Room escape series can be a tricky thing, no doubt about it. Each new offering must be a link in the chain; continuing the mood and feel of the original while simultaneously upping the ante to keep the whole thing feeling fresh. GUMP has managed that balancing act in Saturn, the third in a series of room explorations featuring a strange pink-haired boy lost in a very compartmentalized house. Welcome to Weekday Escape!
The series began with our hero entering a mysterious house. Now as he solves each locked room he journeys further and further into the unknown, mimicking a journey from the outer planets to the inner solar system, starting at the farthest (Neptune) and working his way inward (Uranus, and now Saturn). Where will the journey end? Will we see the blaze of the sun close up? Is this a metaphor for delving deep into the human psyche or just a cool conceit for a series of rooms that will end up at the core of this mysterious house? Only GUMP knows and they aren't saying.
In fact, the entire series plays out in near silence, other than a few sound effects and the chilling music to accompany the young man as he journeys further and further into the unknown. There are no helpful notes telling a story, merely a series of puzzles and the occasional strange companion. Yes, the flying... well... let's say tentacle from Uranus is still there, and actually proves to be surprisingly helpful (as well as just plain surprising).
In the stark room there is not a lot of navigation, and what there is is directed by arrows at the edges of the screen. Inventory items can be examined by double-clicking, and can be manipulated while in close up. There's no changing cursor, so be prepared for a little pixel hunting, and there's even a save button if you wish to leave and come back later. GUMP has even brought back their signature puzzle. Yes, the magic square is back again. Feels like old home week.
This is all pure logic and use of found objects. No color puzzles (easy where there's practically no color), no construction, just a simple escape. On its own not terribly difficult, but when played in conjunction with the other two the atmosphere of the continuing story radiates with a subtle sense of wonder mixed with dread, enhanced by the surreal animated sequences. What could be waiting beyond the next door?
There's something unsettling about these stark, washed out sterile backgrounds, very typical of the whole series. Yet the look only adds to the sense of mystery as the player works their way closer and closer to the denouement, whatever that may be in the end. Brace yourself for some strangeness, and join the journey to the center of the house, the solar system, or the human soul. You decide.
Note: Please don't send comments about the metaphor being incorrect because Pluto is the outermost planet of our solar system. Pluto is no longer considered a planet, didn't you get the memo? If you have problems with that take it up with the International Astronomical Union or Neil deGrasse Tyson, I'm sure they'd be thrilled to hear from you.
Thanks to Chiktionary, Corey, Emilia, Martha, and Cyberjar88 for sending this one in!
Walkthrough Guide
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Walkthrough
open the cabinet in the first view
take the box inside
take the key
look behind the machine
use the key on the door
there is a grid
look at the back device
take off the lower lid
take the 4 notched item
look at the door behind the machine
open it
take the note
read it
it has 3 overlapping numbered squares
where have you seen overlapping squares?
go to the device with the overlapping squares
the note indicates an order
top to bottom
select the squares from top to bottom
you can see the order when they come onscreen
middle, top left, then counter-clockwise around
take the keycard
turn to the machine next to the door with the red valve
look at the card swipe
look under the lower pipe
take the key
turn to the view wit hthe teal handle
look at the door behind hte machine
use the key on it
take the 2 notched item
take the note
it has a grid of numbers
where have you seen a grid like that before
it already has numbers filled in
what is special about the numbers on the paper?
they are a magic square
every row, column, and diagonal add up to the same number.
figure out how to make a magic square on the grid
its a rotation of the paper
438
951
276
take the item from its slot
use the item on the cylinder
open the cylender to ge the fuse
turn the cylinder ovre to get the 3 notched item
put all the notched items in the corresponding slots on the box
open the box
take the screwdriver
look to the right of one of the cabinets
the one that says 9 inside
there is a note
read id
it has a diagram of the room with arrows
it gives an order of cabinets
each cabinet has a number
put the numbers together to form a combination
9302
where can you input a 4 digit combination?
put in the combination on the keypad
slide the panel above the keypad down
use the screwdriver to unbolt it
put the fuse in the opening
go to the card swipe
swipe the card
push the button
watch the cutscene
and you are out.
Posted by: Mystify
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May 5, 2010 2:28 AM
Saturn Walkthrough
General Information
Some of the items you pick up can be combined or turned around while they are in close up.
There's no changing cursor, so click around and be prepared for a little pixel hunting.
There are not a lot of visual clues as to where you are in the room, so count your turns so you don't become disoriented.
Good luck!
Exploration
You begin facing a corner of the room with a low cabinet right in front of you. Click on the cabinet for a close up.
Click on the cabinet to open it and take the box that is inside.
Notice that the box has three notches on top, looks like we need to find three things to fit in there.
Also notice the blue key once you've taken the box out. Take the key.
There's a number 3 on the inside of the cabinet. Wonder if that means anything?
Back up.
To the left of the corner, before the strange columns, are some more cabinets in the wall. Click on the bottom cabinet for a close up.
Looks like it needs a key. Let's try the blue one we just picked up.
That was easy. Once the key is used click on the cabinet to open it.
Gee, that looks like a puzzle!
Back up and turn left.
Okay, this corner of the room has a large cylinder, with what looks like a door in it.
To the right of the cylinder is something that has a keypad. Click on it for a close up.
If you click on the blank buttons you will see that they keypad is a similar layout to a telephone, but we don't know the code. Back up.
To the left of the large cylinder (and to the right of the door with the red handle) is something that looks like a card swipe. Click on it for a close up.
Yup, we're going to need a swipe card for this.
Between the card swipe and the cylinder are two pipes leading to the wall. Click on the lower pipe to see behind the cylinder.
Cool, an orange key! Take the key and back up twice.
Turn left.
We're now looking at the corner to the left of the door with the red handle. There's a cabinet on the wall next to the door, click on it for a close up.
Well, there's a screen, a button, and the number 0.
If you push the button shapes will appear on the screen, but we don't know the code for this either. Back up.
To the left of the corner is another low cabinet on the wall, just to the right of the columns. Click on the low wall cabinet for a close up.
Click on the cabinet to open it.
Take the cylinder thing and click on the bottom while it is in close up.
There's something on the bottom of the cylinder! Click on it to take it.
Looks like a shape that will fit into the box we picked up earlier.
Now take the note from the cabinet and click on it in close up to open it up.
A clue! Overlapping sheets with numbers on them.
Also notice the number 2 in the cabinet.
Back up.
Before we turn again, let's click on those circular things between the columns.
There's something underneath the bottom circular thing. Take it.
Turn left.
Now we're looking at a corner with a blue switch way up high on the wall.
To the right of the corner is another low cabinet on the wall. Click on it for a close up.
Looks like we need a key. Good thing we have the orange key.
Use the orange key on the cabinet, then click on the cabinet to open it.
Take the shape and the note. Click on the note to open it and notice the diagram. Does that number square look familiar?
Also notice the number 9 in the cabinet.
Back up.
Click on the blue switch on the wall for a close up. Yeah, that's too high to reach.
Back up and turn left.
Problem solving time!
Number Grid
Click on the low cabinet to the left of the corner, the one with the number grid that had missing numbers.
If you didn't already recognize the pattern, the note found in the cabinet unlocked with the orange key has the clue.
Yes, this is a magic square.
That means that the rows and columns need to equal 15, and no number is repeated.
Fill in the square so that the numbers read as follows: Top row 4, 3, 8. Middle row 9, 5, 1. Bottom row 2, 7, 6.
If you entered the numbers correctly, something drops down out of the opening at the bottom. Take it.
Back up.
The Small Cylinder
The thing you recovered from the number grid looks like a handle or a key. Pull up the small cylinder from your inventory by double clicking on it.
Put the handle in the top of the cylinder, then click on the notch on the top just to the left of the key.
Click on the object inside. Is that a fuse?
The Box
Now pull up the box with the notches from your inventory by double clicking it.
Use the three shapes found in the room on the top of the box.
Once all of the shapes are in place click on the top of the box.
A wrench! That'll come in handy.
Take the wrench.
The Number Pad
Turn until you are facing the corner with the large cylinder.
Click on the number keypad to the right of the cylinder for a close up.
Remember all the numbers you found in the cabinets?
If you start at the cabinet by the blue switch and go counterclockwise around the room, the numbers are:
In the cabinet opened by the orange key, the number nine.
In the cabinet where you found the box, the number 3.
In the cabinet with the strange overlapping puzzle, the number 0.
In the cabinet with the shape and the note, the number 2.
Therefore the code for the number keypad is 9302.
Enter the code into the keypad, then press the larger button at the bottom.
Remember, this is a keypad like a telephone, so the numbers start from 1 at the upper left and go to 9 at the lower right, with the 0 at the bottom next to the large button.
Once the number is entered, click on the area above the keypad and it will lower.
Good thing we have the wrench!
Use the wrench on the exposed bolts. Once the bolts are gone click on the plate to remove it.
Looks like we need a fuse here. Place the fuse (from the inside of the small cylinder) in place and back up.
Overlapping shapes puzzle
Turn until you are at the corner to the left of the door with the red handle.
Click on the cabinet next to the door for a close up, then click on it again to open it.
If you push the button, square shapes come in and stack themselves on top of each other.
The key to this puzzle is the note found in the cabinet with the cylinder.
That note had overlapping squares, and numbers assigned to each square.
The pattern implied by the note is that you start with the topmost square, and proceed to the one on the bottom.
If you watched the squares fly in and settle, you can see how they overlap.
Click on the center square, then click on each shape starting at the upper left and proceeding around counter-clockwise until all the shapes are gray.
A swipe card will drop down over the number 0. Take it.
Bizarre Encounters (Getting the heck out of the room)
Time to escape!
Turn until you are facing the corner with the large cylinder and the card swipe to the left of it (to the right of the door with the red handle).
Click on the card swipe for a close up.
Use the swipe card on the card swipe.
Wait for the...thing to go into the cylinder, then click on the button at the bottom of the card swipe.
Enjoy the surreality.
Until next time?
Posted by: grinnyp
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May 5, 2010 2:30 AM