Not-quite-new from always excellent Japanese designer 58 Works, (#07 ML, Cottage) Escapers #05 Space is a wonderful, uncomplicated shot of pure escape game goodness. Substantive and entertaining yet not too tough, Escapers #05 Space could be the perfect oasis in the middle of your hectic week.
With no explanation, you find yourself aboard what appears to be, judging from the vast starry skies glimpsed through the portholes, a space station. You are locked in a storage room, but getting out of there shouldn't be too difficult; the real challenge comes after you stumble across the very handy but frustratingly underfueled spaceship that offers your only chance of escape. Can you muster your wits to solve the puzzles, fix the ship and find a way back home?
The answer to that question, for those with even a modicum of escape game experience, is probably "yes." Escapers #05 Space is not very difficult; the game only has a handful of puzzles, and the ones it does have can be solved with a minimum of fuss. "Easy", however, does not necessarily imply "not clever." In fact, Escapers #05 Space is an extremely satisfying little game. Everything just fits together so well; each puzzle's clues flow perfectly into its solution, nothing is too esoteric or difficult to understand, and your efforts leads to a satisfying conclusion. What the game lacks in intellectual challenge is more than made up for by the strength of its construction and gratifying sense of logic.
Visually, the game is quite nice, with uncluttered graphics eminently suitable to the environment. Like other games by 58 Works, Escapers #05 Space lacks any sort of soundtrack (which, considering that the game takes place in outer space, is just fine). There's no save feature, which generally I would find deeply annoying, but in a game this short it isn't really a big deal. The inventory is simple and clean, navigating is easy to do and pixel-hunting is near-nonexistent: excellent all around!
Escapers #05 Space is wonderfully refreshing. True, it may not be hugely ambitious either technically or in terms of its puzzles, and it's not quite as sophisticated nor as developed as 58 Works' later creations. Nevertheless, the game is well-constructed, entertaining and breathtakingly logical; the latter quality, in particular, can be very difficult to find in an escape game. If you've been ever been confounded by an escape game's seemingly inexplicable "logic" or spent hours clicking everywhere except a room's one-millimeter-wide hotspot, you're going to relish playing this one. Enjoy!
Walkthrough Guide
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Escapers #05 Space Walkthrough
Start Room
Examine the clock and notice the size of the hands and their colors.
Turn right.
Close up on the left shelf unit. Move the boxes to get the red "H". Back up.
Close up on the right shelf unit. Close up on the brown box.
Although the letters are upside down click o-p-e-n in order.
Take the silver key and back up.
Turn right twice and close up on the four cabinets in the wall.
Open the lower right cabinet to get the rock. Back up.
Close up on the lower right drawer (silver lock) and use the silver key to open.
Take the hammer and back up.
Pull up the rock from your inventory. Use the hammer on the rock to get a red symbol that looks like a sideways "U".
Turn right twice and close up on the machine between the two shelf units.
Place the "H" and the sideways "U" in the machine.
Click the colored buttons in the order of the clock hands from largest to smallest: Green, Purple, Blue, Yellow, Red.
The machine will give you a key card. Take it.
Before you leave the room push each button and back up to see the planets projected and note whether or not they have rings.
Turn left and use the key card to open the door.
Go out to the hallway.
Hallway
Turn left. You are now facing a dark blue door and there are three windows to your right.
Click on the window closest to you (the 3rd window) and take the object there.
Go forward toward the door and notice the lock.
Back up and turn around. You are now facing a door with lasers.
Click on the second window from the laser door. Notice the pattern.
Turn around and go back to the blue door. Close up on the lock and reproduce the window pattern. screenshot.
Spaceship Room
Go into the room and examine the dark gray unit on the right wall. Hmm, it seems to be missing a fuel tank.
Click on the orange cones for a close up. Click on the right hand cone to reveal an object. Take the object.
Turn left. Neat, a spaceship.
Look up above the spaceship. A fuel hose that you can't reach.
Turn left twice and go out the door.
Head down the hall to the Laser Door.
Laser Room
Pull up the larger roundish object in your inventory.
Click on the back of the object to turn it around. Looks like it's missing a card.
Click on the rectangular object in your inventory and place it on the back of the larger object. You now have a key!
Place the key in the lock next to the laser door. Lasers are off!
Go into the room.
Click on the broken shelf to take it.
The fuel tank is bolted down, you can't take it at this time.
Back out, turn around, and head back to the Spaceship Room.
Spaceship Room
Turn left twice and you will be facing a ladder. Go up the ladder.
Lay the shelf from your inventory across the gap in the catwalk.
Go forward to the machine and click to close up.
Hope you remembered which planets have rings!
Make sure the buttons are showing the following: Blue - rings; Red - no rings; Yellow - rings; Green - rings; Purple - no rings.
Click "setup". The spaceship will rotate around and you will receive a gold key.
Go back down the ladder and out of the room.
Turn right to go back to the Start Room.
Start Room
Turn right and close up on the left bottom drawer (gold lock).
Use the gold key and take the hook.
Head back to the Spaceship Room.
End game
Turn left to face the spaceship. Notice the small dark circle on the side (filler neck). Click on it for a close-up.
Remove the wrench from the filler neck and back up.
Look up at the fuel hose and use the hook to bring it down from the ceiling.
Click on the fuel hose to connect it to the spaceship.
Turn around and go back to the Laser Room.
Use the wrench to unbolt the fuel tank.
Go back to the spaceship room and place the fuel tank in the dark gray cabinet on the right wall. Pull the switch when all lights are green.
Turn around to the spaceship and remove the fuel hose.
Go back up the ladder and go to the machine.
Click on "hatch open".
Go back down to the spaceship and click on the open hatch.
Click three times.
Liftoff!
Posted by: grinnyp
|
July 15, 2009 12:35 AM