In Hetherdale, the new point-and-click adventure from the creators of Morningstar, you guide Heather Montrose, an aspiring scholar who receives a telegram from an esteemed professor who claims to have found, deep in Africa, proof of a legendary city... a legendary city everyone believed to be the concoction of an 18th century poet and madman.
Use your mouse to play the game and interact with the environment. Click on an area and Heather will walk to it, and click on an object with a text pop-up when you move your cursor over it and Heather will interact with it. Items in your inventory can be examined by clicking on the item, then on the magnifying glass icon, or simply by clicking one item on another to combine whenever possible. Shortly after you begin, you'll also acquire a map that allows you to instantly hop to any location you've previously visited. Handy, since Heather's walking speed is fairly slow. Faster, woman! There's adventure afoot! Don't forget to save frequently by opening the menu and choosing the option.
Analysis: I don't know about you, but I'm always up for a jungle expedition. Nothing like the constant humidity and constant threat of poisonous insects and virulent diseases and infections to get the heart pumping! Mmm! The choice of 3D rendered visuals here lets Hetherdale paint some very lush environments suited to the exotic locale, but the character models aren't what one might call realistic, and as such certain scenes lose some of their intensity due to the cartoonish looks of the cast and lack of voice acting. It also makes puzzle solving more difficult than it needs to be, since items don't stand out very well.
While it stands out from the pack of other point-and-click titles due to its quality, Hetherdale just isn't quite as immediately engaging as Red Herring's previous epic, Morningstar. It's slower to start, with a lot of time given over to reading the rather copious amount of text conversations between characters. However, there's an air of mystery present throughout the game that serves to drive the story forward. The narrative is also tighter and weaves an interesting story, even if you'll probably have figured out who the bad guys are early on, or at least have your suspicions.
But where the game flounders most is with its puzzles. Some of the solutions to obstacles are, frankly, a little silly. While the most frequent obstacle you'll encounter is simply finding everything you need since items are scattered everywhere, the solutions tend to be overly complicated with unnecessary steps. Thankfully, the map's instant travel helps take a lot of the sting out of backtracking whenever you realise you've missed an item, and areas tend to be small enough that searching them isn't difficult or time consuming.
Hetherdale really feels like it would have been a fantastic game with a different design, instead of just "good". If you don't mind its relatively sedate approach to its story, and are the sort of person who typically combs all areas for items, you'll probably have an easier time of it and will enjoy the hour or so of play the game offers. A solid point-and-click game, and worth a look for any fan of the genre, and mad poets in general.
Walkthrough Guide
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Hetherdale Walkthrough
AIRSTRIP
Pick up hairpin, make-up kit and towel from luggage.
Open shed with the hairpin. You get a magnesium flare and a claw hammer.
Use claw hammer on canopy. You get some nails, a rope-ladder and a wheel chock.
Pick up the canopy.
Use magnesium flare on dark jungle path.
CLIFF
Use canopy on burning treetrunk.
Walk up the stairs.
Combine wheel chock with rope ladder. You get rope ladder with chock.
Use rope ladder with chock on spike shaped rock.
Walk over the rift, to the top of the stairs.
CAMP
You are greeted by Mr. Carrow.
After talking to him, walk to tent.
***** DAY 1 *****
CAMP
Talk to Mr. Carrow.
Pick up E-string from the guitar.
Pick up rather large drumstick from the cauldron.
Try to talk to Mr. Burke. Carrow will tell you about Burke's condition.
Pick up telegram from the table.
Pick up hand grenade from underneath the leaf.
Walk to jungle.
DEEP DITCH
Look at fresco.
Use claw hammer to pick up steel rod.
Pick up shorter plank and use it on plank.
Use nails on aligned planks.
Pick up extended long plank and use it on deep ditch.
Walk across deep ditch.
Pick up shell.
Walk north into the jungle.
THE DIG
Talk to Dr. Harbach (man to the left).
Talk to man (man on the right). He'll turn out to be Dr. Ashcroft.
Give telegram to Ashcroft. He'll ask you to fetch an axe for him from the camp. You also get a map (top-left map icon is on from now).
Pick up engine oil.
Pick up winch chain.
CAMP
Talk to Carrow, he'll give you an axe.
DIG
Give the axe to Ashcroft. He'll dismiss you. You get to keep the axe.
Talk to Harbach.
Pick up broken crossbow.
Pick up chisels.
Look at inscription.
DEEP DITCH
Use chisels on wall. You'll be able to climb it from now.
DAM
Pick up white flower.
Use hand grenade on river. The dam explodes. Three tombs are revealed.
Use winch chain on tombstone.
Pick up the chain attached to the tombstone and use it on stump.
Pick up chain end and use it on loose brick.
Use engine oil on tombstone.
Use steel rod on loose brick. The tomb is opened.
Pick up obsidian necklace, ceremonial spear and plume from open grave.
Examine plume. You need something to look at it more closely.
Go to camp.
CAMP
Use plume on microscope. You get a clue about some blue bushes near the furnaces (the dig area).
DIG
Talk to Harbach.
Talk to Ashcroft.
Use axe on bush with blue flowers. Some stairs are revealed.
Walk to the stairs.
***** DAY 2 *****
RAMPARTS
Talk to Ashcroft.
Pick up forked twig.
CAMP
Talk to Harbach.
Talk to Burke.
Pick up a pair of stockings, a lighter and boot polish from your luggage. From now you can wade in water.
DAM
Thanks to your waterproof boots, you'll be able to follow the stream into the jungle. (You don't need to use the boot polish - it will work automatically.) You arrive at a...
POND
Use axe on reed.
Use obsidian necklace on reed. You get some arrows without fletching.
Use plume on arrows without fletching. You get some arrows.
Use E-string on broken crossbow. You get a working crossbow.
Use crossbow on bird (you don't need to combine it with the arrows).
Pick up a tail feather from dead bird.
Combine forked twig with stockings. You get a butterfly net.
Use butterfly net on butterflies. You get a butterfly.
Use ceremonial spear on statue hand.
Use make-up kit on statue face.
Use shell on statue belt.
Use red feather on statue helmet.
Use rather large drumstick on drum. A native appears from the jungle.
Talk to native.
Follow native into jungle.
VILLAGE OF SHADES
Talk to shaman.
Pick up bowl.
CAMP
Pick up Carrow's handkerchief.
Pick up clothesline.
Show handkerchief to Carrow. He'll tell you about a bush near the ditch.
DEEP DITCH
Look at thick shrubbery. A carnivorous plant is revealed.
Use butterfly on carnivorous plant.
Pick up well-fed carnivorous plant.
VILLAGE OF SHADES
Combine Carrow's handkerchief with arrows. You get a flammable arrow.
Combine flammable arrows with lighter. You get a flaming arrow.
Use crossbow on buzzing beehive.
Pick up honeycomb from abandoned beehive.
Combine honeycomb with bowl.
Combine bowl/honey with carnivorous plant.
Combine almost done healing potion with white flower.
CAMP
Use healing potion on Burke. He'll tell you the combination.
Pick up sticks of dynamite and fuse from explosives crate.
RAMPARTS
Talk to Ashcroft.
Combine clothes-line with arrows. You get an arrow with the line tied to it.
Use crossbow on dangling vine.
Pull clothes-line. The vine falls down. You can now climb the wall.
Use dynamite on both cracks in the wall.
Use fuse on both rigged cracks.
Climb down.
Pick up left fuse and use it on left fuse extension.
Pick up right fuse and use it on right fuse extension.
DIG
Talk to Harbach. (NOTE: When I first played this, Harbach wasn't here at this time. Go around and talk to everyone about everything, then come back and Harbach should be here.)
Use lighter on fuse ends.
RAMPARTS
Climb across rubble.
TEMPLE GATE
Walk to old pavement. You'll fall into a hole.
***** DAY 3 *****
EMBALMING ROOM
The others come and talk to you.
Combine beeswax with fuse.
Use candle on candle-stand.
Use lighter on candle. Look at candle. The flame is tilting towards the tombs.
Pick up pitcher full of embalming oil.
Pick up bowl of embalming salt.
Use lighter on right tombstone.
Pick up chain.
Use chain on right ring.
Pull chain attached to right ring.
Use lighter on tomb.
Walk through passage.
TEMPLE GATE
Pick up firewood.
Examine abandoned camp. You'll find a quill and a page from Dunmore's journal.
Examine page from Dunmore's journal.
Search under rubble. You'll find a small clay bottle and Dunmore's journal.
Walk to hidden hallway to embalming room.
EMBALMING ROOM
Use firewood on dragon-recess.
Use pitcher full of embalming oil on dragon-recess. You get an empty pitcher.
Use lighter on dragon-recess. A fire is lit.
Use bowl of embalming salt on worm-recess. You get an empty bowl.
Use empty pitcher on pond.
Use pitcher full of water on fish-recess.
Use empty bowl on bottom recess.
Push large symbol. Look at bottom recess. You get a bowl full of brown liquid (embalming acid).
TEMPLE GATE
Use axe on door.
Combine small clay bottle with bowl full of brown liquid. You get strong acid.
Use strong acid on door-wing. The door is opened.
Walk through door.
TEMPLE
Talk to Harbach.
Use towel on each native art (above passageways). You'll uncover a drawing of a skull.
Walk through passageway to crypt.
CRYPT
Talk to the guardian.
Pick up Necronomicon.
Examine Necronomicon.
Use steel rod on tomb. Look at tomb. You get a shroud.
Use steel rod on torn page (in river). The page drifts away.
TEMPLE
Use quill on blood drain. You get a blood-filled quill.
Combine blood-filled quill with shroud. You get a magic shroud.
Pick up torch.
EMBALMING ROOM
Pick up torn page.
CRYPT
Use torch on blurred symbol.
Use magic shroud on newly drawn symbol.
Use torn page on guardian. It disappears.
Enter dark passageway.
THE DEEPEST CHASM
Ashcroft welcomes you with a speech (and a gun!).
Try moving closer to him. He'll warn you not to move.
Throw any item into the deep shaft except the towel and the crossbow (I use the boot polish). Ashcroft will look away, and you'll move closer.
Pick up a rock and throw it into the shaft. Ashcroft will look away. While he does, use towel on torch on wall.
Enjoy ending.
In a way this game was similar to Morningstar. Had similar things going on.
Posted by: Paul | April 5, 2010 8:27 PM