So you think you can handle yourself in a crisis. Little first-aid kit tucked away in your closet next to the Virtual Boy and the Bowflex? When's the last time you were forced to pilot your damaged spaceship into a brutal crash landing on an unknown planet while flames filled your vision? That's not something that happens every day, you know. Almost every day, but not every day. But the good news is Red Herring Games is here with a brand new point-and-click adventure game to show you just how to take care of yourself. Luckily, Morningstar is as entertaining as it is informative.
Slip into the spacesuit of Powell, one of the only survivors of the fiery crash. He swims into consciousness to the sound of his captain's voice crackling over the radio and promptly comes face-to-face with the body of one of his crew members. Well, I'm no space-expert (spacepert?), but it seems to me that that is rarely a good sign.
Morningstar is played through Powell's field of vision; the display looks like the view from inside a helmet, and you nudge your cursor to the sides of the screen to look around. If you can interact with something, appropriate text pops up as you pass over it. Click to pick up items, which will show up in your inventory at the bottom of the screen. The Menu button in the upper right lets you adjust the options or save your progress — important to remember since the game doesn't auto-save for you like other adventure games.
While Morningstar does a good job of flooding you with items early on, it also, surprisingly, does an even better job of showing you what to do with them. For much of the game, Powell can communicate with his captain at any time by pressing the Radio button. Captain Novak may not be the most cheerful person in the world, but he'll give Powell information at any time about his current objective and nudge him towards where he should be headed. While the game does provide a Walkthrough button, making use of the surly Captain feels much more realistic.
The puzzles here are refreshingly logical, if mostly short and to the point. If Novak isn't available or you're just tired of him griping at you, you can usually figure things out for yourself without much trouble. Paying attention to your environment and listening to what Powell says when you examine your items is often all you need.
Analysis: In all respects, Morningstar is a remarkable game. One of the things I respect most about it is its ability to shift tones naturally. Powell and Novak spend a lot of time barking at one another, and it can often be amusing to listen to the power struggle between them. The game also has its tense moments, and really knows how to handle atmosphere. Even with the taciturn Novak available by radio, the game still does a great job of making you feel isolated and alone when it wants to.
I have no trouble believing Red Herring Games found a genie at one point and wished to make the most incredible opening movie ever made for a flash game, which in this case is a wish well spent. The animation and artwork in this game is just gorgeous. The voice acting, of which there is an astounding amount, is also very well done, but there is an option for you to turn it off if you don't like it, or if you just prefer to make your own space opera sound-effects. Krrrrrsshkt! Neeeeeeeown! Danger, Will Robinson!
Morningstar had me rapt right from the opening sequence and never let go. It's a fantastic example of what can be done with the genre, and serves as a reminder that just because a game is free and casual doesn't mean it can't be a powerhouse in production value, too. If Red Herring Games continues to produce games of this quality, they've got a great future ahead of them. But what they've done right now is pretty darn incredible, too.
Walkthrough Guide
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Morningstar Walkthrough
Look left and click on the cargo containers to the right of the door leading to the cockpit. This will bring you to a close up view of the cargo containers.
Click on the wrench.
Click on the top most cargo container to get a doll with "advanced artificial intelligence batteries".
Use the wrench on the control panel (red light on the door frame just above the cargo containers).
Click off to the left to enter the cockpit.
Click on Captain Novak to get further instructions.
Click on the blue thing by Captain Novak's legs. This is a screwdriver.
Go back out to the cockpit main view, and back out to the corridor.
Look all the way to the right. You'll see another large bay door leading to the engine room.
Use the doll on the small black control panel just to the left of the door.
Enter the engine room.
Pick up the empty fuel cell from on top of the cabinets.
Click on the space between the cabinets (a hotspot tagline will pop up to let you know you have the right spot). You will get a refill for the glue gun.
Pick up the nanoadhesive applicator from the ground.
Click on the power conduit box.
Use the screwdriver on the loose panel.
Now use the wrench on the previously loose panel.
Return to the main engine room view.
Return to the main corridor.
Go up to the ladder to the medical room.
Click on the panel just to the right of the exit back to the main corridor. This is access to the life support system.
Use the screwdriver to open the panel.
Use the wrench on the pipe.
Take the insulation. Return to the main medical room view.
Click on the first aid box.
Click on it again to open it. Take the syringe and return to the main medical room view.
That's all we can do in here for now. Head down to the main corridor, and down into the cargo bay.
Click on the top cargo container to the left of the containers blocking your path to get the firecracker.
Use the syringe on the barrel of nanoglue (right by the cargo container with the firecracker).
Head back up to the main corridor and into the cockpit.
Click on the fancy screens. Click on the leftmost one to turn it on and trigger a dialogue sequence.
Click on the "on" portion of the touch screen across from "ventilation". This will turn off the ventilator so we can go investigate it.
Use the syringe on Captain Novak to get the large steel bar that was stuck in him (ick).
Note: from here on in, I will truncate directions so that I will only tell you which room to go to instead of the path to get there.
Go to the medical room.
Click on the ventilator.
Click on the used carbon filter to take it out.
On the computer monitor, click on the portion that says "hibernation control"
Click on the glass container by the analyzer.
Go to the main corridor.
Click on the now opened hibernation chamber. Use the glass on the hibernation liquid.
Use the wrench on the hibernation tubing where it connects to the hibernation chamber. Get the piece of tubing and click again in the connection to get the wires.
Go back up to the medical room and use the glass with the hibernation fluid on the analyzer.
Go to the cargo bay and use the steel rod on the cargo containers blocking your path.
Click on the loading area.
Pick up the beer.
Click on the cargo container there to get a gas mask.
Use the electric wires you got from the hibernation chamber on the control panel for the loading dock doors.
Use the gas mask with the tubing from the hibernation chamber.
Use the insulation foil with the modified gas mask to make a (hopefully temporary) replacement for the carbon filter. Go to the medical room.
Click on the ventilation and use the gas mask in the same spot where the CO2 filter was. Go to the cockpit.
Click on the left fancy screen and turn the ventilation back on. Go to the main corridor.
Look at the hibernation chamber again. Use the beer on the drain.
Use the applicator with the glue gun. Go to the cargo bay.
Use the glue gun on the barrel of glue to fill it up.
Go to the loading dock and look off to the right until you see a hotspot that tells you to examine the hull. Click on it to locate the hull breech.
Use the glue gun on the hull breech. Go to the medical room.
Click on the panel and use the glue gun on the hull breech. Go to the cockpit.
All the way off to the left there is a section of the wall that has you examine the hull again. Click, find the hull breech, and use the glue gun on it. Go back to the loading dock.
Use the control panel and exit the ship after the dialogue.
Off to the right you can go to the desert, do that. This brings up a map, go to the military cruiser wreck.
Click on the cargo crate to get the insecticide.
Click on the sand by the weird stone heads. You'll discover this contains saltpeter. Click on the saltpeter to pick some up.
Use the saltpeter on the used carbon filter.
Use the insecticide on the used carbon filter.
Use the gun powder (co2 filter) with the huge pillar behind the weird heads.
Use the firecracker on the huge stone pillar. Now you can walk over the gorge by click above the pillar.
Scroll all the way over to the right to walk back to the desert. Once back to the map, click on the military cruiser wreck (again).
Click on the windows of the cruiser to enter the cockpit.
Click on the skeleton to get a passcard.
Just above the skeleton there's an energy cable, pick it up.
Leave the ship and head out to the gorge again. Walk over to the other side and use the steel cable you got from the military cockpit on the pylon.
Go down to the ledge.
Click on the corpse to get a shovel head.
Click on the cargo container to get the copper wire. Return to the military cruiser wreck and go inside the cockpit.
Go to the hibernation room.
Click on the locker (note: the well lit one in the center of your view).
Use the passcard on the card slot.
Get the rifle and go back to the cockpit.
Go down the ladder just off to the right of the hibernation chamber entrance.
To the left is a door. Use the particle rifle on the control panel to the right of the door.
Use the steel rod on the door.
Go through the door.
Click on the left engine to get a closer look.
To the right of the corpse is an access panel. Use the screwdriver on the panel to open it.
Click on the opened panel to get the plasma injector.
Click on the corpse to get his log. Click on the log in your inventory to read it.
After reading the log you'll notice that a new location has appeared on your satmap. Camp. Leave the military cruiser and go to the camp.
Click the third corpse from the right to get Rosso's log. Read it.
Click on the left most corpse to get Coulter's passcard.
Click on the left most tent to get a tent pole.
Click on the other tent. In the close up view pick up the rope. Now return to the main view of the camp.
Click on the big bolder in the middle (hot spot tagline is "look behind big bolder").
Use the steel pipe in your inventory on the shovel head in your inventory to make a shovel.
Use the shovel on the grave.
Click on the corpse twice to get a taser and a broken PDA. Head back to the military cruiser.
Go to the hibernation room and this time look at the lockers off to the left.
Use Coulter's passcard on the card slot to open Coulter's locker.
Search the dark locker twice to get a Buddha and a rusted picture frame. Go back to the camp.
Use the Buddha statue on the steel rod to make a crowbar. Use the crowbar on the smashed up cargo container to get the walkie talkie.
Use the PDA on the walkie talkie and then use the tent pole on the walkie talkie. Open up the satmap view.
Use the long range scanner on the portion of the map that is labeled unknown when you hover over it (it looks like a crater). You now have a new location to go to, the crater. Go to it.
Just to the right of the main view there is a "wreckage" hotspot. Go there.
Click on the corpse to get his passcard.
Click on the "wreckage" (the giant metal thing on top of the corpse) to get detonation charges. Return to the Armstrong.
Go to the hibernation chamber and go to the dark lockers on the right.
Use Dertl's passcard on the remaining cardslot.
Search the locker to get an empty plasma flare.
Use the plasma injector on the plasma flare. Go to the gorge.
Go down to the ledge. To the right of the corpse there is a big boulder. Use the rope on the boulder.
Use the recharged plasma flare on the bottom of the gorge hotspot. Now go down to the bottom of the gorge.
Click on the corpse to get a countdown watch. Now go to the crater and click on the wreckage.
Use the taser on the detonation charge, and then use the wristwatch on the modified detonation charge.
Use the breech detonation charge on the huge door.
Go inside the door.
After the dialogue look off to the left. There is a door, go through it.
Before you is an automated star map. This is the galaxy view with individual solar systems that are accessible by a single click. You need to find the solar system that represents our own. Ours is far off to the right but once you have found it, it is unmistakable. Make a note of the alien markings that are in the upper left hand corner of the star chart. Return to the main room.
Now enter the door on the right.
There is a door on the right. Enter the code from the starmap.
The proper code will be: sideways L, sideways E, squat T.
Go to the storage chambers.
Click on the suit below the skeleton to get another log.
Return to the starmap.
Look for the solar system with one planet. It's just to the right of center of the map. Note the markings again (CTM is a good approximation).
Return to the storage room and enter the code into the control panel.
Go to the newly opened chamber.
Use the glass on the green goo.
Examine the device once the green goo is gone.
Take note of the alien markings there (sideways C, sideways 1, sideways L)
Also make a note of the alien markings above the capsules. Sideways F, then T is above those capsules you have turned off. Also look off to the side a bit. You'll notice that the on code is F-.
Return to the generator room.
Walk to the end of the walkway and look at the energy cable. There are more alien letters on it. (MMC).
To turn off the generator you will need to enter the following code: M, M, C, sideways F, T. This combines the code from the energy cable with the off code from the capsules.
With the power shutdown, you now need a transformer. Take the copper wire and use it on the rusted frame.
Use the transformer on the cable end just to the left of the control panel. Now use the empty power cell on the transformer.
Turn the generator back on using the code MMC, sideways F, -.
Turn the generator back off using the same code you used last time to turn it off, and get the charged energy cell.
Now to turn off the gravity. Remember the code from the alien's capsule? Enter that and the off code into the control panel. Sideways C, Sideways 1, Sideways L, sideways F, T.
Use your particle rifle on the energy cell.
Use the particle rifle on the floating crystal.
Return to the generator room main view and attempt to leave.
Use the particle rifle on the stone head.
Exit the generator room.
Enter the ship. Go to the engine room.
Use the fuel cell on the main reactor.
Use the plasma injector on the middle engine. Go to the medical room.
Go to the desk and use the glass of green goo on the analyzer.
Go to the cockpit.
This time click on the right fancy panel and click on the words saying "Initiate Launch Sequence."
Enjoy your ending movie!
Hope this helped!
Posted by: Kyle E. Moore
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May 7, 2009 10:54 AM