It has stopped raining. The clouds are parting and with the sun brightening the world of Lucas Paakh's mushroom-munching, dauntless red fox, you'd think those vexatious gnomes would give it a rest and take in some sunshine. Instead, they have stolen and torn up William's journal, scattering the pages high and low. William, who is too busy working on his tan to be bothered, sends his vulpine friend, Sly, to gather the pages together. This is where your adventure starts in William and Sly 2, a stunningly gorgeous sequel to the original William and Sly from 2009.
Those cagey gnomes have blocked up many of Sly's caves, so no longer does he go blindly spelunking for treasures. Yet, it turns out, gnomes cast sloppy dissolution spells so the blockages crumble at the slightest touch revealing... treasure, which in this case refers to mushrooms (Huzzah!) Explore this surreal landscape of towering sequoias, intricately carved cliffs and mysterious caverns by using the [WASD] or [arrow] keys. You begin with a map already in your possession, which you can access by tapping [shift]; this feature comes in handy as you navigate the byzantine panorama and might even prove useful to your crusade strategy.
While searching for journal pages, you'll encounter enigmatic shrines where you can meditate to uncover side quests for new abilities, one of which is essential for completion of the game. These campaigns add significantly to the fun and require thoughtful problem-solving to complete. Happily, the fairy flies from the first game remain useful for these matters. Bring up the journal pages via the [B] key to read backstory hinting at how the little fox came to live with William, why he was dubbed Sly, and other narrative touches that round out the story.
Analysis: If you thought the first William and Sly was a feast for the eyes, fill your sights on the imaginative production values of the sequel. In both, you'll experience a fantasy realm of breathtaking scenery and rich environmental effects, a place where exploration and curiosity are rewarded with new surprises and abilities. As a result of using Blender to multilayer the sprites, the landscape has undergone a 3D-like transformation and the rich details of the first incarnation have multiplied triple-fold. Just as soothing and meditative as before, the music, also by Lucas Paakh, takes on deeper tones and a richer sound. Bird song has replaced the thunder and lightening; there is a post-storm calm and serenity in this world.
Another noticeable change (an improvement in my book) is in the ease of play. With the absence of darklings from the first title, traveling about is stress free, allowing for full enjoyment of the non-linear gameplay, and you won't find a boss battle either. If you can empathize with Sly's compulsive obsession with mushrooms, the joy of fungi accumulation persists here. On the other hand, if you expect more for your platform gaming skills, you might be initially disappointed by the near effortlessness of play, although the focus on exploration and discovery is aptly utilized amongst these superb graphics. Outside of the platforming aspect, the William and Sly games fall neatly into Azurefish's category: interactive art with puzzles and gaming thrown in.
Once again, the greatest complaint about William and Sly 2 is that it ends too soon. Yet there is certainly replay value, if for no other reason, to simply indulge yourself in a whimsical dream world of exploratory sumptuousness. Yes, that's a mouthful and a fitting description of this eyeful!
Walkthrough Guide
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Solutions, Maps and Tips for William and Sly 2
Map of Journals, Keys and Bombs:
Image: Map of Journals, Keys and Bombs
Map of All Items, including Mushrooms:
Image: Map by Isi
[Thanks to Isi!]
A map of pixies, runestones and shrines—along with how to earn special abilities—is included in the following sections:
Teleport
Gain this ability at the easternmost shrine.
Press [down arrow] at the shrine to read the clue:
"WITHIN THE ROCK THE OHNEM GROANS...
TRAPPED, ENSLAVED, IN ANCIENT STONES...
LITTLE FOX, THE RUNES ARE TARNISHED...
FREE THEM FROM THESE EARTHEN BONES..."
To free the spirits from the runes, first you need to use bombs to break open the rocks that trap them (see screenshot).
Map of Ahmni, Runestones and Frozen Pixies
Once you have freed all four runes, return to the shrine and pray again. The ohnem will reward you with "teleport".
Teleport allows you to move from runestone to runestone in an instant.
Ahmni Sight
Gain this ability at the middle shrine.
Press [down arrow] at the shrine to read the clue:
"LITTLE FOX, THIS IS A TEST...
AHMNI BEAR THIS MAGIC BEST...
AIR, ALOFT, WHILE EARTH MUST REST...
WATER FEARS THE FIERY WEST..."
First, find all four AHMNI -- air, earth, water, fire -- in treasure chests around the landscape (SEE SCREENSHOT).
Map of Ahmni, Runestones and Frozen Pixies
Next, place the Ahmni in the correct pedestals:
If you look at all four pedestals on the map...
Air should be at 12 o'clock ("aloft").
Earth is at 6 o'clock ("rest").
Fire is at 10 o'clock ("the fiery west").
Water is at 3 o'clock ("fears the fiery west" and, by process of elimination, is east).
When all the Ahmni are placed, return to the middle shrine and pray. The ohnem there will reward you with magical sight.
Ahmni Sight allows you to locate treasures (mushrooms, keys, bombs, and other items). Uncollected items will glow with blue sparks making them more visible from a distance.
Pixie Flight
Gain this ability at the western shrine.
Press [down arrow] at the shrine to read the clue:
"LOST... LOST... THEY ARE ALL LOST...
FIND THE PIXIES, LITTLE FOX...
FOUR THERE ARE, NOW WREATHED IN FROST...
SILVERY HAIR AND BLACK EYES, GLOSSED..."
The locations of the 4 frozen pixies are marked on this map:
Map of Ahmni, Runestones and Frozen Pixies
To free the pixies from the frost, go to a dragon pyre pole when you have collected 3 fairy flies then...
Press down at the dragon pyre pole and quickly travel to the pixie you want to defrost. The fiery magic surrounding Sly will free the frozen pixie.
HINT: Use the eastern dragon pyre pole and teleport via runestones to reach three of the pixies. Then use the middle dragon pyre pole to reach the pixie just left of it.
Once you have freed all four pixies, return to the western (far left) shrine and press [down arrow] to pray. The ohnem there will reward you with pixie flight.
Pixie Flight allows you to reach high places. Press [up] multiple times to jump as high as you need to go. You can also move left or right while in the air for a sort of flying effect.
General Information and Tips for Exploration
Opening the map will acts as a backup "save game" to ensure your progress is saved before you exit (this may cause a moment of lag).
If you want to mute the game, press the [M] key.
Only 5 keys can be carried at one time (so stop hording and open those boxes! ;-) )
You can navigate with your game map toggled open. Moving your red blip around the map this way allows you to better track exploration and make sure you have visited all areas.
Remember to walk over all parts of the ground (it's easy to leap over a spot without noticing) and push into all walls to break the dissolution spells in those places.
Also look high, using pixie flight to reach lone island platforms and outcroppings near cavern ceilings.
Pixies are not the only things that can be encased in frost; so if you see something frozen that's too high to reach, it isn't a pixie. ;-)
Image: Map of Journals, Keys and Bombs
Image: Map of All Items, Including Mushrooms - by Isi
Map of Ahmni, Runestones and Frozen Pixies
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Posted by: elle
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December 27, 2011 3:08 PM
Oh wait, finally found everything I was looking for on a lone floating island I did not get close enough to the first time round. Finished now! :)
My hints on getting everything
1. Collect what you can at first with a run through of the whole map without any abilities.
2. Then unlock the teleports as you now have enough bombs and know the locations of the rocks that hide the teleportation stones.
3. Get spirit sight next. Try and reserve your keys for the chests that hold the Ahmni orbs, but remember that you can only hold up to 5 keys at a time.
4. Free the frozen spirits from the ice next. Have a look at where they are relatively to the fire poles on the map. Make use of the teleportations stones too as they help reduce the jumping around.
5. Lastly, finish gathering everything. the best method I found is basically search up and down from the beginning and look for the glow from spirit sight. And don't forget the floating islands that you would otherwise not see unless you spam spirit jump!
Posted by: Kittymaverick
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December 27, 2011 8:32 PM