Serendipity in 2D
Serendipity. An attitude for making desirable discoveries by accident. It also adds a little more mystique to Sri Lanka, which was once called Serendip. And it's a pretty apt name for this little game, providing that someone will have to die in the process. Serendipity in 2D by Justin McKeon is an arty game, maybe even an experimental one. You view a hospital from the side, the walls cut away. With your far-reaching cursor you have to orchestrate chains of events that will ultimately lead to three things: someone being saved, someone finding love and someone dying.
This is not quite the same as ImmorTall, that sad tale of a visiting space alien exposed to humanity's best and worst. In that game you could alter events and get different outcomes. Serendipity isn't as inclined towards any real arty commentary, even though you might think so at first. After all, realising you can make someone die must have some symbolic implication...
No? No. Serendipity is more of a clever puzzle game. As mentioned, you need to achieve three things in the game and you will only accomplish that with the exact sequence of events. The only way to uncover them; trial and error. Extensive trial and error. Precision pixel hunting trial and error. As you click around, you will discover small sequences. Some of these are intentionally misleading, such as causing a pivotal character to leave too early. Maybe a character needs to be distracted at just the right time. Perhaps you are doing something at just the wrong time. These factors all play a role while you try and crack the full sequence (which is hardly a minute long).
What's the point? Entertainment for pedantic minutia sniffers? Probably, but that means I am one of them, poking around the screen to find the golden way to life, death and love. Serendipity In 2D will cause frustration and howls of disbelief (especially on one bit where timing is almost more luck than skill), but it is well worth it when you figure it all out. Nope, no prize (apart from a romantic evening), but you get the satisfaction of knowing that you figured it out. If that won't do it for you, maybe sidestep this game. But then you won't find life, death and love for the little characters.
Walkthrough Guide
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Walkthrough:
1.
The doctor in the top left needs nuts, not soda. He'll watch TV for awhile.
2.
To the right is a mole. Click on it 3 times, then the steam gauge, then the mole again so it block the steam OPEN. This affects that pipe on the chimney.
3.
Break the TV antenna. Glasses guy walks off and leaves his trash. Dunno he goes.
4.
Call the helicopter (phone on the right at the desk). When a guy emerges and shouts at the suicidal guy, click on the steam pipe on the roof as he waves his hands in the air. Rescuer is now hanging on to the edge of the roof. Click on the left cloud and then suicide guy. He saves the guy from the helicopter. LIFE SAVED.
5.
Click on the bottom elevator. The nurse is now taking care of twins on floor 3. Click on the guy on the right of the third floor. He will go into cardiac arrest and the nurse will rush for the defibrillator. Hit the switch in the basement as she picks it up. LIFE TAKEN. Nurse runs to 4th floor storage closet and cries.
6.
One the second floor are two guys drinking coffee. As the right one grabs the coffee pot, click the men's restroom on floor 1 and then coffee guy who drops the pot and leaves. Click on his friend who goes to the elevator. Click the elevator and the guy goes to the top floor operating room.
7.
At the desk, use the left phone to call the ambulance. Click on the remaining cloud until it zaps a house. The fire engine has to park in the grass because the ambulance is in the lot. Click the trees until the squirrel is in the right tree. Send the two trucks away. The squirrel is in the hospital and the guy on the couch hates rodents. Click the window the squirrel entered and then the squirrel. Sleeping guy wakes up and goes to elevator. Click elevator and he goes to 4th floor right room (coffee!)
8.
In the top floor operating room, click the medical box. Doctor shakes it and goes to 4th floor closet. He comforts the nurse and they go get coffee. LOVE FOUND.
Posted by: SkylerF
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November 29, 2010 9:14 PM
There are some things that MUST be done in order.
The nurse has to try to save the guy. If you kill the heart attack guy while the nurse is on the first floor, then she doesn't care.
Break the TV after the glasses guy sits down, but before the helicopter lands.
Jam the steam valve OPEN (not closed...) before calling the helicopter.
Click the windy cloud before the suicide guy saves helicopter guy, otherwise you lose your chance.
Burn the house after the ambulance arrives.
Wake up the guy on the couch before the surgeon comforts the nurse.
Those are the only ones I know of.
There are two things that are HARD to time right and one other is quite difficult.
the helicopter pilot's dash
the coffee pot breaking and the doctor leaving (otherwise he gets drafted into cleaning it up)
shutting off the power for the defibrillator
Posted by: SkylerF
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November 29, 2010 9:21 PM
Serendipity in 2D Walkthrough
Tips
The three people that need to live, die and find love are:
Live:
the guy on the roof;
Die:
the woman in the right-most hospital bed;
Love:
the female doctor and the male doctor (not the surgeon);
To kill the woman in the bed, turn the power off as the female doctor tries to use the defibulators.
To save the guy on the roof, you need to use the helicopter, the steam vent and one of the clouds.
To find love, you need to get the two doctors into the coffee shop. That means you need to get the coffee shop employee awake and back to his job. This involves the squirrel outside in the trees, the spectacled man with the bag of nuts, as well as the emergency vehicles (yes, there are two).
There is an ambulance, but you can also locate a fire engine.
The following are dud items: the mouse, fire hydrant, cupboards, microwave, two patients in the leftmost hospital beds, the coffee furnace in the shop, the TV, the clock, the x-ray and the soda machine.
The following items are useful: the mole, the switch for the steam boiler, the power switch, both call buttons by reception, the restroom door, the coffee jug on the 1st floor, the trees, the clouds, the Nuts vending machine, the antenna and the steam release pipe.
The coffee shop guy hates rodents.
A squirrel is a rodent.
The full sequence
Click on the Nuts vending machine.
Click on the top-floor elevator door to let the guy with the glasses use it.
Wait for the guy with the glasses to sit down and drop the nuts packet, then click on the antenna on the roof.
Keep an eye on the guy (1st floor) who keeps refilling his coffee. When he gets the coffee from the machine, click on it to make him drop it.
Just after this, click on the Restroom door (ground floor) to send the janitor there.
Click on the last man standing (1st floor). Click on the 1st floor elevator door to have him use it.
Click on the ground floor elevator so the female doctor can use it.
Click on the right-most patient. The female doctor will rush over to save her with the defibulators.
Hover over the power switch in the basement. Just as the female doctor gets the defibulator, turn off the power.
Click on the 3rd floor elevator so the female doctor can use it.
Click on the mole (outside, above the middle of the hill). Keep moving him down until he is over the steam switch.
Flick the switch, then click on the mole to sit on it.
Click on the right-hand switch located by reception.
Wait for the helicopter to land and for someone to spot the jumper on the roof. Click on the rooftop steam pipe as the rescuer rushes forward (this might take a few tries).
Click on the left cloud and then immediately click on the jumper.
Click on the left-hand switch by reception.
Click three times on the right-hand cloud.
Click on the left tree.
Click on the ambulance, then the firetruck.
Click on the first floor vent.
Click on the first floor elevator for the coffee shop employee.
Click on the first aid box in the surgery (4th floor).
Click on the 4th floor elevator.
Thanks, James, for the walkthrough!
Posted by: Mike
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December 1, 2010 12:22 PM