Stamp Rally Escape 3
It has been months of waiting with our intrepid heroes in limbo, searching for any sort of word that their epic struggle against a vast mysterious organization will conclude happily. Months of pacing and nail biting, months of searching the net for any scrap or clue as to what the outcome will be. Are we talking about the long-awaited X-Men prequel? The last episode of "Lost"? No, silly, we're talking about the other epic struggle that has taken over the internet, that of Wan and Nyan the jumping dog and punching cat to find the last ten punches needed to get their last gold stamp and their promised really special grand prize. What, you haven't been waiting on the edge of your seat for the conclusion to Cogito Ergo Sum's vast panorama of a room escape, Stamp Rally Escape 3? No? Just me?
Regardless, Wan and Nyan are back again for the grand finale of the Stamp Rally Escape series. To catch up those who may have not seen the first two, here's a brief summary: A postcard delivered by a bouncing mailbox from the mysterious RIDLRIDL Corporation has come into the possession of our intrepid heroes and it poses a challenging quest, the quest for...green stamps. Okay, it sounds rather lame, but seriously, it's an epic quest! In each game the jumping dog and punching cat must use their abilities and their brains to find the ten green stamps which, at the end of the game, they trade in for a precious gold stamp. They know, you see, if they complete the task and turn in three gold stamps they will win a really cool prize. Seriously. I mean, that's what RIDLRIDL promised and a mysterious and anonymous company that contacts you via fourth-class post cards in your mailbox wouldn't lie, would they?
You move around the small room with the aid of arrows at the edges of the screen and simply click on anything that you would like to examine a little more closely. Click on a stamp and it will helpfully stamp itself on your card that is a permanent feature in your inventory. Pick up anything that isn't nailed down, use whatever you can find in the room not only to escape but to find those precious stamps, solve a few puzzles and before you know it the grand payoff is here. And the grand prize is...well, that would be telling, wouldn't it? Suffice it to say that there is a grand prize, although what that prize is depends upon whether you've found the "regular" or "happy" end of the game. Hey, at least there's an end. I was almost expecting something like "you need to collect 30 more stamps..."
Items that you pick up goes into an inventory on the right side of the screen, click once to use an item or twice to examine it in close up. There's a handy mute feature for the sound effects but no background tune playing, so you might not even notice the feature. There is also a handy save button which is nice if you're hankering to see both finales. This is all basic room escaping stuff with one exception, a changing cursor, which would have been nice and eliminated the minor amount of pixel hunting contained within the game.
Analysis: At last, the blessed relief of a conclusion to this epic saga has arrived! Cogito Ergo Sum has really brought this charming tale to a strong finish with Stamp Rally Escape 3. The puzzles are logical, amusing, numerous, and sometimes color-based. The prize for the "regular" end is just as disappointing as expected, while the prize for the "happy" end is actually pretty darn cool and something most folks would be pretty happy to win. The characterizations of Wan and Nyan are even more vivid with the cat practically jumping out of his skin with impatience to finish the task while the hapless dog suffers embarrassment for his overeager friend. While Cogito Ergo Sum's escapes have always had personality, Stamp Rally Escape 3 has almost an overabundance of it.
The design of this mysterious room is pretty standard for Cogito Ergo Sum: Light, pastel colors, traditional Japanese fixtures, flat, cartoony background and characters. You will also be faced with an "Engrish" translation that is actually better than usual for their games. With such amusing characters, crazy antics, fun puzzles and the like Stamp Rally Escape 3 is a pretty good game on its own and a nice way to end the series.
Do we find out more about the mysterious RIDLRIDL corporation and why they chose to challenge two domestic house pets to this epic craziness? Sadly, no, although you still get a pretty gratifying ending, even the "regular" one. The puzzles flow nicely from one to the next and the animals' special talents for jumping and punching are on display front and center several times around the room. All in all a nice, satisfying conclusion to the series, leaving the room escaper happy and content, at least until Cogito Ergo Sum's next epic trilogy.
Walkthrough Guide
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STAMP RALLY ESCAPE 3 WALKTHROUGH
Intro
Alright, Post is here and ready to get us to the last Stamp Rally room! Once we get out of here, that extravagant reward is as good as ours! Nyan, Wan, let's go!!
SCROLL WALL
Oo, that's a lovely little flower over there...I think I'll have a look.
Huh, that's an odd looking--wait, that's no leaf! It's Stamp 2!
Wow, that was quick...let's see if we can find some more. Maybe those colored squares hold a clue?
Hm, looks like a combination lock. Maybe we'll find a clue somewhere else.
For now, let's check that scroll out. I can read a little Japanese, so maybe I can transl--
Oh! The squares in the kanji change color when I touch them!
Maybe it's a clue for that lock we just saw? Let's count up all the squares for each color...
I'm counting 3 red, 4 green, 7 blue, and 2 yellow. Let's try that!
It works! And now the scroll's gone. Is there a stamp behind it?
No, but there is a very familiar green book...looks like you can do your high-jumps again, Wan! (Seriously, though, how do you keep forgetting that?)
Well, that just leaves the big vase....erf! I can't reach inside it. Oh well, maybe later. Let's go right for now.
LUCKY CATS
Oh look, a couple of Lucky Cat statues! Let's take a look!
Hmm, they all have a letter on them. J, A, N, and P...and what's that on the branch below?
The flag of Japan, it would seem. ...Looks like a clue to what to do with the cats to me!
Yep. Pressing them in an order that spells out JAPAN reveals Stamp 5. 3 down, 7 to go!
As long as we've got that branch in mind, let's back up and take a closer look at it.
Huh. Seems to have a little ribbon on it. If my room escape experience has taught me anything, it's to check out stuff like that which seems out of place. So let's take it!
I can unfold it a bit to reveal a clue for the box up above, but the bottom part seems to be folded up on itself and stuck...looks like some letters folded in half.
I think that's... an S, an M, an A, and a P?
Well, let's have a look..yep, sure enough, that box has a 4-letter lock. Let's try what that paper said.
S, M, A, P...bingo! ...A net? Ummm....okay.
Alright, let's check those top shelves....umm, Wan, could you give me a paw here?
(Wan jumps up and opens the left cabinet)
There's a book up there...OH! And Stamp 4! Awesome!
Well, let's check that book out...hmm, has a list of colors in it, and a clue for a pink box....oh, but check the back page! There's a....phone dialer? Weird. Oh well, let's take it anyway.
(Wan jumps up and opens the right cabinet)
Ah, there's that pink box from the booklet. Looks like a color-coded lock on this.
The book doesn't give colors in the clue, though, just numbers...
Say, I wonder what would happen if we punched those numbers into that phone dialer?
AH! Each number has a letter assigned to it! Maybe they spell something out?
Let's see...821 = RED, 38226 = GREEN, 3809 = GRAY, and 7465 = PINK. I think we've got our lock combo now!
Yep! That got it open, and now Nyan can use her Cat Punch skill! (Again.)
Well, that looks like all we can do here...another 90-ish degree turn to the right, then!
CLOSET
Hmm, there's a closet here, and a painting, and.... ...what IS that thing up there? Wan, wanna check it out?
(Wan jumps up to grab the weird thing, knocking it down) WAAAGH!! What the heck is that thing!?
Can't get a hold of it moving around like that...need to stop it somehow.
Oh, wait! That net we got earlier should do the trick!
HA! Got it! ...And whatever it is, it had Stamp 6! We're halfway there!
Let's check that painting out...huh. "Happy End," eh? Whatever it is, it seems to involve that weird little robot. Might as well take it.
Alright, let's have a look inside...*erf* ...that...*hrrngh!* ...closet? Huh, darn thing's stuck.
Nyan, would you do the honors?
(Cat Punch to left door)
Alright, it's open...look! Stamp 7! 4 left now...I'm getting excited!
Okay, now that that's open, let's see what else is in here...well, there's some playing cards on the floor. Maybe they're used for something.
Let's see what's in the box on the shelf...oop, drat, it's locked. Another letter lock?
No, wait...if I go up the A becomes 2, and if I go down it becomes K...aha! It's a playing card lock! Those ones we picked up must be a clue to the combo! And look at the corner: Spade, Heart, Club, Diamond...hm.
Let's look at the cards again: 9S, 8H, 7D, 5D, 4S, 3H, AC.
Maybe if we total the values up?
Spades: 9+4...that's 13, which would be (9, 10, J, Q, ) K. Hearts: 8+3 would be J. Clubs: A + ....oh, right, just the Ace. So that's A. Diamonds: 7 + 5 would be Q.
So K, J, A, Q...bingo! And now we've got...one of those grabber-arm things. Hm, I think I know what to do with this, but let's finish checking this closet out first.
Let's open the right side now...okay, there's an electric lamp on the floor. Might come in handy, so let's take it.
Above that, we've got a tube with a letter lock on it...looks like a clue on the wall.
Hmm...a dotted line through a "does not equal" sign, and some letters that are marked out along with some that are circled. The A's got that same dotted line through it...
Huh. Now that I look at it, all the X'd out stuff is symmetrical along that line, while the circled stuff isn't. Maybe we need to use the non-symmetrical letters on the lock?
Let's see...B, E, C, K--Aha! Got it! And now we have some...shoji paper? Uhhh...okay.
I think that's got it for this part of the room...before we go to the last part, though, I wanna check something.
SCROLL(less) WALL
Let's try those lazy tongs on the vase, since I don't want Nyan to break it just to look inside.
Ahh, THERE'S Stamp 3!
Okay, back to the last part of the room!
POST
Oh, hi Post! We're not ready to mail this off yet.
Hey, there's something written on the wall up there.
"BOYS BE AMBITIOUS" ...Hm? The slot underneath seems to be empty.
Looks like the shoji paper will fit...oh! Numbers! Hmm....a clue to something?
Well, in the meantime, let's look elsewhere. The plate on the right is screwed in, and the wall on the left looks like it needs a keycard...let's check the cabinet on the bottom.
Oh, it's locked...a number lock, with "TEAM" written above it.
Maybe the shoji paper clue applies to this.
Looking back up at it, the numbers below the letters T, E, A, and M are...
7204.
Yep, that's got it open! There's Stamp 8, a screwdriver, and...some flags? Cool.
Well, since we've got a screwdriver, let's check that plate on the right!
Yep, plate came off...feels a little heavy, though.
Oh! There's a keycard on the back of it! Looks like some writing on it...red 1, green 2, blue 3, pink 4?
Oh, and there's some plugs behind it...may as well plug the lamp in.
Huh. Interesting color pattern..well, whatever.
Right, now for that keycard reader on the left wall.
Ah, the buttons lit up the same colors as the numbers on the card.
I wonder what will happen if we push them in that order?
Red, Green, Blue, Pink...open says-a-me! And hello, Stamp 9!
Hmm...one stamp to go.
Come to think of it, the last stamp in the other 2 rooms were hidden on Post. You don't suppose...
(One Cat Punch to Post later) Yep! There's the last one!!
(Hmm...something feels off here...I think I'd better save, just to be safe.)
FOR NORMAL END
Ahh, what am I worrying about? We've got all the stamps! Let's get that last Golden Stamp and get that extravagant gift! (pops the Stamp Card into Post!)
FOR HAPPY END
Hang on a sec. What was on that painting over by the closet again?
Oh, that robot we picked up...looks like it's holding those flags we found earlier. Maybe we should give them to it?
...Ooookay, now it's got flags we can make it raise up for a moment, but...now what?
...Wait, hang on...the lamp. When we plugged it in, it lit up in a pattern of blue and red, same as these flags. Maybe if we raised them in that same pattern...
Red, Blue, Blue, Red, Blue--OH! ...Another stamp! But...didn't we get them all? And this one's not green, either...in fact, I'd say that's platinum. And it's almost as big as the card. ...Ahh what the heck? ***KTONK!***
Okay, we've done everything we can here short of mailing this off and going home. Nyan, Wan, let's get out of here and get that extravagant gift!
(Be sure to pay close attention once the ending's finished: there's a neat little easter egg to be found!)
Posted by: An Onyx Mouse
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May 18, 2011 1:28 AM
Stamp Rally Escape 3 Walkthrough
General Information
Don't forget to examine everything you pick up, it might be hiding a vital clue.
You cannot use the animals' ability until you find their respective books. When you do, a picture of them will go into the inventory. You will be using their abilities more than once.
This walkthrough will contain directions for the colorblind.
There are two endings, "regular" and "happy".
The "Save" button is your friend if you want to find both endings easily.
Good luck!
Exploration
You begin with your stamp card displayed. Note that the number 1 position is already filled.
Click outside the card to drop it into your inventory.
You are now facing a wall that has some sort of color code to the left of a kanji scroll. To the right of the scroll is a large empty vase.
On the left wall is a narrow white vase filled with flowers. Click on it for a close up.
Once in close up you will see a stamp hidden behind the greenery. Click on the stamp (stamp 2).
Back up.
If you click on the color code you will see that it is four colors and a four digit code of some sort. Back up.
Click on the scroll for a close up.
If you hover your cursor over the kanji characters in the scroll you will notice that some areas light up with colors. Back up.
Click on the large vase on the right for a close up.
If you click on the vase again it tells you that there is something there, but you can't reach it. Back up.
Turn right.
You are now facing a wall that has two sliding doors high up it. You can't reach the doors, however.
Below the doors on a shelf are four maneki nekos (lucky cats). Click on them for a close up.
Each cat sports a different letter, J, A, N, and P. You can also see the top of a plant below.
Hmmm, does that flag in the plant look familiar? Back up.
On the right side of the shelf is a brown box that requires a four letter code.
Below the shelves is a vase filled with cherry blossoms. Click on the vase for a close up.
There's something that looks like a band-aid stuck to one of the branches, take it.
While the band-aid is in close up click on it and you will discover that it is a note with a mysterious clue.
Close down the note and back up.
Turn right.
There appears to be a robot arm dangling from the ceiling, waving a stamp, but you can't reach it right now.
On the left wall is a picture, click on it for a close up.
This is a picture of our heroes with a robot and the words "happy end". Back up.
In front of you are two large sliding doors, but they are stuck.
Turn right.
On this wall, near the top middle, is some writing. Click on the writing for a close up.
"Boys Be Ambitious". Okay, that's ambiguous. Back up.
On the left of the wall is a card reader slot and four small gray areas.
On the right of the wall is some sort of panel. Click on it and you will see that you need a screwdriver. Back up.
On the bottom of the wall are some sliding doors. Click on them for a close up and you will see the word "Team" and that you need a four digit code. Back up.
Click on the mailbox to say hi then turn right.
You are now back where you started at the scroll.
Time to solve some puzzles!
The Kanji Scroll/Four Color Puzzle
Click on the scroll for a close up.
Notice again that each time you hover your cursor over the characters, colors light up.
Those colors are red, blue, green, and yellow, the same colors in the four digit code to the left of the scroll. Coincidence?
Hover carefully over each character on the scroll and count the number of times each color appears.
You will find red = 3, blue = 7, green = 4, and yellow = 2.
Back up from the scroll and click on the four digit color code to the left of the scroll.
The colors are in this order: red, green, blue, and yellow.
Using the values learned from the scroll, the code is 3472.
Enter the code and you will hear a noise.
The scroll will slide up, revealing a book. Take the book.
Click on the book to open it and you will get the dog's jumping power.
The Upper Doors
Turn right to face the shelf with the lucky cats and the sliding doors way up above.
Click on the dog icon in your inventory then click on the left door.
When the door opens take stamp 4.
There is also a red book up there, take it.
While the book is in close up you will see that it is a color book.
Click on the book to open it and you will see the names of colors listed.
Click on the right page of the book to turn the page and you will find a picture of a pink box and a bunch of numbers.
Turn the page again and take the item that is hidden in the book (number keypad).
Close down the book into your inventory.
Use the dog on the right sliding door and you will find a pink box that requires a color code.
The Pink Box
Time to turn your attention to the pink box in the upper right cabinet.
Pull up the book from your inventory and flip the pages until you reach the page with the picture of the pink box and all of the numbers.
Notice that there are four slots listed (in Roman Numerals) and each Roman Numeral has a series of numbers after it.
Look closely at the number of numbers for each Roman Numeral.
There are two ways to solve this:
The simple way is to use the number keypad you just got from the book.
Enter each series of numbers and you will see the corresponding letters. These letters spell out the colors.
Or you can crack it the hard way.
This is a simple substitution code. The way to crack it is to compare the numbers to the colors on the first page of the book.
Note that there is only one color with three letters, red, and there are three numbers after Roman Numeral I.
Assign each letter a number, so r = 8, e = 2, and d = 1.
From there, solve for the rest of the roman numerals.
Roman Numeral I stands for red.
Roman Numeral II stands for green (38226).
Roman Numeral III stands for gray (3809).
Roman Numeral IV stands for pink (7465).
Use the dog to click on the pink box for a close up.
Set the buttons, from left to right, to the colors indicated by the Roman Numerals in the book.
For the color blind: Click the first button three times, click the second button nine times, click the third button once, and click the fourth button eight times.
Once you've entered the code click the large button and open the box.
Take the book and click on it to open it.
You now have Nyan's (the cat) punching skill.
The Small Brown Box
Now click on the small brown box below the doors for a close up.
You need a four letter code here.
Double click on the note that looks like a band-aid in your inventory for a close up.
Once the note is in close up, click on it to open it up.
There is a picture of the small brown box with the word PASS.
There are also some strange symbols below.
Do those symbols look like letters?
The symbols on the bottom of the note are letters that have been folded in half.
In your mind's eye pull down the darker part of the symbols and you will see the letters.
The code is SMAP.
Close down the note and pull up the small brown box.
Enter the four letter code and click the large button to open the box.
Take the net.
Turn right.
The Large Sliding Doors
You should now be facing the large sliding doors where the robot arm dangles down.
Use the cat's punch on the left door to open it.
On the top shelf inside is a large brown box that requires a four digit code and has some card suits on it.
On the bottom is a stamp, take it (stamp 7).
There are also some cards there, click on them to take them.
Use the cat punch in the right door.
There is some mysterious writing on the wall, click on it for a close up.
There are some arrows (right and left) that apparently don't equal each other.
There are also some letters that are crossed out (A, V, and a Yen sign) and letters that are circled (F, P, and a dollar sign).
Back up.
Below the mysterious writing is an object on a shelf, click on it.
Cool, a cryptex!
Below the cryptex is a large object, take it (lantern).
The Cryptex
The key to solving the cryptex are the cryptic letters on the wall above it.
The clue would seem to indicate that you are looking for letters that are not symmetrical from side to side.
Click on the codex for a close up.
Turn each cylinder until you reach a letter that is not side-to-side symmetrical.
The code is BECK.
When the cryptex opens take the piece of rolled up paper.
The Large Brown Box
Open the left door again to see the large brown box.
Click on the box for a close up.
Maybe those card suits have something to do with the solution?
From left to right you see a spade, a heart, a club, and a diamond.
Maybe those cards we took are a clue?
Pull up the cards from your inventory.
Look at the suits on the cards as compared to the ones on the box.
There is a 9 and a 4 of spades.
There is an 8 and a 3 of hearts.
There is one club, an ace.
There is a 7 and 5 of diamonds.
Perhaps if we add them up?
9 + 4 = 13. In a deck of cards 13 is the king.
8 + 3 = 11. In a deck of cards 11 is the jack.
7 + 5 = 12. In a deck of cards 12 is the queen.
Close down the cards and pull up the box.
Set the code from left to right: K, J, A, Q (king, jack, ace, queen).
Once you put in the code click on the large button to open the box.
Take the grabber and close down the box.
The Robot Arm
You should still be facing the large sliding doors. Note the robot arm enticingly dangling a stamp on the left.
Use the dog's jumping power on the robot.
Great, robot freak out.
Use the net on the robot and you will get stamp 6.
Click on the robot to take it.
Turn right.
Boys Be Ambitious
You should now be facing the wall with the card swipe and the strange "Boys Be Ambitious" writing.
Click on the "Boys Be Ambitious" for a close up.
Use the scroll of paper you got from the codex below the writing and you will get some numbers.
1596, 12, and 041373586.
Back up.
Click on the low cabinet doors at the bottom of the scene.
Here we have a four digit code and the word TEAM.
The numbers underneath Boys Be Ambitious assign a number value to each letter.
Using those numbers you will find that TEAM = 7204.
Enter the code and the cabinet will open.
Take the items within the cabinet (screwdriver, red and blue flags, and stamp 8).
Lighting the Lamp
Click on that panel below and to the right of the Boys Be Ambitious writing.
Use the screwdriver on the panel.
While the panel is in close up, click on it to turn it over.
Take the key card.
When the panel is finally in your inventory you will see that it covered an electrical outlet.
Use the lamp that you got from the closet on the outlet. Notice that the lamp flashes some colors when it is plugged in.
The Key Card
Pull up the swipe card from your inventory and look at it closely.
What appears at first glance to be a jumble of colors is actually numbers. There is a red 1, a green 2, a blue 3, and a pink 4 all intertwined.
Close down the swipe card.
Click on the area to the left of Boys Be Ambitious for a look at the card reader.
Use the card on the reader.
Those gray patches to the left will now fill with color.
Click the patches in the order indicated by the colored numbers on the card.
For the colorblind: lower left, upper right, upper left, lower right.
A panel will appear, giving you stamp 9.
Back up.
Turn right.
The Large Vase
You should now be back to the original view, facing the large vase on the right.
Click on the vase for a close up.
Use the grabber on the mouth of the vase to get stamp 3.
Back up.
Turn right.
Maneki Neko (Lucky Cats)
You should now be facing the shelf with the lucky cats.
Click on the cats for a close up.
Note again that each cat has a letter, J, A, N, and P.
Perhaps that flag on the cherry blossom below is a clue?
That is the Japanese flag.
Click on the cats to spell out Japan.
In order, from the left, 1, 2, 4, 2, 3.
When you enter the code correctly the last cat will slide, revealing stamp 5.
Back up.
The Tenth Stamp
Turn right (or left) twice to face the mail box.
Use the cat punch on the mailbox and he will drop stamp 10.
Take the stamp.
Regular End
At this point you should have all 10 stamps.
Use the completed stamp card on the mailbox.
Choose the "yes" option.
Enjoy your fabulous...trophy? Seriously?
Happy End
You should have all 10 stamps. However, there are a few things left hanging.
You still have the robot in your inventory, as well as the red and blue flags.
Where have we seen those before?
In the picture that says "happy end" of course!
Pull up the robot from your inventory.
Use the red and blue flags on the robot.
Now what?
Remember the lamp? It flashed colors when you plugged it in.
How about we recreate that pattern by clicking on the robot's arms?
The pattern is red, blue, blue, red, blue.
For the colorblind: right, left, left, right, left.
The robot will produce a shiny new stamp, click on it.
This will give you a large platinum stamp on your card.
Now use the card on the mailbox.
Now you get a trophy and iphones!
Notice at the end a small arrow pointing to the cat's phone?
Click on it for a bonus scene and a sneak preview of Cogito Ergo Sum's next game.
Posted by: grinnyp
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May 18, 2011 4:19 AM