I've always wondered, what exactly is the history of the room escape genre? Did it exist even before Flash software made it popular? How long ago did people lock one another in rooms filled with puzzles that had to be solved in order to get out? Did the ancient Egyptians have such rooms to escape? How about the folks of the Renaissance, did they—
Okay, okay, fine, I'll skip the history lesson. You just want the game, don't you. All right, you've got it. Sheesh, you people are complete one-track minds when it comes to JIG.
Modern Mystery is the escape game of the week this time around. It's another little starlet from Abroy, the creators of the similarly titled Masonic Mystery.
The game, naturally, begins with you trapped in a rather comfy lounge-like room. It's nicely furnished—a bit of abstract art on the walls, a potted plant, two leather chairs, a laptop computer—but you still want out by any means. Go around collecting objects, putting clues together, and solving puzzles in order to collect more objects, hopefully at some point getting one or both of those doors open and terminating your confinement.
Analysis: So it's another Abroy game. Is that good or bad? It depends a lot on your tastes. On the one hand, the graphics are very good, there's less pixel-hunting than in Masonic, and the puzzles make a fair amount of sense. On the other hand, there's no changing cursor, and a few areas can really trip you up. My advice: if it looks like something should work but it doesn't, try combining it with another clue from elsewhere.
Overall, if you don't mind a few flaws, Modern Mystery is a journey worth taking. So get in there and get out of there!
Walkthrough Guide
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Walkthrough for Modern Mystery
General Information
When unlocking things, enter the code, then try the handle. There is no indication that you've entered the correct code until you try to open the door.
This walkthrough includes instructions for the colorblind. The color puzzle resets itself every time you exit it and reopen it, so not to worry if you make a mistake.
Several of the places where you need to use an item on something in the room have very very finicky bounding boxes. Just keep trying, and maybe move the mouse just a tiny bit.
Looking around and gathering things
Armchairs Screen
Click on the potted plant on the left to pick up a PLATE. The inventory tells us this is one of nine. Good to know. Back out.
The table has a locked drawer. Nothing else to see here.
Click on the shelves to the left to get another PLATE
Not much else to do here so turn right
Door Screen
Not much to see here -- just a big orange square on the door. Turn right
Desk Screen
Click on the plant and pick up the PLATE behind the pot. Back out.
Zoom in on the pictures on the wall and note them.
The left picture has a row of five colored squares on the bottom. The right picture has the letters E and F outlining the blocks of color.
Click on the desk. Pick up the PLATE on top of the books. Cute drawing -- wonder whose kid made it?
The drawer has a color combination. Unfortunately, the colors on the bottom of the painting don't work.
That's all she wrote, so turn right
Computer Screen
Go ahead and open the top right and bottom left cabinets to get two PLATES. Zoom out, then click on the speaker to collect a BOWL and a PLATE.
There's also a computer on this screen, which we can't do anything with yet, and a sculpture thingy with a key stuck inside. Nothing else is out in the open so now it's time to solve some puzzles
Locations of the nine tiles
Behind the potted plant to the left of the chair
Between the armchair and brown shelves
Behind the potted plant next to the desk
On top of the books on the desk
Top right cabinet
Bottom left cabinet
On top of the cabinets, by the speaker
Top left cabinet
Bottom right cabinet
Opening Things
The Top Left Cabinet
The lock wants a four shape code.
Where have you seen four shapes in this room?
Maybe the drawing of the sun, house and path?
Enter the shapes from left to right as they appeared on the note from top to bottom
Circle, Triangle, Square, tall skinny rectangle.
Take the PLATE and USB FLASH
Use the USB FLASH on the computer. You must click on the USB slot on the front right of the computer, and the game is finicky about location, so if it doesn't work the first time, try try again.
The Bottom Right Cabinet
The cabinet requires a five-letter combination.
Where have you seen a string of five letters
The clue is from the computer, which says ERROR
But that doesn't work. Why not?
Where else have you seen letters?
The painting clues you to move each letter forward one E->F, R->S and so on.
FSSPS
Take the VALVE and PLATE
The Orange Door
Use the PLATES on the orange square on the door.
Click on a tile, then on a second tile to swap their positions
See screenshot if you need help solving the puzzle:
http://img815.imageshack.us/img815/3158/modernmystery.jpg
Open the door
Looking around - Part 2
The Second Room
There is what appears to be a fountain in the second room, but there is no water.
Use the VALVE on the fountain.
Use the BOWL on the water.
Note the tiles on the wall behind the fountain. The one in the center looks different, but we can't remove it right now.
Exit the room
The Computer Screen
Zoom in on the weird statue thing. It seems to be made of tubes.
Use the BOWL of water on the top left branch of the statue. Again, the bounding boxes are finicky, so keep trying.
Take the KEY
Use the KEY on the drawer on the armchairs screen and take the TROWEL
Opening Things - Part 2
The Color Code Drawer
We have this trowel. Where might we use it?
Go to the second room and use the TROWEL on the odd tile behind the fountain.
Go to the desk screen, and use the tile on the left painting.
The tile has filtered the color of the boxes on the bottom of the painting.
The new colors are ORANGE, BLUE, YELLOW, GREEN, RED
Click the buttons 2, 4, 1, 5, and 3 times, in that order, to enter the code correctly.
Take the CARD
The End
Use the CARD on the door to exit.
Posted by: MmeTurbulence
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November 24, 2010 2:00 AM