It's Friday once again, and I think we all know what that means... we all come together for the ritualistic playing of the video games to prevent disasters from befalling our realm. What disasters, you ask? Well, the Ancient Ones hesitate to speak of them, so great was the tragedy, but... if you don't join us in playing these games to beat back the tide of destiny, Uwe Boll will direct a movie adaptation of 5 Days a Stranger, in which case someone would have to go to prison for tackling him off a bridge while screaming "NOOOOooOOooOOOo" dramatically. And of course there's the requisite rain of toads and meteors (and meteoric toads) but that one is probably the worst threat. So, you know. No pressure or anything.
Synopsis Quest - Previously only available in Japanese, Skipmore's cute-if-clunkily-controlled series of minigames that ape on standard RPG situations is now fully translated for us English speakers. Figuring out what you need to do within each itty bitty scenario isn't as straight-forward as you might think. It probably won't take you very long to get through, but it's a charming throwback to the days when RPGs hadn't heard of cell shading, and were still just as ridiculous. Hey, is it my turn yet? I wanna attack the darkness!
Minima Time - Quick! You've got ten seconds to live, how do you spend them? Whatever you said, you were wrong, because everyone knows the correct answer is to run free-styling around the world in search of magical clocks that add to your lifespan while someone automatically snaps pictures of you flying by. Another entry into the Experimental Gameplay Project's theme of "10 Seconds" Minima Time is fast fun while it lasts, though it does get repetitive rather quickly. I can honestly say that if you were to add silly putty and glitter to the occasion, this is exactly how I would spend my final moments.
Flood Runner 2 - Feel the wind in your long floppy ears as you flee from a flood of water. Or lava. Or... liquified boogers. Um. Look, the "why" isn't important. Flood Runner 2 is a simple one-click game where you left-click the screen to leap from ledge to ledge and try to stay alive as long as you can. With several power ups and some new challenges as you go along, the game is breezily entertaining for a while in that way that only games that feature creepy blobby ink creatures fleeing for their lives can be.
Plump Escape - I'm missing a crucial part in my brain. Or maybe I crushed it underneath pointless Doctor Who trivia. Whatever the reason, I am typically very, very bad at escape games. So maybe that's why I like Cogito Ergo Sum's surreal but notoriously simple escape games that feature a little yellow cat and brown dog. This time, the dog has apparently gorged itself on untold boxes of beef jerky and become too fat, so you'll need to find a way to help trim him down to escape. Cute, yes. Weird, very. Translation, iffy. Just the way I like 'em.
Mechanics - Drop the gears into their proper places to power an unlit lightbulb. This cheerful little puzzle game is too simple to really provide much of a challenge (especially not to you, *fluttering of eyelashes*), but it's a good game for kids to cut their puzzling teeth on. Start 'em young, I say. Then by the time they're walking their stats are nice and rounded, but you do have to worry about them making their saving throws against nap time. And yes, I could not be any nerdier if I tried, which is probably best for both of us.
Dear Synopsis Quest,
Keyboard or mouse. Never both.
Sincerely,
Ezra
Synopsis Quest is cute and fun, but remember at all times that you have to think like an exaggerated caricature of an old-style RPG main character, or else everything will feel like trial and error. In some cases, you'll just have to wait, and in one, you'll have to think back and remember what you learned during your synop- I mean, quests.
Synopsis Quest Walkthrough:
Lvl 1:
Open the treasure chest.
Lvl 2:
Get high enough stats to get to Hero, but low enough to avoid becoming a monster.
Lvl 3:
Avoid the path, go around the side.
Lvl 4:
Just hold down.
Lvl 5:
Talk to the girl, then go over to the Hero.
Lvl 6:
Look in the jar.
Lvl 7:
Kill all the monsters, and don't run into the girl.
Lvl 8:
There is a false wall to the left.
Lvl 9:
Press space to access inventory, use Traveler's Wings.
Lvl 10:
Avoid killing the blobs until they come together, then collect the coins.
Lvl 11:
Go to sleep in the bed.
Lvl 12:
Cross where there are markings on the floor.
Lvl 13:
Sail around until water turns orange, then continue to sail around until it turns dark blue. Then collect the item.
Lvl 14:
Give him the "Item".
Lvl 15:
Sneak past the first guards when they are turned away, then steal the sleeping guards clothes.
Lvl 16:
Go around checking everything for gold, then exit the house.
Lvl 17:
Kiss the frog in the upper-right.
Lvl 18:
Jump over the attack.
Lvl 19:
Jump out the back and talk to the person in the cave.
Lvl 20:
Spam space to read through the text faster, then press the key combination.
Remember this key combination.
Lvl 21:
Walk straight to the castle.
Lvl 22:
Walk to the hole in the middle right, then enter the door.
Lvl 23:
Dodge his attacks and hit him enough times.
Lvl 24:
Talk to everyone, then talk to the princess(again).
Lvl 25:
When the screen with the demon comes up, put in the combination from the previous level.
Dog: "I didn't reach!"
Cat: "You ate yourself!"
Two words. Amazing Engrish.
By the by, I found a bit of a glitch in Mechanics.
When you click outside of the playing screen, then click back into it, you lose the current piece. It actually helped me get rid of an annoying piece to get all the stars on one level. :)
Lovely silly quest. Think like a Hero, take the best parts and skip the boring transport sequences!
Some times timing is essential - and timing does not always mean "hurry!"
Plump escape: Might be only my computer, but I got no game on the linked page, just red and yellow english information... Clicking "Japanese" in the header (arrow, then three signs: two-paned window, birdfeeder, clutter; pronounced nihon-go) makes the game appear.
can't get lvl 24 on Synopsis Quest :S
The ship always departs before me
great game anyway :)
As for the Synopsis Quest controls: All of the games on that site were built for cell phones. Keeping that in mind paints the stuff in a better light.
If you find the movement unbearably clunky, turn your keyboard repeat rate all the way up and repeat pause all the way down: This is apparently more similar to how cell phones do it, and the movement is astoundingly smoother.
hmmm...I think I'm missing something in Plump Escape. Can't get into the red box because I can't find a number. Any hints? (if you're just going to tell me, don't bother!!)
@dsrtrosy: getting the red box code is a multi step process. look at that strange looking bush. is there some way that translates to a code? where can you use the code?
Man, I am TERRIBLE at room-escape games. I can't figure out the red box with ABCD on the top.
Instructions to get up to this point:
Load up the game page and watch the adorable intro animation.
Grab that chick off the seat. Examine the picture frame and observe how you can move it up, down, left, and right.
That's one heck of a suspicious plant in the pot. What's up with those leaves?
Follow the leaves as your guide for moving the picture. The order starts "Up, Right, Left". After the picture is off the wall, click on it to look at the reverse.
Doesn't make sense? Turn your head upside down.
Turn left, to the scales and the two hanging rings.
Grab the chick. Nothing more to do here (I think).
Turn left to the TV.
You've got nothing to put in the DVD player and lack the remote for the TV. I can't seem to take a look under or behind any of those pieces of furniture, so direct your attention to that tiny palm tree. Specifically, the base since the top end doesn't seem to be interesing.
Grab the battery and the chick (move your mouse around until it pops out)
Turn left to the shelves.
Shift that potplant and grab the note under it. Read that note if your doubtless powerful puzzling instincts haven't driven you to put the chicks you collected in the empty spots on the shelf. Whoops, I gave away the solution there!
Look at the two locked boxes. The pink one seems to need a four-digit code, and the blue takes letters.
Pink box:
You need to put in the four-digit code that you got from the back of that picture frame.
Blue box:
Well, the code-word is given unsubtly by the chicks. Type that in and retrieve the First DVD.
Oh, and grab that battery on the left side of the middle shelf.
Turn right, back to the TV.
You should have the remote and two batteries now - insert one into the other! Then use the remote to turn the TV on. The DVD, happily, will go into the DVD player directly. Watch the TV.
Turn right to the scales. Stand on them and see what progress you've already made!
Wan can now jump high enough to reach the first ring. If you didn't play the first game, you need to select him like you would an item, and then click the ring.
Again, you'll be at a disadvantage if you didn't play the first game. Use Nyan's Cat Punch ability on the springy orange thing to make it give up the goods.
Turn back the TV again.
Watch the second DVD and burn more fat.
Back to the scales! You're, what... 2/3 of the way there?
Now you can reach the second ring! Sweet! Problem is, I have no idea how to open that red box.
@jonMW: turn over both the first and second dvds. the code will reveal itself.
@kingjulien...I thought that might be it, but I haven't figured it out yet. I will keep trying!!
for the ABCD box: if i'm stuck, i always click around on all of my items in frustration. sometimes it helps.
but i suck at escape games, too. can't find the damn bands.
@dsrtrosy: the openings on the bush point certain ways. try "reading" it vertically.
The thought of Uwe Boll directing "5 Days a Stranger" is both the most wonderful and most terrifying idea I've heard today!
So what about the bands?
Bands are in the red box...with the second dvd
NM Found them.
@Saltone
The Bands:
Check the red box again
Not that I think anybody will need it, but since this is a relatively quick and simple escape game, I'm going to try my hand a walkthrough for it!
Plump Escape Walkthrough
Chair Scene
Well, let's see what we have! There is a little chick sitting on a chair, next to a weird thing I can only assume is a plant. Also a lovely Cherry Blossom painting on the wall.
First, take the chick. I mean of course, why not?
Next, click on the Cherry Blossom picture. Well we can certainly zoom in on it, so maybe we can move it around? Try clicking all around it.
Okay, so we can definitely move it by clicking close to the edges of the picture, but it appears to need some specific pattern for it to reveal its secrets. Zoom out.
Hmm...let's take a closer look at that plant. Don't the leaves seem to be arranged in some sort of specific way?
Click back to the picture, and try clicking on the edges in the order the leaves on the plant suggest.
If you still can't figure it out, the pattern is: Top, Right, Left, Right, Bottom, Left, Right.
The picture is gone! Wait..what? Zoom back out. Oh no, there it is on the floor. Click on it one more time to zoom in, then click again to flip it over.
Ah yes, picture, reveal your secrets to me! Something is written! It looks like: L0lE. What could that mean? I guess we'll find out later. Make a note if you have to! Click the picture twice to put it back, then click on the right arrow on the side of the screen.
Shelf Scene
Here we have a shelving unit! On the top there is a potted plant; the middle shelf contains two boxes, one pink one blue; and on the bottom shelf sits two little chicks. Let's work our way down from the top!
Click on the potted plant. It moves! Underneath there is a note. Click on that as well to pick it up, then click again to open it. Looks like a hint to me!
According to the note, we need five chicks in all on that bottom shelf. Well we have one already, so we only need to find two more! Click outside of the note to put it away.
Now, the second shelf. Wait, what is that next to the pink box? It looks like a little blue and grey tube. Click on it.
Huzzah! A battery! I bet there's another one around here somewhere! Click anywhere outside the battery screen to put it away in your inventory.
Now, click the pink box. Hmm, this takes a 4-digit number code.Now think, where did we see something that could possibly be a 4-digit code?
Maybe those letters under the painting aren't really letters? Try looking at things from a different angle.
Flip the letters upside down to reveal the numbers 3107. Input this into the pink box, and press the long red button. Hooray! It opens! And inside is a remote control! Take it, then click again to put it away.
Now try clicking the blue box. Hmm...it tells us to look for a hint first. Okay then! Moving on, click the right arrow again on the side of the screen.
TV Scene
A television, with a DVD player! I bet that's what that remote goes to! Oh and another plant. Click on the TV screen. Hmm, tells you it needs the clicker. Well we need the batteries! Click on the base of the plant to zoom in.
Oh look! It's our other battery! Click it to pick it up. And wait, what just popped its head out from behind the pot?
It's another chick! Click on it to pick it up as well! Only one more to go!
Okay we have everything here we can get, so zoom out. Now, I think you know what to do.
Double click on the remote control in your inventory, then click on it again to flip it open. Select the batteries from your inventory and then click on the open slot in the back of the remote to place them. Click the little plastic cover to close it up, click the remote one more time to turn it around and huzzah! A working remote control!
Close the remote screen, but leave it selected in your inventory, and click on the TV screen. The plump dog will tell you that TV is on! But looks like we need a DVD to play. Better go find one! Click the right arrow on the side of the screen.
Scale Scene
Yay our last chick! Pick him up off the scale. Besides the scale, there are also two pulleys hanging from the ceiling, which you might recognize if you have played the previous Cogito Ergo Sum games. If not, you can try clicking on them.
Oh no, looks like our doggy is too plump to reach them! For fun, you can click on the scale to see what your weight goal is, but its not really necessary.
Since there is nothing else we can do here, let's go back to the screen with the shelves and see what we get when we put all our ducks (or chicks) in a row!
Shelf Scene Redux
Back at the shelf scene, place each chick in turn on the bottom shelf. Once they are all in place, wait a moment while they all adorably celebrate being reunited.
Once they're finished, a letter will appear on each of their bellies, spelling out a word. This must be a clue! But to what?
Try clicking on the blue box. We're now able to zoom in! Fantastic! It instructs us to "Please enter lower case." Type in the word the chicks revealed to you in the space provided.
The word is "billy." Again, be sure to enter it all lower case. The box opens, revealing a DVD! Yay! Click on the DVD to take it, but before clicking out of the screen to put it in your inventory, click on the DVD itself again to flip it over.
Hmm, curious. On the other side of the DVD are a series of numbers.
3.1415. Remember them for later!
Now its time to start exercising! Let's head back to the TV scene!
TV Scene Redux
Back at the TV Scene, select the DVD in your inventory, and then click on the DVD player underneath the TV. You will see a close up of the DVD sliding into the slot, then a close up of the TV screen. It's an exercise DVD! A little exercise video will begin to play. You don't have to watch it very long. Once you see the little green men start to exercise, you can click the yellow arrow to back out of the close up. The dog will appear at the bottom of your screen and tell you he's lost weight a little! Yay! This is all we can do here for now, so let's head back to the Scale Scene!
Scale Scene Redux
Again, for fun, you can put the Doggy on the scale, and it will show you are a LITTLE closer to your weight goal. This isn't necessary, however. Now, unless you've played the previous Cogito Ergo Sum games, this next part might not make much sense to you. (Of course it probably still won't make much sense even if you HAVE played them, hehe.)
Select the Dog in your inventory, and click on the lower of the two pulleys on the screen, the orange one. Your doggy is now fit enough to reach it, you see! A strange little orange device will drop down from the ceiling.
Now, if you've played the previous games, think back. Remember...Dog Jump and...
Cat Punch! Click on the cat in your inventory, then click on the orange...er...thing. "Cat puuuuuunch!" Cute! It'll spit a DVD out at you! Take the DVD, but again, turn it over before putting away.
Another strange code of sorts. This time it reads A.BCBD. Make a note and put the DVD away. Now, I think we know what to do with this DVD; back to the TV!
TV Scene Redux II
Again, select the DVD 2 in your inventory and put it in the DVD player. Watch the little exercise video that plays. When you click back out of the screen, the Doggy will tell you that he has "lost weight a little" again! Yay! Back to the scale screen!
Scale Scene Redux II
Our doggy should now have lost enough weight to reach that red pulley, so go ahead and click on it, again making sure to select the doggy in your inventory. Oh great a uh..."Delivered Thing." Neat. Click on the red thing. It's a box, with a code! Hmmm...
The hint reads: ABCD. Now, where have we seen those letters before?
On the back of the DVD's, that's right. But what could the ABCD mean?
Well, the numbers and letters on the back of the DVD's are a decoder of sorts! Match up the appropriate number with the appropriate letter from each set to get the code to open the box!
The code is: 3145. Press the dark red button, and the box opens. Another DVD! Yay! You know what that means; Back to the TV!
Back at the TV screen, put the DVD in the player. This time, however, instead of jumping right into the video, the screen tells you "bands are necessary." Doggy says "Lets find bands!" But where could they be?
Well...maybe they came with the DVD? That would make sense, right?
Go back to the Scale Scene, and click on the red box to zoom it. Once zoomed, click in the opening, and the view will shift slightly, revealing The Bands! Click them to take them, then put them away.
End Game
Now that we have everything we need, this should be pretty straight forward.
Go back to the TV screen, and put the DVD in the player. "We have bands!" says Doggy. Yes we do! Watch as the little video plays, then click the yellow arrow to zoom out.
"I lost a little weight!" That's great! Let's see how much! Go back to the Scale Scene, and select the Doggy in your inventory, then click the scale.
"Weighing?" It asks. Yes or No?
Click Yes!
Yay! Through some silly not-quite-puzzle solving and a mediocre amount of exercise, we've managed to hit our weight goal! Watch the cute little ending movie.
"You look slimly!" Why thank you cat! And I appreciate you, too!
The End!
So that's my first walkthrough. Hope you guys like it!
Plump Escape--
Is there an alternate ending (as with the first game) if you select "No" at the final weighing and look around for other things?
@ray9na: I don't think so. I looked around but there isn't any more room in your inventory and nothing else seems to be clickable.
@ray9na: I don't think so. I looked around but there isn't any more room in your inventory and nothing else seems to be clickable.
I for one thought Synopsis Quest was awesome. I got a good laugh at a time when I really needed one. Props to Skipmore for the idea, and as a fellow translator (Chinese to English), props to Benito C. for helping more people gain access to something cool. That is, after all, what it's all about.
"The truth is, your father was a mole person!"
Best part of SQ.
Loved Synopsis Quest. The whole thing felt like a Dragon Warrior 4 parody, one of my faves.
Wow, flood runner is a great little one button game. Great for passing a few minutes of time during a busy day.
Anyone think the idea behind the second level of synopsis quest would be cool in an actual game?
What was the link to the game that came before Plump Escape? The cat and dog had to help their sick owner. I can't seem to find it in the archive, but I know it's there somewhere!
-SirNiko
I love the "Act Like A Hero" level on Synopsis Quest. I knew immediately I had to
Go into the house and steal everything. I mean, a bank will leave the safe open, you'll steal ALL the money, and no one will care in just about ALL RPGs!
Plump Escape:
"You look thinly"
"I appreciate you"
lol
@SirNiko: you're looking for A Cold Escape.
https://jayisgames.com/archives/2009/12/a_cold_escape.php
Here's the English version of Synopsis Quest: http://www.skipmore.com/freegames/synopsis/synopsis.html
[Note that's the same link we link to in the post above. -Jay]
Waitasecond, Dr. who trivia buries Escape Game skills in our brains?? So THAT'S why I'm so bad at them!!
Heehee, Synopsis Quest was just plain old cute. Time to play the others! ^-^
Oh my god! Best lines all day!
Thanks to Plump Escape...
You ate yourself.
You look slimly.
Let's find band!
I lost weight a little.
I appreciate you.
Doggy jump!
Cat puuuuuunch!
Best. Lines. EVER.
Update