Submachine: Future Loop Foundation
Just when you thought you had seen the last of the Submachines for a while, Mateusz Skutnik comes around full circle and delivers another installment in one of the best point-and-click room escape game series on the Web.
Submachine: Future Loop Foundation features music from a band of the same name (Future Loop Foundation) and it sets the mood very nicely for another enjoyable adventure. The game features the same crisp original hand drawn graphics we have come to love from the series, as well as more engaging puzzles to challenge your mind with.
In words from the author himself: "Expect the unexpected. 50 days after releasing Submachine 4: the Lab here is a brand new submachine for You to play. It was made especially for the Future Loop Foundation, so don't be surprised if you find elements pointing to that band and their latest album, "Memories from a fading room" within the game. Basically it's out of the main story line, but there are a few elements that could lead You to some interesting theories about the meaning of the submachine itself."
Play Submachine: Future Loop Foundation
The game is also available from the Future Loop Foundation website where completing the game makes available tracks from the band's album.
Play Submachine at Future Loop Foundation
We've been here covering the entire Submachine series since the very beginning with reviews and walkthroughs for all of them...Outside the main storyline, and yet still another great Submachine, is a game created for the band Future Loop Foundation:
- The original Submachine
- Submachine Remix (extended version)
- Submachine Zero: Ancient Adventure
- Submachine 2: The Lighthouse
- Submachine 3: The Loop
- Submachine 4: The Lab
- Submachine 5: The Root
- Submachine 6: The Edge
- Submachine 7: The Core
- Submachine Network Exploration Experience
- Submachine: 32 Chambers
- Submachine 8: The Plan
- Submachine 9: The Temple
- Submachine: Future Loop Foundation
Easy enough... I like the general simplicity of it.
Agreed. That was what struck me most about the very first Submachine game, and why i find these games to be so compelling and among the best of the Web.
Oh I'm sure we'll get the comments that it was too easy or too short. But I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. ;)
Another fine job, Murtaugh. Thanks so much for these lovely games. =)
Walkthrough: (if you need one):
1. Push the third square button on the tape recorder.
2. Get key. Unlock door with the key. Exit right.
3. Follow the path behind the wall. Get knife.
4. Get back in the padded room. Use knife on stitch on the wall. Get keycard. Exit right.
5. Write down the number on the small paper above the door (3218). Put keycard in the slot. Press the button on the panel.
6. Go right, then up the rungs, right again and enter storage.
7. Open up all the lockers until you find the slide.
8. Go back the way you came and go all the way down (the room with the orange ball). Go left.
9. Note the symbols on the left wall.
10. Go back to the entrance and then to the right, where you'll find a slide projector. Put the slide inside. Turn on projector.
11. Click on the women. You are transported to the house.
12. Go down the stairs, right and enter door (you must be in the room with the orange TV). Go Left.
13. Enter the symbols you saw on the wall. Push the button and get the film reel.
14. Go back to the top of the stairs. Go right as far as you can. Enter the number which was above the door at the beginning.
15. Go right in the passage, and walk right until you find the movie projector. Put the reel in. Push button. The end.
Now I'm quite sure there is more stuff to this game. For instance, on the owl picture in one of the rooms sometimes a number appears (215). Entering this number in one of the machines gets you a symbol, which again you can enter in the cylinder-looking thing with the headphones. This doesn't do much, though.
Also, the room with the orange ball seems to have a secret passage to the right, which I'm unsure how to open. Are the lockers a code of some kind?
That's it from me. Cheers!
OMG! I did it! And with no help! First time ever!
(Love the site Jay - been visiting for years but don't often comment)
V
Regarding baba's last point,
I'm convinced there's more to this game. There are the three other 4 digit numbers on the floor, and one of the photos says "SKEONESS 1247" at the top. Then there's that squeaky orange thing. It's all got to mean SOMETHING.
I managed to complete it without doing the puzzle that needs three things (digits) entered. That doesn't seem right (unless it's a bonus). I haven't checked the walkthrough yet. Just noting.
I love the way buttons "click" in Mateusz's games. It all feels very solid and definite. I like that.
About the owl picture:
Use the numbers(215) at the machine with 3 buttons in the second room downstairs to get a sign.
After you got the sign, use it with the machine on the left in the first room upstairs (where the owl picture is). By clicking the headphone hanged on the wall, some music will be played.
Notice that you can play voice of a owl by pressing a button downstairs.
OK, I'll repeat the last part:
Something triggers the appearance of numbers "215" on the owl picture. Not sure what yet.
If you enter those numbers on the 3-number machine, you get a bird-foot symbol.
If you enter that symbol on the machine with headphones, nothing happens (although I played without sound, so I am not completely sure about that.
When you pick up the headphone, you hear a song (presumably from the band)
I think pressing the switch in the far right room on the bottom floor (the one that makes the loon call sound) makes 215 show up on the owl picture.
complete workthrough
Walkthrough
1. One of the 4 square buttons is klickable click it to start the player and get a key. (Klick the key)
2. select Key and klick in the door (Door opens)
3. The room and get arounte the corner and get a knife. above the door there is a white point. click it and note the number (e.g. 3218)
4. Go back into the cell and cut the wall where allready cutted. -> Get a key card (pick it up)
5. leave the room again and put the card into the control panel -> hit the grey button after lamp returns green.
6. a kind of an elevator or something appears go into it.
7. Get down (to the lowest level) and go left there is a little drawinf (at first jsut lika a point) better note it.
|
/|Yhl
8. ge tto the very top and go right.. enter the "storage" and open the lockers to get a "slide"
9. go back to the entrance room (of the "elevator") and go right there is a projector apply slide and turn on the ligt (click an projector) -> klick the picture of the women
10. go right and enter the rooms:
a) picture of a bird -> note number in the bottom rigth (e.g. 215)
b) at the end is a block of numbers better note them:
e.g.
7902
1581
4551
there is also a control panel, we got a number somewhere in the beginning lets try it first:
: 3218 (some moving starts ;)
11. however we discovered a new way get down first and check the rooms there..
a) first room low the is a tv.. dont car about it about it but get levt and entr the information of 7.
-> get a wheel (well its a film ;)
b) second room:
enter the information of 10. a) (in this case 215)
and note the sign
_
_|_|_
|_|_|_| (teris brick)
12. return to upper floor and enter the first room again.. switch to the left and enter the sign from 11. b. into the maschine to get a sound :)
the song you hear might be: Memories from a fading floor :/ (better remember it)
13. enter the tunnel and leave the area... get into a theater and apply tape to projector no 2.
a nice film get played and you are done :)
It can't be a final version. It's too frustratingly easy and short to be a final version.
Skutnik made a beta.
nice game, like all the submachine gamez..
this one was much easier and shorter than the last one, but i think theres a more to it, the thing with the bird and the machine and stuff...
i noticed in the radio thingie one of the symbols makes some type of guitar tune, but one of the notes or strings on the guitar make a different noise, you probably noticed, hope i helped :P
when you put the symbol you get from the machine on the symbol radio thingie with the headphones you get a tune played with a gituar, and one of the "guitar strings" are faking or something, so anyone who understands in guitares and notes, post something about the faking gituar tune, something that will help understand the clue
What a quickie! Another great project!
Can anyone grab the red special in the bedroom on the wall, or are my eyes playing tricks on me??????
The slide is always in the tenth locker you open, I think. And putting the symbol in the headphones just plays a few seconds of music... did anyone find anything other than that?
Baba44713, you need sound.
Enter 215 into the three digit machine. Get symbol. Enter symbol into machine with headphones. Click headphones. Music plays. Since this game acts as a plug for Future Loop Foundation, I'm assuming it's their music.
Can someone help me? I'm at the part with the
Radio. I've gotten it to make sound but now what?
Finished!
This was a great game. i actually finished it w/o the walkthrough!!! personally , i think it was too short of a game, but the submachine series as a whole is one of my faves!!! great job, jay!
Haha, first one I actually beat on my own.
MatrixFrog I agree that the squeaky orange thing and the letters on the photo must mean something, but I think the 3 4-digit numbers on the floor were a clue to use the 4-digit number on your door.
Why shouldn't that be the entire game? It was made to promote the music of a great artist, that's what it did. An excellent job of getting the point of his latest album across. Of course, one generally wants more of the really great stuff, but stil, short and sweet can be just as good. In some cases, better. I really enjoyed this one. It's always great when the games you play include music you already like!
I agree with Kegluneq and MatrixFrog. If you read the bit at the bottom of the post:
"Basically it's out of the main storyline, but there are a few elements that could lead You to some interesting theories about the meaning of the submachine itself."
That might explain what those things are for?
Walkthrough!
Push the second button from the right on the tape player. Take the key and use it in the door.
Click on the path to the left of the door that goes around the side. Take the knife and go back into the padded room. Use the knife on the scar to the left of the top of the door. Take the key card.
Leave the room, and put the key card in the kiosk. Press the grey button. While the elevator is moving, look at the small white dot above the door. Write the patient number down.
Go into the room to the right, then climb up, right, and go into the room. Open up the lockers until you find the slide. Take it.
Leave the room, and go back down. Go down into the metal room with the squeaky toy, and go to the left. Click on the scratch marks on the left-hand wall. Write down the pattern. Go back to the room with the ladder connected to the arm-like device.
Go right, and put the slide in the machine. Click on the image on the right. Go down the stairs, go right, and enter the room. Go left twice, and enter in the pattern you saw. Take the reel.
Go right three times, and click on the red box. Enter in the patient number you saw before. Go all the way to the end of the hallway, and put the reel in the projector. Go right, and click the picture.
You're done!
Really great game. Love 'em all; can't wait for Sub_5.
hey, neato! Has anyone else played Myst: URU? Because the loading screen animation looks almost exactly like one of the puzzles in that one of the ages. Kodesh Tolesa!
I've hated every other submachine game, but this one was pretty enjoyable and I could beat it without help.
The problem with the other ones, in my opinion, are that he adds a bunch of useless rooms which adds nothing to the game but just makes it harder to figure out the one thing you're supposed to do next. This one has that problem at SOME parts but much less than the others. The beginning was very good.
I love the submachine games, but I didn't like this one. Its short and easy, and feels more like an ad than a real game. Sure, it felt good to beat one without a walkthrough, but it also felt like they were selling out.
wow it was realy easy, easy enough for me to beat it, and beleive me, that pretty easy
It's like... Boards of Canada. But from Germany.
The game HAD to be easy. It's on the band's website, and beating it from their site gives you a code to get into an "Outtakes and Treats" section on the site.
Since the code is mandatory to enter that section of the band's website, the game is necessarily a bit easier than previous versions. It would be a bit stupid if the band had a special section for promotional music, but only really really good gamers could get to it.
It's a compromise. Lack of challenge, but appeal to the masses.
Either way, these Submachine games aren't entirely about the challenge anyway. They're about the atmosphere and the immersive quality of the experience.
Another high quality release by Mateusz
there was also the piece of paper under the sign above the door to the room you start in but you need a screwdriver to get it
Fun, probably the quickest I've ever gotten through a point and click.
I completed it without finishing all the steps, so I'll go back and find the number in the owl picture and play around some more.
Definitely didn't keep me going for hours like the other submachine games, but that's probably a good thing.
Here's a stepwise walkthrough for those who don't like to see all the spoilers at once:
1.
Ack! I'm locked in a padded cell and can't get out! Oh well, may as well listen to some music by my favorite band, Future Loop Foundation. I push the second button from the right on the tape machine.
2.
Cool! A key! I pick it up by clicking, then click on the key, then the door to unlock. I go right by clicking in the doorway
3.
Uh-oh. Long way down. Hmm, does the balcony extend around the corner? I click at the top of the narrow walkway
4.
Ah-Hah! A knife! I pick it up. Now to kill the prison guards...er, well...That padded cell will give me good practice. I click at the bottom left, then left again to go back into the cell. I get lots of practice by using the knife on the various seams in the padding. Hey! The knife got stuck in the padding in the top center of the room, and there's a card in there. "Leave the knife. Take the cannolli...I mean keycard."
5.
Every card needs a slot. I go right, then stick the card in the slot. The light went from red to green!
6.
I push the button next to the green light. I don't know if the jail cell is going up or the world is going down but either way, there's a walkway.
7.
Hey, I better check on my identification in case I get lost. Good thing it's been stuck in a slot above the door. Before moving on, I click on the little white piece of paper above the doorway and make a note of my ID number
8.
I go right and down twice. I have fun with the squeeze toy, though it's not that important. Then I go left and click the writing on the left wall. I note the sequence of symbols.
8.
I go right, up three times, right, and in the doorway (which is labeled "STORAGE" if I squint). Hmm. Which door to open? Gee, it's just like when I lose my wallet -- I open lots of doors before finding the right one. Eventually, though, I find the slide.
9.
I leave the room and go left, down, and right. I put the slide in the projector and click the button. Pretty lady!
10.
I wonder if I can get closer to the pretty lady. I click on her. Whoa! I'm in an alternate universe or something. I guess I can get back if I need to by clicking on the picture but I don't need to since I'm using a walkthrough.
11.
I go down and right, then enter the room. I check out FLF's cool new logo. They really are an awesome band (this spoiler brought to you by FLF. Rock!). I go left again, then click on the four buttons until the four symbols I found in step 8 are lined up. Then I click on the button below and a door opens. I get the reel.
12.
I go right twice to leave the room. I go right twice more and click on the switch. Did I hear a "Hoo"? Nah, must be my imagination. My name's not Horton.
13.
I go left three times, up, right, and in the door. Hey, cool, an owl! I click on the picture. Huh. Three numbers at the bottom. Better write those down. You never know when you'll find a number panel somewhere.
14.
I could stay and check out this room, but I think I forgot to look at a room downstairs. I go right once to leave the room, then go left, down, right twice, and enter the door in front of me. Hey, I knew I'd need a code! I enter the numbers from step 13 in and click the button. Another symbol? Who designs these houses? I write it down.
15.
There seems to be a cute picture to the left but it's not important to the game so I don't bother looking at it now (well, maybe just this once. Or not. So indecisive!). Anyway, then I go right once to leave the room, go left twice, up, right once, and back into the owl room. Now I go to the left. I click on the funny pedestal button until I see the symbol I noted in step 14. Then I click the headphones. Hey, awesome tune by my favorite band, Future Loop Foundation. Did I mention how much they rock? Certainly a lot more than the random ambient noise I had heard before doing this step.
16.
I go right twice to exit the room, then go right once more. If I feel like it I enter the room to check out some more photos. If not or when I'm done I go right once more
17.
Looks like I wasn't the first patient here, judging by the slips of paper on the floor. I click on the red display and enter my patient number from back in step 7. Again, it's not clear to me if I'm rising or the world is sinking, but a passage appears.
18.
I go right four times. I put the reel on the projector. I click the button on the projector. Something about winning this game makes me want to listen to Future Loop Foundation.
19.
For those who didn't have paper and pencil handy, the patient number was 3218, the owl number was 215, the four symbols are (loosely) backwards lowercase lambda, upward pitchfork, lowercase "h", vertical bar, and the single symbol was a backwards "y".
20.
Future Loop Foundation rules!
Hmm different...I liked how it started out in a padded room. xD
So...there was no point to that
machine with the headphones and strange buzzing sounds
?
Wow, first submachine game I played and finished MYSELF. It said you won and I was like? I did? lol.
Short yes, but I don't care, this one didn't make me scream in frustration.
Very nice.
First submachine I've finished without hints - so it must be easier than the rest. But nevertheless a really nice one. I'd be super happy if he started releasing short-but-sweet episodes like this on a more frequent basis.
First off...i think that this was a short fun game created to occupie all of us waiting for the next installmeant of submachine...and Secondly...people stressing about wether or not the 3 note card are some elaborate clue i think they are just to let you know that you are not the only one trapped in the submachine...
I really recommend to play this in the right context:
http://www.futureloopfoundation.com/
The game is only a small part of the Future Loop Foundation's Web site.
And I must say that I like the Web sites that use games as an access to extra materials.
I agree with peter about it being short and sweet, I disagree with releasing them more often. I like the long, intricate storyline puzzles. It keeps my busy longer!
Thanks Amor Lassie for the link. I've updated the review with links to point to the FLF site. Cheers! =)
second submachine I finished without hints... after the first one. I wonder when there's going to be a next Submachine..
If you listen to the music the sound is repeated four times, but on the first and third time one note is out of pattern with the others, and the ast time the final note is cut off (possibly suggesting it contained another of those mismatched notes?). Maybe that meant something, or maybe it was just a sample of their music.
I did enjoy this but it was definately too short: it was over too quickly for me to really get in to it. I like the red herrings of the Submachine series but I think here there were too many for such a tiny game. It posed too many questions and didn't answer them.
I would love to see a much-extended version of this game, maybe using those three other numbers on the floor to access other places, maybe making use of that bit of music, the 'SKEONESS 1947' picture, the other doors you see scrolling down when you use the key card, the space hopper and the secret passage beside it. Maybe there could be other slides to take you to other areas. I could see this developing into a brilliant, diverse Submachine game, and it was a disappointment for fans of the series for it to be so short and unfulfilling.
Though it does raise some interesting questions about the nature of the Submachine itself. Is the whole thing a big asylum?
i'd like to get the knife back and open up the squeaky thing
i think you have to look at the pictures for the numbers you need for each machine. i myself is taking notes and writing numbers down but i still havent found anything else yet. the music is measured in notes so you might want to keep track of that you will have to wait for walkthroughs since its new though
I'm still stuck on the part where the green room is. I'm never gonna finish it until i stop talking about it but i need to know the number of the red box in the room to the far right
I DID IT for those who want to know i beat the game! XP finally i remembered all those puzzles and how i did it ^_^
Regarding the picture with the writing on the top:
I think that the picture says "SKEGNESS 1947", and that is nothing more than the place and time the picture was taken, written on the picture itself for reference.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skegness
Finished the game & wrote down the password code. Then it says to go to out-takes & put in the password for some freebies!! How the heck do ya get to the out-takes page? There's a small hand pointing to the right, but clicking on it does nothing !!.........
The 3 digit number thingy
is for a secret code and will let you listen to music on the 2nd floor first room left twice and put in that symbol and click headphones to listen to music.
The sound downstairs
next to the picture of the man and boy is a loon, not an owl. Very Minnesotan, ja, you bet!
GIVE MORE SUBMACHINE >.< i'm addicted
If you want music, follow the following instrucions:
go to the room with the picture of an owl on it.Click the picture and write down the digit code(if you have trouble reading it here it is
215
).Then look around for a machine that has three numbers on it.Type the digit code and write the symbol it shows. Look around(again) for a headphone.Type the symbol into the machine then click the headphone.Enjoy the music!
I think the 4 digit numbers on the floor were perhaps a hint-maybe other 'Patients' have passed this way too?
Also, the point seems to be to hear the music, although I do agree, I want to knowmore about the padded room-who am i? Why am I here???? Ahhh!!
Roll on Submachine 5!!!
Thanks Jay :D
Anyone notice yet in the room with the orange ball, one of the rungs on the ladder is missing? Quite obviously, too. Curious if any of you super submarine fans could see if that has anything of interest surrounding it.
The squeaky orange thing is a:
reference to a BBC animation named 'Monkey Dust' the squeaky orange thing is named Mr. Hoppy and the mental persona of a serial killer (Ivan Dobski) who as the story goes went to prison for killing a lot of people when he was a teen ager in the 1970's so his only connection he feels safe with was to surround himself with only things from the 70's. However he claimed "I said he never dun it. I only said i did so they'd take the electrodes off me bolloks." Its was a running gag over the 3 series that they shared a max security and Mr. Hoppy would convince him to murder people.
The answer to the riddle?
Its a nice reference!
It seems I have too much unused information here. I "won" the game, although I barely did a thing. I didn't escape, I didn't realize anything, I have multiple numbers written down with no where to put them, and this entire game seemed more pointless than a circle.
Hi I found out what the symbols on the wall near the fork aclove in Submachine 2 are. They appear later in Submachine: FLF near the bouncy orange thing.
on one of the pics in black and white it says
skeoness 1947
anyone know anything about it?
I noticed there is no computer characters to talk to...That creeps me out a bit especially Submachine 3 :The Loop cause of the music.
In case anyone's interested, the music from this game is available on iTunes as well as Future Loop Foundation's site.
The two songs sampled in the game are "Stereo '72" and "Everything As It Should Be", the former being the continuous drone you hear throughout the game and the latter being the headphone sampler.
SAMBO
Yeah, I noticed that too. Do you think he knew he was going to make this when he put those in SM2, or just used a red herring from a previous game in this one?
Eight months ago, Wayne's World posted that he couldn't get to the "outtakes" section to enter the password for the free samples, and no one answered him; I'm having the same problem---clicking on the pointing finger does nothing. Any ideas? Or is the promo over?
The key to entering the password for the free samples is to forget that pointing finger, which does nothing, and go to the band's homepage, click on the 'outtakes and treats' link in the right menu, and enter the passcode.
However, it doesn't work for me---I entered the passcode I got and it said "wrong". Tried a few times, caps for the letters and then lowercase, but it still didn't work. So I played the entire game again (pretty easy, but a fun idea for promoting the band), got the same exact passcode, tried again, and still nada.
Is the promo over?
dumb code who knows..... but aside from that it was........ok........
you dont need the knife. i finished the game without it.
Hey, I think I understand this now...I'm new to all this, so I don't know when it was made, but if it was made before Submachine 5: the Root, then I think this was a hint towards it because in the end he says
"I have to go find the root of this"
I think the same of baba, the game give as so many things, so many codes or number or patients, i think that it's 'cause the game have 2 ends :( but i don't know what to doooo!!!
The red toy on the floor, bounds(revotaba), but....why?¿?¿
It's there an explanetion for this short one, if somebody find why the codes or IF there r a second ending plzzzz tell to all of us!
TYVM 4 all ur help :)
GL ALL
From URUGUAYYYY
how did you beat the game without the knife andy?
you need it to get the keycard in the padded room which is a required element for advancing further
Andy mean that once u use it u dont need it anymore
Padded rooms remind me of a Mental Asylum
FREAKY
How do you get to the outtakes?
i dont think there are more to this game. After I entered the room code (the four digit numbers above the first room you begin playing), I entered it into that red thingamajig in the next place, the walls on the right side somehow disappeared (as if the whole room was lifted) and then I entered and there was that old fashion camera-showing thing in the red room (see the picture above), but after placing the reel inside the thing, all it showed was a video of a kid and some old dude in the beach.
At the end of the game, there's this weird code thing :|
Just a little FYI to all those who haven't listened to the bands music at all....the guitar playing in the room with the headphones....There's nothing really to it...its the intro to their song "Everything as it should be"
It's really good, but it needs a little more "puzzle" factor to it I guess... Didn't really understand that squeaky thing and the pictures. Oh, and about that it was connected to the Submachine series,
In the end it says "I've got to find the ROOT OF all this" or something...refers to the fifth game THE ROOT. Because FLF was made after Sub 4 that is.
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