It's just a photograph, found tucked away in her parent's attic, but for one girl it raises questions and memories she's forgotten. Once upon a time she was a little girl whose best friend was a little boy. But her parents have always insisted he never existed. So why does she have a picture of him, then? It prompts her to revisit the town she grew up in and untangle her memories in this short but sweet point-and-click adventure from Gambit about childhood, friendship, and loss with Rosemary.
Rosemary experiences the world around her not only through your typical point-and-click interactions, but through her senses as well. The bottom of the screen has a list of interactions that greatly expands her environment. Click on "smell", then on the sky, and she might tell you she smells rain coming. Click on "listen", then on a nearby window, and she might recall a happier time when she and he friend used to call out to one another.
But you're not just exploring Rosemary's present-day. Clicking on the tree icon in the menu at the bottom of the screen will shift her back into the richly painted realm of her memories, where all the interactions are different. You can do this at any time, and it's often the best way to proceed. Present-day may be gloomy and empty, but Rosemary's memories contain old friends she can talk to and provide more pieces to her puzzle.
The puzzles in the game are extremely simple, and while one involves making an obvious combination of the few objects you'll pick up, most of the others are about Rosemary's photo album. If you click on the icon, you'll open it up and be presented with two pages for each puzzle. One page will have a short description where important words are left out, and the opposite will have space for photographs that will fill in the appropriate word from Rosemary's memory. Since you typically only receive one or two memories at a time to work with, these can usually be solved with minimum fuss by swapping pictures around if the combination doesn't work.
The point-and-click formula is a well documented one, familiar enough as to be considered tradition. I'm not berating the genre, since Lord knows it has the warmest little niche possible in my nerd-heart, right between rail-shooters and movies by Bruce Campbell. But it is an old one, and it's refreshing to see a game trying a different approach to it. Experiencing the world through Rosemary's senses rather than just your standard "touch/pick up" and "look" makes for a much more immersive experience. You find out much more about her and the world around her if you take the time to explore rather than just click through on all the obvious places.
Analysis: When people remember their childhood, many of them remember the good rather than the bad. I know I'd rather remember my grandmother's banana bread than the arguments I had with friends, or the time I fell out of the tree in our backyard. The difference between the lonely, forgotten present day and Rosemary's memories, which are painted in rich, warm tones of orange and gold, is exceptionally striking, and is one of the best examples at creating atmosphere I've seen in a long time. Even the oddly melancholic little soundtrack changes, becoming warm and inviting.
The only real disappointment I had with Rosemary is how short it is. You can expect to finish it in under a half hour, longer if you're insatiably nosy and exhaust every option on every object. If such a short playtime is what's kept the production values on this game so high, then perhaps it's a good thing. But at the same time, it makes the ending much more startling because of how abrupt it is. While there is some foreshadowing, there isn't nearly enough to take the sting out of it. Even though you may see it coming, it's still a bit of a shock.
Oh, but it's lovely while it lasts, with its storybook artwork full of rich amber hues and the subtle sound effects that blend with the music to create a touchable environment. So much effort and cleverness has been put into this one, that if it were longer it would easily become a classic instead of just an afternoon treat. The team behind it is immensely talented, and I have no doubt at all that all of them are going to go far. There's a love and sensitivity in Rosemary's whole design that speaks well for any future projects that they may undertake, whether together or apart. And yes I know I'm talking about them like they're Power Rangers about to combine, and I don't care, because that is how much I love Rosemary.
I spent a while trying to decide what content rating to give this one solely because of the ending. Most children may not even bat an eye, but I would recommend that if your child is under the age of ten, you give this one a play yourself before turning them loose on it. Rosemary is a sweet, nostalgic little story tempered by sadness, and some tots may not be ready for it just yet.
In a lot of ways, Rosemary is remarkable, and not just "for a freeware game", but for a game, period. Short and bittersweet, it offers a solid story experience that promises great things to come from it's creators. And maybe, just maybe it will break your heart a little.
Windows:
Download the full, free game.
Mac OS X:
Not available.
Try Boot Camp or Parallels or CrossOver Games.
Walkthrough Guide
(Please allow page to fully load for spoiler tags to be functional.)
Walkthrough - For those in Need. :]
-You can switch between the town's past and present by clicking the split tree button.
-Past = Sunny, redish orange setting. Present = Dark, bluish setting.
My House/Tom's House
-Look at the Doll in the "Past" setting.
-Click on photo Album. Drag boy doll onto top first blank in the photo album. It should turn into a photo as you do so.
-Drag girl doll to the bottom blank.
-Exit album. Go to Present.
-Take Lunchbox on ground
-Open Lunchbox
-Click on map
Treehouse
- Walk right to well
- Walk further right down the path
-Look at Treehouse
-Switch to Past
-Click on the pirate boy
-Click on photo album, and click the right arrow twice. (Third puzzle in the photo album)
-Drag pirate boy (Bobby) to top photo blank
-Drag toy ship to bottom toy ship
-Get out of photo album, click on Bobby until he disappears.
Theatre
-Go to theater (Directions in your map)
-Click on Mr Thimble(Theatre Owner)
-Go to Present
-Dig Pile of Dirt.
-Take hook.
-Look at Poster frame
-Go to album and go to second puzzle of the book(The only one that should be incomplete)
-Put Mr Thimble in top photo blank
-Put Poster in bottom photo blank
-Exit album, go back to Past.
-Click on Mr.Thimble
-Pick any explanation. You get the same overall answer regardless.
My House/Tom's House
-Talk to Tom's Mom.
The Well
-Go to Present
-Take Rope.
-Put Rope with Hook
-Put Rope and Hook with Well Bar
-Enjoy. :]
D: Such a fast game. Wish they gave it a little more time to play out. Kind of saw the ending coming though, but still. ;-; Lovely graphics, though I wish the controls weren't so awkward. And though the game was short, I got annoyed at how slow she walked. xDD
<3 Nice game. The ending was so nicely put.
Posted by: Kii | August 9, 2009 10:14 PM
Well, I've never written a walk-through before, but here is one if you're interested. Take it with a grain of salt.
Two quick notes about how the game works:
1.
In the lower left corner of the game screen, you'll notice a button that shows a tree: half of it growing and lush, half of it dead. Pushing this button will alternate between the modern day (which is dreary) and the past (which is golden).
2.
You can talk to characters in the past, but you can't manipulate things, because they're strictly a memory. I'm guessing that the dialogue is a memory of conversations that Rosemary had in the past, but is only now remembering. Things you remember from the past will let you find objects in the present, and you can manipulate them there.
Now then:
1. In Front of the Two Houses
a.
You start in front of two houses: yours and Tommy's. You can look around at the houses. Note a small, odd-looking grey square in front of Tommy's house, right behind his mailbox. You'll come back to that later.
b.
You'll note that your inventory is empty right now. If you click on the photo album, however, you'll discover a boy rag-doll in your inventory. This is actually a photograph which you can put in any of the picture slots in the album. However, you can't complete the pages without a second picture that matches up somehow. As you enter into Rosemary's memories, more photos will show up and you can complete the story that way.
c.
After looking over the houses in Current Time, click the Memory button and enter Memory Time. Take a good look at everything, especially the girl doll. Looks similar to the doll in your photo album, right?
d.
Click the photo album. You have both dolls in your inventory. On the first page you'll see two empty picture slots, and on the opposit page a sentence: "Once upon a time there was a ___ doll called ___. He was best ___ with a doll called ___." Carry the picture of the boy ragdoll to the top slot and the picture of the girl doll to the bottom slot, and the blanks will automatically fill in, completing the sentences and giving you a clue.
Note:
To get out of the Photo Album view, you'll have to click the photo album again.
e.
Click on the Memory Button and return to Current Time. That grey spot is now a blue lunch box. Open the lunch box and you will have both the box and a map in your inventory. Clikcing on the map gives you a rough idea of the layout of the game.
f.
Click to the left of the screen and enter the new screen, in front of the theater.
2. In Front of the Theater
a.
Note the potted plant out front. You'll be coming back to that later on. Meanwhile, if you want to, take a look around and get a feel for the theater. Note the poster - another picture will show up in the photo album when you look at it.
b.
Switch over to Memory Time. Mr. Thimble, the theater owner, stands outside, and the place where the poster in Current Time was is now empty. Look at Mr. Thimble, and Rosemary will remember that he was always chasing after the kids when he thought they'd taken something. Talking to him reveals that the poser he just put up is missing.
c.
Go into the photo album. On the second page are two more photo slots and the sentence, "___was easy to tease, we always made him ___. He looked as if he would explode when his latest ___ was ___." Arrange the two pictures, with the picture of Mr. Thimble in the top slot and the picture of the poster in the bottom. The sentences will complete and give you a second clue.
d.
The poster will return and Mr. Thimble will ask where you found it. Whatever your answer, as long as you answer something other than, "Bye," he'll say you're covering for Tom, and mention that Tom's mother is worried about him. He'll ask you to go talk to Tom's mother. This time, stay in Memory Time when you switch scenes, and return to the two houses you just left.
3. Two Houses Again
Tom's mother will be out front. Talk to her and she'll tell you that Tom was last seen heading to the old tree house. It's noted on your map. Rosemary tells her she'll go look for Tom. Return to Current Time and go to the right.
4. The Well
a.
In current time, the well is a mess. In front of the well is a pile of rope. Take it and look at it in your inventory. Turns out that's the rope ladder to the tree house.
b.
Look at the well very carefully, and note the well bar at the top. Rosemary comments that the well bar was what they used to lower and lift the bucket as well as other odds and ends. Keep this in mind.
c.
Click at the top of the screen to go to the tree house.
5. The Tree House
a.
You'll reach a run-down tree house. Look at it, and Rosemary will recall that the lighthouse keeper had given the kids a toy pirate ship to play with. That will trigger a new picture in the photo album. Switch to Memory Time.
b.
In Memory Time, a little boy is sitting at the base of the tree, wearing a pirate eye patch. Look at him, and Rosemary will remember that he's Bobby Thimble, Mr. Thimble's son. She'll recall that he was always hanging around the tree house looking to trade items with Rosemary and Tommy, and a new photo will show up in the album.
c.
Talk to Bobby. He'll reveal he's playing with a hook, but won't give it to you.
d.
Go into the Photo Album. There's one final page with two photo slots and another sentence with blanks in it: "___ wanted to be a part of our ___ gang. He wanted to be a ___ like us but he wasn't ___ enough." Put the picture of Bobby in the top slot and the picture of the toy pirate ship in the bottom slot, and the sentences will complete, giving you a final clue.
e.
Bobby leaves saying that he's going to go recruite a crew, but he's going to hide his pirate stash. Rosemary remarks that he hid his stuff someplace he hung out a lot.
f.
Recall that Bobby is Mr. Thimble the theater owner's son. Return to Current Time and travel to the theater again.
Note:
To leave the Tree House scene, you have to click on the left side of the screen, not at the bottom. It took me a solid five minutes to figure that out. (I sometimes wonder how I avoided the slow classes back in high school...)
6. The Theater Again
a.
You're back in front of the theater. Look at the potted plant. There's a lump of dirt where Rosemary speculates that Bobby hid his pirate treasure. Dig there and reveal the hook. Take the hook.
By this point, you probably have a good idea about where you're finally headed. If you want to follow the walkthrough to the end, skip ahead to 7.
If, however, you want to finish the game on your own, please please please read the following spoiler, because there's a technical issue that could leave you very confused.
When you finally reach the last destination, you will briefly see a screen with a wide-eyed Rosemary holding a rope. DO NOT CLICK ANYTHING! The scene will play out and you will reach the ending, and understanding. If you click, however, the game will close on you, and you'll be left wondering, "What the heck?" without getting any of the ending in full. Happened to me the first time, and it was frustrating to go back and re-play everything to get the ending, just because I accidentally clicked and the game flash-forwarded to the end.
For those of you who are following the walkthrough to the end:
7.
a.
By now you have the rope and the hook in your inventory. Click on "Put" in your verb collection, and then click on either the rope or the hook. Rosemary will ask where to put the rope (or hook). Click on the hook (or the rope) and Rosemary will combine the hook and the rope together to make a grapple.
b.
Now that you have the hook and rope together, it's time to head to the well. Click to the right twice to get in front of the well. Make sure you stay in Current Time. When you get to the well, click "Put" and click on the grapple. Rosemary asks where to put the grapple. Click on the well bar. Rosemary will attach the grapple to the well bar and descend into the well.
c.
This is important - as Rosemary descends, you get a screen of her wide-eyed and holding the rope. DO NOT CLICK ANYTHING! If you do, the game will close, because it will flash-forward past the ending, and you'll be stuck having to replay the entire thing to see the full ending and understand what the heck actually happened. Happened to me the first time I played, and it was very annoying to have to go through all that a second time. It's a technical issue but it can throw off the entire game if you completely miss the ending.
Well... my first walkthrough. I hope you find it satisfactory. Let me know if it's screwy anywhere.
Posted by: Tabs | August 9, 2009 11:04 PM