In The Curfew, from Channel 4 and written by Kieron Gillen, a point-and-click tale of civil rights, it's 9:00 PM and all good citizens are home and logged in under the government's watchful eye. Except for you. You're on the run, and holding on to some very sensitive information that a lot of very dangerous people would love to get their hands on... and nobody will miss you if you wind up missing. With nowhere left to turn, you find yourself hiding out in a safehouse with four other people who all have their own concerns.
Play simply by using your mouse to interact with the screen. Small icons will pop up when you move your cursor over certain objects or people, and you can click to take action. Your primary tool is the com device in the lower right corner of the screen, which you can not only use to receive calls, but also to search for "air tags"; electronic signatures embedded in your environment that can help you find clues or provide more information. The game only saves between story scenes, so you might want to wait for a break in the action if you plan to stop for a while.
The goal is ultimately to figure out who you can trust to give the information you're carrying. Someone who will "do the right thing". Starting with Lucas, you'll speak to each of them and play through earlier events in their days that have lead them to where they are now. They all have reasons to hate the government and the Curfew, but is that any proof that they wouldn't turn you in given the chance, especially if doing so might help them? At certain intervals in each person's story, you're given the chance to ask them questions that will influence how they view you. Showing concern, empathy, and cleverness might cause them to trust you more, while asking stupid or insulting questions could cause their opinion of you to plummet.
Analysis: The Curfew has been pinging away on my radar for some time now; if there's one thing I love, it's intelligent social commentary, and The Curfew manages to make you think while it entertains. Kieron Gillen, who handled the writing, skirts up against the edge of painting a world too comic book-ishly overblown to be believable or relateable, occasionally forgoing genuine emotion for flash and cartoonish villains. Then again, it's relatively easy to dismiss the setting as being far-fetched when you've been lucky enough to live in a place and time where your rights have never been compromised. As futuristic as the setting might seem, there are some clever touches that bring the whole thing uncomfortably close to reality. The anti-homosexual propaganda slapped on a building. The condescending treatment of lower-class citizens. The outright unfairness and suspicion heaped on foreigners. We might not be "there" yet, but not everything about it is as far-fetched as it appears on the surface, which is an unsettling thought.
As a piece of interactive art and a commentary on civil liberties, The Curfew is top notch. As a game? Not so much. The minigames aren't much fun, and besides being clunky to play, don't fit well within the game itself. Is forcing us to fiddle with a wobbly slingshot really more effective than ye olde "use slingshot on security camera"? It's really more story than game, since there aren't any real puzzles to solve, and you're kept on a fairly narrow set of rails the entire time. It's hard to really get a sense that you're having any sort of impact on the story. Thankfully, now that it's out of beta, the game plays a lot more smoothly and has shed most of the painful bugs that dogged its initial release.
Of course, there's no denying that the end product looks amazing, typically very well acted with interesting characters and a great soundtrack. The way the separate stories each person tells you begin to intertwine and influence each other is interesting to watch and handled quite well, and there's a wonderfully wry sense of dark humour present. The environments are very well done, and the semi-futuristic devices you'll see actually aren't all that unbelievable in an otherwise familiar setting.
One of the worst things you can do with your life is to not only forget how lucky you are... but to ignore how unfortunate other people may be. Even with its flaws, The Curfew is still worth checking out. Maybe you're lucky enough to be in a position where your rights have never been violated. Maybe you've never thought about what you would do if they were, or what happens to people who have been on that side of the coin. Maybe you should.
Thanks to RedRevolver, Mike, Jackson, and Andrew for sending this one in!
I'm not even sure if this qualifies as a "game"....
Is it just me, or should the load times for this game be measured in geologic time?
Aaaand rage quit during the slingshot mini-game. I was interested up until that point.
I think the loading time for this game is atrocious. I feel like I'm using dial-up while playing it.
Yeah, but it is a great quality game. If a little politically charged, maybe.
I can't get past the second scene in Aisha's story...
Also having problems with the molasses-like load times. Still haven't even seen the game.
The load time and the gameplay itself was excruciatingly slow for me. The lag in the game itself was unbearable.
I'm stuck on Aisha.
Beat the gamer-dude, but missed a single bonus in the second round.
If you're stuck a the burger place, for Aisha...
check the floor
Load times weren't so bad for me - apparently very slow at first, but the bar shot up after that and the scene loaded ok.
Massive bug, however:
Got the first phone call, had the option of who to speak/listen to. Noticed I could look more closely at the tv if I wanted to, so I did. Bizarrely, I could not click "return" in the top left - the mouse pointer actually 'twanged' around it. I could not move the pointer on that button; it would get close and then teleport to the opposite side of the button. The only way I could make the mouse pointer fall onto the button was to click and drag it, but then as soon as I released the mouse to make a click it failed again.
I quit, which is a shame because it looked like there was going to be something decent here
Buggy; I sometimes can't return from a zoomed in view. I gave up the 2nd time this happened.
Cristal Castles in the soundtrack orz
The problem I'm having with this game is that it seems to take up so much of my computer's memory that it lags. Everywhere. At all times. For everything I want to do. I gave up during the slingshot minigame because the lag was so terrible I couldn't see where I was shooting.
Maybe if I could download the flash file, rather than having to stream it online, it would run better. It does look very interesting.
Am stuck on Aisha, there's no 'return' button from a zoomed-in scene. I'm really enjoying this game, so it's a real shame I have to stop now.
Has potential, but, buggy+load_times=too_bad.
Im at the street level and got 2 bonuses but stuck on 3rd. i can see a bucket with the viewer but dont know what or if to do something with the bucket. need spoilers
I hope a walkthrough is in the works. :)
I got to the end and chose the person who trusted me the most, and then it seemed I'd 'won'. Not sure if that was because I'd got the most trust of 'said person' or I just picked the right person.
The other three all either ignored the data or handed it in.
After viewing all 4 alternate endings, I'm actually really disappointed. I'd seen the adverts for this game on Channel 4 and always thought it had looked quite good, but after spending a good few hours on this (most of it waiting for loading...) I ended up still not knowing much about the whole game. A clear 'win' sign at the end would have been nice.
I just wish a piiiiiiiiiinch more effort had been put into it, because it almost seems like it's 'there'. Like why for example, in a game about a CURFEW, is it about noon as far as the sun and light goes when I was just told by the screen that it's 30 minutes from curfew at night???
Great game, but the lag is tough and the game has crashed twice on me already...thank God for autosave
KS, I haven't even gotten THAT far yet. I am stuck in the VERY first room with her. Found one bonus. Nothing else is clickable (except for one, but it does nothing).
Another fun screw up: I was going through one person's story, clicked on a clue and got another character's narration.
Fought my way through lag to Leah in the office.
Now the CCTV hack thingy + the lag is my downfall.
Any help?
Well, that was fun! Is there only one "right" ending, or does it depend on your answers? In any case, I chose well =)
It seems to me that this game could benefit from a download option to avoid the loading time issue. I think it's easier to wait for one long download rather than a number of mid-game interruptions.
Mostly I didn't mind the railroading, except when it becomes too obvious that you've got no control. I suppose that's because the questions have to be based on the flashbacks, but still, I'd like to see more complexity in the choices.
Love the Orwellian atmosphere! =)
Long comment is long and wordy...
Never mind. Found the answer on TheCurfewGame's YouTube site, in the comments:
@lisanoir I'm not entierly sure how the CCTV hack ap works either, I found that just spinning the first section in one direction until it changes to green, then skipping to the third section and spinning it until it says it's complete (you'll have to do this three times) is the best way. Hope this helps.
Of course, now lag is just f-ing me in the next part. Grr!
Liked the little hint on who to pick.
Saul in the Bible persecuted Christians, but after divine intervention from God changed his ways and helped the Christian cause.
Bug in Leah's 3rd flashback:
Can't get it to actually DO the conversation with the dealer. I've clicked around and found the 3 secrets in the room and looked at the bonus content. I've clicked all the pointless airtags. It just makes the 'whoosh' sound and the screen flashes a second when I click the talk bubble on him, but won't let me talk to him.
GRRR.
With the exception of that awful slingshot minigame, and a couple buggy spots I hit (the most notable being Leah's minigame showing up in Saul's story and then spectacularly crashing my browser), I thought this was a fantastic game/story. I found myself completely immersed in these stories and caring about the fates of these characters. I will say that I found who you give the data to kind of obvious after interacting with everyone, but I actually didn't really mind it. A piece of advice to anyone just starting the game is
try to pick questions that reference things you noticed in the flashbacks. I kept trying to go for what I thought were the "nice" questions for the first few, and people got mad at me for not paying attention!
I also think the story's whole arc is really nice with the addition of each character's experiences. You get to fill in pieces and get new points of view. Is it possible to play the characters out of the left-to-right order? I didn't try it, but it seems like the overall story wouldn't be as good if you were able to.
I seem to be stuck:
In Aisha'a story, in the dealer's 'warehouse'.
I can get three closeups (box, small door, double-doors). Clicking on the small door seems logical, but just gives me a 'flash', and then nothing...?
wow this game loads so slow and the third loading bar I get doesn't even appear :( . heck, it looks like going to be interesting, too bad they don't look forward real game maker with optimization in mind to do theirs stuffs.
Gah! If a game is slow and lags then it should not have timed minigames.
I was very fascinated by this until I got to Aisha's third flashback, zoomed in on the one clickable area, and found I couldn't zoom out. Soon as this is fixed, I'll go back.
@HopefulNebula : that means you have to do something there to push forward.
I finished the game and the endings make me :( . Spoiler alert!
Ok so I spend some time playing and thinking of each characters personality before going through. I neglect the kid since he just some lolgamer who probably will think the stuff is a toy. The dissident? She will probably go with her selfish attitude. The ex-police? He clearly a spy that work for the gov. So I resort with the immigrant who, I think brave enough to do something witty.
It happen that it is not, all characters except the gamer fail to pass the informations. It is like the devs think :'hey we make this game for gamers so lets make them happy by having theirs kind as the winner.' ughh..
Another thing, more I observe a few questions actually more like folish than clever, I did double check questions to not ask the obvious and to not ask something that accusing but I still got downvotes :/ . But maybe, just maybe, it caused by my limitation on English..
I really liked the whole story, too bad there is no real interactions between characters or a good ending :/ .
Some thoughts and possibly some hints:
On the endings
I think that each character has a good and a bad ending, so you can try to get 4 good endings and 4 bad ones if you're trying to see everything. Can't confirm because it takes so long to play, but I think it depends entirely on trust - if you fail to increase trust everytime you play the questions stage then you get the bad ending for that character.
So rosedragon above may not be right in saying the developers had the gamer agenda in mind
Saul may not represent the best ending - have yet to see it.
On playing right-to-left
I don't think you can. Leah and Saul refuse to speak to you early on.
On what you learn from Saul (MEGA-SPOILER)
I felt that the twist of the nuclear device being a fake was cliché. The game's message might be grittier if we walk away thinking "this could actually happen even if there's no precipitating terrorist plot", rather than "the Shepherd party only seized power because someone faked a terrorist attack".
For the camera hacking
I just clicked the up/forward button to get to the third ring and rotated it until I was successful.
I found the game lagged as well, but not so badly that I couldn't complete it.
I wish I could skip a lot of the video scenes.
I wish the game didn't hurry you out of a scene if you advanced the plot before finding all the bonuses.
The scrubbing/washing mechanic is uncommon in games isn't it? Interesting to see it in this one.
I'm replaying to try and get endings I missed.
I thought it was okay up until the slingshot and by that time the loading and the lag had destroyed my patience so I stopped and very much doubt I'll play again to see what happens.
To me this would have been a great game if they just went the point a click game route with the little minigames. Now it just seems like they spent all the time filming and creating the game and at the last minute remembered they were doing a game not a scifi movie and just added in some of those sidebar games and called it a day.
I didn't get much into the story part but what I saw just seemed like an average science fiction story about toleration governments. Which is more than you usually see in games but the lag and almost biblical loading times kept me from getting interested enough to keep playing.
Overall it was an interesting story and concept with spectacular production for a free web game that was rendered somewhat unplayable by lag and badly done gameplay mechanics. It was still an excellent effort and I almost would have preferred it to be a short film than make a weak attempt to be a game, but I'll still wait and see what the studio comes up with next and hope they put as much time into the game part as they do into the art and story.
I have played through the game, chosen all 4 people, and after reading all the comments here, I believe Tom is right on the money.
If you don't want to read the endings I got, then read no further. But I got 2 good and 2 bad endings with the same save game.
Lucas decided to get a friend over and then spread the data virally.
Aisha decided to use the data to get the police to free her parents, but the police just took the data from her.
Leah met up with her girlfriend, and decided to stay in London in order to make a difference, instead of travelling elsewhere.
Saul turned out to be the informant (rather obvious, really) and handed the data over to the cop from Lucas' second episode.
However, judging from people's comments, some have gotten endings where only Lucas would do the right thing, so I think Tom is right when he says there's a good and a bad ending for each character. I know I lost some trust for both Aisha and Saul, so it makes sense. And given that Leah works for the Shepherd's Party, she could easily turn out to be an informant as well if she doesn't trust you enough.
Some questions about the game.
It is sometimes possible to get some bonus questions that you can ask, but I am not sure how you get them. I was able to get a bonus question for Lucas on my very first playthrough but I can't get it anymore. Plus I got 2 bonus questions for Saul, but only one showed up. So does anyone know if there's some consistency, like you get the same amount of bonus questions for each character?
Besides that, I would suggest people playing the game to always choose the question that makes the other person answer back with a question. It says in the game that the effect will be larger, so if you choose the right response, you should get more trust than by choosing the normal good question.
I enjoyed this one, and only encountered the super long loading screen once or twice (didn't have any lag). Tigritra's comment above really helped me get started.
OK, I was stuck (see above), but after quitting, restarting and loading my game, it worked OK... (I have to agree though - I hate timed sequences).
Good Ending for Saul
He keeps the info and gives it to a journalist who once reported on him. The info is used to upset the election for the Shepherd Party.
The Curfew - Walkthrough
This should help you to get most of the bonuses (couldn't find a few in Saul's flashbacks) and complete the game with 4 good endings. I won't provide an exhaustive guide to the Questioning Phase for each character - maybe someone else will. Don't use this walkthrough if you want to understand the story - I'll only tell you what to click to progress and how to pass the minigames.
On bonuses: There are three bonus clickable areas in each scene. Finding all three unlocks a reward, such as a video or image. The bonuses and rewards don't affect gameplay. The reward in each character's first scene is the most interesting.
Separate from the bonuses are Bonus Questions which are unlocked by doing certain minigames etc. very well. These can be used in the character Questioning Phase to pass a question successfully.
The Safe House - start
1. Only Lucas (the boy on the left) will talk to you, so click on him.
2. Answer his question about computers however you like.
Lucas, the Boy
Lucas, the Boy - Scene 1
1. Play the shooting game. It doesn't matter what score you get, but the game doesn't let you skip this bit. Try beating my high score of 4940!
2. Bonus 1: Click on the 'Warning: Air Tags' sign on the left edge of the screen. Click the sign again on the next screen to get Bonus 1: TV Poster.
3. Bonus 2: Click on the hologram of the burger restaurant manager, then click it again on the next screen to get Bonus 2: Hologram.
4. Bonus 3: Click on the plastic cup between the woman serving the Class B line and the hologram. Click the cup again to get Bonus 3: Cup.
5. Click the restaurant employee standing under the 'Class B Citizens' sign.
6. After the conversation, click on the queue in front of the 'Class A Citizens' sign.
7. Click on the guy mopping the floor.
8. Learn about Air Tags, then switch to Air Tags mode. Try to read the tag on the lower right of the screen.
9. Talk to the mopping guy to update your phone.
10. Read the air tag.
11. Talk to the mopping guy.
12. After the conversation, click on a computer terminal.
13. Click on 'Launch Messenger'.
14. Type in 'perfectlyrespectablecitizen909'. (It's case-insensitive.)
15. Type the code: 6482.
Lucas - Questioning Phase 1
One possible solution:
1. Option 3 - government approved games, followed by the option 2 - about government approved games being bad.
2. Option 2 - clone Lucas's reader
3. Option 2 - no effect
Lucas, the Boy - Scene 2
1. Finish the conversation with the police officer however you like.
2. Bonus 1: Click on the building on the left of the screen, then click on the Section 28 sign to get Bonus 1: Sex Shop.
3. Bonus 2: Click on the black and white poster on the right of the screen, and click it again to get Bonus 2: Propaganda Poster.
4. Get your phone out. Read the blue 'Favours for Favours' arrow-shaped air tag in the top right corner of the screen.
5. For good measure, read the grey gas mask air tag above the checkpoint in the middle of the screen.
6. Click on the right to enter the alley.
7. Click on the door. (If it doesn't open, you need to go back and make sure to read the two important air tags.)
8. Finish the conversation. It ends with "Maybe I'll come back."
9. Click the bucket that has just appeared to the left of the door.
10. Minigame! Drag the sponge (your mouse) over the windows quickly to clean them. Keep going until both shine and sparkle. It can be done in 20 seconds. You may unlock a bonus 'Safehouse Question' (I think it's for finishing within the time limit).
11. Bonus 3: Click the now-clean windows to get Bonus 3: Old Man's Front Room.
12. Click the door.
13. Talk to the guard at the checkpoint.
Lucas - Questioning Phase 2
I failed on this attempt, but have succeeded before. Avoid what I did:
1. Option 1 - about parents. No effect.
2. Don't pick option 2!
3. Option 2 - another way into the area gives no effect. (If you got the bonus question, use it now - it's about the old man's front room.)
Lucas, the Boy - Scene 3
1. Bonus 1: Click on the Curfew sign on the left, then click it again to get Bonus 1: Curfew Sign.
2. Bonus 2: Click on the pink 'Keep Safe, Stay In' poster in the middle of the screen, then click the game poster on the left to get Bonus 2: Videogame Poster.
3. Bonus 3: Prepare for severe lag! Click on the sky ahead of you, then click on the flying drones to get Bonus 3: Drones.
4. Click on the man standing in the doorway.
5. Click on the camera in the top right corner of the screen.
6. Slingshot minigame: Drag the stone down to cover the point where the side bars of the slingshot meet the handle. Wait for the slingshot to line up with the camera, then release the mouse button. If you miss, just keep trying.
7. Click on the man who is now standing in the street.
8. Maze minigame: I suspect the correct sequence is Right, Left, Up...
Lucas - Questioning Phase 3
One possible solution:
1. Option 1 - phone footage
2. Option 2 - slingshot
3. Option 2 - cameras
The Safe House - after Lucas
1. Answer the phone.
2. Click on Aisha - the woman to the right of Lucas.
Aisha, the Immigrant
Aisha, the Immigrant - Scene 1
1. Bonus 1: Click on the bookshelf on the right, then click on the photo on the left, of the two women. Wait for the voiceover to finish to get Bonus 1: Photo.
2. Click the low table to the right of the door, then click the notepad. Return to the apartment screen.
3. Click on the electronic panel to the right of the door. Proceed with the conversation and minigames.
4. Camera Alignment minigame: use the 'Camera Left' and 'Camera Right' buttons to move the view to face the apartment door.
5. Shutter Closure minigame: connect the input and output by clicking the orange path segments to rotate them. There's only one solution even though it looks like there are more. If you get stuck: notice that the blue box containing each segment has a background that is half grey (or transparent) and half blue. You need to rotate the segments so the grey half is on top and the blue half is on the bottom.
6. Call in (conversation).
7. Answer the phone. Finish the conversation.
8. Bonus 2: Click on the bookshelf, then click on the books to the right of the photos. Wait for the voiceover to finish to get Bonus 2: Books.
9. Bonus 3: Click the papers on the floor near the door, then click the papers on the right to get Bonus 3: Paper.
10. Click the open drawer under the computer terminal. Pull out the Tasty Tasty Burger note to get a bonus 'Safehouse Question'.
11. Click on the white sheet on the left of the screen.
12. Click on the packed bags.
Aisha - Questioning Phase 1
One possible solution:
1. Option 3 - message from dad, followed by option 2 - didn't mean to upset her.
2. Avoid option 2!
3. Option 3 - black marketeer (if available), otherwise option 1 - about her sister.
Aisha, the Immigrant - Scene 2
1. Bonus 3: Click on the plastic cup at the 'Class B Citizens' counter, then click the electronic display on the till to get Bonus 3: Key Pad.
2. Bonus 2: Click on the smiling face with the green tick, on a sign in the distance, just above the plastic cup. Click the sign again to get Bonus 2: Clean Hands.
3. Bonus 1: Click the menu above the 'Class A Citizens' sign, then click "Tasty Tasty Chef's Salad" on the right hand panel to get Bonus 1: Menu.
4. Click on Travis, the guy mopping the floor. Finish the conversation however you like.
5. Click on the scrap of paper on the floor, in front of the 'Class A Citizens' counter. Click it again.
6. Click on Travis.
7. Click on the shift manager behind the 'Class B Citizens' counter.
Aisha - Questioning Phase 2
One possible solution:
1. Option 2 - about sister 2. Option 2 - did she know anyone there
3. Option 3 - about leverage, followed by option 3 - make him eat his own burgers.
Aisha, the Immigrant - Scene 3
1. Click the wire propped up against the wall, to the left of the door.
2. Click the door lock. It's a dark brown rectangle on the left hand half of the door. It's below and to the left of the grey electronic panel on the right hand half of the door.
3. Lockpicking minigame: drag the arrow around the red circle clockwise without moving off the path.
4. Finish the conversation.
5. Bonus 1: Click on the bottom box of the stack of boxes on the right of the screen, then click the large box on the next screen to get Bonus 1: Crates.
6. Bonus 2: Click on the grey doors up ahead, then click them again to get Bonus 2: Warehouse Door.
7. Click on the Office Door. But don't enter yet!
8. Bonus 3: Click on the "Keep Out!" sign to get Bonus 3: Keep Out Sign.
9. Click the office doorway.
10. Searching minigame: You get a bonus Safehouse question for finding all 6 items:
-Boxes on the left of the screen: vinyl records
-Green box on top of the left hand cabinet: ID cards
-Books in the middle of the screen
-On the right: box under the Scum poster
-Box to the right of the box under the Scum poster
-gap in the shelves on the right, where there is a flat white shape: phones
Aisha - Questioning Phase 3
One possible solution:
1. Option 1 (or, Option 3 - deportation law, followed by option 2 - discrimination)
2. Option 2 - lockdown
3. Bonus option if available, otherwise option 3
The Safe House - after Aisha
1. Answer the phone.
2. Click on Leah - the woman to the right of Aisha.
Leah, the Dissident
Leah, the Dissident - Scene 1
1. Answer the phone. Finish the conversation.
2. Click the pillar/area to the right of the long-haired man who is dancing to the music, to move to the café area.
3. Bonus 1: Click on the Sweets menu (the one on the right). Click "Mussel Beach" to get Bonus 1: Menu.
4. Click the coffee-making equipment on the counter to start the Coffee minigame. Click in the following order: coffee maker (to the right of the coffee jar); coffee jar; spoon above coffee jar; coffee maker; sugar holder above sugar pot; coffee maker; kettle; cups on the left of the screen. Wait for the voiceover to finish. (Don't click the Return button!)
5. Talk to the girl on the right by the fish tank. Finish the conversation.
6. If you wait a while you get a phone call from Monica, but it's not necessary to finish the scene.
7. Click the litter on the floor. Click it again to clear it.
8. Click the fish tank in the middle of the screen.
9. Click the lid of the fish tank. Click under the opened lid.
10. Bonus 2: Click the fish on the left to get Bonus 2: Fish.
11. Bonus 3: Click the leaflet on the right. Wait for the voiceover to finish to get Bonus 3: Leaflet, and unlock a bonus Safehouse Question. Sometimes the game doesn't give you the Bonus, though - I think it's a bug.
12. Click the used condom.
13. Monica should be standing on the right - click on her.
Leah - Questioning Phase 1
One possible solution:
1. Option 3 - dual life, followed by option 1 - party-monster.
2. Option 2 - Saturdays
3. Bonus option (option 4) if available, otherwise option 3.
Leah, the Dissident - Scene 2
1. Bonus 1: Click on the camera in the middle of the screen, facing you. Click the lower part of the camera to get Bonus 1: CCTV.
2. Bonus 2: Click the computer screen in the second cubicle on the left, then click the papers to the right of the computer to get Bonus 2: Pile Of Papers.
3. Bonus 3: Click the window on the left, then click the window again to get Bonus 3: Window.
4. Return to the main screen. Click the open doorway to the right of the orange monitors. Wait for the voiceover to finish.
5. Click the camera in the middle of the screen.
6. Camera Hack minigame: I think you're supposed to rotate the outer ring until the first two rings turn green (which they always do), then click the Up arrow twice to get to the innermost ring. Rotate the innermost ring until you get a message saying you have succeeded. Repeat two more times. If you get stuck: ignore the outer ring and just rotate the innermost ring.
7. Click on the computer terminal, then click it again.
8. Roll your mouse over each of the 4 file folders and click them. The fourth one will contain locked files.
9. Hacking minigame: look for the pattern you are given and click the matching one. Repeat 3 more times.
10. Finish the conversation.
Leah - Questioning Phase 2
One possible solution:
1. Option 2 - boss's door open (no effect)
2. Option 1 - corruption in the party
3. Option 1 - what else she found
Leah, the Dissident - Scene 3
1. Click the door on the left.
2. Click the grey electronic panel on the door. You may need to click it again. Finish the conversation.
3. Click the doorway ahead to enter the warehouse area.
4. Bonus 1: Click the black Phonogram poster to the right of the Dealer, then click it again to get Bonus 1: Comic.
5. Bonus 2: Click the shelves on the right, then click the boxes to get Bonus 2: Console.
6. Bonus 3: Click the computer terminal, then click the piece of equipment on the right of the computer to get Bonus 3: ID Writer.
7. Click the Dealer. Finish the conversation.
8. Click the computer terminal, then click the screen twice.
9. ID minigame:
-Set Leah's name to "Leah St. Germain" and date of birth to 12/03/2001
-Move the sliders until the little boxes (not just the bar) turn orange.
-Set Monica's name to "Monica Childs" and date of birth to 06/05/2003
-Move the sliders as before.
-Print the ID cards.
Leah - Questioning Phase 3
One possible solution:
1. Option 3 - boss backstab, followed by option 1: thought she'd be locked up first
2. Option 2 - passes from dead people
3. Option 1 - good luck
The Safe House - after Leah
1. Answer the phone.
2. Click on Saul - the man on the right.
Saul, the Ex-Policeman
Saul, the Ex-Policeman - Scene 1
1. Bonus 1: Click the green bar mat on the bar to the right of the barman, then click the beer mat to get Bonus 1: Beer Mat.
2. Bonus 2: Click on the blue beer pump on the bar to the right of the barman, then click the beer pump (Losters) to get Bonus 2: Beer Pump.
3. Talk to the barman.
4. Click on Shamus (the drinking buddy). In the following scenes, the students discuss conspiracy theories. You can try to calm Shamus down a few times. (You may unlock a bonus Safehouse Question: my choices were (1) they're just students (2) think of your family (3) think of your shirt. Eventually…
5. Talk to the barman.
6. Click the toilet door on the right to enter.
7. Bonus 3: Click the pair of legs to get Bonus 3: Legs. You may encounter a bug where you don't receive the bonus…
8. Cleaning minigame: click each area and scrub with the mouse until clean: posters, sink, urinals, wall above urinal.
9. Talk to the barman.
Saul - Questioning Phase 1
One possible solution:
1. Option 1 - there on the day
2. Bonus option if available, otherwise, avoid option 2.
3. Option 1 - mayor (no effect)
Saul, the Ex-Policeman - Scene 2
1. Bonus 1: Click on the grey bin behind the Dealer, then click it again to get Bonus 1: Bin.
2. Bonus 2: Click on the wall between the drainpipe and the door (to the left of the blue door), then click on the graffiti to get Bonus 2: Graffiti.
3. Talk to the Dealer.
4. Call Luther.
5. Camera Hack minigame: as before: I think you're supposed to rotate the outer ring until the first two rings turn green (which they always do), then click the Up arrow twice to get to the innermost ring. Rotate the innermost ring until you get a message saying you have succeeded. Repeat two more times. If you get stuck: ignore the outer ring and just rotate the innermost ring.
6. Talk to the Dealer.
7. Click on Shamus.
8. Wake Shamus minigame: drag the dead rat to Shamus's head.
Couldn't find Bonus 3 - anyone know where it is?
Saul - Questioning Phase 2
One possible solution:
1. Option 1 - which pub
2. Option 2 - giving the wrong stuff
3. Option 3 - the dealer, followed by option 2 - criminals
Saul, the Ex-Policeman - Scene 3
1. Click the suitcase on the left if you like.
2. Click the dead man. Read the message on the phone if you'd like.
3. Click the yellow screwdriver in the man's pocket. On the next screen, drag it out of the pocket.
4. Drag the screwdriver to the suitcase to unlock it.
5. Bomb minigame: click the bomb. You can either wait for the timer to count down to zero, or:
-Click the four cylinder sections to rotate them until the orange lines line up on the bomb
-Cut a wire!
Saul - Questioning Phase 3
One possible solution:
1. Option 1 - bomb squad
2. Option 1 - you believe him, or option 3 - why, followed by option 3 - he can't hurt you
3. Option 3 - what really happened
Endings
Loading an end-game save file will start you at this point.
1. Answer the phone.
2. Choose the character you'd like to give the data to. I believe you get that character's good ending if you increased trust with them three times (every time you played the questioning phase), otherwise you get that character's bad ending. You can reload and choose another character - each save game will show you 4 endings.
3. Description of each ending:
1. Lucas - bad: (Haven't seen this ending, not going to replay to get it…)
2. Lucas - good: Lucas uploads the data to the Internet and it goes viral.
3. Aisha - bad: Aisha tries to use the data to free her parents, but the police take it from her.
4. Aisha - good: Aisha decides to use the data to change the system.
5. Leah - bad: Leah and Monica try to escape to Amsterdam, but they are caught and Leah ends up in prison.
6. Leah - good: Leah decides to stay in the country to bring down the government.
7. Saul - bad: Saul decides to give the data to the police and become a very rich man.
8. Saul - good: Saul calls a journalist who will use the data to disrupt the Shepherd party at the next election.
It looks like a really good game. I can't get it to load though:(
Nice game! Ever since Channel 4's great game 'Bow Street Runners' two years ago, I've been looking forward to what they would produce next and this one didn't disappoint.
And it's nice to see some familiar faces too...the actor (Ian Shaw) who plays Shamus here is the same one who played the pubkeeper in 'Bow Street Runners'.
Thank you Tom for the walkthrough!
Without it I wouldn't have been able to...
to get past Aisha's third scene after picking up the wire b/c I didn't see the brown lock and I tried to click all around the scene and thought that it was just a bug and that there was supposed to be a return button there. So thanks, cause I rly like this game and want to finish it!
Just a few minor corrections for Tom's walkthrough:
You don't need to wait for the TV poster in Lucas' scene 1 to get the bonus. Just click the screen at any poster.
Class A and B have been switched. The employee is actually at the Class A counter, and the queue is at the Class B counter.
I have found out that it's possible to get a Bonus Question for Lucas in Scene 1. It seems you just need to read the red triangle tag, which warns you about a police procedure.
And as for Lucas' bad ending, he goes home to play the game, finds the data in his pocket and throws it away. Then he talks about getting it from the mental patient in the safehouse and having more important things to worry about.
As for the game, it is absolutely brilliant. True, the loading times are very long at first, and they do keep me from playing it a third time, but everything about the game is absolutely amazing. The acting is above what I would expect for a web game, even from an established company, and the graphics are just gorgeous and very realistic although obviously computer graphics. But a lot of effort and love has been put into this and it shows. All of the characters are completely believable, and especially the four main characters play their role beyond and above what I'd expect. But it seems they all have an acting career, so in hindsight not so surprising.
I can't even manage to
find the air tag in the bottom right as Lucas. I swear I've clicked everywhere.
Help!
Same as Steve, can't even find the very first airtag! so frustrating!!!
I can't find Lucas' airtag to save my life. Suggestions?
i wont complain about loads and bugs in a free game lol. im not an ass.. but i made it all the way to the bathroom cleanup with saul and now i cant figure out how to leave the bathroom lol.. is this s glitch? help please :P
ok when i go to the terminal in the burger bar and i enter the perfectlyrespectablecitizen909, it keeps saying user not found. please help!
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