Monster Basement 2
It was with much excitement, anticipation and just a wee bit of trepidation that I sat down today with Monster Basement 2, my immense love of escape games warring with my natural fear of the heebie-jeebies. 
It's true, I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to these sorts of things; one surprise 'monster jumping out-of-closet' moment and I'm shrieking like a (heh) little girl. But oh, the original Monster Basement was so fun, and clever, and unique... I just had to play through the sequel, even if it meant cringing each time I opened a door.
I'm very glad I did. Monster Basement 2 is every bit as entertaining and well-made as the original; like the first game, it is extraordinary for its thought-provoking plot and tense, eerie ambiance. Patrick Majewski, from Godlimations, has spared nothing in bringing his tale of monster-against-man-against-monster to life; major elements such as music and graphics are impeccably and creatively designed, and little macabre details (such as paintings that change when the lights are flipped off, yikes) bring this already strong framework to another level.
I don't want to ruin even a bit of the story's ingenuity, so I'm going to speak in somewhat general terms. At the beginning of Monster Basement 2, you have escaped from the basement itself and ascended into the house proper. To truly, finally exit this horrible place you need to find a wrench and a key; these will open the otherwise-impenetrable portal in the basement that leads to your freedom. But where are these things? And how, in a house full of hostile creatures, will you live to find them? You'll have to trust your wits, stay on your toes and trust an unlikely friend; in doing so, you'll further unravel the story of the house's frightening, tragic occupants and—if you're lucky—make it out in one piece.
The game is not perfect. The puzzles are, on the whole, great; a few times, however, the creators' inventiveness passes into the realm of confusion. The story, similarly, can occasionally become disjointed, with plot elements that ultimately are not explained. Another minor but annoying quibble is that, although the soundtrack itself is fabulous, every time you find something to collect the game seems to feel the need to scare the poop out of you. It's like, "Hm, I wonder what's between the wall and that desk. Let me just cli—OH GOD! SCARY MUSIC! What is it?! What—oh, it's just a box of matches. A box of matches?" Needless to say, for an already-jumpy person like myself it was not an ideal situation.
These criticisms pale, however, in the face of what an exceptional game Monster Basement 2 really is. Yes, it's very good looking and smoothly designed, yes, there are clever puzzles and chilling scares, but those things are not what make the game truly special; to me, what's most extraordinary about the game is the emotion at its core. There's real sadness and poignancy in the story, and that's something to be treasured.
Oh, and I really, strongly encourage you to play the original Monster Basement first if you have not yet done so. It is an excellent and highly enjoyable game in its own right, and will set the stage for the second game so that you can enjoy it to its maximum potential.
This time, it truly is escape:
Walkthrough Guide
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Walkthrough
Click on the TV to zoom in, open the DVD player by clicking on the button on the right and remove the DVD
(it doesn't matter if it disappears later)
Click on the space between the left wall and the tv stand to find matches
Go back to full view, turn left twice, take the leaflet from the side of the tv stand
Turn left twice again, pick up the phone from the chair
Turn 180° and go through the door with the switch
Light the 3rd candle from the left with the matches
(full view on the matches, open the box, pick up a match, scratch it on the side,exit full view)
Zoom in on the base of the candle to find laxatives
Go back to the main room and go into the kitchen where the butcher is hacking away at a dead monster
Use the laxatives on the glass right of the butcher, wait until he drinks again and rushes outside.
Go back into the kitchen, take the salt near the big cup left of the big eye, and the musical score on the right corner.
(click the roll to unfold and memorize the song)
Go back to the candle stairs, click the "eye" under the music symbol to start "playing" the score.
Click on the door when the vertical bar passes over the notes (anticipating a bit seems to make it easier)
Go through the door, click the computer, open the tray, and take the DVD.
Step back and go through the door next to the bed into the bathroom. Shake the towel until a key drops and pick it up.
Go back down and outside, look up to get a better view of the windmill, and wait until you see a rope, and pick it up.
Look back down, go right, and take the diary.
Go twice left, take the pot next to the right door, examine it in full view, and look inside to find a key.
Use the salt several times on the little girl.
Go back inside and upstairs. Give the diary to the girl and take the "scrowl hold"
Go back outside and to the left, use the bathroom key to open the right door and enter the shed.
Open the toolbox with the other key and take the magnet.
Go outside, wait for the end of the cinematic, and open the privy door. Step inside.
Use the magnet on the crap hole.
Go back inside the house to the bathroom upstairs, turn on the sink and wash the bone.
Go outside again, right, and put the bone into the mailbox. Close it back.
Go back to the room upstairs, use the phone (full view), and dial 137049. Click on the button above the 1 to dial.
Once the call is over, go back to the mailbox, and open it to get a wrench.
Go down the hole melted into the ground into the sewers, go forward, click the glowing grid.
Combine magnet and rope (full view on rope, use magnet on it) and use it on the round shape.
Combine the scrowl head with the hold (full view on the hold, use the head on it)
Go back to the main room, zoom in on the tv, put the "trap" dvd into the player, close it, and click the "play" on the tv.
Once the screen flashes and the lights turn off, go to full view of the scrowl scepter, and click the head to freeze time, rod should turn red.
Go back to full view of the room, click the chainsaw, and use it on the man.
Turn around and take the hood off the dead man. Examine it, and click the bottom of it to find a key inside.
Go down the stairs to the basement, use the the wrench on the bolts and the key on the hatch. You're out.
Posted by: Seregmegilmor
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October 2, 2008 4:27 AM
I actually needed far less help to get through this than I normally do! To celebrate, I thought I'd attempt to write MY VERY FIRST WALKTHROUGH EVAR. Even though there's already a walkthrough. Because I've seen multiple walkthroughs featured before, so what have I to lose?
(I'd meant to finish and post this last night, but something in the game made my browser crash and by the time I'd have rebooted ... *sigh*)
It starts in the usual way. Click to get through the intro text and find yourself at the starting point.
Hm. Ostensibly a room escape game, yet the front door is banging in the breeze. Certainly an invitation to step outside and investigate!
Well, now we're facing the entrance to the house, and what's that turning tantalizingly above us? We must investigate!
A ghostly figure peers out from the window. A bit of rope sticks to the blade of the windmill. An obvious invitation to retrieve the object.
Back down we go and to the left. The grabby hand wants to pluck the pink pot, and who are we to argue with big honkin' hints provided by the game developer?
Typically, pots are for putting things in, so let's see what the pot's got. A-ha! A key for the toolbox. Now where's the toolbox?
A locked door needs unlocking. We'll find the right key eventually.
An outhouse. Hm. Not much doin' now, but will probably figure in the plot somehow or other later.
Back and alll the way to the right. Hey, what's that in the tree? Ooh, a diary!
The birdhouse/mailbox thingy is interactive. Must mean it'll be useful later.
Well, the outside's been exhausted for now. Let's go back inside.
Hey, there's something on the side of the entertainment center. Probably contains useful information. Ah, the Handyman again. We'll have to call him at some point.
And what's going on ahead? We start toward the kitchen, but get interrupted by an apparition, apparently. "Don't go in there"? Ah, well. Onto the kitchen go we.
A butcher's job is thirsty work! But how do we distract him long enough to get the items we need to get? Obviously, some more exploring is in order.
Hey, what's that on the chair? Oh, Handyman! Drat, no bars. We'll have to keep checking it until we can pick up a signal.
Right is a good direction. Let's go right. Wow, it's the place we escaped from in the first game! And now the objective of our quest has been revealed: We need a wrench and a key. One would assume a specific key, naturally.
Back to our starting spot, which now makes sense. Good continuity, Godlimations! Anyhow, now we have an entertainment center staring us once more in the face. It's about time we checked it out, hm?
Wow, there's a DVD in the DVD player. Who'da thunk it? Wonder what we need it for, though.
The entertainment center is not sitting flush against the wall, so of course this means there must be something to be found 'twixt the two. And behold!
There's one more door to pass through, so let's check it out.
How lucky, we just picked up some matches for these candles.
Did you notice the extra shadow cast by one of the candles? This can only mean one thing.
We knock on the door, but with no effect. Wait, didn't we read something about that before? Let's refresh our memory.
Nothing more to be done here for now, so let's return to the task of distracting the butcher. We should have the right tools for the task now.
Hint: We need to make him GO, coughcough.
Nasty noises indicate our success, but we obviously don't want to be seen. We leave the kitchen to allow him easy passage out, and watch the cutscene, which deposits us in our hiding spot. Now we can return to the kitchen and get everything we can get from there.
Salt. And hey, music! And we know just how this comes in handy now, too! Let's go.
Okay, this is simple in theory, but tricky in practice. It may take a number of goes before you get the rhythm just right. Click the eyeball under the treble clef, then position the cursor over the door at the top of the stairs so that it's a magnifying glass. Now click in time to highlight the notes as the line goes down the staff. But don't worry: You'll only have to go through all this just the once. The door will continue to remain accessible afterward. The trick is to click JUST before the line hits the note.
A room with a bed and a computer. Of course we're interested in the computer. Eh? Another apparent apparition. "Help me!" Well, to the computer we go.
Another DVD. This must be the one we need, because it's ominous and because the other one's gone missing.
Around and around and around we go, and where we -- Hey, another room!
A bathroom. And a towel. I think it's an unwritten rule that games with curtains or towels cause your character to develop OCD. So go on, play with that towel. You know you want to.
And our efforts are rewarded! We have a feeling we know what this key opens, too.
Hey, let's check the phone again. Bars! Now we can call the Handyman!
"Pay me." Means we need to find something of value to leave for him. Well, let's go!
The flapping door beckons us outside once more. Morbid curiosity leads us leftward.
Oh, poor thing. Do we have anything in our inventory that's good against her problem?
Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake!
Let's see now: Locked door, key ... Yep!
There's the toolbox! We must need something from it, or we wouldn't have been looking for it. And we're done in here.
Whoa! It's the axed creature from the first game! Don't panic, it's just a cut scene. Hey, the loo's unoccupied and stinky now.
Well, none of the shovels from the storeroom were clickable, so there must be another way to retrieve what needs to be retrieved. Well, let's see: The eyedopple's bones are metal, and the butcher seems to have dropped off some "precious" kids. Didn't we just get something out of the toolbox?
Now that we've attended to that nasty bit of business, let's check out what happened in the cut scene. Rightward, ho!
There's a tunnel under the tree now where the creature was ripped apart. Not much to do but follow where it leads.
One of these grates is not like the others... Okay. Ball plus distance equals how do we extend the reach of a grabby thing we just used for a similar task?
Now that we've got it, we can go. Dunno about you, but I'd rather not carry around that dirty object much longer. I'd feel much better if we could wash it off somewhere.
As we enter the house, we see the butcher's back in the kitchen. We'll just have to make use of the other sink.
Oh, hello again. "Give it back," she says. Happy to oblige. Surely we have something of hers that we don't need anymore?
Something slightly personal?
And she left something behind for us! Something that seems to go with another item we just obtained. Ah, so that's how it works.
But on to our task at hand: Cleaning the filthy remains. Ooh, hey. Valuable, hunh? Wonder if it's worth anything in trade.
And back down we go. Now, where can we leave something of value for the Handyman?
Out by the tree, maybe?
Handyman won't come until he knows his payment is ready. Back to where we can get a signal. "Okay." Well, that's encouraging. So back down we go and, hey, why don't we see what's on the new DVD we got, as long as we're here?
Brr! Scary! And what was that noise? What's behind us?
Was that real or an apparition? We're back at the TV again. Let's review the DVD!
The eyedopple was standing right where we are now when the chainsaw guy stepped out of the poster. If only we could freeze time to avoid repeating that grisly fate. Oh, wait! We can!
Time can't stay still forever, so let's take his chainsaw from him and use it against him.
He's dead now, and the grabby hand says we can get something else from him.
Unmasked! That's rather pointless. Perhaps...? Yep! This could be the very key we need. Now let's see what the Handyman left for us.
A wrench! Just the thing we've been needing to escape! Well, we know where to go from here!
Back downstairs with the tools to get us to freedom!
Posted by: ray9na | October 2, 2008 11:35 AM