Well, the witch is dead and she had it coming, too. Serves her right as she underestimated the Fenrirr by sending demons after him. Now, the wolf finds himself in the village of Shadetale and, in character with its name, there are some shady dealings going on here. So continues Hyptosis' macabre tale in the episodic narrative adventure, Hood: Episode 3.
The occupants of Shadetale have a great deal to talk about, topics including their village noblewoman's head coming off and things of that nature, so much so that it's easy to get caught up in the story and forget this wolf has a mission to accomplish (a scrap of red cloth serves as a reminder of how this whole thing started). Yet by conversing with everybody, not only are you soon immersed in this strange and twisted world, you'll uncover important clues to help you open magical trees and other such mysteries. Navigation is made obvious by red arrows pointing in any direction it's possible to go. Your claw-tipped paw will make grabby motions wherever you can pick up or interact with an item while it will point at someone you may wish to talk to. Interact several times, selecting different responses, to get the full scoop. After unraveling just a couple riddles, the episode ends, leaving you in anticipation of the next installment. Because of frequent misdirection, this might not happen as easily as you'd wish. Problems are best solved with some deductive reasoning and a bit of logic; clicking everywhere and trying everything may not yield much assistance beyond your trusty pumpkin's sardonic comments.
Play the entire Hood series:
This third installment of the Hood Series is the best yet in terms of narration, puzzles and aesthetics. Hyptosis' characteristic artwork and stylistic touches are the star of the show next to the story itself because of thoughtful details meant to entertain and please the senses (or startle them!). So take your time, toy with everything and don't remain focused solely on gameplay; exploration is well rewarded with intriguing discoveries. There are aspects that seem to be lacking—no save, no mute, no journal and no back button during conversations—features that would make playing Hood: Episode 3 a bit less cumbersome. With so much to keep track of and be diverted by, any additional help would be welcome. Yet the drawbacks do little to diminish the overall quality of the experience, an atmosphere saturated in mood and conspiracy, which makes perfect sense in this coiling fairy tale.
Walkthrough Guide
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Walkthrough - Hood Episode 3
Tips and General Info
This walkthrough provides the most direct route out of the game. Yet, to get the most out of the experience of playing, it's best to stray from the path and explore a bit on your own.
To move, click on the red arrows in the direction you wish to go.
Interactive spots are indicated by a hand that makes grabbing motions.
There are few items you can pick up but, when you do, they'll be added to your inventory.
To use an inventory item, click it to highlight it then click on screen where you want to use it.
You can talk to any character by clicking on him. Read what they have to say. Then, you'll have a number of responses (in red) to choose from. What they tell you depends on your selected response.
Most of what they tell you adds to the story more than it helps with solving actual puzzles in the game, yet some conversations are integral to progressing (those will be indicated here in the walthrough).
It's also fun to use your trusty pumpkin on just about anything and everyone, just to see what it will do or say.
Walkthrough
Starting Out
You begin at the Town's Edge, with the weathermage on your left and the town elder on the right. Interact with them for the fun of it.
Click the back button toward Shadetale's Center to find two more characters to talk to: the alchemist (whom you'll recognize from episode two) and Ettlethorne. Again, talk to them both to uncover more details of the story.
Now let's find someone else to talk to. More specifically, go to the Fithling Scientist's cave (along the way, don't forget to stop to look at everything)
Move forward twice to Dark Swamp.
Choose the top left arrow to go Deeper Into The Swamp,
Then click the top right arrow to "some strange stones and small cliff.
Now go left, to "some kind of door built into the stone cliff."
Click the forward arrow again to Enter.
Fithling Scientist's Cave
Ask the Fithling about a magical tracking tool.
He tells you about a magical drill and...
relates an important clue in the form of a riddle:
"There two stood, with one is dead.
Two are hollow and both then said,
'Next these two, had best fled!'
Or next those two, they be dead.
Then you'll see, what tree fed."
Time to find that tree and see what it contains. (Perhaps a magical drill, eh?)
Before you leave, make sure you "borrow" the Fithling's SHOVEL; it might come in handy sometime.
Make for the tree.
Back out of the scientist's cave.
Then, select the down arrow again to get back to the strange smooth stones.
Click the top forward arrow to continue into the swamp; here you'll be facing some trees with some stone tags tied about their trunks...
grab the SMOOTH ROUND STONE from the third tree on the left.
Go right twice past dozens of small shrines until you come to a Strange Lone Tree.
Strange, Lone Tree
Now at the "Strange, Lone Tree", having picked up a SMOOTH ROUND STONE along the way (see above spoiler), you're ready to put your riddle-busting skills to the test.
Everything you need to know about opening this tree is in the riddle the imp told the Fithling Scientist.
If you need more help figuring it out, open the next spoiler:
HINT:
In the riddle, "There stood two, with one is dead" refers to the outermost ring of the tree puzzle...
Which markings on the ring look like two standing and one dead? Turn the ring so those markings are at the top (where there's a barely distinguishable arrow, under the arcane lettering, above the circles).
Now work out which markings correspond to the other parts of the riddle.
SOLUTION:
Outermost Ring: two vertical lines followed by a horizontal line.
Middle Ring: two hollow circles.
Innermost Ring: two parallel horizontal lines.
Screenshot
When you get the tree open, there inside you'll find the: RUNED DRILL. Take it.
Now head back to the Fithling Scientist to find out what to do next.
Go left three times.
Then left to the door.
Then "enter"
Fithling Scientist's Cave (return)
Talk to him and he'll call you a smart Fenrirr then explain how to work the DRILL (found in the strange, lone tree) and SMOOTH STONE (which was tied to the trees just left of all the small shrines).
Seems you need to find a powerful place to do the drilling....
DIRECTIONS to the "Place of Power"
From inside the Fithling Scientist's place, back out twice.
Then, move south of the gravestones (down arrow) heading one step toward the town.
Here is some funny wooden idol and three directions you can go...south to town, right back to the scientists, or left toward many stone statues... GO LEFT TOWARD MANY STONE STATUES.
Go left two more times until you're standing in front of a broken statue that's tangled up in some twisted, thorny vines (like in the image at the top of this review).
Place of Power
Now you have found a place of power (see above spoiler) and this seems like the perfect spot to drill.
Put your SMOOTH ROUND STONE on the smooth round platform (the top of the broken statue) in the center of the screen.
Next, select your RUNED DRILL and use it on the stone.
Take the HOLE in the SMOOTH STONE.
Cool, you can look through this thing. You want to find some things to look at?
Try looking at everything--turns out there are magical markings everywhere:
For example, look at the gravestones outside of the scientist's cave, at the broken statue, at the weathermage, and so on.
But do they mean anything? Maybe not. Wander around a bit more and maybe you'll find something new -and- also useful:
From by the gravestones, move forward once.
Hold the SMOOTH ROUND STONE up between the trees (the ones with tags around their trunks, where you first found the smooth round stone).
Here you'll find new direction you can travel, a PURPLE ARROW seen only through the hole in the smooth round stone.
So you follow the new route which your Hole-Drilled Round Stone has revealed (see the above spoiler).
At this point, you can put your stone away and enter the cave.
The Cave
Keep heading left, deeper into the cave, until you reach a button and a metal bar with some markings on it.
If you'd like, toy with the buttons a bit...Does anything happen?
Perhaps try waiting here a while, just staring at the screen (because, you know, waiting and staring at a computer screen when asked has always resulted in happy rewards before!)
Continue left to a Large Metal Door...
Playing around with it, you can push the red button to change symbols and pull the lever to fill vials with green liquid.
More information is needed to solve this, though.
Head left toward "something in the corner of this cave."
Here is a poor dead little fellow. Pick up his FLUTE.
Look at the markings on the wall:
The rectangular shapes represent how full each tube should be.
Go right again, back to the Large Door. Using the information from the corner of the cave (see above spoiler) you're ready to get it open...
SOLUTION:
Each vial can hold 4 units of liquid. Fill each accordingly, from left to right:
2 units -- 3 units -- 2 units -- 3 units -- 1 unit -- 4 units
Screenshot
When all the vials are filled to the proper level, the door opens. Enter it (large red arrow in middle).
Continue forward until you exit the cave. You arrive at a clearing surrounded by stones and trees. The dirt looks like it's been disturbed. Now what?
HINT:
Using the Hole in the Round Stone will provide the clue for what to do here.
SOLUTION:
Use your SHOVEL (found in the Fithling Scientist's cave) in various places on the ground to dig up:
a Lethean Coin from the ground in front of the largest rock.
and a Drainstone a little to the right of the far left stone.
Now, with a Drainstone in your possession (see above spoiler), you're ready to operate the "Strange Stone Ring" and end this chapter of the story.
Return to trees where you found the new path (go back twice and then keep heading right).
Strange Stone Ring
From the trees where you found the new path, if you'd like, go right toward the shrines and drop the Lethean Coin into one of them.
Continue back towards the beginning of the dark swamp (left, then down three times).
Turn right on "a small path heading north" and then continue forward up the path, past the scrap of red cloth.
When you arrive at the Strange Stone Ring, click on the panel to the left of it.
Insert the DRAINSTONE... it fits perfectly.
Step back. The portal is now active.
Step through the gate and enjoy the ending scenes.
Posted by: elle | April 3, 2012 6:33 PM
HOOD EPISODE 3 WALKTHROUGH
In Shadetale
1. You don't have to talk to anyone here if you don't want to, you can go directly into the swamp. But, if you want to chat with everyone here, feel free to do so. The arrow at the bottom will bring you to the center of town where you can speak to the other two people in town.
2. Click the top arrow into the Dark Swamp.
The Dark Swamp - Collecting the Drill
1. Click the top-left arrow to move further into the swamp. Click the top right arrow to move toward the cliff. Click the left arrow to go to the door. Click the left arrow to go inside.
4. Click the shovel to bring it into your inventory.
5. Speak to the fathling, choosing the bottom option will get you the information you need (the riddle).
6. Leave the house and the door with the two bottom arrows. Click the top arrow to move further into the swamp.
7. On one of the trees is a round stone tied up with rope. Click it to bring it into your inventory.
8. Click the right arrow twice.
9. The trees rings follow the riddle given to you by the fathling. Click each ring to move it. The top symbol in each ring that line up with the arrow should match the riddle. If you do not want to solve the tree's puzzle on your own, click the spoiler below:
The outer ring should be two vertical lines followed by a horizontal line, as follows: ||-
The middle ring should be two hollow circles, as follows: oo
The inner ring should be two horizontal lines, as follows: --
10. Collect the drill inside.
The Dark Swamp - Tracking Red
1. Return to the left three times. Enter the fathling's house again. Speak to him to learn how to create the magic stone to see where spirits are and have been.
2. Leave the house. Click the bottom arrow, then the top left arrow. Click the left arrow twice.
3. Select the stone by clicking it in your inventory. Place the smooth stone on top of the pedestal, then use the drill on it. Collect the stone.
4. You may now click this stone again to look around. Occasionally you will find little spirits or marks around the various scenes in the swamp, but it's only really needed for one thing. Still, it might be fun to look through previous scenes and see what you missed with your mortal eyes. :)
5. Click the right arrow three times. Click the top right arrow, then the top arrow.
6. Pull out your stone (if you haven't done so already) and look through the trees. You will find a purple arrow up near horizon level. Click it, then enter the cave on the left. Occasionally you will have a brown, demon-thing pop out at you for the rest of the journey, but you can just wait until he goes away. He usually doesn't stay long. :)
The Dark Swamp - The Cave
1. Go as far left as you can go, and pick up the flute on the ground (though the item is useless, as far as I can tell). Note the symbols on the wall.
2. Return right. The symbols on the wall will be used in this puzzle. Click the red button to move to a symbol, click the handle next to the display box to fill the tubes with liquid. Click the handle again to fill it with more liquid. If you do not wish to solve the door puzzle yourself, click the spoiler box below:
The cat is the symbol for the first tube, the Aries symbol is for the second, and so on. You will need to match the tubes to the bars at the bottom of the wall's heiroglyphics. So, the tubes should have this sequence: 2, 3, 2, 3, 1, 4.
3. Enter the door and go to the light at the end of the tunnel.
4. Use your shovel to dig around until you find the Drainstone (I believe on the bottom right). You have four possible places for digging, one of which also holds a Lethean coin. This item is useless, like the flute.
Conclusion
1. Return back through the cave, and leave the hidden area. When you get back to the square stones tied to the trees, return left, the down, then down. Instead of returning to the village, go right this time.
2. Click the north arrow twice, then click the stone pillar on the left.
3. Take the drainstone and place it in the square indent.
4. Leave the pillar, then enter the gate with the top arrow.
Congratulations! You win! :)
Posted by: Metanaito | April 3, 2012 6:54 PM