hat
14. Ninja costume (hidden)
15. Crown and cape (locked)

How and where to get them (excluding the obvious ones):

2. Red cap
How:

Fake wall.

Where:

The screen below where the gun is.

5. Straw hat
Where:

The cave entrance, after you've beaten the boss.

6. Fish hat
Where:

The second screen in the stub.

How:

Shoot the switch with the gun.

7. Sherlock Holmes hat
How:

Fake wall.

Where:

The screen below where the Elvis hair is.

8. Elvis hair
How:

Place the cactus among the other plants.

9. Brown hair
Where:

The screen with many moving small blue squares and a pink one.

How:

Shoot the pink square to open a secret door (the shot must hit both the pink square and the blue one next to it).

10. Cook hat
Where:

The rat's den.

How:

Hint: Shoot it where it hurts.

Shoot the bandaged tail.

11. Clock
How:

Get all the extras (not counting this one and the crown/cape).

Where:

It will fall from the sky in the third screen.

12. Viking helmet
How:

Shoot the ceiling.

Where:

The screen where the stung dog is.

14. Ninja costume
How:

Cross the room, and it will be revealed to the top right. Jump back to get it (easier said than done...).
Hint:

Be quick.

Where:

The screen to the left of where the Elvis hair is.

15. Crown and cape
How:

Beat the game without using any of the coins.

Where:

It will appear two screens to the left of the boss battle.

Posted by: Ninja Guy | October 3, 2007 7:46 PM

Here are all the hats from left to right, top to bottom:

1. newspaper hat 2. baseball cap 3. wizard costume 4. apple mask 5. straw hat 6. fish har 7. detective's hat 8. Elvis' hair 9. brown hair 10. chef's hat 11. clock medallion 12. viking costume 13. magician's hat 14. ninja costume 15. king's costume

Posted by: Harold Krell | October 3, 2007 8:03 PM

Beautiful, beautiful game! Very well done, nice and polished. Exactly the right difficulty level to keep me coming back for more.

Posted by: Keith | October 3, 2007 8:24 PM

2nd Place!!!

I got pretty scared at several points.

I applaud Harold Krell. I thought I had a nearly flawless run but he beat my time by about 18 seconds.

Posted by: Iasa | October 3, 2007 9:20 PM

Fantastic in every way. I don't think my comments can be constructive, because there's nothing left to construct. Exceptional stuff.

(And Jay, that's "Team MAW, which comprises...." The whole comprises its parts, not the other way around.)

[Edit: thank you. -Jay]

Posted by: Hanoj

| October 3, 2007 9:52 PM

Wow, my record certainly didn't last long... :P

Well, at least I'm the quickest ninja! ;)

I tried another run now, with the clock, but my attempts to be quick on the screens with moving saws didn't turn out so well.

This is a great game. It's been a while since a game hooked me this bad, and it's obviously not just me. The replay value is very high, with all the extras (very nice) and the high score time. And the ball gun is very fun to play around with.

The controls can be a bit frustrating when you're trying to be quick, but I guess it's part of the challenge.

I'm already waiting for the sequel! :)

Posted by: Ninja Guy | October 3, 2007 10:26 PM

This and AABG are definately going in my favorites =) Love the music and sounds, I finally made it through w/o using any coins.

I had trouble with the fish hat though, had trouble following Ninja's "minimalist" guide :P

After you get the gun, go back to the first room and shoot the activator. The hat will fall from the ceiling.

Posted by: Flash | October 4, 2007 4:28 AM

Kudos to anyone who can break 5:00

I just put up a 5:19, I think

...and I'm spent.

Posted by: Anonymous | October 4, 2007 8:25 AM

5:19! =)

I think <5 mins is possible, but it would have to be a nearly flawless or perfect run.

...and I'm spent

[Edit: The cropping was due to your stray "<" in your post indicating "less than" 5. The comments here are HTML and angle brackets indicate either the start or end of a tag. So you need to use: < for less than, and > for greater than. And yes the semicolons are needed. =) -Jay]

Posted by: Flash | October 4, 2007 8:26 AM

I'll post it for all the people who are too embarrassed to:

How in hell do you get out of that first room? I don't mean the intro room where you pick up the cactus, I mean the room/cave/whatever where you

walk in front of the light, it glows and there's a platform that sticks a little way out then goes back in again

That does not seem to be reachable by normal jumping.

Posted by: Ms .45 | October 4, 2007 8:27 AM

huh, it cropped my post..

It should read:
I think a sub 5 minute time is possible but would take a nearly flawless or perfect run.

Posted by: Flash | October 4, 2007 8:28 AM

GAH! FISHAT!!! [that's a hat made completely from a single fish]

how?

remember the very first ball you ever "turned on in the game? shoot it!"

Posted by: Jackson A. Ragg | October 4, 2007 9:30 AM

STUCK!! I have picked up a green square from what looks like a "nest" and I have no idea what to do with it. Can someone help? I have no where to go now, I went left after the "nest" room and I now need a diamond to proceed.

Posted by: Karl | October 4, 2007 10:02 AM

How i can to get to up border, where the fearing dog is?

Posted by: Vike91 | October 4, 2007 10:15 AM

this may sound village but how do i get owt of the room with the ant:S

Posted by: jamesy | October 4, 2007 11:40 AM

Posted by: Karl

im stuck at that bit n all, anyone fancy helping?

Posted by: Harry | October 4, 2007 12:53 PM

Harry:

Have you seen any other green squares in nearby rooms?

Is there any obstacle you were able to get by and left to come back to later?

From the room with the nest, go down, left, left. This room as a square-rodent-of-unusual-size. Feed it the green square.

I have to further rave about this game. For ages, I've been vaguely regretting the invention of a save feature: it's great, and I wouldn't actually want to go back to the NES dark ages, but there _is_ something satisfying in having to beat Contra or Double Dragon in one sitting.

With they're optional save points and by rewarding the choice not to use them, Team MAW (great logo, too, btw!) have found the best of both worlds: save if you want to get farther, don't feel confident or want an extra challenge. Kudos!

Posted by: jwanders | October 4, 2007 1:46 PM

How do you get past that room where it has two orbs, some steps and this blue thing at the top? You shoot one orb and the red block goes up...what do I do next?

Posted by: Lil_Warbear | October 4, 2007 1:50 PM

How do I get past the dog?

Posted by: Mister Bear | October 4, 2007 2:15 PM

I'm also blocked at the ant room. Shooting the orb doesn't seem to do much but make it move. I think I've shot it and every hidden exit point I could think of a million times now...grrr...

Posted by: Ogre Lawless | October 4, 2007 4:46 PM

The wizard costume is killing me. I've gotten just about every other hat I can, but I can't for the life of me figure out the shot for the wizard costume. For that matter, the ninja suit isn't working out for me either, I can't get the timing right to get back to it, I've spent quite a bit of time on both.

Posted by: username | October 4, 2007 4:59 PM

Fab game. Really nice graphics and music. The storyline is interesting and the puzzles at just the right level of difficulty.

Having said that: where is the room with the ant? I don't think I've seen an ant anywhere and until I do I can't get past the dog.

Posted by: Zelie | October 4, 2007 5:20 PM

Okaaay... that's weird.
I seem to have gotten the clock without actually getting all the hats!

Hats I have:

Newspaper Hat
Baseball Cap
Wizard Robes
Apple Hat
Straw Hat
Fish On Hed
?
Elvis Wig
Brown Wig
Chef Hat
WEARABLE CLOCK
Horned Helm
Magician's Top Hat
Ninja Outfit
?

The 'extras' screen still has one gray space and one red space empty. (The clock goes in the lower-left red space. I assume the lower-right space contains the king outfit I've seen on the leaderboards.)

Posted by: blakyoshi7 | October 4, 2007 5:26 PM

Ogre, the solution is simple.

Keep shooting the orb. I found the easiest way to do this while staying in one place is right up near the ant's head. Bank shots off the wall when needed, or shoot the orb directly. I think you have to shoot it ~4 times before the door opens.

Mister Bear:

What if a bunch of bees were to come after you? What would you do? What makes bees get riled up enough to leave the hive?

Posted by: username | October 4, 2007 5:30 PM

to get the wizard's costume, shoot the wall on the right from the bottom "stair". that's how i got it, at least..

Posted by: Jackson A. Ragg | October 4, 2007 7:05 PM

Well, I have to say I love the game... beat it in just under an hour and got 6? of the costumes. Went back and beat it again in a half hour and was able to find get a total of 8 costumes. Going to give it at least one more go after reading some of the comments here...

The one point I'd like to bring up is that for the whole first play through and half of the second, I was getting very frustrated at the seemingly random duration of shots. It was very much evident in the teleporter room where sometimes my shot would disappear just before hitting the first switch. It wasn't till after doing that room the second time I finally realized that your shot will disappear the moment you start to shoot another one. What I was wanting to do was fire once and then immediately start prepping my next shot and my being quick about it was just killing me. What makes sense (to me) is if you are going to have only one shot on screen at a time, make the first disappear when you fire the second, not when you start aiming.

The other thing that got me was the room with the spikes that come out of the ground/ceiling above the passage that the "rat" is blocking. I could go left to right through there no problem, but would die many times going right to left. I have no idea what the issue was for me, but that part was my nemesis.

Posted by: Kniggit | October 5, 2007 3:07 AM

finally... after playing this game for almost TWO STRAIGHT DAYS i just finally reached the end >_<

i had trouble with

the rat thing? i didnt put two and two together with the pink blocks..

amazing game. definitely in my top 3 favorite games of all time. no joke.

Posted by: Jackson A. Ragg | October 5, 2007 3:08 AM

Yes, username but how do I get them out their hive?

Posted by: Mister Bear | October 5, 2007 8:24 AM

I'm not sure if anyone realised it yet, but right at the start, after getting the newspaper hat, if you just stand still for some time, you turn black and white, stand even longer and you'll be cloned.

And the clones' eyes will follow you! *insert clone war song*

Posted by: electronicfly

| October 5, 2007 10:18 AM

I am stupid. I need a total walkthrough please..

Posted by: Nummi | October 5, 2007 11:27 AM

Mister Bear,

Shoot the hive. You'll have to bounce the bullet off of the floating blue guy, but shoot the hive and the bees will attack the dog, forcing him to move.

Posted by: username | October 5, 2007 1:22 PM

Ninja outfit, what worked for me:

Go into the room and once the top star is clear of the upper platform, jump onto it. Then when the star is clear again you can walk off the platform and onto the other side of the room.
From there jump up onto the step on the left side of the room and aim your gun all the way up and at the switch. Once the up/down star is below the trajectory of the shot, and the shot is clear, take it. This times the up and down movement of the platform just right for us to use later.
Now watch the lower right/left star. It will bounce off the platform one or two times, then will get trapped on the other side of it. Don't get on the platform yet as the upper star will hit you in the back of the head before you get close enough to jump.
Let the lower star bounce off the platform twice, then jump onto the plaform but stay to the left side of it so that the third time the star bounces off the platform the spike doesn't hit you.
When it gets to it's highest point you need to be at a dead run and jump at the very edge, as in one leg is already off the platform. Even then you'll land on the soft corner at the other side and will have to keep jumping to get to the suit.
This took me a long time to get, best of luck to all of you.

Posted by: username | October 5, 2007 2:11 PM

seriously, can someone post a walkthrough pleeeaase? :D There are not enough save points along the game and my guy keeps biting the dust. And if it's not too much to ask, put the walkthrough for the hats separately because I don't want to know where they all are yet. I'm still just trying to survive.

Posted by: charmander

| October 6, 2007 5:03 AM

And the clones' eyes will follow you! *insert clone war song*

Posted by: electronicfly

| October 6, 2007 10:41 AM

Beat it :]

Posted by: tasha | November 25, 2007 2:53 PM

found a bug it think. Walking from screen 32 to 31 to fight magician, shot him once backed up and the door went down and my body went up into the ceiling. the frame changed back to 31 but the character isn't in the room. stuck on the screen, no action.

Posted by: joe | December 18, 2007 9:11 PM

Woah! This game has been featured on Slate! Its the best "old school side scroller" in the Best Free Web Games. http://www.slate.com/id/2180342/nav/ais/

Posted by: Aiden | December 23, 2007 11:39 AM

Hey all. I need help on screen seven(?) (I just got the first coin and a red cap).

I'm having a devil of a time jumping onto that grey block so that I can get onto the moving blue platform. Is there a trick or something to it? (These types of games are not my forte.)

Thanks.

Posted by: ray9na | December 25, 2007 3:48 PM

If you shoot the block next to the clock, it will rock back and forth. However, it doesn't seem to do anything else.

Posted by: Jack | December 26, 2007 5:53 AM

Ooops... I think somebody already mentioned the rocking block next to the clock. However, I just found out that if the wizard dies next to the left side of the screen, the top hat will slide off and disappears.

Posted by: Jack | December 26, 2007 6:02 AM

Hey has anybody ever found out if the egg under the green square does anything?

Posted by: Raymond | January 5, 2008 3:48 PM

Any info on the cowboy hat would be great!

Posted by: Adam | January 10, 2008 5:34 PM

Does anyone (besides me) think that brown hair, bedroom guy is an Austin Powers reference?
And...

has anyone figured out the "rock around the clock" puzzle? I tried timing shots to rock the block according to the red hand on the clock, I tried when the hands line up, I tried to hit the block when it rocked to increase the effect but no nothing. I've read all the posts, spoilers and the walkthrough. Did I miss something?

Please, if there is something there, could someone give us a SLIGHT hint. ;)

Posted by: Luna

| January 18, 2008 1:29 AM

There isn't enough room to jump from the moving platform to the ninja suit. How do you get it?

Posted by: AKH | January 19, 2008 12:16 PM

Ah, I figured it out - to make the jump one leg has to be dangling off the left edge of the moving platform.

Posted by: AKH | January 20, 2008 3:21 AM

I thoroughly enjoy romping through this cleverly simple work-diversion; congrats to the design team. I, too, expected the hats to grant a special power, such as in Mario Bros 3 (frog suit, raccoon hat, etc) or the Mega Man franchise. I hope this version is analagous to a sitcom's pilot episode... where more enriching layers can be added on in due time.

To beat the big boss flying wizard, enslaver of Tallstumpians:

23 little balls, OR
13 little balls + 1 big ball, OR
4 little balls + 2 big balls, OR
3 big balls

Now, can anybody tell me where to find the COWBOY hat? Pretty please?

Posted by: Adamajamma | January 22, 2008 1:43 PM

How do I get back to the Ninja Costume I cant work out the pattern and its mildly frustrating especially when I dont die.

Any ideas?

Posted by: Anonymous | January 24, 2008 11:00 AM

When you have completed the game and tumble from the Tall Stump, proceed to the first grey stone you come across. It should be on a screen with two. The one to the far right is bigger. Stand on that for a while and you turn grey. You can do it at the beginning of the game aswell. All of the other people will be grey. If you walk into the Tall Stump (like you did at the beginning) there will be a man with a special hat ont he floor as a reward for your bravery. Put it on (turn grey again if you want) and walk with pride to the love of your life!

Posted by: Aljar | February 11, 2008 9:44 AM

yay! i love this game one of my favorites! great job, jay! keep up the good work!!!!! :D

Posted by: gbaspdude

| February 20, 2008 3:23 PM

Woot! 9 minutes and 22 seconds! I'm second place on the hi scores!

Posted by: Kee Thariq | February 28, 2008 8:53 PM

YAAAARGH!!! I've beaten this game three times completely without using any of the save coins and still no final king hat. Can anyone tell me how to get it? I've got all the other hats. Does my time have to also be ridiculously fast for me to be eligible? Lameness...

Please help.

Posted by: Benjamin J. Ladd

| March 3, 2008 10:37 PM

Ben, the king hat does not drop if you already have it, same goes with the clock. Check the Extras screen.

Any hat you have, you can start the game with, if you start with king hat and change hats, you keep the cape.

Posted by: slight

| March 4, 2008 12:02 PM

How do I get back to the Ninja Costume I cant work out the pattern and its mildly frustrating especially when I dont die.

Any ideas?

i really need help : (

Posted by: bob | March 27, 2008 4:12 AM

how do you do the rock around the clock puzzle

Posted by: bob | March 31, 2008 9:22 AM

This is a really cool game. Even though i beat it a really long time ago it really interests me still. It is a great game

Posted by: speedb95

| April 20, 2008 1:19 PM

I have to agree with the posters who didn't like this game. Very repetitive, very frustrating (if you don't get the timing right) and I didn't really find it intellectually engaging at all (very simple puzzles.) So yeah, I'll pass on this one.

Posted by: Anonymous | June 6, 2008 7:08 PM

I found another hat! :D

in the room with the rising blue box where you have to shoot through the small opening in the wall to open the door below you, go down to where the red circle is in the ground and there is a red baseball hat! ;D

Posted by: Gabriel Justice | June 10, 2008 2:01 PM

That was a superb gaming experience. Very interesting environment, cute design, engaging gameplay and a lot of replay value.

Most enjoyable game I've played since last summer.

Posted by: Caro

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The Tall Stump

Tags: ballphysicstheme, cgdc4, competition, game, kidsafe, macwinlinux, platform, puzzle, shooter, teammaw

The Tall Stump walkthrough now available!

Walkthrough Guide

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