It's the classic story of boy meets girl meets puzzle platforming in Mattia Traverso's One and One Story, where your goal is to reunite two shadows separated by distance and hazardous terrain. Come into contact with spikes, or fall too far, and you'll die and have to restart the level. (Alternately, if you get stuck, just press [R] to reload a level.) Initially you'll use the [arrow] keys to move, and [Z] or [C] to swap between characters, but as stages progress and the intermittent level text narrates, this will change. The game is divided up into chapters, and each has its own set of rules as to how your shadows move and play off each other.
While One and One Story comes with a selection of bonus levels, the actual story campaign is fairly short, though not necessarily in a bad way. The game may look and feel all moody-broody like something Bruce Wayne would secretly code, but it's actually a fairly sweet and sentimental look at its core themes of love and relationships. If it were any longer than it is, it might feel like it was dragging its feet, especially since some stages towards the end can feel a little repetitive or finicky, combined with trying to judge distance between deadly and safe falls, and how close is too close to spikes. The puzzles, especially the ones in the bonus levels, are mostly well designed and challenging, but how well you respond to the game is probably tied in part to how much you identify with the narration. Gabriele Bonis brings a soft, beautiful art style to the experience, while the soundtrack by David Carney of DVGmusic is just top-notch. If what you want is a short, warm and fuzzy little puzzle game to make you go d'awwwww, One and One Story is worth a peek.
Walkthrough Guide
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One and One Story walkthrough
General Information
You can't fall more than three "blocks" of height.
You can jump across gaps two blocks across, three if you are also falling and have momentum on your side.
You can jump over obstacles one block high
Intro
Jump the gap, push the block right, and wait on the ledge to the right.
Switch to the pink character, jump the spikes, then drop to meet the blue character.
Level I: Once we were shadows
You can control both characters independently. Use "Z" to switch from Blue to Pink. You always start the round controlling Blue.
I.1
Push the block onto the spikes, then climb down to the right. Jump the spikes using the block.
Switch to Pink. Climb the steps and meet Blue.
I.2
Push both blocks off the edges. Jump down onto the right-hand block.
Push the block onto the spikes and use the block to get across the spikes.
Switch to Pink, and push the block to the right.
Switch to Blue and drop onto the block. Go to Pink.
I.3
With Blue go up and push the block into Pink's well.
Go down and across the spikes, then push the block to the right.
Switch to Pink. Use the block to get out of the well, then push the second block off the edge to the right.
Jump the gap, then from the lower vantage drop onto the blocks. Drop again to meet Blue.
Level II: When she saw me, she ran to me.
You can only control Blue. Anytime you are at the same height as Pink, she will start moving towards you regardless of hazards in her way.
II.1
This is about speed. Jump up and drop the block as in I.1. Climb down, then get across the spikes quickly, before Pink makes it to the edge of the spike pit.
II.2
Move into Pink's line of sight and wait for her to drop to the next level down.
Go down to the right and wait again for Pink to jump down.
Jump down and get across the spikes quickly, before Pink lands on them.
II.3
Go up and drop the block off the edge to the left, to protect Pink from the spikes.
Climb down to the right. Stay in Pink's line of sight until she drops down to the next ledge.
Jump the spikes to get to Pink.
Level III: Then we walked together.
You control both characters simultaneously. Blocks won't prevent either character from moving, but fixed portions of the landscape will.
III.1
Go up and push the block over the ledge with Blue.
Pay attention to Pink, and move her right. Jump Pink over the spikes twice and have her go up to meet Blue
III.2
Paying attention to Blue, jump across and push the block to the edge of the ledge. As soon as the block falls, move right quickly to get Pink out from under it.
Move Blue to the other side of the wall, then paying attention to Pink, move the block as far right as it will go.
Now paying attention to Blue, push the second block off the ledge. Finish the level as in I.2
III.3
Paying attention to Blue, push the block off the ledge. Drop onto it.
Move Pink into the corner behind the short wall.
Use Blue to push the block off the platform, and then down into the spike well. Drop Blue onto the block.
Move pink to the edge of the well, then make her jump to the block with Blue.
Level IV: Sometimes we had different views.
You move both characters simultaneously, but they move in opposite directions from each other. Blue moves in the direction of the arrow keys.
IV.1
Play as in I.1 except keep a close eye on Pink. Whenever she nears the edge of the spikes, move Blue to the right. He should run up against an obstacle while Pink keeps moving to the edge of the screen.
For the last jump across the spikes, make sure Blue and Pink are at the edge of the spikes at the same time, so that they meet on the block.
IV.2
Play as in I.2, except make sure not to accidentally push the block all the way to the left edge of the screen.
IV.3
For the first part of the level, pay attention to Pink. Get her down to the very bottom level safely without killing Blue by falling straight off each ledge, and pushing the block twice to cover the spikes.
As soon as Pink is on the bottom ledge, move Blue to climb onto his block, and drop down twice to meet Pink.
Level V: And she was running away.
You only control Blue. Pink moves at a constant rate to the right, regardless of hazards.
V.1
Go left quickly and push the block, to save Pink from the spikes.
Go back to the right and down the staircase to meet Pink.
V.2
Push the block quickly, before Pink gets to the place where it will land.
Go right and climb down the ledges to meet Pink.
Level VI: Without her I felt like a heavy rock.
You can control both Blue and Pink independently, using "Z" to switch. Blue is unable to jump.
VI.1
Switch to Pink and have her meet Blue.
VI.2
Switch to Pink and jump across the gap. Push the block down to Blue.
Switch to Blue. Push the block over the edge.
Switch to Pink. Climb down the ledges on the right.
Move the block so that you can reach the platform with the second block. Push the second block onto the first one.
Push the stack of blocks left to the spot where Blue will land.
Switch to Blue. Drop onto the blocks, then drop again to meet Pink.
VI.3
Push the left block off the edge, then drop onto it.
Get off the block and push it off the edge.
Push the right block off the edge, then drop onto it.
Switch to Pink. Move the block to line up with either edge of the platform above.
Switch to Blue. Push one of the blocks off the edge to land on the block on the ground. Drop onto the stack of blocks, then again to meet Pink.
Level VII: And I realized
You can only see a small area around each character. The layout of the level is the exact same as I.1 and can be solved the same way.
Level VIII: Once we were shadows/that now we're Lights
Walk along the white text. As you near the end of each set of words, a new set will appear.
Bonus Levels
You control each character independently, using arrows for Blue and WAD for Pink.
Level I
Move towards each other.
Level II
Use Blue to drop the block.
Use Pink to climb onto the platform and push the second block to create a stack of two blocks.
Use Pink to push the stack of blocks to the right.
Move both characters to meet in the well on the far right of the screen.
Level III
This level can be solved only using Pink. Jump the spikes, climb the stairs, go right, climb the second and third sets of stairs, and jump across the gaps to meet Blue.
Level IV
Move both Pink and Blue down, using their respective blocks to safely cross the set of spikes in the middle of the screen.
They won't meet and kiss in this level. Instead, they will fall down the well in the middle bottom of the screen to arrive in the next level.
Level V
Move each character to the edge of their side of the screen to get them to the lower level.
Have each character climb the stairs and meet in the midde.
Level VI
Use Blue to push the block, then follow after it to teleport to the top of the screen.
Move Blue to the right, then have him push the block off the edge to where Pink is standing.
Move Blue to the far left of the screen to have him teleport to the bottom right.
Make Blue push the block against the wall.
Use Pink to push the block right, then climb up the stairs.
Make Pink push the block off the edge to create a stack of two blocks on the ground.
Drop Pink twice to meet Blue.
Level VII
This is all Pink and all Timing
Go down three times, across the gap where blocks are falling. For each drop, wait until a block is right at Pink's level, then have her move either left or right quickly. No need to jump -momentum from the drop will get her across the gap.
After three drops, instead of cross the gap directly, move Pink to the stairs to the right and then back to the edge of the gap.
Depending on which hand is your dominant hand, have either Pink or Blue jump the gap, timing the jump to go over a block when it is just above the level the characters are on.
Level VIII
Use Blue to jump the gap and push the block into the left well.
Use the block to help Pink get over the obstacle.
Have Pink jump to the next platform. Use the block to get her over the obstacle.
Have Pink climb down the platforms to the bottom level and meet Blue.
Level IX
Use Blue to push the block into the well.
Use Pink to push the block off the edge.
Repeat with the second block Blue has access to.
Jump Pink across the gap and have her push the third block onto the stack.
Drop Pink onto her stack of blocks, then down onto the platform.
Push the stack of blocks to the left onto the ground, then drop onto them.
Blue can push the blocks into the well, and Pink will fall straight down onto the ground.
Level X
Don't try to jump the spikes. Instead have each character climb down the ledges on their side of the screen, and drop into the well on the bottom level.
Posted by: MmeTurbulence | October 13, 2011 3:41 PM