Goliath The Soothsayer
An adventure game designed by Ben Leffler (of Exmortis series fame) to promote the upcoming Mars Volta release, The Bedlam In Goliath. The story is based on the experience of the band's sick guitarist, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, who goes to Jerusalem for vacation and walks into a curiosity shop. Of course, when you walk into a curio shop in Jerusalem you're bound to leave with a demonically enchanted artifact, right?
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This game's kind of annoying. But so far...
Move your cursor over the jacket until you find text about a lump in the pocket. Click to receive a prayer card.
Turn left. Click under the dresser to retrieve a rope. Open the drawers to get a crucifix. Click on the top of the dresser to find a meat hook. Use the rope on the hook.
Turn back toward the door. Move your cursor to the rafters above the door until you see text about the wall not going all the way to the ceiling. Use the hook there, wiggle your mouse around, then click on the doorknob (if the door won't open, keep moving your mouse around some more until the hook latches). Go down the stairs after the scene. Click on the lightswitch to the left to turn the lights on in the hall.
Click on the end of the hall to go to the ground floor. Click the lamp to turn the brightness up. AH A GHOST! Go into the linen closet and pick up the note ("Lust" written in a square) and the shinto ema painting on the wall. Go back out, enter the lounge room. Take the Jewish sofar off the coffee table, and the Buddha statue off the table by the TV.
Go back to the main hall, and click just to the left of the end of the hall to go to the bedroom and bathroom. Go into the bathroom and click the faucet to turn on the hot water. The steam shows a message on the mirror.
Go to the bedroom now. Take the shiva statue. Over on the far right, you should be able to make out a red light. Click to see a broken alarm clock.
Think about the mirror's message.
Look at the lights that AREN'T lit up. They form the numbers. This changes each game.
Go back to the main hall and go to the left into the office. Take the note out of the printer ("Murder" written in a circle). Click on the monitor in the center of the desk to turn it on. Click again, and it asks for a password.
Use the code from the alarm clock. You need to manually click each square and type in one number in each one.
The diary is long and filled with backstory. The only thing of note I found was mentioning breaking the bond with the Ouija board by splitting it into 7 pieces and burying it with 7 religious artifacts, as well as a "Love Lust Murder" triangle of spirits.
Go back to the main hall, and move your cursor to the right wall until you find the door that you saw closing the first time you entered this area. Go in and look around until the lights go out and the TV turns itself on. It apparently says something, but my volume is off.
That's as far as I got for now.
Full walkthrough:
-
Click on the pocket of the coat, get prayer card.
-
Go to the other end of the attic. Get the rope from underneath the chest.
-
Open the middle drawer of the chest and get the crucifix.
-
Look on top of the chest. Use the rope with hook to combine the two items.
-
Go back to where you woke up in the attic. Use the combined rope and hook on the gap above the door.
-
Play around with the rope by moving left and right to "fish" for the doorknob from the other end. Once this is accomplished, and you hear a noise that signals that the door has been opened, click the doorknob to open the door.
-
Proceed down the stairs. Click the lightswitch on the left side of the screen.
-
Click on the hallway that leads to the master bedroom and bathroom. The bathroom is not necessary, but it gives you a hint for later. Enter the bathroom.
-
Turn on the faucet. It will cloud the mirror, telling you to look for what is not there, rather than what is there. This refers to the alarm clock in the bedroom...
-
Enter the bedroom.
-
Get the statue of Shiva on the left.
-
Click on the switch for the lamps. It is located in the middle of the power cord below the window.
-
Get the "Love" note on the right side of the bed. Get the alarm clock on the right side of the screen. A four-digit number can be read on it by looking at the spaces that are NOT lit up. This number is the password for the computer diary in the office.
-
Go back to the main hallway and enter the office. Get the "Murder" note on the rightmost printer. Turn on the computer and read the diary after inputting the password from the alarm clock. It is necessary to read this in order to finish the game, and it is important for the story and setting.
-
Go back to the main hallway. Enter the door on the right that closed by itself. Wait for the weird stuff to happen, then switch on the lamp on the right side of the room.
-
Get the Qur'an on the small table on the right.
-
Continue on downstairs. Turn up the lamp. Enter the loungeroom. Get the shofar and the Buddha statue (in the middle and next to the TV respectively).
-
Return to the hallway. Enter the linen closet. Get the Ema (prayer board) and the "Lust" note.
-
Notice that the closet lights up. Click on it. Get the key. Click on the safe. If you got all three notes, you notice that each word (Love, Lust, Murder) is written inside a shape (Heart, Square, Circle). On the safe, these shapes are inscribed in that order, so go ahead and input the numbers that correspond to the letters LOVELUSTMURDER. Those numbers are 56835878687337. Access is granted, and you get the Soothsayer.
-
Go back to the hallway and use the key on the locked door.
-
Two endings, take your pick:
-
Use the Soothsayer with the Ouija Divining Glass in the middle of the kitchen (bad idea!) or...
-
Go out to the backyard and click on the pre-dug hole.
-
-
Congratulations, you finished!
Got it! Used only one small cheat to
find the hook
but was fun from there on. Of course, it's almost midnight and I have to go from this room to our bedroom with the lights off so I don't wake the honey.. hmm.. maybe a round of Dumbolf before bed!
One complaint though.. if there are
only two endings
why does the message in the kitchen imply
that you can save the brother??
Spent forever looking
for another way to play the board!!
The prose isn't overwrought, it's just plain bad English. It takes a real knack to make EVERY description and journal entry wordy, convoluted, and unconvincing. Nothing sounded remotely like what someone experiencing the game events or the Jerusalem events might write or think.
Exmortis 1 & 2 suffered from this as well. Please, please, please hire a writer.
Illogical puzzles:
The radio clock puzzle was decent if you assume tricky spirits want you to know the password to his diary and hid the code in the clock. But there's no reason to associate the bathroom mirror with the bedroom clock.
As to the safe, please explain how the manufacturer stamped three symbols in the correct order to convert the associated ancient spirits' English names into a 14-number string that happens to be the combination???
I found the graphics a bit cheesy. Whenever the ghouls showed themselves I wanted to laugh, and the spell was broken. Which just goes to show you why the imagination is so much more powerful.
I had a similar problem with Exmortis. Very very creepy, up until the end when things start revealing themselves. But walking through those dark rooms is definitely frightening.
strangelander, about the safe:
who says the manufacturer imprinted the shapes? True, the safe is very unusual as it holds the length of numbers that the code is, but other than that, it's a normal safe (the cellphone-like keypad is getting more common as more people pick alphabetical passwords. For instance, instead of "1234", they may choose "password").
One thing about getting out of the attic:
Seeing as there were descriptions to near everything irrelevant, it seemed odd not to have a description for the top of the dresser. Maybe it's me, but even though it has no hover-text, it still seems like a very strange angle for looking in an attic (there's a door in the attic, and you're telling me you have to look up to see above a three-row-drawer dresser, and above the bottoms of two windows?!?!)
OK I'm giving up for now, I was doing fine without a walkthrough or hints until this point, But even after getting a hint I've tried twice with no success to
turn on the light in the creepy TV room after they go out
but can't get it to work. I'll try again on another dark and stormy night.
I thought the mood was good, the graphics didn't frighten me but I didn't find them goofy, either. The writing, on the other hand, is a little hard to take. Maybe a few more words like overwrought would have helped!
As for it being a true story, well, maybe some time at the Amazing Randi's site would put that in perspective! ;-p
I play the game and got to the ending by
buring the soothsayer in the hole
The whole thing freaked me out a little but I'm still curious as to the outcome of the alternate ending when you
use the soothsayer on the kitchen table
Will someone tell me what happens so I don't have to go through it all and be scared out of my wits again?!?!?
OK! For those who seek illumination of the lamp:
The light in the creepy TV room is turned on with a switch -
You don't have to click around, it will show you a phrase "this is the switch for the light" or something, when the pointer comes to -
It is about mid screen from top to bottom, on my screen about a quarter inch from the right edge (IF it doesn't move game to game, I don't think that it does.)
Why this is so tricky I'm not sure, but it certainly is!
I also found that parts of this game weren't as scary as they tried to be.
For example, "You attached the rope to the meat hook", yet the message is given to you in a splatter of blood. Maybe next time I should try attaching the rope to the non-pointy end first?
Also, the Floating Woman bit reminded me too much of Ghostbusters. I keep expecting stuff to leap out, though, so this game's better for me than Exmortis.
The atmosphere looks dark, but in the "old with too little light" sense, not the "Oh no! Zombie monsters!" sense.
I like how it's set up as a room-escape game at first, but with all the salt and religious imagery in the house, it must have been pretty hard for the evil forces to get so far in it.
uMM...This is a good game. Not too long and pretty damn scary!!!!
I strongly suggest to wait till morning light to play this (which is what I did cause when I started last night, I nearly screamed out loud at certain parts). Soundtrack is pretty good.
I had to watch some Family Guy cartoons for a bit before going to sleep cause I was soo scared. LOL but..who am I kidding, I watch Family Guy any time it's on tv!
pshh, the beginning part annoyed me so i didn't play. so why wouldn't he start looking in the attic when he first got stuck there? and if i had been stuck in some creepy shreiking house for days, even if i hadn't been clever enough to find the rope i think i would have taken my chances with the window anyway.
Hi everyone!
I would really love some help, cause even with the walkthrough I am stuck!
Here is what I've got so far:
the three notes (love, lust, murder), prayer card, crucifix, shofar, shinto ema, shiva staute and I have read the diary. The walktroughs say that the closet will light up and I will get a key. Which closet?
.
I keep on doing circles and I am completely stuck. By the way, I like this game although the language could really be a little easier. English is not my language and the diary was kind of too much for me.
Thanks a lot in advance!
^_^
This would have been more interesting as a short story. Hopefully with better writing. Getting out of the attic and putting the bathroom note reference to the bedroom clock was all I couldn't figure out on my own. What the hell is a meat hook doing on top of a dresser in an attic? Also, the damn online diary is really freakin' long, wordy, and written by a damn third grader. The safe combination was spelled out. The only thing easier would have been to write the numbers in order on the face of the safe. Plus it's not scary. It's only mildly startling since they used cheap tricks of flashing things on the screen and loud noises to make people jump. Plus the band this is for sucks.
If you want to play a real "puzzle" game and actually have to think for more than 30 seconds, play the Submachine series.
For those of you too freaked out to try the alternate ending, if you put the Soothsayer on the glass thing, you will start "playing" it. First you just hover your mouse over the glass thing while it spins around for awhile, then the screen fades in and out. Then (cue that scary music we all love!) the glass starts moving by itself. The screen is shaking while the glass spells out "YOU ARE MINE". Once it is done spelling, a bloody hand juts out of the board, the screen fades out, and you go to the end screen... I recommend you do not go for this ending, unless you are mature enough to handle it without screaming your head off. I just laughed so hard I almost had to "change my pants", when the hand popped out. I guess that moment just killed it for me :). Oh, and the weird "grudge"-like black kid that was hiding in the forest? I didn't see it until it zipped away. Not scary at all..... Good guide though.
I admire Ben Lefflers work here, as well as in the 'Exmortis' series, the diary journals in both games (Exmortis2) kept me interested in the plot, and giving a well written back story.
The tension kept on building with every further door that was opened in the game, good work, cant wait for Exmortis3.
I'm so freaking scared, I don't even want to play anymore, cause I'm paranoid enough without this man's games to haunt me....I think I'm being watched RIGHT NOW.
And it's sunset....meep.... :'(
Overall, for the scare factor? 10/10. Just like Purgatorium, and possibly worse (OMG, WORSE?!) than Exmortis and Exmortis 2.
For those having trouble with the clock, maybe this will help:
If the display were completely lit, it'd look like this:
_ _ _ _
|_||_||_||_|
|_||_||_||_|
You need to look for "what is not there" - the bars that aren't lit. So remove the lit bars from the graphic above, and it'll show you 4 numbers.
Now where can you use 4 numbers...
Argh... it didn't show up right, trying again (and if someone can delete my previous comment, that'd help)
If the display were completely lit, it'd look like this:
_ _ _ _
|_||_||_||_|
|_||_||_||_|
You need to look for "what is not there" - the bars that aren't lit. So remove the lit bars from the graphic above, and it'll show you 4 numbers.
Now where can you use 4 numbers...
Click on the pocket of the coat, get prayer card.
Go to the other end of the attic. Get the rope from underneath the chest.
Open the middle drawer of the chest and get the crucifix.
Look on top of the chest. Use the rope with hook to combine the two items.
Go back to where you woke up in the attic. Use the combined rope and hook on the gap above the door.
Play around with the rope by moving left and right to "fish" for the doorknob from the other end. Once this is accomplished, and you hear a noise that signals that the door has been opened, click the doorknob to open the door.
Proceed down the stairs. Click the lightswitch on the left side of the screen.
Click on the hallway that leads to the master bedroom and bathroom. The bathroom is not necessary, but it gives you a hint for later. Enter the bathroom.
Turn on the faucet. It will cloud the mirror, telling you to look for what is not there, rather than what is there. This refers to the alarm clock in the bedroom...
Enter the bedroom.
Get the statue of Shiva on the left.
Click on the switch for the lamps. It is located in the middle of the power cord below the window.
Get the "Love" note on the right side of the bed. Get the alarm clock on the right side of the screen. A four-digit number can be read on it by looking at the spaces that are NOT lit up. This number is the password for the computer diary in the office.
Go back to the main hallway and enter the office. Get the "Murder" note on the rightmost printer. Turn on the computer and read the diary after inputting the password from the alarm clock. It is necessary to read this in order to finish the game, and it is important for the story and setting.
Go back to the main hallway. Enter the door on the right that closed by itself. Wait for the weird stuff to happen, then switch on the lamp on the right side of the room.
Get the Qur'an on the small table on the right.
Continue on downstairs. Turn up the lamp. Enter the loungeroom. Get the shofar and the Buddha statue (in the middle and next to the TV respectively).
Return to the hallway. Enter the linen closet. Get the Ema (prayer board) and the "Lust" note.
Notice that the closet lights up. Click on it. Get the key. Click on the safe. If you got all three notes, you notice that each word (Love, Lust, Murder) is written inside a shape (Heart, Square, Circle). On the safe, these shapes are inscribed in that order, so go ahead and input the numbers that correspond to the letters LOVELUSTMURDER. Those numbers are 56835878687337. Access is granted, and you get the Soothsayer.
Go back to the hallway and use the key on the locked door.
Two endings, take your pick:
Use the Soothsayer with the Ouija Divining Glass in the middle of the kitchen (bad idea!) or...
Go out to the backyard and click on the pre-dug hole.
Congratulations, you finished!
It wasn't bad, but I still have a few complaints, like the fact that most of the clues just didn't make sense, like the broken clock and the message on the bathroom mirror. I can't imagine how people actually figured that out on their own. I wasn't scared at all by this game, I've seen to many scary movies to be caught off guard by the odd ghost just apearing and disappearing every once in a while, it's not very original. The ending could have been better, I can't see why the spirits wouldn't put up more of a struggle to keep you from burying the board, aside from just leaving that fake message from the brother on the kitchen table. This game just seems like a lazy version of Exmortis to me. Hiring a writer would have helped a lot too. Like I said, this wasn't bad, it just doesn't seem like a great deal of effort was put into it, aside from the graphics, the graphics were pretty good. I'll rate it a three, only because I liked the graphics and imagery.
That was rather nice, and for me, who is a zero in such games, not that hard to play. But to admire the graphics... Wow. Last time I tried any games was two years ago, when I was sitting at home with broken arm, I remember enjoying Ben Leffler's art too. Jay, could you ask, if Ben gets scared by his own creation? :)
This game is story-rich but not very puzzle-rich. It isn't very challenging unlike some point-and-click games. The puzzle is not too easy but not too hard either. I think the hint is good enough to be not too obvious. But if you are smart, you will be able to get it. For people who wants a challenging and funny game, it may not what they want. But for people who are willing to read story and enjoy the storyline, it is a great game. Good artwork. Good sounds and effects.
I give 5 stars for the serious work created by the author. :)
To S.M.B.
His quote:
It wasn't bad, but I still have a few complaints, like the fact that most of the clues just didn't make sense, like the broken clock and the message on the bathroom mirror. I can't imagine how people actually figured that out on their own.
My reply:
Well if you examine the alarm clock for some time, you may even notice it without the hint. The non-lit up part looks like some numbers so you will get it without the hint. If you see the hint, it becomes clearer when you see the alarm for a while.
dang.... i was pretty scared about these game even thou i look up for some walkthrough... woooo...
pretty scary... nice game... great ending...
i was about not to read the diary.. coz it takes me long time to read.. and its already night.. it makes me sleepy so i just click and click.. i dont even understand wat i read.. haha funny...
this game is pretty freaky, but the alt. ending wasnt as freaky as i thought it'd be. the only thing i have a hard time understanding is the safe combination. i kept getting afraid to leave the attic bur i'm glad i did! ben leffler is awesome!!!! i havent seen one game by him that really sucked. cant wait for exmortis 3!! btw, the password can be different, mine was 0500.
I thought it was a pretty good game myself. Ben's works are pretty well done, even though I personally don't think they are worth-replaying through, BUT they are really good as you go through the first time. I find it EXTREMELY annoying that people would complain the writing is bad. I mean... think about it? Not every human being on earth has amazing english, and most of the text on the game was 'written', err, seemingly, by the characters. More realistic don't you think? Overall the story is good, though I find the endings a bit dissapointing. 4/5 I'd say... so a really good job ;)
Wow, this game stunk. Way too easy (the only part I ended up using any help for was the part most people have trouble with: finding that darn light switch in the TV room), and it failed at being scary.
Then again, the scare factor may have been lessened considering I was listening to the sound clip from Monarch henchmen sing "Mars, the Bringer of War" in another tab while playing this game.
It was still way too easy.
Also, the font hurt my eyes, and the description bar at the bottom was annoying, it should be onClick, not onHover.
What's the code for the vault? I think I played it 3 times still not getting any other clue for this vault code? What should I do with this love lust and murder message? I know I'll be needing this to open the vault, but how?
I tried using numbers, like how many letters form the love code, so it's 4 then so on.. still am stuck!
One of the sickest games out their in terms of Flash, I needed this tip page to help me out though ;0
To answer some of the arguments made by the haters of this game:
Complaint #1: It uses cheap scare tactics such as things jumping out at you.
This argument is ridiculous. If nothing jumps out at you, then you go through the game completely not startled, making it less scary. Besides, there isn't a single scary movie that doesn't use this tactic.
Complaint#2: The diary is too long and immature.
The diaries in his games were written as to not state obvious hints no normal person would ever write, but to feel like genuine diary entries that most people would actually write.
Complaint#3: The connection between the mirror and the clock was way too difficult to figure out.
You're a freaking idiot. It was the most obvious hint I've seen in any of his games. As soon as I saw the clock after I saw the mirror, I knew the connection and solved it immediately.
If any haters wish to argue with me, I might come back every now and then to check for a reply. Anyways, it was a short and sweet game. I doubt that there will be a sequel, but that would be awesome.
The game no longer works on Amazon. However, it can also be found here:
Yep, I was right the first time. This is the third-least scary 'horror' game I have ever played (first and second least scary being House and The House, which were more like comedies). The
white spirit and the hand jutting out of the Soothsayer
suprised me, but didn't make me scared.
Of course, it might've helped I had my laptop on mute while I played.
I managed both endings. I think I prefer the 'bad' one. It's more exciting.
I don't have many complaints about this game, I think the atmosphere was fine, in a creepy kind of way.
I did both endings, but I have to resort to the walkthrough like twice...
The only thing I dislike about this game is the text which is used to write the descriptions, there are lots of descriptions to read and I dislike squinting and peering into the computer screen everytime I want to read something.
people are sooo freaked out but it wasn't scary. the only thing that freaked me out was the first time i was playing the ghost appeared when i turned on the lamp on the way to the closet. lol other that that it was a pritty good game (if you like point 'n click games) i had some fun but it is in my top 100 WORST games ever played. if u want to kno what number one best one is ill tell u it's mortal kombat! that games awesome. well i can help u on the game just post my name and tell me what part ur on and ill help out.
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Walkthrough Guide
(Please allow page to fully load for spoiler tags to be functional.)
Full walkthrough:
Click on the pocket of the coat, get prayer card.
Go to the other end of the attic. Get the rope from underneath the chest.
Open the middle drawer of the chest and get the crucifix.
Look on top of the chest. Use the rope with hook to combine the two items.
Go back to where you woke up in the attic. Use the combined rope and hook on the gap above the door.
Play around with the rope by moving left and right to "fish" for the doorknob from the other end. Once this is accomplished, and you hear a noise that signals that the door has been opened, click the doorknob to open the door.
Proceed down the stairs. Click the lightswitch on the left side of the screen.
Click on the hallway that leads to the master bedroom and bathroom. The bathroom is not necessary, but it gives you a hint for later. Enter the bathroom.
Turn on the faucet. It will cloud the mirror, telling you to look for what is not there, rather than what is there. This refers to the alarm clock in the bedroom...
Enter the bedroom.
Get the statue of Shiva on the left.
Click on the switch for the lamps. It is located in the middle of the power cord below the window.
Get the "Love" note on the right side of the bed. Get the alarm clock on the right side of the screen. A four-digit number can be read on it by looking at the spaces that are NOT lit up. This number is the password for the computer diary in the office.
Go back to the main hallway and enter the office. Get the "Murder" note on the rightmost printer. Turn on the computer and read the diary after inputting the password from the alarm clock. It is necessary to read this in order to finish the game, and it is important for the story and setting.
Go back to the main hallway. Enter the door on the right that closed by itself. Wait for the weird stuff to happen, then switch on the lamp on the right side of the room.
Get the Qur'an on the small table on the right.
Continue on downstairs. Turn up the lamp. Enter the loungeroom. Get the shofar and the Buddha statue (in the middle and next to the TV respectively).
Return to the hallway. Enter the linen closet. Get the Ema (prayer board) and the "Lust" note.
Notice that the closet lights up. Click on it. Get the key. Click on the safe. If you got all three notes, you notice that each word (Love, Lust, Murder) is written inside a shape (Heart, Square, Circle). On the safe, these shapes are inscribed in that order, so go ahead and input the numbers that correspond to the letters LOVELUSTMURDER. Those numbers are 56835878687337. Access is granted, and you get the Soothsayer.
Go back to the hallway and use the key on the locked door.
Two endings, take your pick:
Use the Soothsayer with the Ouija Divining Glass in the middle of the kitchen (bad idea!) or...
Go out to the backyard and click on the pre-dug hole.
Congratulations, you finished!
Posted by: DLand | January 17, 2008 1:31 AM