The Journey Down:
Over the Edge
Platform: Windows
The Journey Down: Over the Edge is a classic-style point-and-click adventure game released by SkyGoblin. Bwana and Kito, longtime friends and mechanics in Kingsport Bay, are having a bit of a cash problem. The all-powerful and evil electric company is demanding massive payments from everyone, and to top it off, they've made it a punishable offense to visit the area known as "The Edge". Couple that with a woman loaded with cash who's asking questions about Bwana's missing friend, and you've got a great start to what is guaranteed to be a strange and intriguing adventure!
The Journey Down plays like any other old-school adventure game, though this time around the controls are simplified. Instead of swapping cursor commands between Look, Talk, Walk, etc., everything is handled with simple mouse clicks. So, to walk to a certain spot, click it. To talk to someone, click them. To interact with objects, just click. You'll suddenly realize you don't miss switching commands in the slightest.
Puzzles are largely inventory-based, and they're very well constructed. Solutions are logical, if a bit whimsical in nature from time to time, and if you can't figure out what to do, you probably missed a subtle clue while talking to a character. The Journey Down: Over the Edge isn't a game you can just charge through. You need to take your time, talk to every character, explore every option in the conversation tree, and not be afraid to do a little exploration.
Analysis: The Journey Down: Over The Edge is a gorgeous, gorgeous game. Not only are the backgrounds and characters painted with a lot of loving attention, the animations are surprisingly complete for a free adventure game. Instead of using two frames to show a console opening, The Journey Down fills in the gaps so you can watch it drop on your own. It may not sound like much, but in practice, it makes the game look so much better than most of its contemporaries.
Another area where The Journey Down really excels is setting a great atmosphere. the world of Kingsport Bay feels familiar, yet a little different. It could take place in the present day, but there's a vibe of the future lurking as well. The characters and the dialogue are also great, allowing you to sink in to the game as if you were reading a graphic novel (or a regular novel!).
Over the Edge is just the first chapter in what is planned to be a four part series. The next episode, Into the Mist, is scheduled for late next year, which is a long time to wait once you get a taste of what this adventure offers. Expect between two and three hours of gameplay for this run, shorter if you're a l33t adventure gamer. But the best part is, the game doesn't feel short. It feels like a complete, hearty adventure game
The Journey Down: Over the Edge is a carefully-crafted, gorgeous-looking adventure game with an intriguing story, fun characters, excellent dialogue, captivating music, and well-made puzzles. Chapter 2 can't come soon enough!
Windows:
Download the free version
Get the full HD version
Mac OS X:
Not available.
Try Boot Camp or Parallels or CrossOver Games.
Walkthrough Guide
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The Journey Down: Over the Edge walkthrough
This walkthrough is for the original free downloadable version of this game. For the new version for PC, Mac, and iOS, go here.
Tips and Instructions
If you think the game screen is too tiny, or the resolution too low, you can change the resolution by using the winsetup utility. Use the "Graphics Filter" menu to adjust the game's resolution by a particular multiplier.
For Crossover Games users: The game runs fine, but I was unable to change the resolution without registering an error.
Navigate and interact with the left mouse-click. You do not need to choose which action to take, like in some other adventure games.
Move the cursor to the bottom of the screen to access your inventory. Select items with the left mouse-click, and examine them with the right mouse-click. You can dismiss items with the right mouse-click.
Move the cursor to the top of the screen to save or load a game, or to quit the game.
Talk to everyone about everything. Often you will gain important clues. Even when you don't, you will still learn more about the story and the game world.
The only way to know if you can interact with a part of the environment is to hover your cursor over it. If you are stuck, revisit scenes and make sure you have examined everything that can be examined.
Locations
Sometimes it isn't obvious how to get to certain parts of Kingsport Bay. Starting Outside the Charter, here is how to get to the various locations in the game world.
Go to the left side of the screen to explore the Pump station.
Go to the right side of the screen to explore the Street to the bridge to St. Armando's. Go to the right again to visit Mama Makena's.
Naturally, enter the Charter to go Inside the Charter. Go up the ladder to check out the Loft.
Go around the left side of the Charter building to explore the Dock. Go to the right again to see the Forklift. If you enter the Ship instead, you will be able to board the Yacht. Once on board the Yacht, you may exit via the right side of the screen, or enter the Galley through the doors in the middle of the screen, or the VIP room through the doors on the left.
Restoring Power
Help Kito open the hatch by clicking on it.
Unlock the other hatch by clicking on the four brackets, then click again to open it.
Click the switch. Go on, click it!
Finding the Book
While you are inside the Charter, get the cheese from the fridge and the brush from under the table. Check out the lemon in the blue mug.
Examine the pantry in the back of the Charter, near the hammock, to get stale breadsticks.
Use the breadsticks on the ladder. Go up the ladder to the loft.
Help Lina look for the book in the loft. While you are here, check the drawer to get the shirt.
Click the bed to find the book.
Fixing the Plane
NB: Please see the Locations section of this walkthrough for how to get to various parts of Kingsport Bay. Locations are capitalized and in Italics.
Finding a Propeller
Head over to Mama Makena's.
Talk to Matoke the fisherman. If you are thorough, you learn that he hates rats.
Go to the Pump. Notice the rat scurrying about, and spot Matoke's bobber in the water.
Use the cheese you got from the fridge Inside the Charter on the bobber.
Head back to Mama Makena's and talk to Matoke to get his fishing reel.
Go Inside the Charter. Use the reel on the ceiling fan.
Go Outside the Charter and give the fan to Kito.
Finding Engines
Getting on the Yacht
Go to the Dock and talk to the Dockmaster. If you tell him that you're the new deckhand, he'll ask you for a password, which you don't know.
Check out the name of the Ship.
Try to grab the buoy, which you can't reach. Use Matoke's fishing reel (which you used to get the propellor/fan) to get the buoy and take the crab.
Go to Mama Makena's.
Talk to the "sophisticated" sailors sitting on the left. If you are thorough, you learn that they are sailing on the same ship you just pretended to join. You will also get some chiles.
Ask the sailors for the password. They will want proof you are a sailor.
While you are here, take a mudyuggler fish from Matoke's bucket.
Go to the Street (to the left of Mama Makena's). Use the brush from under the table Inside the Charter with the bucket of white paint.
Now use the brush with the shirt you got from the Loft.
Go back to Mama Makena's and show the sailors your shirt. They tell you the password.
Go back to the Dock and tell the dockmaster the password.
Enter the Ship. The crane can give you access to the Yacht.
The crane "puzzle" is a fakeout. Just keep pressing switches until Bwana gets frustrated.
Go up the crane ladder to enter the Yacht.
Fixing the Stew
The waiter won't let you enter the VIP room. Enter the Galley instead.
Enter the Galley again after you are chased out and talk to Sabo the chef. He can't get mudyuggler stew to taste right.
You know someone who is the master of mudyuggler stew. Go back to Mama Makena's.
Mama Makena won't talk to you about much of anything from the counter, and Rufus the dog won't let you into the kitchen. Use the crab you got from the buoy at the Dock to scare Rufus away.
Enter the kitchen. Talk to Mama Makena about the secret of her stew. She will give you a recipe and spice grinder and charge you with making the spice blend for her.
Gather the ingredients:
Add the chiles you got from the sailors at Mama Makena's to the grinder.
Get the lemon by using the grinder on the blue mug Inside the Charter.
Find the chevril by examining the bookshelf in the middle of the Loft.
Get the oil by using the grinder with the tap at the oil Pump.
Get the salt by examining the container to the left of the Forklift.
Get the ginger by going to the back of the freezer in the Galley.
Once you have the spice blend completed, add it to Sabo's stew in the Galley.
Getting the Engines
Once you fix the stew, Sabo puts out a tray of canapes. Take them and leave the Galley.
Show the canapes to the waiter to enter the VIP room.
The hungry man eats all your canapes. Go to the outer deck on the right side of the VIP Room screen to find that the captain also wants canapes and won't let you past without them.
Go back to the Galley to get another tray of canapes. The hungry man is just going to eat them again unless you do something.
The hungry man doesn't like the white canapes. Exit the Galley and use the paint brush on the canapes.
Enter the VIP Room. Go back to the outer deck, then go downstairs to the engine room.
Examine the switch. Solve the switch puzzle by rotating the tiles so all the circuits connect. This will open the hatch, giving you access to the engines.
Finding a Yoke
Go back to Mama Makena's and enter the kitchen. Take the ship's wheel from the wall.
Exit the kitchen. If you haven't done so already, get the chiles from the sailors and the mudyuggler fish from Matoke's bucket.
Go to Outside the Charter. Show the wheel to Kito.
Go inside the plane to see if you can mount the wheel. Try using the wheel on the hole in the console. You learn that you need something to mount it on.
Open the utility hatch in the middle of the floor, between Lina and Bwana. Take the wrench inside.
Go to the Forklift. There is an angry bird nested on it who won't let you past.
Combine the chiles with the fish and give it to the bird. It's only sleeping!
Try to lower the forklift using the lever on the side. It's rusted in place.
Use the wrench on the lever to lower the forklift.
Examine the nest to get the metal rod.
Go back to Outside the Charter and enter the plane.
Use the rod on the hole, then use the wheel on the rod.
Enjoy the end of Chapter 1!
Posted by: Mike
|
December 8, 2010 3:39 PM