Boxed Inn: Panic Room
In this uncertain and often chaotic world, the temptation to hide, to lie low in a secret shelter away from dangers both real and imagined, can be awfully strong. Doesn't it sound nice? A place all your own, a safe room with layer upon layer of protection between you and the outside. A haven. What happens, however, when your refuge becomes your prison? Boxed Inn: Panic Room, the first escape game from wonderfully promising American designer and Flash author Samgine, explores that troubling scenario.
Boxed Inn: Panic Room is, in many ways, a really superlative escape game. Lengthy, clever and involved, you'll have to use all of the room's many resources (often in the form of modern technology) to escape. Along with the usual "use object A with code B to solve puzzle C" room escape fare, the game serves in part to showcase some of the types of puzzles (both classic and original) that fill Samgine's website; one in particular, a puzzle called PaintBox that involves manipulating the colors of boxes using various buttons, is especially interesting. While on the whole the game's puzzles are great, there are, unfortunately, a few instances of questionable leaps of "logic" being needed to progress. One puzzle in particular I found nearly inexplicable, but finally was able to crack with a bit of trial-and-error. Also, being able to hear the game is nice but not vital. At one point you'll need to program a remote, and hearing the "beep" of the buttons will help you do so; however, as long as you follow the directions carefully, you should be fine.
The graphics go beyond mere excellence; they are literally photo-realistic. This gives the game an added edge of realism, making it all the more immersive and entertaining. The interface is mainly user-friendly (No pixel-hunting! Automatic save feature!), though the inventory system can be initially confusing. Clicking a collected item will bring up a larger picture of it, allowing you to manipulate the object and sometimes discover new information or clues; it is not, however, necessary to click on an item in order to use it within the room itself. For example, at some point during the game you will collect a CD. Clicking on the disk drive of the room's laptop will automatically place the CD in the drive, without you needing to select it from the inventory. It's a little perplexing, and I'm not sure why the game's developers chose to configure the interface in this way, but once you get the hang of the system it ceases to be an inconvenience.
Boxed Inn: Panic Room is an enormously impressive escape game, particularly considering that it is Samgine's first venture into the genre. While the game does have room for improvement, particularly in regards to the inventory interface and handful of imperfectly logical moments, it bodes extremely well for the developer's future creations. Hopefully this is just the first in a very long line of games to come! Enjoy.
Walkthrough Guide
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Boxed Inn Walkthrough
Pick up cellphone from the hearth. Oh dear, you haven't paid your bill!
Turn left to see the couch.
Pick up remote control from the couch.
Click on the right segment of the picture to reveal a safe.
Turn left.
Pick up the envelope (on the floor below the elephant). Examine the envelope.
Look at the central picture closely. It is a word scramble. Click and drag each letter to solve the puzzle.
Solution to the word scramble: Yucca holds hidden camera.
Click on the plant on top of the elephant. What a coincidence, it's a yucca plant!
Click on the elephant to reveal another puzzle.
This is a rotating tile puzzle. Rotate the tiles until all the color sides match up. To start: rotate the top left tile twice until the green segment is facing to the right. Then rotate the second tile on the top row until its green side is facing to the left. From there you can keep rotating the other tiles until they all match up.
Here's a screenshot of the solution if you get stuck.
Once the puzzle is solved a drawer will open to reveal a key. Take the key.
Back up.
Now click on the briefcase for a close up.
Click on the lock of the briefcase and it should open up.
A black light (ultraviolet light) is revealed. Take it.
Back up and turn right twice until you are facing the fireplace.
Click on the light switch to the right of the fireplace and turn off the lights.
Turn left twice and click on the black light in your inventory. It should now be shining on the walls.
Move the mouse pointer underneath the chess picture and the black light will reveal a grid with numbers. screenshot. Gee, the grid appears to match the word scramble picture.
Match the numbers on the grid to the corresponding letters on the solved word scramble. 1-r, 2-e, 3-c, 4-y, 5-c, 6-l, 7-e. That spells "recycle". Nice sentiment.
Turn right twice and turn the lights back on.
Click on the thermostat to the left of the fireplace for a close up.
Click on the buttons on the bottom of the thermostat to rotate. Rotate until it spells "recycle".
Open the bottom panel of the thermostat.
Notice the note saying that the password is PaintBox.
There are two buttoms labeled "hold" and "next" (hold on top, next underneath) and a digital display. The puzzle is to push a combination of "next" and "hold" until the display shows a clear 6 digit number.
Solution: next, next, next, hold, next, next. The number that will be displayed is 450792.
Back up and look at the fireplace. Place the yucca plant to the right of the Boxed Inn sign on the mantle.
Turn right to look at the wide-screen TV. Notice it says M-Show. That is the TV model.
Click on the DVD player for a close up. Push the eject button and take the DVD. Back up.
Turn left twice until you are looking at the couch. Use the numbers from the thermostat puzzle on the safe in groups of two.
From top to bottom: 45 07 92.
When the safe opens take the wallet. Click on the wallet several times to open it up and take the credit card. Let's go shopping!
Or, instead of shopping, click on the laptop for a close up.
Enter the password: PaintBox and hit enter. Be careful, the password is case sensitive.
You have opened to a puzzle. The idea is to get the boxes all the same color (red).
Number the buttons from left to right. Click the buttons in the following order: 3, 4, 1, 4, 2, 4. This will give you the name SamG123.
Click on the e-mail tab on the laptop screen. The username is SamG123. The password will fill in automatically. Hit enter.
Read the e-mail about the instructional video and download the file. Hope his virus protection is up to date!
Go back and read the e-mail about disconnected service. Click on the link in the e-mail to pay the cell phone bill online.
Use the information from the credit card and the envelope to make the payment.
The information is:
Card Holder: Sam Gine.
Zip Code is 12345.
Account number is: 8749 9333 2456 0000.
Expiration date is: 0508.
Once the information is entered hit "authorize" to make the payment. Yay, cell phone service!
Now click on the remote tab.
Read the instructions on how to program the remote, then look up the 4-digit code for your TV.
The large-screen TV is an M-Show, so the code is 8347.
Open the dvd player on the laptop.
Click on the open drawer to place the dvd and close it.
Click on "SPG_Video.avi" and then click "add video".
"SPG_Video.avi" should now be in the right-hand box (destination). Click on "Burn DVD" and wait for the dvd to burn.
Once the burn is complete close the program. Open the dvd player and take the disk.
Back up and turn right twice to face the TV.
Hope you remembered how to program the remote!
Click on the remote control in your inventory.
Click on the "set" button and hold for at least 4 seconds.
Enter the numbers 8347 and then click on the enter button. Notice that the numbers are missing from the keypad. It is a standard keypad, 1-2-3, 4-5-6, 7-8-9, and the 0 between the enter and clear button.
Turn the tv off and on to make sure the remote is working (push the on/off button twice).
Close down the remote and click on the dvd player for a close up.
Open the dvd tray and click on it to place your newly burned dvd.
Close the tray and back up.
Pull up the remote and use the channel button to change the channels until the training video appears (or just sit there and watch "Shark Week", up to you).
Put away the remote and watch the training video. It loops continuously, so don't worry if you miss it the first time around.
Turn left to face the fireplace.
Click on the thermostat for a close up.
There's a little on/off switch on the lower right, click until it is "on".
Back up.
The "Boxed Inn" sign is now gone. Time to program the remote!
Pull up the remote from your inventory.
Click on the "set" button and hold for at least 4 seconds.
Enter the numbers 1238 and then click on the enter button.
Click on the on/off button. If you programmed it correctly, a puzzle will appear where the sign used to be.
At this point click on the cell phone in your inventory and click on it to open it. You have a text message.
Click on the silver button above the keypad to read the text message. This tells you what you need to solve the final puzzle.
Click on the puzzle for a close up.
The object of this puzzle is to get all of the squares filled with different numbers using the buttons at the bottom.
There are probably many different solutions, but here's one:
Number the buttons from 1 to 4 (left to right) and push in the following sequence: 4, 1, 4, 1, 4, 1, 4, 1, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4.
Back up and you are out!
Posted by: grinnyp
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August 12, 2009 9:56 AM