Stamp Rally Escape 2
To get along like cats and dogs is a very old cliché in the English language, and for a good reason. Sure, there are some households where they might get along okay, but for the most part cats and dogs are polar opposites in actions and personalities. Where dogs are friendly, cats are aloof. Where dogs crave attention, cats are...aloof. Where dogs are loyal, you just know that cats are plotting something, something terribly evil. However, in the case of Wan and Nyan, the jumping dog and punching cat of Cogito Ergo Sum's Stamp Rally Escape 2, they are both plotting something. Perhaps even something evil. Or they are just plotting to get a grand prize, either way, in this amusing room escape sequel to Stamp Rally Escape 1.
Wan and Nyan must once again travel to an undisclosed location (chosen by the mysterious RIDLRIDL organization) guided only by a springing mailbox, and search high and low for those darn green stamps which supposedly will lead to a great present. Finding the stamps is more difficult this time around as the puzzles have ramped up a tad in this the second go round for these intrepid pets. As usual there are navigation arrows to guide you around the room and in the course of the game you must at least once find and use Wan and Nyan's talents for jumping or punching (accomplished with the use of handy training books) to solve your way out. There will be some pixel hunting, but nothing too difficult and there's always the handy save button if you want to take a break and come back later. Find all ten stamps, mail them to the aforementioned RIDLRIDL, collect your second gold stamp, then sit back and wait for the grand finale. Or wait until the third game comes out, whichever comes first.
The second part in a planned three part epic, Stamp Rally Escape 2 continues Wan and Nyan's efforts to collect a bunch of green stamps, in order to trade in for gold stamps, in order to trade in for...you know, they keep saying a cool present, but you just know it'll turn out to be some cheap advertising gimmick that is worthless or falls apart in minutes. Just you watch. At any rate, this is the standard point-and-click room escape with simple navigation and the ability to click on items to pick them up or examine them. Word puzzles, math puzzles, color puzzles, and skill puzzles await the intrepid gamer in this charming little escape, as well as yet another cameo appearance of the tachikoma robots from the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex anime.
Analysis: Cogito Ergo Sum's escapes have always been on the whimsical side, but now with both the expressive animals and the strange inclusion of the tachikoma robots, these puzzles are approaching Minoto levels of weirdness. Seriously, what are AI combat robots from a dystopian future doing hanging around these locked room mysteries? Is there not enough cybercrime in 2030 Tokyo that they have the leisure to wander around handing out stamps and performing minor furniture repair? And who are these RIDLRIDL people who employ them, and who have time to devise single exit room escapes for a pair of pets?
A nice mix of logic, use of found objects, and strangeness make Stamp Rally Escape 2 a worthy sequel to the first Stamp Rally Escape. Judging by the increasing difficulty of the puzzles the unseen RIDLRIDL (or Cogito Ergo Sum) are working towards something that will challenge Wan and Nyan to their very limits, will drive them further and further into the unknown of puzzle solving, will tax every cell in their bodies as they strive for the elusive prize at the end. Or, you know, wear them out so they spend the entire next day sleeping, like real cats and dogs tend to do when they're not trying to kill each other. Or their owners.
Walkthrough Guide
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STAMP RALLY ESCAPE 2 WALKTHROUGH
Intro
Poor Post...Nyan didn't even give him time to say hello! Seems he's as eager to get that extravagant reward as we are! So what are we waiting for? Leeeet's GOOOOOOO!!
Facing Window
Well, right off the bat we got a Stamp Card and Stamp 1! 2 freebies right off the bat, but that's no fun...let's check the room out and see if we can find the other 9, shall we?
First, let's check out the couch...there's always something hidden under them in escape games, right?
Eh? Nothing? ...Oh, ehehehe, silly me...did I say "under them?" I meant to say "in the seat cushions"...
..!? Still nothing!? What in the world....hmm...maybe the back cushions?
Ah! Stamp 3! See? TOLD you there was something here. (Hehe, heh...*sweatdrop*)
Okay, now let's check the bookcase...
Oof! Urf! ...Huh. Can't get them out of there. Well, that's no good. (Who packs books this tight, honestly?)
Anyway, let's check the plant....hmm....yep, it's a plant alright. Nothing to do here, though, with how overgrown it is.
Anyway, let's go right and see what else is here.
Facing Calendar
Hm. Bit of stuff over here...a calendar, a small shelf, and..oo! An owl!
Huh. A calendar with Nyan and Wan on it...let's have a look!
Umm, it's a little past November now...let's roll this page up and get it up to January, shall we?
Oh, a code of some sort! Hmm...and the picture shows our friends next to an open blue box, like the one on the shelf...maybe it's a clue?
Well, let's leave that for later...what's this thing next to the cale--
*CLICK* Ah. Light switch. Oh hey, that owl woke up...dunno what to do with him, though. Let's get some light back in here for now. *CLICK*
Moving over a little further, I see something up on the ceiling...can't reach, though. Let's move on to the shelves here...
Think maybe they hid something behind it?
*peeks behind left side* Hello, Stamp 4!
Maybe there's another Stamp in the plant?
No, but there's a green note under it...maybe it's a clue to the green chest? "PUSH Opposites" huh? Hmm...
Well, let's find out.
Yeah, it says "PUSH" on top...looks like we can change the letters.
But what's the opposite of "PUSH?"
Why, "PULL" of course!
Hey, we got Wan's Jump skill! ....Again....honestly, how can that dog keep forgetting this?
Well, Wan can jump now, so let's check that thing on the ceiling out!
Hey, a movie screen, with some writing on it! Something about that owl?
Well, as long as the screen's down, maybe we can watch a movie? Can't really watch a movie with the lights on, though...
*CLICK* Oh wow! Some letters are lit up! "RLLRL"....Maybe it's something to do with the owl? Well, only one way to find out!
Let's see what our little owl buddy does when he's awake...
Hm. Clicking him seems to make his left or right wing pop up, depending on which side of him we click.
That clue on the screen....maybe R and L mean Right and Left?
So...Right wing, Left wing, Left wing, Right wing, Lef--OH! Awww, he flew away...
Oh, but he brought back Stamp 5! Yaay! :D
Alright, let's check out that blue box...
Hm, 4 numbers. What was that clue on the calendar again?
{3, 21} for the first 2, and {1, 14} for the last 2....uhhh....hmmm...
Well, 21 and 14 aren't 1-digit numbers, that's for sure....maybe it's just some simple math? Let's try subtraction first....that gives us 1813 for a combo.
**RAZZZ** Hmm, no good...maybe addition? That'd be...what, 2415?
**DINGDINGDING!** Aha! It's open! Time to claim our new Stam---uhh, I mean garden shears. (Drat..)
Well, that takes care of this part of the room for now, I suppose! Let's move on to the right again.
Facing Ducks
Okay, got a boarded-up cabinet, a shelf with ducks on it, and a plant pot with a big ol' stick in it....
Hm? What's the green bottle on the cabinet?
"GROWING"...*snif* Ah, plant fertilizer. *puts lid back on very quickly*
Okay, now we've got a red box, and a note over it...
"LEFT" Blue ?'s plus Green ?'s = ...probably the combination for the red box.
Hmm...a horizontal line next to the blue, and a 90-degree angle by the green. There's an example on the bottom: H: Blue = 1, Green = 4....Oh!
I get it now! The blue number is how many horizontal lines are in the letter, and the green is how many corners there are! The ?'s must represent the numbers for the letters above them.
Okay, so...L has 1 line and 1 corner, E has 3 lines and 4 corners, F has 2 lines and 3 corners, and T has 1 line and 2 corners...
That'd make the equation "1321 + 1432".
Which would make the answer, and thus the combination to the red box, 2753.
Okay, let's try opening the red box now.
2...7...5...3...bingo! Another Skill Book! Now Nyan can punch things! ....again....what pet shop did we get these two from again? *sweatdrop*
Alright, let's take a look at the ducks.
Hmm, can't click on the ducks to make them do anyth--wait, what's that behind the "right" duck?
Aha! Stamp 7!
Anyway, can't do anything with any of the other things in this part of the room...let's keep going!
Facing Post
Oh, hello Post! Nice picture there, and a steel plate screwed to the wall.
Hmm...come to think of it, weren't you hiding one of the Stamps in the last Stamp Rally room, Post? You wouldn't be doing that again, would you?
*NYAN PUNCH!!!* ...Oh, I guess you would. There's Stamp 10! (Hmm...apparently these things weren't quite hidden in order...)
Well, the picture on the wall is nice, but we can't do anything with it...and without a screwdriver, we're not doing anything with that plate, either. Let's keep going!
Facing Window
Well, we've got garden shears, and we've got a plant that could use a trim...maybe there's a Stamp hidden in it?
*CLIPCLIPCLIP* Rats, no Stamp. Oh well, may as well take the bit we cut off.
Oh yeah, while we're here...Nyan, think you could get those books un-stuck?
Hmm...well, maybe a hit on the side will work?
*NYAN PUNCH!!!* ***CRASH!!*** ...That...was a little much, Nyan...*sweatdrop*
Hm. Something was behind the shelf.
Hmm...can't do anything with it yet, though.
Well, in the meantime, let's go clean those books up...who knows, maybe a Stamp came loose from them?
Facing Post
Wow, what a mess!
But hey, look there! Stamp 9 was in there after all!
Well, let's put these books away for now. No sense leaving them on the floor, after all.
Hm? This diagram in here looks like the thing behind where the bookcase was. And that writing..."LuRulLlRlRu"?
Well, I imagine the capital Ls and Rs still mean Left and Right, but the other letters...upper and lower, perhaps?
Well, let's check it out now that we've got a hint.
Facing Window
Let's check that box-thing out again.
Hey, it moves! ...Kinda wobbles around a bit, and seems to stick in the corners....
Oh, I know what this is! It's one of those "shove the corners" puzzles that a lot of room escape games have! You know, the ones you push the corners in the right order to knock a painting off the wall! ...Never did understand how those work...
Anyway, let's try getting it off of here. The writing in that book said "LuRuLlRlRu" ....if my hunch is right, that means the order on the corners is...
Upper Left, Upper Right, Lower Left, Lower Right, Upper Right.
Bingo!
Uhhh....okay, we've got a big, red, skull-shaped button.....do we really want to press this?
You do, huh? Well, here goes nothing, I guess....
BWAAAH! SPIDER! ...Oh, wait! That's one of those robots from the last Stamp Rally room. Takicho....Tachoka....Tanuki.....Oh, you know what they're called, the Ghost-in-the-Shell robots. Oh, and look! He's got Stamp 2! (I was wondering where that was!)
Well, that looks like all we can do here...but where to now?
Facing Ducks
Well, we still don't have a screwdriver, so we can't do anything on the wall by Post...
But hey, we do have a plant, some fertilizer, and a pot of soil! Maybe we can grow something?
Let's see...put the leaves in the soil, pour the fertilizer on the lea--EEP! Wow that grew quick!
Well, we've got a very nice plant here now....hey, what's that on the leaves?
Writing? That's odd...well, maybe it's a clue for something?
1: Up, 2: Long, 3, Yes, 4: High, 5: New, 6: In, 7: Left, 8: Start, 9: Push? Why does that seem so familiar...
Oh, wait! The ducks!
Those words are all the opposites of the words on their little signs! ...Oh, and we can click them now!
Hmm...maybe we need to click them in the order of the opposites that were listed? So that would be...
Down, Short, No, Low, Old, Out, Right, End, Pull.
Ahh! That Taka-whatever again! ...Oh, he's just pulling the boards off the cabinet! Yaay! (Man, those things weird me out!)
Well, we can open the cabinet now! Maybe there's a Stamp in there!
Yep! Stamp 6! Only 1 more to go! Oh, and look, a screwdriver!
Alright, now we can take care of that wall by Post!
Facing Post
Time to get our last Stamp!
Let's get that plate off the wall with our new screwdriver!
Yaaay, there's Stamp 8!
And that's the last one! :D
Going Home
Our Stamp Card is full, so let's give it to post and get back home!
Yaay, we now have 2 Golden Stamps! One more to go and we get our extravagant gift! (And Nyan can finally calm down!)
Posted by: An Onyx Mouse
|
January 12, 2011 1:53 AM
Stamp Rally Escape 2 Walkthrough
General Information
Remember to examine objects that you pick up, it can be helpful.
Look around furniture by clicking to the right or left, you can never tell what might be hiding there.
The walkthrough will include directions for the color blind.
Let's Collect!
Exploration
You begin the game with your stamp card, with stamp number 1 already filled in.
Close down the stamp card and you will find yourself facing an open window, with a couch on your right and a bookcase on the left.
There is also a decorative plant hanging above the couch.
You can click on the window for a close up, but there's nothing to see there.
Click on the bookcase and you will find that the books are packed too tightly.
Click to the right of the bookcase and you will see that behind it there is something on the wall, but you can't reach it. Back up from the close up.
Click on the right back couch cushion and it will lift up, revealing stamp number 3.
Close down the close up of your stamp card and turn right.
Now you're facing a corner with a calendar on the wall on the left. To the right are some shelves that hold a plant, a green box, a blue box, and an owl.
High above, near the ceiling, is a projector screen, but you can't reach it.
Just to the right of the calendar on the wall is a light switch. Click on it to turn the lights off, then turn them back on.
Click on the calendar for a close up.
Hmmm, the picture on the calendar is of Wan and Nyan and an open blue box. It also appears to be November.
Click on the calendar again and the page will lift, revealing a clue.
The clue is (3, 21) and (1, 14) positioned over four boxes.
Back up.
Click to the left of the shelving unit to see behind it and you will see stamp number 4.
Back up.
Click on the plant to raise it and you will find a green piece of paper. Take the paper.
While the paper is in close up click on it to open it and find the clue "PUSH" and Opposites.
Close down the paper.
Click on the owl for a close up and click on it again. It's sleeping.
Close down the owl and click on the green box (the one on the bottom left).
Looks like we need a four letter code for the green box.
Close down the green box and click on the blue box (the one on the bottom right, underneath the owl) for a close up.
Here we need a four digit number.
Close down the box and turn right.
Goody, lots of stuff to see here.
There's a cabinet, but the doors are sealed shut with wood across them.
On top of the cabinet is a pink box. Click on it for a close up.
Another four digit number is needed. Close down the box and click on the green bottle to the right of the box.
It appears to be a bottle of growing. I'm sure that will come in handy.
Above the pink box is a pink sheet of paper on the wall, click on it for a close up.
Okay, this...this will take some describing.
On the first line you have the word L E F T.
On the second line you have four blue question marks and an m-dash.
On the third line you have four green questions marks and the symbol for a right angle.
At the bottom you will find the letter H, m-dash = 1 in blue, and 90 degree angle = 4 in green.
Back up.
Click on the shelving unit to the right of the cabinet to find the same ducks as in Stamp Rally Escape 1.
Each duck is holding a word. Look closely at the duck on the bottom left of the shelves and you will see a stamp lurking just to the right of the duck. This is stamp number 7.
Back up from the close up of the ducks.
To the right is what looks like a planter with a large pole in it.
Nothing else to do here, so turn right.
Ah, it's our old friend the mail box. There is also a picture of Wan and Nyan on the wall.
To the left of the mail box is a small panel on the wall. If you look at it in close up you will see that it is "screwed".
Back up from the close up of the panel.
If you look at the picture in close up you will see that the game has one end.
Back up from the close up and turn right.
And you're back at the open window.
It's puzzle solving time!
The Blue Box
Turn right to face the calendar and the shelves.
The clue for the blue box is on the calendar. The hint is that the picture of Wan and Nyan on the calendar is them posed with an open blue box.
So the clue could be on the calendar itself, or it could be the mysterious writing on the under page.
The numbers are grouped in twos by parentheses, (3, 21) and (1, 14).
Add 3 and 21 (you get 24) and add 1 and 14 (you get 15). These are the four digits that will open the blue box, 2415.
Click on the blue box (it's the one underneath the owl) for a close up.
Enter the four digit code and click the large button underneath the code to open the box.
Take the object (garden shears) and close down the box.
The Green Box
Time to solve the green box.
The clue is on the green paper that you found underneath the plant.
That would be "PUSH" and Opposite.
The opposite of "push" is "pull"
The code for the green box is pull.
Enter the code into the green box and click the large button to open the box.
You have found Wan the dog's skill book. This enables him to jump high. You will notice that the dog is now in your inventory.
Close down the green box.
The Wise Old Owl
First, you must enlist the jumping talents of Wan the dog.
Click on the dog in your inventory, then click on the projector screen string.
Now the screen is pulled down and you can see the words "ural owl nocturnal".
Perhaps we need to make it dark to talk to the owl?
Click the light switch to turn the lights off.
Now certain letters on the screen are highlighted, R L L R L.
Notice that the owl's eyes are now glowing.
Click on the owl for a close up.
Time to wake the owl!
The highlighted letters you see when the lights are out stand for directions, right and left.
Click on the owl's eyes in the order shown on the screen, right, left, left, right, left.
Once the owl is awake he will fly off and return with stamp number 5.
Close down the close up of the owl and turn the lights back on.
The Pink Box
Turn right to face the boarded up cabinet and the ducks.
The clue for the pink box is on the pink paper on the wall.
The key for the code is the bottom line, with the H, the m-dash = 1, and the 90 degree angle = 4.
In the letter H, there is one horizontal line, the crossbar of the letter. Therefore, the m-dash stands for a horizontal line.
In the letter H there are four 90 degree angles where the crossbar meets the vertical lines, two above the crossbar and two below it.
Now apply that logic to the word L E F T.
First, look for the horizontal lines in each letter. L = 1, E = 3, F = 2, and T = 1.
Now look for 90 degree angles in the letters. L = 1, E = 4, F = 3, and T = 2.
Add the two lines of numbers, 1321 and 1432 together to get the code, 2753.
Click on the pink box for a close up and enter the code.
Click on the button to open it and get Nyan's skill book. Now you can punch!
Close down the pink box.
Cat Punching Time!
Turn right to face the mail box.
The mail box is pretty annoying, so use Nyan (the cat) to punch it.
Oh look, stamp number 10!
Turn right to face the open window.
Click on the right of the bookcase to see behind it, then use Nyan (the cat) to punch the bookcase.
This is fun!
You can now see the panel in the wall.
Turn left and you will see the bookcase has slid across the room. Also, several books have fallen out.
Look closely at the books in the bookcase, there is a stamp underneath the far left book. This is stamp number 9.
Now click on the books that have fallen on the floor.
You will see a square, the words "upper" and "lower", and the letters LuRuLlRlRu.
Close down the book and turn right to face the window.
Click on the newly revealed panel for a close up.
This is the same as a "wobbly picture" puzzle, you need to click on the proper corners in the proper order to remove the panel.
The clue is in the book, left upper, right upper, left lower, right lower, right upper. (LuRuLlRlRu)
Once you remove the panel you will see a button in the shape of a red skull.
Yes, push the button.
Once the button is pushed a tachikoma will lower itself through the window to give you stamp number 2.
Back up from the close up of the window.
The Ducks
Doesn't that hanging plant need a trim?
Use the garden shears on the plant to get a cutting.
Turn right twice to face the ducks.
Place the cutting (leaves) in the plant pot.
Use the "growing" bottle on the leaves. Instant plant!
If you slowly hover your cursor over the plant from top to bottom, you will see a series of numbers and words.
1 - up, 2 - long, 3 - yes, 4 - high, 5 - new, 6 - in, 7 - left, 8 - start, 9 - push.
Click on the ducks for a close up.
The clue is not only the plant but the green paper from earlier, the one that said "opposite".
You click on each duck that has the word that is opposite the ones on the plant, in the order indicated by the numbers.
1 - down, 2 - short, 3 - no, 4 - low, 5 - old, 6 - out, 7 - right, 8 - end, 9 - pull.
Once you get the duck code correct, our old friend tachikoma will come back and remove the boards from the cabinet.
Click on the cabinet to open it.
Inside you will find stamp number 6 and a screwdriver.
Screwed
Turn right to face the mail box.
Click on the panel on the wall to the left of the mail box for a close up.
Use the screwdriver on the panel.
Unscrewed.
And here's the last stamp, stamp number 8.
Back up from the close up of the panel.
Getting Out
Give the stamped paper to the mail box.
When the question comes up about going home, click on yes.
You've got your second golden stamp!
To be continued...
Posted by: grinnyp
|
January 12, 2011 2:20 AM