Escape from the Tatami Room
Let's just put this out there now: room escapes can seem a little... samey after a while. Although the classic room escape is still logical fun, there's even more fun to be had when things are a little quirky, such as in games like the Dr. Ichie series, where you wake up in a room with a note from the apologetic doctor (why in the world does he keep locking you up?) and then proceed to escape. Whimsy makes everything better. This is why this week's gem is a whimsical entry from Tesshi-e in Escape from the Tatami Room.
The story is told with a note (if you find it) from the staff of the Tesshi-e restaurant. They have locked you in, and will only serve you lunch if you reason your way out. Cool! Why can't I find restaurants like that around here? Oh right, lawsuits. At any rate, your task is then to wander around the space and try to figure out how to unlock the door. Not to escape, mind you, but to get that fabulous promised lunch.
Navigation is the classic bars at the sides, bottom, and occasionally top of the screen. An about item button allows you to examine your inventory items. And as this is classic Tesshi-e, you definitely need to examine the items, manipulate them, and even combine them to reach the amusing conclusion of this particular escape. There is no changing cursor to point out the hot spots, but as the space is sparsely filled, there will not be a lot of pixel hunting involved.
Analysis: Tesshi-e's escapes are, for the most part, a little on the cold, logical side, so it's nice to see this little flight of whimsy. The puzzles are logical and the construction is flat out amusing, making this a very light-hearted, fun escape. Well, not an escape, per se, unless you're talking about an escape from hunger.
Beautifully rendered in 3D, this is a very traditional Japanese space, very reminiscent of a traditional Ryokan; sparse, serene, calm, and almost ethereal. The music is, as usual, something you've probably heard before, so there's always the handy mute button. As always with Tesshi-e, there's more than one escape scenario. Two, in fact; the regular and the obligatory "happy coin" escape. Although the game is in Japanese, you don't need to be able to read it to play. In fact, at key points, English phrases crop up to point the gamer in the right direction.
Escape from the Tatami Room is not the toughest escape out there, but one that hangs together nicely with a mix of use of found objects, construction, and pure logic. Amusing casual gameplay that doesn't take a lot of time but leaves you feeling very satisfied, even if you don't really get to eat that excellent spread that is the final reward. Feeling peckish? Then get moving! Just save me some of that sushi, it looks good enough to eat.
Walkthrough Guide
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Escape from the Tatami Room Walkthrough
General Information
Examine every item you pick up. Some can be turned around and manipulated, others can be combined.
There is no changing cursor, so be ready for some pixel hunting.
Enjoy lunch!
Exploration
You begin the game facing a fire pit, with a wooden fish (emblazed with the number 7) suspended over top of the pit.
Look carefully in the pit, there is a white object there on the side. Click on the object.
Nice, a note from the staff! While the note is in close up, click on it to roll it up.
Once the rolled up note is back in your inventory, click at the top of the screen (there is a navigation bar there).
Wow, a single die, way up there on a ceiling beam. We can't get it right now, so click at the bottom of the screen to go back to the normal view.
Click in the center of the fire pit for a closer look.
Click on each of the pink cushions around the pit to move them. Look, under the far right cushion, an object! Take the object (matchbox).
Back up.
Look closely at the door on the far wall. There's a little wooden plaque to the right of the door. Click on the plaque for a close up.
Click on the close up of the plaque and you will find out that you are now trapped in the rabbit room. Back up.
Turn left.
Okay, we have something that looks like a shrine on the left, and a blue box on the right. Click on the box for a close up.
Click on the top drawer to open it. That looks like a picture of a fish, a door, and a flower.
We don't know the code yet for the bottom drawer, so back up.
Click on the shrine for a close up.
Click on the flower on the right side of the shrine.
It says 4. I'm sure that's significant. Back up and click on the left flower.
Hey, there's a little red marble at the base of the flower. Take the marble and back up.
Click on the center part of the shrine. Take the die.
Hmmm, the sign says "rabbit", but I see no rabbit here.
Before we leave, let's click on the bottom right of the scroll on the wall.
Cool, that leaves us with a side view of the bottom of the scroll. Click on the end and take the object from within. A screwdriver!
Back up three times and turn left.
Okay, we have what looks like a closet with sliding blue doors, but we can't open it.
Turn left.
Okay, another sliding door, this one white. And what looks like lettering on it. Click on the door for a close up.
You know, that white door almost looks like a grid. I wonder what would happen if you, say, drew on the door, starting with "start" and following the arrows?
Back up and turn right twice.
Click on the light blue box and open the top drawer again.
Okay, that looks like a fish, a screen door, and a flower.
Maybe that has something to do with the code for the bottom drawer?
Remember, the number on the fish was 7, the number on the flower was 4.
If you look at the white screen door and draw from "start", following the arrows to "end", you end up with something that looks like a 2.
Fish, door, flower would indicate that the code is 7 2 4.
Enter the code you just figured out into the bottom drawer of the blue box.
A spade key! Take the key.
Back up twice and turn right.
No, the key doesn't work on the wooden door, that would be too easy.
Click on the wooden plaque for a close up.
Notice the screw at the bottom of the plaque?
You do have a screwdriver.
Use the screwdriver on the screw and then click on the plaque. A club key! Take the key and back up.
Turn right.
Back at the white sliding door. Let's try the spade key on the door, the little silver lock in the center.
Yay, the door opens! Could it be that easy?
Go through the door.
Turn left.
Is that a step stool on top of that cabinet? Take the stool.
While the stool is in close up, click on the bottom of the stool to turn it over. A die! Take the die.
Open the cabinet. Hey, a block of ice! Guess that's not a cabinet, but a freezer. Take the block of ice.
Back up.
Open the door in front of you to the outside and go through.
Well, it's a pretty courtyard, but with no discernable way out. Let's click on the tree to examine it, shall we?
Okay, now we have some leaves. If all else fails, we could probably chew on them to stave off starvation.
Turn left.
Okay, another tree and a pile of wood. Click on the wood.
Turn right and back up three times until you are back in the room.
Okay, we have a block of ice that is concealing something, we also have wood, paper, and a match. Maybe we need to melt the ice?
Turn left and click on the fire pit for a close up. Let's try putting the wood in the pit.
Too long? Okay, now what?
Time to do a little thinking.
Back up from the fire pit.
Combining and Construction
Well, we know there's a die on the beam above the pit, but we can't place the stool there to reach.
Turn right twice until you are facing the blue closet doors.
Well, we can't open the main doors, but maybe we can open the upper ones?
Click on the door for a close up and place the stool in front of the right door.
Now click at the top of the closet door.
Yay, we can now open the top door! Click on the top door to open it.
Take the strange metal object inside.
Hey, look closely at the sill of the top door. Is that something metallic at the bottom of the sill? Click on it for a close up.
Another screw! Maybe that's what's holding the closet door closed. Use the screwdriver on the screw.
Back up twice, remove the stool, and click on the right blue door.
Yep, it opens! Now we have two small cabinets inside, and is that something at the bottom of the closet?
Click on the object at the bottom of the closet. A stick! Where would we be without one?
Click on the bottom cabinet for a close up.
Use the club key on the bottom cabinet. A ladle! Take the ladle and back up.
Click on the top (brown) cabinet.
Looks like there are slots for three dice, but we only have two!
Wait, didn't we see one on a ceiling beam?
Back up and turn right twice until you are facing the fish again.
Now click at the top of the screen to see the ceiling beam.
Use the stick on the die to knock it down. You now have three dice!
Back up, and turn left twice until you are back at the blue closet door.
Open the right door and click on the upper (brown) cabinet for a close up.
Guess we need to put the dice in the slots?
You can pull up a die from your inventory. Notice that when you click on it it turns to a new number.
The obvious solution is to turn the dice to 2, 4, and 5 like on the cabinet, but that won't work.
What you need to do is put the dice in the slots so that the number on the back of the die matches the number on the slot.
On any six sided die, the number in the front (that you see) plus the number on the back always equals 7.
Pull up a die and click on it until the number showing is 5, then place it in the first slot (that is showing a 2).
Pull up a die and click on it until the number showing is 3, then place it in the middle slot (the 4 slot).
Pull up the last die and click on it until it shows a 2, then place it in the right slot (the 5 slot).
Once the dice are in place, click on the cabinet to open it. Take the object (a saw).
Back up twice.
Close the right side of the closet, then click on the left side to open it.
Take the kettle.
Back up and turn right twice until you are facing the fish and the fire pit.
Click on the fire pit for a close up.
Time to make fire!
First, pull up the wood from your inventory and use the saw on it.
Now place the chopped wood in the fire pit. It fits!
Now pull up the rolled up note from the beginning.
Use the matchbook on the top of the note to make a torch.
Use the torch on the wood to make a fire.
Pull up the kettle from your inventory.
Put the block of ice in the kettle and then hang the kettle on the hook underneath the fish.
Click on the kettle for a close up.
Use the ladle to fish out the red object from the boiling water.
Okay, now you have two red marbles.
What now?
Well, we are in the rabbit room, and the shrine appears to be missing a rabbit.
Perhaps we could make one?
Pull up that metal thing that looks like an iron from the top closet.
If you click on the bottom it will turn over. Hey, it's hollow!
Let's make a rabbit!
Use the upside down iron thing on the water.
Back up, turn right, and go through the white sliding door.
Once through the door, turn left to the freezer.
Open the freezer, place the iron thing inside, close the freezer, and back up.
Turn left to the freezer again, open it, and take the iron thing.
While the iron thing is in close up, click on the ice to remove it from the mold.
Now place the marbles on the ice sculpture.
Eyes!
Place the leaves on the sculpture.
I do believe that looks like a rabbit.
Back up three times and turn right twice until you are facing the shrine.
Regular Escape
Now that you have the rabbit ice sculpture, click on the shrine for a close up.
Click on the black plate in the center of the shrine and place your lovely rabbit by the sign that says "rabbit".
Cool, a samurai doll with a heart key!
Take the key, back up twice, turn right, and use the key on the wooden door to escape.
Enjoy lunch!
Happy Coin Escape
Now that you have the rabbit ice sculpture, click on the shrine for a close up.
Click on the black plate in the center of the shrine and place your lovely rabbit by the sign that says "rabbit".
Cool, a samurai doll with a heart key!
Take the key, then click on the left hand side of the doll.
Yay, there's the happy coin! Take the happy coin.
Back up three times, turn right, and use the heart key on the wooden door to escape.
Enjoy the tasty lunch and the samurai doll souvenir!
Happy coin will bring happiness to you!
Posted by: grinnyp
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March 17, 2010 2:14 AM