Pixelcontinuous' puzzle platformer Humbug is both weird and weirdly charming. You are Ziggy Fraud, the sketchiest looking thief around, whose quest to steal an appealingly large diamond lands him in hot water. Fortunately for Ziggy, he's not bound by the traditional laws of physics (or the game engine) and with some skill and your help, should be able to cheat his way to victory. Initially, gameplay is simple; use the [arrow] keys to look around and jump, [P] to pause the game, [S] to throw switches, and [R] to restart a room if you get stuck. Each room is a puzzle you'll need to solve in order to proceed, but they're anything but traditional. To succeed, you'll need to think like a cartoon character, one who is constantly breaking the fourth wall, and figure out how to manipulate yourself, the environment, and even abuse the pause function. Think creatively, think outside the box, and maybe even channel the soul of Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck if you really want to make it. If you stop playing, you can continue from the last room you finished when you pick it up again.
Humbug is strange, no bones about it. From its slightly off-key discordant soundtrack, to its shifty protagonist, to its unorthodox approach to getting past obstacles, this is definitely an unusual game. Fans of more traditional puzzles will probably find the cartoon-character problem solving required baffling, and if you demand to take the logical approach to games, you might end up more frustrated than anything else with this one. The second-to-last stage feels like it needs a lot of experimentation and trial-and-error to complete, and since every stage has a different solution and set of unspoken "rules", you never really feel like you're building a skillset. Instead, you're repeatedly confronted with situations where the only solution is just to jump right in and mess with everything.
If you're willing to approach the levels from different, illogical angles, (Scooby-Doo'er angles) you'll find a lot to like here for the few minutes it takes to run through the game. Humbug may not win everyone's heart, but it's appealingly different, and with three (very well hidden) secret items to track down if you keep your eyes peeled, you might even unlock a more heroic ending. For my part, it felt like a breath of fresh air despite its faults. There were only two stages that really hung me up for longer than a minute or two, and if that has taught me anything its that my brain apparently does not work the same way everyone else does. I'm not entirely sure what it was about it that won me over so completely... it certainly wasn't Ziggy himself, since he looks like the sort of kid who liked to lurk silently behind other people, breathing heavily through his open mouth. But Humbug made me smile, and if you give it a chance, you might find it does you the same favour.
Walkthrough Guide
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Humbug walkthrough
Level 1
Jump on the tree branch, the the treetop, then on the castle in the background, then on the castle in the foreground. Continue to the right.
Level 2
Get to the switch, press the P button (pause) on your keyboard, press the S button on your keyboard. Continue to your right.
Level 3
Pause, then change your strength to nine (upper right corner). Hit the switch (with the S button), and touch the other door. Jump up the platforms (you can jump on top of the text box (make sure you're paused or else the platforms won't stay)). Continue
Level 4
Hit the first switch, jump on the small cloud in the background, ride it to the other side.
Level 5
Pause until at the bottom. Unpause and allow bottom cannon to shoot once. Pause when the bullet is under the window, and jump on bullet and unpause.
Level 6
Jump off of bullet and onto the first platform. Jump until the fourth platform and then make sure you are not in front of the tower. Jump as if there were platform in front of the tower, and you will go behind the tower. Once you can see yourself again, make sure you are completely visible, otherwise you will still jump as if behind the tower. After you are sure, continue.
Level 7 (thanks to neddo for the help)
Jump into the spikes, and change your health to one. Now there will be a "you are dead box" and you can move. Move the box with your mouse until you can get across.
Level 8
Jump on the fifth block from the right (solution found by highlighting the text).
all I got right now.
Posted by: repairmanman
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April 6, 2011 11:21 AM
Suuuupar Seekrit Items!
1.
This one is on Level Three. (The escape from your cell.) After you've finally made it to the top of the right side of the screen where you'd progress to the next area, stop and wait for the bull to charge through (triggered by moving close to the edge of the screen). Then, jump back down and walk through the area he came through on the left to get the spurs.
2.
This one is on Level Five and requires some timing. (The room with three cannons.) You need to get both cannons to fire, so that when their cannonballs fall, you can pause the game and have them locked into being two steps for you to reach the ledge on the upper-right, above the right-most cannon. Here you'll find the instructional book.
3.
This one is on Level Eight, (the room with the text box telling you to go back) but you need to prepare for it on Level Seven (the room with the knight and the spike pit), by pushing the "You Are Dead" text box over to the right side of the screen so that part of it will extend into the next area. Once this is done, proceed to Level Eight and hop onto the "You Are Dead" text box, dragging it and Ziggy carefully to the top right ledge. Jump up and down on the cracked portion of the floor several times to fall down and grab the parachute.
Posted by: Dora
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April 6, 2011 11:51 AM
Humbug walkthrough part 2
Level 9 (thank you nipsy)
For the first knight, jump on the table, the jump on to the platform. For the second knight, stand in front of your wanted poster, and wait until he passes.
Level 10
Increase strength to 3, continue right until you reach the bottom middle part. Be careful, you must break the bottom door and then immediately reduce your strength. If you just went through the door on the floor, but didn't get dumped back into the beginning, you did it right, reset otherwise. Once you have done that, walk right for a little, then increase strength again and continue to the right.
Level 11
Press and hold "S" when next to the door, move backwards and pull it to its full length. Jump on it and continue.
CONGRATULATIONS, at least you have chicken.
Posted by: repairmanman
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April 6, 2011 12:03 PM