Well, we here at Weekday Escape are still on a whimsy kick, so brace yourself. Exit Not Found is one of those cute, clever little games that, while not difficult, make playing room escapes fun. Created by Cogito Ergo Sum (A Cold Escape), Exit Not Found is a rare entry in the oeuvre, one that does not feature the leaping dog and punching cat found in most of their titles. Instead, you're looking at a classic room escape scenario. Well, as classic as you get from Cogito Ergo Sum.
Exit Not Found is basic room escaping at its most, well, basic. A simply furnished room, four walls, and no obvious way out. Yep, no locked door, because there's no door to be found. Navigate around the space using bars at the sides and bottom of the screen, solve some nifty puzzles, combine a few objects, and then enjoy the great outdoors. Well, presuming you can find that mysterious exit, that is.
Inventory items can be examined using a simple double click, which is nice because there's going to be a lot of combining involved in this amusing little escape. There are some cute logic puzzles, never fear, so it's not all construction. And since there are five different outdoor areas to escape to, the save button is a nice touch. Although it is a Japanese game, text comes in both Japanese and English, so no language barrier worries here.
Analysis: Yes, yes, more whimsy. Sometimes, when you're having a bad case of the mid-week blahs, whimsy is a good thing. Exit Not Found is not very tough, but something fun and involving that will bring a smile to your face as you search for that elusive exit. Artwork is Cogito Ergo Sum's usual flat, cartoony style, just a little more muted than usual. No music this time around (at least, until you escape), although there are sound effects to let you know that something worked.
There's no changing cursor, so yes, pixel hunting ahead. And at least two of the puzzles are color based, so there will be difficulties for those with color blindness. Still, Exit Not Found is an amusing way to kill 5 or 10 minutes, something to take your mind off of schoolwork, lousy weather, or whatever mind-numbing task is occupying you this week. Casual gameplay as mid-week therapy. What are you waiting for, find that exit!
Walkthrough Guide
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Walkthrough
The Desk
Open top drawer to get remote
Click chair to move it and get the piece of paper stuck under the desk. Click on the paper to view it.
Click the desk for a close up. There appears to be a hole…
The Armchair
Click the plant pot for a close up and grab the battery to the right.
Pick up the stick from the armchair
The Bookcase
Take the spray paint from the top
Click the boxes on the bottom shelves…they need some sort of code.
Click the picture frame and note the order of the colours.
Blue Box
Click on the books.
Look at the underlined words and note the colours of the lines.
Find the words in the grid and note the shapes. What could they represent?
They are numbers.
Now you have numbers and corresponding colours!
Red = 7 Blue = 1 Green = 4
Use the code to open the blue box and take the screwdriver.
Red Box
Let's examine the rubik's cube
How many squares of each colour are there?
Red = 4 Blue = 9 Green = 6
Use the code on the red box and take the doorknob
Owl
Click the notepad next to the rubik's cube.
It's telling you to click the base of the owl.
Click on the owl and do what it says on the notepad!
After several clicks he'll open his wing and reveal the 2nd battery. Take it.
The TV
Click on the panel to the left of the tv and use the screwdriver to open it.
Take the hinges, back up and pick up the screws.
Now click on the remote and click to look at the back. Add the batteries.
Click on the tv. Note the code.
Interesting - where can we use this?
Back at the Desk
Click on the hole in the desk and place the stick there.
A back panel has opened but what do we press?
Remember the clue on the tv.
R = Right Button M= Middle Button L=Left Button
Hit the buttons and note the shape of the shadows.
Remember the TV clue - there was a code
LR…M…LR,M…M,LR
Try those light combinations.
The TV also shows roman numerals
Imagine the shadows rotated 180 degrees. Which roman numerals would they represent?
LR = V
M = I
LR,M = IV
M,LR = VI
Or
5146
Let's open that desk drawer with the code. Oops we can't!
Need to rotate the numbers by 180 degrees so try
6415
Grab the hammer
Breaking Stuff
There are two areas that say "Break". First area is in front of the tv. Use the hammer on the blocks to retrieve two bits of lumber.
Now to the bookcase.
Use the hammer where it says "Break" and get two more pieces of lumber and a saw.
Building
Remember the diagram we picked up under the desk? Let's have a look at it.
We don't seem to have enough wood.
You'll need to saw one of the bits of lumber in half to get enough pieces.
Build the door frame using four pieces of lumber.
Attach the knob to the doorpanel with screws and the trusty screwdriver.
Attach the door to the frame with hinges and screws.
Spray paint the whole thing a nice girly pink.
Open the door
And you're out!
Posted by: NellB
|
March 24, 2010 10:15 AM
Exit Not Found Walkthrough
General Information
Double click on items in your inventory for a close up.
Some items can be clicked on in close up to turn them around.
There will be directions for the colorblind in this walkthrough.
There are five different ending scenes, see if you can find them all.
Good luck!
Looking Around
You start the game facing a desk with three lamps.
Click on the chair to move it.
Click on the note taped to the underside of the desk that is revealed when the chair moves.
While the note is in close up click on it to unroll. Hmmm, assembly instructions.
Close down the note and click on the rectangle above the desk (between the three lamps).
Okay, there's a hole there. Back up.
Open the top desk drawer and take the object that is inside (remote).
While the remote is in close up click on it to turn it over. Of course it's missing batteries.
Close down the remote. You can check the middle drawer, but there's nothing there.
Bottom drawer needs a code that we don't have.
Turn left.
Okay, now we are facing a large TV.
Of course, the remote doesn't work without batteries.
Underneath the TV is a wooden structure that says "break". Pity we don't have anything that would break it.
On the left wall is a vent cover with a lot of screws. Nope, no screwdriver yet, either.
Turn left.
Okay, now you're facing two bookshelves. Lots of stuff to look at here.
There's something at the top of the taller bookshelf (on the right), but you can't reach it.
Take the can of spray paint from the top of the smaller bookshelf (on the left).
Click on the Rubik's cube to examine it. It's a Rubik's cube. Close it down by clicking around it.
There's something that looks like a notebook to the right of the Rubik's cube, click on it.
Okay, it says to click twice on something that looks like the base of the owl statue sitting on the smaller bookshelf.
Close down the notebook and look at the middle shelf.
On the left of the middle shelf is something that looks like a picture frame. Click on it.
"Order pass red box and blue box." I'm sure that means something. I'm sure the fact that the background is, from left to right, red, blue, and green means something as well.
Close down the picture and click on the books to the right of the picture.
Okay, there's a nice grid here, and some underlined text.
In group is underlined in red, ices group is underlined in green, and group is underlined in blue.
Perhaps that's a clue?
Notice the two boxes on the bottom shelf. The left box is red, the right box is blue. They both seem to need three digit codes.
The text in the book is a spoiler for the blue box.
If you look at the letters in the grid, the underlined phrases form block numbers.
And the order that they go in is the order of the colors on the picture.
Blue box clue: 7 1 4.
Once you enter the correct code in the blue box (the right box on the bottom shelf) it will open. Yay, a screwdriver!
Take the screwdriver.
Let's look at the Rubik's cube again.
You know, there are a certain number of colored squares shown on the cube.
Three colors in particular might be important, the same colors as on the picture.
There are 9 blue squares showing, 4 red squares showing, and 6 green squares showing.
Remember the order of the colors on the picture?
Red Box clue: 4 9 6.
Enter the code into the red box (left box on the bottom shelf). A doorknob. Yay?
Let's look at the owl statue in close up.
Perhaps if we did what the notebook said?
Click on the base of the statue several times. It might take a couple of tries to get the proper speed.
The wing of the owl will open to reveal a battery. Take the battery.
Turn left.
Now we're facing a chair and a plant. Hey, there's something in the seat of the chair.
Click on the chair to take the object (stick).
Click on the plant to the left of the chair for a close up.
There's something on the baseboard, between the chair and the plant pot. Click on it.
Cool, a battery!
Turn left to face the desk again.
Solving Stuff
Click on the desk for a close up.
Let's try putting the stick in the hole of the desk.
Cool, buttons to work the lamps.
Back up and turn left.
Now that you're facing the TV, pull up the remote and turn it over.
Place the batteries in the remote and turn it back over.
Click on the TV for a close up.
Use the remote on the TV.
Okay, LR M LR, M M, LR and the clue shadow 180 degrees. I'm sure that means something.
Back up and click on the vent on the left wall for a close up.
Use the screwdriver to remove the vent cover and take what's inside (hinges).
Back up. Don't forget to take the screws off of the floor.
Turn right and face the desk again.
Click on the desk for a close up.
Let's solve the riddle of the stick and the lamps, shall we?
You know, maybe the clue from the TV has something to do with it.
Think of the letters from the TV clue as directions. L for left, R for right, and M for middle.
Let's see what happens when we use the first set of letters, LR. Click on the left and right lamp buttons.
We get a shadow that looks like an upside down V.
The next letter is M, so turn off the left and right lamps, and turn on the middle lamp.
Looks like an upside down I.
The next set of letters is LR, M. That could mean first an upside down V, then an upside down I.
The last set of letters is M, LR. That would mean an upside down I, then an upside down V.
But what does it all mean?
The clue said 180 degrees. There were also roman numerals at the bottom.
Write down the shadow patterns exactly as you discovered them, then turn the page 180 degrees.
That leaves you with VI, IV, I, and V.
That's the Roman Numerals for 6 4 1 5, which is the code for the bottom desk drawer.
Back up from the close up of the lamps.
Click on the bottom drawer of the desk and enter the code from the TV and the lamps.
Stop! Hammer time! (sorry, couldn't resist)
Constructing a Way Out
Once you have the hammer, screwdriver, screws, hinges, and the doorknob, you have nearly everything you need to escape.
Turn left to look at the TV.
Hit the thing that says "break" underneath the TV twice with the hammer.
Cool, you now have two pieces of wood.
Turn left to look at the bookshelves.
Use the hammer on the bottom of the larger bookshelf (the one on the right) where it says "break".
Click on the resulting pile to get two more pieces of wood and a saw.
Pull up the long, thinner piece of wood from your inventory.
Use the saw to cut it into two even thinner pieces.
Remember the note from underneath the desk? You now have all the pieces needed to escape.
Follow the note's directions to build a doorway.
First, pull up the piece that looks like it has legs.
Use the two long thin pieces on this piece, you now have the beginning of a framework.
Use the other small piece on the top, you now have a complete frame.
Close down the frame, and bring up the large piece of wood that has a hole in it.
Use the doorknob on the large piece of wood.
Use the screws on the doorknob to screw it into place. Cool, a door.
Pull up the frame from your inventory and use the door on it.
Now place the hinges on the door.
Use the screws on the hinges and voila, you have a door!
But it's not complete yet!
Use the spray paint to paint the door.
You now have a pink door.
Getting Out
If you want to find all 5 ending scenes, save the game once the door is constructed.
Once the door is constructed, simply pull it up from your inventory and click on the doorknob to open it.
It will ask you if you want to exit, click on yes.
You are now out, enjoying one of 5 landscapes available.
To find the others, go back into the game, and face a different direction when opening the door. You can also open the door when you are in close up to the vent, the desk, the plant, and the TV.
Each ending is random, so just go around the room and go out the door several different times to see the 5 endings.
Posted by: grinnyp
|
March 24, 2010 10:24 AM