So you have Harry Potter, see? Only, ok, make him shorter. And plumper. And with a bowlcut reminiscent of Javier Bardem's Oscar-winning performance in "No Country For Old Men." This is Tom "Tucker" Crubucker, and he's a student at Hogwarts—er, Zibward Wizard School, sorry--and he needs your help. You see, he's about to take his final exam, and it's his last chance to earn his wizarding diploma. But poor Tom is so nervous and so clumsy that he accidentally trips and bangs his head against a table--and when he wakes up he's in a locked room full of magical objects and enigmatic puzzles! Good thing he has an army of veteran point-and-clickers to help him out, eh?
The Final Spell is not the most polished room escape game I've ever seen, nor is it the prettiest or most ingenious. It is, however, undeniably charming and completely good-humored. The format of the game will be familiar to anyone who has played a few of the kabillion examples of the point-and-click genre: collect objects, combine objects, use objects in more-or-less logical ways with the rest of the room, etc. No pixel-hunting, though, hallelujah! The puzzles are fairly easy and intuitive, and it probably won't take you more than 10 minutes or so to complete the game. What makes The Final Spell fun is its sense of humor, provided mainly by the many pamphlets and books scattered around the room, and sheer cuteness; an endearing amateurish sensibility is combined with just enough substance to leave you grinning.
The game does have a few annoyances, most notably that many of the necessary objects in the room are impossible to pick up until one has read the correct book or pamphlet; however, the game is nice enough to tell you that it isn't time yet. Also, near the end players might be stumped by a matter of semantics or, as I like to call it, "I have the answer but the &$! game isn't recognizing it" syndrome. Still, taken for what it is--a quirky, fun little adventure, perfect for a coffee break--The Final Spell does not disappoint. If the Submachine series is a marathon workout, think of The Final Spell as light calisthenics.
Help Tom achieve his wizarding destiny.
Walkthrough Guide
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Walkthrough
A note: The most humorous things in the game are arguably the ones not important to the plot. I encourage you to explore things not listed in these steps.
Learn What You Need!
Start out by going two screens to the right. Click on the bookshelf. Then click on each book, and click the pages of the closed books to read them. (Yes, you must actually click through them to progress.) Take not of any potentially useful information:
In the green book, note what the genie shouts. In the purple book, get the picture of the legends.
Exit that screen and go to the trash can. Read the note. Proceed to find everything needed for the exit spell.
Find Everything!
Three pencils:
1. In the trash bin.
2. By the leg of the desk.
3. In the cupboard under the cauldron.
Three feathers:
1. In the inkwell on the desk.
2. On the bookshelf, behind the snail.
3. The right end of the top potion shelf.
Five cards:
1. Behind the trash bin (only in the close-up view)
2. In the right desk drawer.
3. On the bookshelf, behind the bookend.
4. Under the the dog bed(?) under the potion shelves.
5. In the torch by the cauldron.
A Key
In the right desk drawer.
A blue bead
In the left desk drawer.
Cast the Spell!
1.Place the picture, the pencils, and the feather in the cauldron. Click on the cauldron to get the potion.
2. On the screen with the five symbols, place each card on its respective symbol.
3. Use the key on the chest. Take the orb.
4. Go left and use the potion on the door. Click the field above the lamp to enter the password.
The password is the word that the genie shouts in the green book. Use lowercase, and remember the exclamation point.
Congrats!
Posted by: Lizard | March 27, 2008 2:45 PM