Solitude, the new point-and-click adventure/escape game from Japanese designer 58 Works, begins with a brief animation of a plane, one wing trailing smoke, plummeting from the sky into the ocean. A young man pulls himself out of the water and collapses onto a beach, exhausted by the ordeal—little does he know that his trials have barely begun. Playing as the sole survivor of the accident, can you solve puzzles, collect objects and unlock the secrets of this mysterious island? Most important of all, will you find a way to escape your paradisal prison?
Solitude is, at its core, a game of exploration. The game's puzzles are essentially pragmatic and realistic, mainly of the "collect item A to resolve obstacle B" variety (I simplify, but you understand what I mean). While the setting may be a bit fantastical, the ways in which you must use objects and manipulate the environment are completely reasonable, given the protagonist's situation. This means that Solitude is (hooray!) refreshingly logical. Every action makes sense, every solution is comprehensible. At the same time, those looking for raw intellectual challenge may not be entirely satisfied; while I would definitely not call the game easy, it isn't close to the most mentally taxing game you'll find in the genre.
Solitude's neat, colorful and professional-looking graphics create a very pleasant environment, one that is a pleasure to view and interact with. The interface is clean and user-friendly, and will be familiar to anyone accustomed to playing escape games. There's no pixel-hunting, per se (that is, no painstaking searches to find barely existent hotspots), but a number of important items are either hiding in plain sight or concealed in the environment, so make sure to run your cursor over everything in each scene. It's a little bit disappointing that Solitude does not contain a save feature; in my opinion, such an absence is inexcusable, particularly in a game created by such an excellent designer. Still, as Solitude is based more upon finding and then using items rather than solving complex puzzles, half-finishing and then restarting the game shouldn't cost you too much time.
All in all, Solitude is another superlative, highly entertaining effort from a consistently excellent designer. So, slip away from your busy week to bask for a little while in tropical isolation—while you may be trying to escape, you may be sorry to leave! Enjoy.
Walkthrough Guide
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Solitude Walkthrough
General Information
Despite the opening animation this is not a very special episode of "Lost".
For ease of use of this walkthrough the island will be referred to in various sections: the Beach/Cave area, the Path/Intersection area (including the paths to the left and right), and the River/Waterfall area.
Some items will not show up and some actions cannot be done until other tasks are completed. For instance, you can rotate the statues forever, but until you've seen the clue showing their proper position they will not work, even if you accidently hit upon the solution.
The cursor will turn into a hand when you hit a hot spot. Watch closely.
You can pull up items from your inventory by double clicking on them. To close them down again click on the yellow "X" in the lower right hand corner of the screen.
Let's settle back, sip a Mai Tai, and begin.
Beach/Cave
When the opening animation finishes you will find yourself on a beach. On the beach is a stick, pick it up.
Turn left. You should now be facing a cave.
At the bottom of your screen you will see a red crab hiding in the greenery. Click on it.
The crab will run into the cave. Follow it.
Oh dear, it's dark. You might be eaten by a grue.
Go back.
Turn left.
You should now be facing a path. On the left side of the path is a rock. screenshot. Click on the rock several times to move it.
Take the rope that is revealed.
Go forward.
Path/Intersection
You are now at a path intersection, being watched by chirpy birds.
To the right, under the greenery, is a bundle of twigs. Take the twigs. screenshot.
On the tree branch by the birds a white cloth is hanging.
Click on the stick in your inventory and click on the cloth to get it down.
Take the right-hand path.
Oh look, an old army tank! Go forward.
You have now arrived at a hornet's nest. On the ground to the right underneath the leaves is a wrench, take it. screenshot
Go back.
Now look at the tank closely. There is a fuel tank with a gas cap noticeable. Use the wrench to open the gas cap. screenshot.
Pull up the stick from your inventory by double clicking.
Once the stick is on the screen click on the white cloth (T-shirt) in your inventory then click on the stick. You have just made a torch!
Close down the torch then dip it into the spilling gas.
Turn left.
You are now back at the intersection. Take the left-hand path.
Oh look, a chest being held by overgrown tree roots. There's nothing you can do here now, so go forward.
You are now at a fire pit. You don't have all the elements for fire yet, so go forward.
River/Waterfall
You are now facing a rock door with a large wooden bar.
There is a dark spot in the water to the lower left. Click on it to get the hammer. screenshot.
Go right.
Look closely at the pool beneath the waterfall. Every now and then a section of the pool will glint. Click on that area to get the magnifying glass. screenshot.
To the right is a bush with red berries on it. Click on the bush (may take several tries to find the right spot) to get a red fruit.
Go left twice.
You are now at a bend in the river. Look closely in the greenery below the river and you will see a hook. Take it. screenshot.
Go right and then go back once until you are at the fire pit.
Put the twigs in the fire pit.
Use the magnifying glass on the fire pit to start a fire.
Once the fire is lit use the torch on the fire to light it.
Go back, right, and back again to get to the beach.
Beach/Cave
Turn right and go into the cave.
Click on the torch in your inventory and click on the darkness. You now have enough light to see.
Go forward.
You are now at an intersection in the cave. Click on the skull on the ground to get the white stone. screenshot.
Go right.
Oh look, a door. And it looks like you need four stones to open it.
Go back and take the left path.
You are now in a chamber with sunlight coming in and a mysterious hole in the ground. In the back left of the cave is a rock, click on it to move and then take the crab. screenshot.
Go back three times to leave the cave and then turn left to face the path.
Go forward.
Intersection/Path
Take the right-hand path to the tank and then go forward to the hornet's nest.
Use the torch on the hornet's nest to drive them away.
Go forward. You should now be at the edge of a cliff being watched by a snake.
In the bushes to the right is a yellow stone. Take it. screenshot.
Tie the rope to the branch to the right of the snake.
Go down the rope to the cove.
Once in the cove you will see a strange root vegetable (rather like a turnip, or a radish). Take it. screenshot.
To the right is a rock in the cliff face. Break it with the hammer to get the red stone.
Go back up the rope, then go back, back, and left to the intersection.
Take the left-hand path.
Use the crab from your inventory to cut the roots holding the chest. It will take at least 3 clicks to do this.
Once the chest is in your inventory go forward twice to the stone door.
River/Waterfall
Click on the root vegetable in your inventory and click on the wooden bar. You have now thrown the vegetable at the bar to remove it. Yes, seriously.
Go forward. To the right of the corridor, mostly hidden by a plant, is a wooden object. Take it. screenshot. You now have a primitive ladder.
Go forward.
To your left, hidden by the greenery, is a green stone. Take it. screenshot.
Go into the door on your left.
To your left are two barrels. Click on the front barrel to move it and you will see a crack in the wall. Hit the crack with the hammer and take the object (a whistle). screenshot.
To your right are some pipes. Behind the pipes is a wood plank, take it.
Pull up the wood plank from your inventory and click on it to turn it over. There appear to be instructions.
Hmm, the light fixture appears to be missing a bulb. I wonder if that is important?
Go back to the courtyard.
Now place the ladder against the rocks to the right of the door.
Go up the ladder.
On your left is a panel that appears to be missing something. On the ledge below the pipe thing is a stick. Take the stick. screenshot.
Go down and then back twice until you are at the river facing the door.
Turn left to the river bend.
Time to go fishing!
First, pull up the fruit from your inventory by double clicking.
Now click on the crab in your inventory and click on the fruit to open it up.
Take the exposed white seed.
Close the seed down and double click on the stick to bring it up.
Click on the hook and then click on the stick to attach.
Now click on the white seed and click on the hook. Close down the now baited fishing pole. You are now ready to fish!
Click on the fishing pole and then click on the river towards the back.
Keep doing this until you catch an orange fish (usually 3 times).
Go to the right, then back, back, right, and back and you should be back at the beach.
Beach/Cave
Turn left.
Look at the water closely, something will be floating in it.
Take the floating object. It appears to be a solar panel. Let's hope its delicate circuitry hasn't been damaged by long immersion in salt water!
Turn right to the path, then go forward, left, forward, and forward again until you are at the river.
River/Waterfall
Go forward across the bridge and forward again until you are in the courtyard.
Go up the ladder and place your fish on the platform on the right.
Place the solar panel into the panel on the left.
Pull up the whistle from your inventory and click on it to play.
Close down the flute.
Make sure the flute is highlighted in your inventory and click just above and to the left of the fish's head. The eagle should land and start to eat the fish.
Look closely at the eagle's talons. There is an object there, click on it. You now have a key!
Pull up the chest from your inventory and use the key to open it. Take the light bulb.
Go down the ladder and into the door on your left.
Put the bulb into the ceiling light fixture and take a good look at the back wall. It appears to be a clue!
Go back and now go to the right.
You should now be facing four moai, or statues.
Click on each statue to rotate until they are in the position indicated by the clue on the storage room wall. The two left statues should be facing each other and the two right statues should be facing each other. screenshot.
When the statues are in the correct position they will rise up to reveal a door. Go into the door.
You are now in a strange underground room. Notice the scepter standing in the mysterious hole to the right. Take the scepter. screenshot.
Oops, now you are trapped.
Use your hammer on the stalactite (stalagmite? whatever) hanging from the ceiling just to the right of the door. Take the broken off stalactite.
Place the stalactite in the mysterious hole and the door should open up.
Go through the door.
Now go left, back, back, back, back, right, and back to get to the beach.
Beach/Cave
Turn right to face the cave and go in.
Go forward and take the left-hand tunnel.
Now place the scepter in the mysterious hole. This should cause the ray of light to shine on the back wall. Use your hammer on that spot on the wall to get the blue stone.
Go back and then take the right-hand tunnel.
End Game
Place the colored stones in the slots in the wall from left to right: Green (leaf), white (cloud), red (fire), and blue (water).
The door should now open, go through it.
Goody, a mysterious sphere floating in the water. Click on the top of the sphere to open it.
Go into the sphere.
On the wall to the right is a slot. Place the yellow stone in it. Controls should now rise from the floor. screenshot.
Click on the controls and you are out of there!
To be continued?
See, I told you it wasn't a very special episode of "Lost". More like "The Abyss".
Posted by: grinnyp
|
August 5, 2009 12:10 AM