This week's Weekday Escape is definitely on the light side. Considering how hot it has been this summer (for those of us in the northern hemisphere), perhaps heavier, meatier fare should wait until temperatures drop below 90 degrees. I know some of you out there are protesting, "but I like summer!" Well, heat = bad. More people die from heat in the US in any given year than all other natural disasters combined. And if you've ever suffered through a bad summer in a small apartment or condo with no air conditioning, you know how terrible it can be. It's especially tough on pets, because it is harder for them to cool down. What can pets do to cool off? Coincidentally, this week's room escape features two pets who try to figure it out. Yes, Wan and Nyan, the jumping dog and punching cat are back in Cogito Ergo Sum's Hot Escape.
Last seen in A Cold Escape, poor Wan and Nyan just want to take a nap, but it's too darn hot. And unfortunately, turning on the AC (of course cats can turn on the AC) blows the main breaker, leaving the poor pets without electricity of any kind, even the shopping channel that they were sleeping to (what, it's the only way to watch a shopping channel). It's so hot in the apartment that they appear to have temporarily lost their jumping and punching powers, leaving the casual gamer to sort that out along with everything else. Navigate the small space, solve some puzzles, use some found objects, and soon Wan and Nyan will be their old cheerful selves again. They'll be even happier if you can find the second, happy ending to this adorable little point-and-click adventure.
Despite the lack of a changing cursor, objects in Hot Escape are easy to spot and easy to pick up. Inventory control is accomplished with one click (use an object) or two (look at an object in close up). Navigation is a breeze as there are handy arrows at the edges of the screen to let you know where you can turn. There's even a save button and a mute button to help, although most room escape fanatics should be out before they need to use them. And since there are two different escapes, it's nice that the game has a retry function, which allows the gamer to go back to the point of decision and try something different to get that different ending.
Okay, so Hot Escape is not the Einstein of room escapes. What it lacks in depth of puzzles it makes up for in sheer charm. The cutesy pastel cartoon backgrounds, the lovable pets, the amusing "Engrish" translation, all of it fuses together with some decent logic and puzzle solving to create a delightful little confection, perfect escaping happiness even if it is for a very short time. For those suffering from the heat, it is a light snack that doesn't weigh down. And if you're in the southern hemisphere where it's winter, well, there's still a lot of fun to be had with Wan and Nyan. Does it feel hot in here to you? Then get ready to escape the heat!
Walkthrough Guide
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Walkthrough
It is very hot day, and we needs to turn air conditioner on.
Sadly, the electricity is off.
OK. Don't be sad, you guys.
The way to solve this problem probably exists...
- This is Normal Ending walkthrough.
- Nyan is cat's name, and Wan is dog's name.
[Sofa Scene]
Let's start from the sofa. Lift the pillow, and you'll found a button. You see, PIG button...
Oh, wait. There is a photo behind the pillow.
It says Yurakucho... I think it is a station name.
[Turn left - Door Scene]
There is a door, distribution board, and four pink slots.
Ok. Open the door.
Yeah, I know. I expected it won't open. But let's try once more.
Maybe we can open it this time.
Whoa?! Something felt down!
Oh, that's another button. It says EGG.
...And the door doesn't open. Sorry for forcing you.
[Turn Left again - TV scene]
There is a panel under the TV.
Koala, Mickey, Panda, Monkey..
It seems we have nothing to do here now.
[Turn Left - Drawer scene]
Let's look at the drawer.
Hmm.. There are 2 boxes and 3 books.
First, upper side book.
It has a photo, and a clue.
Green box on the left page.
Red, Green, Blue, Yellow. I think we have to remember this.
And, three photograph? Maybe we missed one.
Second, lower left side.
This is Nyan's Skill book, but we don't have a key.
The last, lower right.
This one has a clue too.
Eucalypt, Banana, Banana, Bamboo, Cheese.
Ah, wait. Which animal eats eucalypt?
Right. Koala. We saw koala already.
Let's go to the TV scene again.
[TV Scene]
OK, we are back. See the panel.
The 'Food' Order was this.
Eucalypt - Banana - Banana - Bamboo - Cheese
Koala eats eucalypt.
Monkey loves banana.
Panda eats bamboo.
Mouse likes cheese.
So the 'Animal' Order is this.
Koala - Monkey - Monkey - Panda - Mouse
If you click the right order, the panel will take off.
Yeah, the OIL button. Take it.
Wait. Why the panel remains?
Is that hiding something? Let's check.
Gotcha. Four letters were written its behind.
...OPEN?
Now turn around. A picture was above the sofa.
[Sofa Scene]
Click the picture.
Oh, I found 3rd photo! Finally they got together.
OK. Again Puzzle Time.
We have three photographs. And they all show us station names.
1. Gotanda - Osaki - Shinagawa
2. Shimbashi - Yurakucho - Tokyo
3. Tokyo - Kanda - Akihabara
If you quote only first letters, then it will be like this.
1. G - O - S
2. S - Y - T
3. T - K - A
Got it? Now we just need to find this order in the picture.
This is the result.
1. G - Red spot - S
2. S - Yellow spot - T
3. T - Green spot - Blue spot
So,
Red = O Yellow = Y Green = K Blue = A
And, remember the color order?
It was
Red, Green, Blue, Yellow.
So, the answer is
OKAY.
Now we got a password for green box. Turn right.
[Drawer Scene]
Ok. Click the green box and put the password we got.
YAY, Wan's Skill Book!
Now we can reach high place. Turn left.
[Sofa Scene]
See? There is a red key.
Select Wan and click the key.
When you get it, turn right.
[Drawer Scene]
Good. Since we have red key, maybe we can unlock Nyan's Skill Book.
Red key opens Red book. Simple logic, isn't it?
Got the skill?
Then go back one screen, and punch the door.
Doing that, you could get last NAIL button there.
Now go to the door scene.
[Door Scene]
OK, four slots. We have to put the buttons in the right order.
Remember the panel.
'OPEN' was behind that.
And what are the buttons saying?
PIG, NAIL, OIL, EGG
So, I think you got this puzzle now.
This is same as station-color puzzle.
When you put all buttons right, you'll get Mixed Skill.
Go back a screen, and use mixed skill to the distribution board!
Good Job! The electricity is now on!
Now turn left, see upper side, and use remote to air conditioner.
Happy and Cool Summer!
Posted by: Darkmint | August 25, 2010 3:22 AM
Hot Escape Walkthrough
General Information
Some things can only be done with the help of your animal companions, so you need to get their abilities back.
There is a color based puzzle, so there will be directions for the colorblind in the walkthrough.
Items in your inventory can be examined with a double-click of the mouse.
Enjoy!
Exploration
You start with the air conditioner remote control in close up. Simply click outside the green box to close it into your inventory.
Now you're looking at a sofa, with a picture on the wall behind it. Notice the pink key hanging from the ceiling? Pity that Wan can't jump, he could fetch it for you.
Click on the pillow on the sofa and take the object revealed (pig wooden coin).
While the pillow is still raised, click on it to turn it around and take the object from the back side (Yurakucho train ticket).
Click on the picture on the wall for a close up.
If you've ever ridden a subway you will recognize the picture, it's a station map. Each station is either denoted by a single letter or a colored dot.
Hey, there's something stuck behind the picture, in the upper left corner! Take the item (Osaki train ticket).
Back up.
Turn left.
Now you're facing a wall where the main breaker is. Unfortunately, you can't reach it. Underneath the breaker box are 4 circles, but you can't do anything with them right now.
Click on the door a couple of times to shake loose the object stuck in the top of the doorway and take the object (egg wooden coin).
Not much else to do here, so turn left.
Now you're facing the television, which is no longer working.
Notice that there's an arrow going up from the television. Click on it and you can see the non-functioning air conditioner.
Click on the picture below the TV for a close up. Notice that the picture has a koala bear, a mouse, a monkey, and a panda on each of the corners.
We don't know what to do with the picture yet, so back up and turn left.
Now you're facing some glass doors to the outside, and a small bookcase to the left.
If you click on the handle of the glass doors you will find that it is stuck. Pity the cat can't punch right now.
Click on the bookcase for a close up.
Okay, on the top shelf we have a green box that we can't even look at until we find a hint.
Also on the top shelf is a book. Click on the book for a close up.
When the book is in close up click on it again to open it. Take the ticket revealed (Kanda train ticket).
The book seems to indicate that it is a hint for the green box. It says "Three photographs" (presumably, the train tickets) and there are 4 colored dots, red, green, blue, and yellow.
Close down the book and look at the lower shelf.
On the left is a pink book. Pick it up and you will see that it is locked. It appears to be a skill book for Nyan (the cat).
There's a box that says "happy" on it, but we can't pick it up right now.
To the right of the box is another book. Pick it up and open it.
This one appears to be another hint, and it lists, in numerical order, eucalypt, banana, banana, bamboo, cheese.
Close down the book, back up and turn left.
Back at the sofa again.
Time to solve some puzzles!
The Train Ticket Puzzle
Click on the route map picture above the sofa for a close up.
Now click on the top left ticket in your inventory, the one for Osaki station.
Notice that Osaki station appears to be between Gotanda and Shinagawa.
Close down the ticket and look closely at the map.
Notice that the line appears to run in a circle counterclockwise, as indicated by the arrow.
I wonder how the tickets apply to the line?
Notice that each station is either indicated by a capital letter or a colored dot.
Look for a G and an S station, you will find them at the bottom of the track, separated by a red dot.
Since the Osaki station is between the Gotanda and Shinagawa station, we can assume that the red dot represents the Osaki station.
Now look at the ticket in the upper right of your inventory.
The Yurakucho station appears to be between the Shimbashi and Tokyo stations.
Look for an S and T stations separated by a dot, and you will find that Yurakucho is represented by the yellow dot.
Now look at the last ticket in your inventory, the Kanda ticket.
Kanda appears to be between Tokyo and Akihibara.
Look at the map. There's a T for Tokyo, followed by two colored dots.
That would indicate that Kanda, the station right after Tokyo, is represented by the green dot, and Akihibara, which is after Kanda, is the blue dot.
Once you've figured out the code, back up and turn right.
Now that you're facing the glass doors/bookcase, click on the bookcase for a close up.
Click on the box on the top shelf for a close up.
Now you can see that the box needs a four letter code.
Remember the clue in the book? The colored dots were red, green, blue, and yellow.
Take the first letter of each station, and put it in order of its color.
Red was Osaki station.
Green was Kanda station.
Blue was Akihibara station.
Yellow was Yurakucho station.
This would indicate that the code is OKAY.
Put in the code in the box and click the button underneath the letters.
In the box you will find a book. Click on the book.
Why, it's Wan's skill book! Click on the book to open it and Wan's icon will appear in your inventory.
Back up and turn left.
Activating Nyan's power (the cat)
You should now be facing the sofa.
Use the dog icon in your inventory on the pink key and he will fetch it for you.
Turn right.
Click on the bookcase for a close up, click on the pink book, and use the key to open the book.
Once you've opened the book, Nyan (the cat) will appear in your inventory.
Back up and turn right.
Solving the Animal Picture
You should now be facing the TV.
Click on the picture below the TV for a close up.
Somehow we need to get this picture off of the wall.
Remember the clue in the book? The one that listed eucalypt, banana, banana, bamboo, cheese?
The words represent what the animals on each corner eat.
Thus the order to click on the picture corners is koala, monkey, monkey, panda, mouse.
Or upper left, lower right, lower right, lower left, and upper right.
The picture comes off and you will find another wooden coin (oil) in the alcove.
Back up.
Click on the picture to pick it up and click on it again to turn it over.
It has the word OPEN, each letter in a circle.
Close down the picture and turn left.
Regular Escape
You should now be facing the glass doors.
Now that the cat has his powers, use the cat icon on the door handle to loosen it.
Click on the "open" arrow to open the door and take the wooden coin (nail).
Back up and turn right twice, until you are facing the main breaker.
Click on the four holes in the wall beneath the breaker for a close up.
Remember the clue from the back of the picture?
Place the 4 wooden coins in the wall to spell the word OPEN, so oil, pig, egg, and nail.
This opens a niche in the wall with a book in it. Click on the book to pull it out and click again to open it.
You have now figured out how to combine Wan and Nyan's powers.
Back up once.
Click on the combined Wan/Nyan icon in your inventory and use it on the main breaker switch above.
Power's on! Turn left.
You should now be facing the TV. Click on the up arrow to look at the air conditioner.
Use the remote on the air conditioner to turn it on. If it asks you to push cool click yes.
Cool at last!
Happy Escape
Follow the regular escape until you turn to face the TV.
Notice that the TV has come back on, and the guy on the TV is saying HCDS.
Turn left to face the glass doors/bookcase and click on the bookcase for a close up.
Click on the "Happy" box on the lower shelf for a close up and notice that it needs a code that is card suits.
The clue from the TV is HCDS, which stands for hearts, clubs, diamonds, and spades. Enter the code into the box and click the button below the code.
Take the two outfits from the box, back up, and turn right.
Now click on the up arrow to see the air conditioner and use the remote on the air conditioner. Reply "yes" to the question.
Enjoy the fireworks!
Posted by: grinnyp
|
August 25, 2010 3:40 AM