Sphere is a great-looking room escape by Japanese developer neutral. The visuals have a wonderful polished 3D appearance that seem a bit surreal at times, almost as if you were inside a doll house. The challenge level is an almost perfect mix of vague clues and helpful hints that keep you interested without frustrating you.
As the usual story goes, you're trapped in a room and need to find a way to get out. Navigate using the mouse and the arrows that appear on the sides of the screen. Search for items in every corner of the room, including beneath the furniture and in-between objects. A single click lets you pick up items and store them in your inventory. Some items can be combined, so experiment with everything you grab to see what turns up.
Analysis: Sphere isn't too difficult and the puzzles don't involve a lot of random clicking. The clues you'll stumble across do a great job of guiding you to the goal without being overtly obvious. A handy save feature lets you stop and resume at any point in the game.
Sphere is definitely one of the best-looking room escape games on the web, right up there with Il Destino and the stylish O Quarto. The gameplay is smooth and the puzzles are just right, making it a great experience on every front.
Cheers to Sean, Amy, Jan.jan, Alex, Arturo and Msimperfect for sending this one in!
Like point-and-click room escape games? Find dozens more in our archives!
Walkthrough Guide
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Sphere Walkthrough
Starting Out, at the Desk
You start out facing the desk; click it to get a closer view:
First note the three books, stacked one on top of the other. Each contains useful clues so carefully click on the edge of the one you want to view:
Blue Book - Frog in mud is washed by water.
Green Book - Poke holes in a box, put box on light.
Pink Book - The pages are torn out! Make plans to come back to this book later.
Trying the top drawer with the blue handle, you assure yourself that it is indeed locked. You tell yourself to keep an eye out for a blue key.
Same is true for the green-handled drawer; a green key should open it.
While the yellow drawer opens, it's empty, thus useless to you.
As luck would have it, though, not only does the orange drawer open, it contains a handy looking box:
But until you can make sense of this 3x3 grid of buttons, your curiosity about what's inside the box will have to wait.
Just because you can, have a look under the desk. Nope. Nada. Why the light, though?
Finally, you might as well check out the side of the desk--click on the right side while facing it...
Well what do you know?! A WAD OF PAPER is shoved into the cord slot...pull it out and straighten it out:
The drawing depicts a 3x3 grid;
it also appears to be torn from a book...
...keep that in mind so you can properly turn the page to get the answer:
X-O-X
O-O-X
0-X-O
Now you know how to open that box in the orange drawer (yay!)
The Box in the Orange Drawer & Opening the Green Drawer
Use the clue found on the Wad of Paper (found on right side of desk). It is:
X-O-X
O-O-X
0-X-O
Click the buttons represented by "X" so that they're darkened.
Press the bar on the top edge of the box to open it.
Inside you find a GREEN KEY!
Now you know what you can open next... The green-handled drawer:
Aha, the requisite tool for all escapers: a SCREWDRIVER.
Let's find something to unscrew, shall we?
Secrets of the Pink Wall
Turn to face the pink wall and you'll see a big palm plant in the left corner...zoom in for a better look at it:
Hardly visible in the palm fronds is a:
GREEN MARBLE. Take it!
See that little MOUND OF MUD in the planter? Grab it. It's vaguely frog-shaped; thinking about the pictures in the blue book, you wonder where you can get some water. Well, that's for later. For now...
Click the left side of the planter to go in even closer; there's two things to note here: first off, there's something smugged on the side of the planter. But rubbing it bare-handed doesn't remove it.
Second, and more important at the moment, there is an extremely interesting vent back there (yes, vents are interesting!). Have a look...
Hmmm..there's a WHITE MARBLE just sitting there...might as well pick it up, too.
Also, some screws just begging to be handled by that lovely screwdriver of yours...give it a go.
Woot! A KEY! What did I tell you? Vents are always interesting.
It probably isn't good to just leave TWO SCREWS lying around (my dad always saved these in a big mason jar). Anyhow, pick them up and let's back out. These tight spaces are claustrophobic.
Also, the Sofa . . .
Before checking out that comfy sofa, your eyes are drawn to the light under the end table, right? Getting down next to the end table, you see something stuck underneath:
A very cute KITTEN PHOTO!
At this time, I'd like to direct your attention to the frame around this kitten portrait.
What color is it?
The color of the kitten photo frame is different every time you play this sweet little game (which is cruelly unfair to those with colorblindness). So I can't help you much here except to say, "Make a note: kitten + color." It will come in handy later.
While under that end table, almost hiding is a BLACK MARBLE next to the far sofa leg.
Now back away from the end table and take a look at the sofa, you might find some change stuck between the cushions. Or maybe just...
A long POLE WITH A HOOK at the end of it.
and another WHITE MARBLE.
Take them both then get down low again to find...
A red PENCIL under the sofa. That'll come in handy.
Alright, before giving up, let's sleuth around on the right side of the sofa; there's more goodies to be had...
A white BOX.
A GREEN MARBLE.
Odd that someone would just leave an empty box sitting there. Maybe there is something in it; let's inspect it more closely. Oops, careful with your poking around!
Well, come to think of it...didn't the green book have an illustration about this?
The White Box and the Small Stand
According to the green book, you should put holes in your white box.
Bring the box up from your inventory by clicking the "magnifying glass" icon.
Click on the very top of the box to make a hole there.
Then turn the box over and click on the bottom to make another hole.
The green book also shows a light; looking for a light to stick the box on, you head back to the one under the desk...Place the box on the light:
A silhouette is projected on the underside of the desk:
It's of a BUTTERFLY!
Once again, you need to remember the color of the butterfly. If you do not have a photographic memory, it may help to write these things down.
Time to use that key you found in the vent. Go over to the small wooden stand in the corner of the green wall.
There's another WHITE MARBLE on the floor, right side of the stand. Get it.
Open the bottom, unlocked drawer:
A GLASS.
Use the silver key to open the top drawer:
Some kind of balance. It's broken at the moment, though...so keep a lookout for the other piece.
A....Bunny? Or something.
(Whatever it is, make note of the color.)
Opening the Hidden Panel
On the blue wall, just right of the hanging plant, there is a hidden panel:
There are four colored buttons; on each button is several symbols:
By following the walkthrough, you've already found three.
Go back to the books on the desk and see if you can get more answers...
Inside the pink book you can barely see an impression of what was written on the other page:
Use the red pencil to see the image of a flower.
Notice the square with an arrow pointing at the flower? It's the color you need to keep in mind as you find that flower in the hidden panel's four symbol code.
Now you have four symbols associated with colors from your search around the room:
Cat -- from the kitten photo found under the end table.
Butterfly -- from putting the hole-filled box on the light under the desk.
Flower -- from the pencil rubbing in the pink book.
Bunny??? -- from the scrap of paper found in the drawer of the small stand.
Go over the panel and put in your symbols respective of the colors they fit with... Yet nothing appears when you press the little button?
That is not a bunny. Instead, the drawing on the little scrap of paper looks exactly like the duck symbol on the buttons.
So input the colors for your CAT, BUTTERFLY, FLOWER and DUCK. (See the spoiler directly above for where to find those colors around the room.)
With the correct code entered, the tray of the hidden panel will contain a...
KEY -- to the door!
Go use the key on the door...
In the Bathroom
Inside the bathroom, grab a bunch of useful items:
A GLASS OF WATER (turn on faucet, put glass under water til full).
A piece of TOILET PAPER (from the TP dispenser).
BLACK MARBLE (on the far side of the counter).
Part of the BALANCE (on the far side of the counter).
GREEN MARBLE (hidden in the plant on the counter).
There's also a LOCKBOX with a number code...and I know just where to find those numbers:
Wet the Toilet Paper under the faucet.
Go back to the smudge on the side of the big palm plant's pot... Use the Wet Toilet Paper on the smudge to reveal a four digit number:
3675
Return to the lockbox in the bathroom and input those numbers (shown in spoiler above) to get:
PINK MARBLE and
BLUE KEY
Go back to the desk...you're almost ready to escape.
Blue Drawer, Frog and Balanced Marbles
Use the blue key to open the top drawer of the desk; inside is a blue book:
A picture of balancing marbles.
A drawing telling you to use the hook on the plant. Use the hook on the plant to get another:
PINK MARBLE
Now put the little frog-shaped mound of mud into the glass of water (click the inspect icon of the water glass; while it's in close view, select the muddy frog and click the glass again). Put the water away for a bit.
Go over to the small stand and open the drawer with the broken balance.
Zoom in for a closer look at the balance.
Place the part on the right end of the beam.
Click the base of the balance to turn it over.
Use the screws to secure the part to the balance then turn it back over.
With the balance fixed, you can get started "weighing" those marbles. Chances are good that knowing what each weighs will soon prove useful.
Time for the FROG:
Dump out the water into the sink.
A FROG will be left behind in the glass. Pick it up.
Looking over the frog, you notice its red feet. What else in the room looks like those red feet?
There is a picture on the green wall with two flowers shaped like the frog's feet...
Stick the frog on the picture then....
Click on the picture to open another hidden panel.
This is the last puzzle. You'll need all your marbles for this one.
The Last Equation (Equals Your Escape)
You need fit each marble into the equation. You should have:
3 white marbles.
3 green marbles.
2 pink marbles.
2 black marbles.
If you don't have those, search around the room and go through the walkthrough to make sure you've completed all puzzles.
Knowing the weight of each marble in relationship to the others is also necessary to solve the puzzle. If you're not sure, go back to the balance in the small stand's top drawer or....look at this spoiler for a hint:
Pink is the lightest, white is heavier than pink, green is heavier than white, and black is the heaviest.
Place each marble in the equation according to the equation so each set is equal in weight.
Here's the answer:
pink = pink
black = white plus green
two whites = green plus pink
two greens plus black = white plus gold
The correct equation causes the panel to close. Back out and look up.
Use the blue pole again to hook the latch on that trap door...
Climb the ladder and escape!
Congratulations on your blue skies ahead! :-)
Posted by: elle
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January 3, 2012 3:06 AM