[The following is a reader review by Ken Mo, used with permission. Want to submit your own review for a game we haven't covered? Visit our submission page!]
Fireberry Studios' adventure game The Splitting: Chapter 1 starts out with a strange dream of which your character only remembers the end. As you explore his house, you find that he is unable to see his reflection in the mirror, and that because of his lack of a reflection, he is able to travel through into a mirror world. With the help of a mysterious man named llehctiM, the split reflection of a man named Mitchell from your own world, you now embark on an adventure to figure out where your reflection has gone and why he has split from you. Use [WASD] or the [arrow] keys to move, and the [spacebar] to interact.
This little addition to the mystery genre will intrigue and delight fans of games such as The Last Door. You will be drawn into the story and mystery of what has happened to your reflection and your adventure as you begin your search for him. Personally, the game is all story for me from start to finish. The graphics are passable and reminiscent of higher-end DOS games and the controls are awkward but usable. Some tasks are a little tedious, especially when they require you to do something else first to activate the task, but all in all, this is quite a good finished product for a first attempt and I think it will be reflected in the fact that most players will be eager for the second chapter. For an interesting read and more information on the developer's thoughts as he created the game and went back and revised it, visit his blog.
Thanks to Ken Mo and Abbie Johnson for sending this one in!
Walkthrough Guide
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Walkthrough
Tips
1) Although you do not need to look at things before interacting with them (e.g., doors), it’s fun to do so just to read the descriptions (e.g., look for your reflection in the mirror a few times for different responses).
2) If you find that you’re unable to interact with an item, make sure you’ve actually walked close enough to it to activate the frame around it.
3) If you still find that you’re unable to incur an action that you want, it’s possible that you haven’t activated it yet. Try working backwards and thinking of a possible first event to activate the action that you want.
4) Items can be combined by opening the inventory (Keyboard: I) and selecting them. Music and effects can be turned on and off by opening the options menu (Keyboard: O).
5) Once you’ve opened a door, I suggest you leave it open so you don’t have to keep opening and closing it.
6) The game DOES auto-save for those unable to complete it in one sitting. Just be sure to have your Flash save settings turned on.
7) The character llehctiM is a guide for you in this game in case you get stuck. But if his hints don’t help, you may consult this handy walkthrough.
8) This guide will follow the story’s natural progression. There are more efficient ways to play this adventure, but this walkthrough will walk you through in the order that allows you to figure some things out on your own while enjoying the story. Good luck and have fun!
9) If you get can’t end a conversation for some reason, press X to close out the dialogue.
A Strange Dream...
Walk to your nightstand. Open it.
Use Pick up to pick up your cell phone.
Walk to your mirror (the silver item on the left wall). Look at it. Follow the prompts (Keyboard: Spacebar). Note the “different” music :).
Open your mirror dresser (not the wardrobe). Look at it (after you’ve opened it). Mentally note the missing photo.
Open your mirror bedroom door. Enter the mirror corridor. Follow the prompt and open and enter the left door to enter the mirror study.
Follow the prompts. Exhaust all dialogue options to continue with the adventure.
You now have three tasks to complete: answer the door, call in sick and figure out which photo was taken from the mirror photo album.
Also, this new character is a guide for you in this game in case you get stuck, but if his hints don’t help, you may consult this handy walkthrough for hints as well as straight answers.
Someone at the Door
Enter the mirror living room (the upper door).
Open the table next to the door, under the mirror. Pick up the flashlight.
Walk in through the longer, left mirror in the mirror living room (you can’t enter the mirror hanging above the table). You are now in your real living room.
In your real living room, walk to the table on the left, under the mirror. Pick up your apartment key. Open the table’s drawer and pick up the flashlight which will automatically provide you with a battery instead.
Open the front door. Follow the prompts. Talk to Becky again once she sits down on the sofa.
Calling in Sick
Enter your study in the bottom right corner.
Use the computer. Follow the prompts.
Walk to the printer and pick up what was printed.
Use pick up again to pick up a blank page.
Enter the corridor (the left door).
Enter your bedroom (the bottom door).
A Missing Photo
In your real bedroom, go to your dresser and open it. Look at the photo album and you will automatically receive the missing photo.
Go back to your living room.
Sealed Memories and a Newspaper Held Hostage
In the living room, show your family photo to your sister.
If at this point, you go outside in the real world (via the upper left door in the real living room), you will learn an interesting tidbit about the family photo when you show it the newspaper boy. Your goal right now is to open the package you have just received from your sister and get that newspaper from the newspaper boy (without having to pay him).
Go back to your mirror study.
Hit I on your keyboard to open up your inventory. Highlight the flashlight using the arrow keys. Select combine. Highlight the battery in your inventory. Hit space bar. You now have a working flashlight. Close your inventory by hitting I on your keyboard again.
Walk to the sofa and use the flashlight to look under the sofa. You will automatically receive the pocketknife.
Go back to the mirror living room.
Using your newly-found pocketknife, open the mirror package on the table and pick up the item inside.
Go to your real living room via the mirror living room’s mirror and do the same (i.e., open the real package and pick up the item inside).
Go outside via the front door (the upper left door).
Show the paperboy your mirror Maniac Monsters collection (i.e., cainaM sretsnoM) to receive your held-hostage newspaper. *You may want to just talk to the paperboy first for some fun dialogue if you haven’t yet :).
Pull up your inventory (Keyboard: I), select the newspaper, turn it over and look at it for a juicy tidbit.
Go back to llehctiM and show him the newspaper. He can’t read it, but he’ll give you your next task.
Time to Blow this Joint
Walk to your real kitchen from your real living room (there is no door, just keep walking left). In the kitchen, open the door on the left and enter the laundry room.
Open the washer. Try to pick up the super giant jumbo winter sock.
Walk to the laundry room table. Open the drawer. Pick up the garden shears.
You may highlight the laundry basket to pick up a fun item, but they’re actually just a red herring :).
Walk back to the living room and enter the mirror to enter the mirror living room.
Go outside and pick up the yellow note in the thorn bushes by trimming the thorn bushes with the garden shears, then picking up the note. Read the note from your inventory.
Go to your mirror bathroom. Open the mirror trash can and pick up your reflection’s cell phone.
Go back to real Becky in the real world and show her your reflection’s broken cell phone from your inventory. She will give you her phone, but it is not her phone we need, so go back to the mirror living room and pick up mirror Becky’s cell phone from the floor.
Follow the prompts and go outside to the middle planter. Look at the middle planter and you will automatically receive your mirror house key.
Go back inside and give your mirror house key to mirror Becky.
Go back to real Becky in the real world and give her your house key. *To avoid being chastised later, give her back her cell phone first.
Go back to your mirror living room and pick up the mirror super giant jumbo winter sock from the floor.
Go back to your real living room and go outside.
Use your super giant jumbo winter sock to open the trunk of your car. Pick up your compass.
Go to your real study.
Use your computer and you will automatically print out a bus map.
Pick up the bus map from the printer.
Show the map to llehctiM.
To comply with his request, go to your mirror kitchen sink (keep moving right from your mirror living room). Use the map in the sink to wet it. Combine the map with the blank page from your inventory. You will now have a flipped map. *Consequently, you can use any sink to do this. Using the tub is fun, too :).
Show the flipped map to llehctiM.
Show the compass to llehctiM.
Enjoy the credits and prepare yourself for chapter two....
Posted by: Zeroonezeroone Kenmo
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January 29, 2016 1:06 AM