If all the world's a stage, then Rusty Lake is putting on some seriously weird play, or at least playing with your brain. Good thing that's the way we like it! In creepy surreal escape game Cube Escape: Theater, also free for iOS and Android, the lake draws you deeper into the past of its tormented protagonist... this time to a small theater in 1971. As you might expect from a Rusty Lake game, however, things are definitely off, and the more you start to poke around, the weirder things get. There's no changing cursor, so you'll have to click around and explore on your own to figure out what's interactive and what isn't. Unlike some escape games, the Cube Escape series has always operated on its own logic, so don't be afraid to experiment with item combinations or using things in unlikely places if you get stuck.
If it's weird, unsettling, and, yes, makes you jump a little bit, then you know all is right with the world and you're playing a Rusty Lake game. Cube Escape: Theater proves that despite the lengthy library in the series, the developers are still coming up with creative ways to play with puzzles and recurring story themes. If you haven't played the other Cube Escape games, then you're likely going to be lost as to any conceivable plot here... while still enjoyable solely as an abstract, mind-warping puzzle, Theater makes no effort to explain anything that's going on to newcomers, though, let's face it, some of the regulars are still probably a little pleasantly befuddled by now too. One of the series' weak points has always been how precarious it teeters on the line between "fun and ambiguously creative" and "just plain unintuitive" when it comes to the otherworldly logic that needs to be applied to some puzzles. Theater is a little better about stringing hints and subtle direction throughout than some of its predecessors, but you'll still be mystified from time to time as you try to figure out either what the game wants from you, or simply how to achieve it. It's a stylish game, of course, and beautiful in a morbid sort of way, and jump scares are less used in favour of striking imagery, though still present depending on your tolerance. It ends with a "to be continued", however, so don't expect this strange ride we're on to come to a conclusion just yet.
Cube Escape: Theater (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch)
Cube Escape: Theater (Android, Android Tablet)
I'm stuck with the
black egg
and don't know what to do with it.
nevermind. I missed that tube.
Out!
I'm stuck at that numbers code. Was I supposed to remember it from some of the previous games?
Nevermind, got it
I seem to be short one white cube?
I got four from the man's head, but can't find the 5th. Is it behind the door? I have no clue how to open that.
Hah, POP.
I'm stuck pretty early...
I've gotten the key from the hand in the piano and opened the bathroom door and used the 4 symbols on the furniture. Now I have a heart, 2 cocktail glasses, and a screwdriver and no clue what to do next. It seems I can still interact with the piano keys and the furniture looks to have another door that can be opened with another 4 symbol code. Other than that, I'm not seeing much else I can do.
Ditto for me mark0205. Wonder what we're missing?
So, I randomly made a gin and tonic (2x gin, 2x tonic) and gave it to him. He drank it. It's not something that advances the game, and it didn't seem to do anything, but it recognized it as a drink. No clue if there's an easter egg tied to it or not.
@mark0205, play with the top door of the cabinet.
For mark0205, and other people who got stuck in the same place I did, the critical thing to know about this installation is:
There are several locations in which the puzzles are solved by clicking and dragging. This is unusual in most room escape games so it's easy to miss.
I got to the code part, which I don't know, and now I can't go back to the room?
deyakem,
If you're where I think you are, then
Follow the pathway beside the door.
Stuck at
Remember the Seasons, with the 5 gold frames. Thinking it has to do with the placement of the pictures on the wall?
finally got it! man, i love these games.
I'm stuck at
Following Mr. crow's lead. I can get him to advance counting up to 3, then 2, then 1, but then none of them seem to work next. I feel like this shouldn't be that hard but I'm missing something?
There are 3 steps to the lights:
him counting on his fingers, him tapping out a number with his cane, and the eye on his crow-hat looking at a particular bulb
I'm also stuck at the 5 frames in Remember the Seasons...
Wooo... so many nested spoilers. My head hurts.
Cube Escape: Theatre Walkthrough
Pre-show refreshments
Let's take a look around and see what we find. Some curtains that won't open. Must be the Theatre in question?
Moving right, we notice a bar, its tender, and a lone barfly on a stool who just wants a drink. Maybe the Bartender can help him?
"Give that man a drink." Isn't that your job? Man, you're as bossy as my grandfather.
Fortunately, some helpful person has framed a recipe for a screwdriver behind the bar. All we need to do is follow it.
Click on the Vodka twice, the Orange juice twice, and then the shaker twice (once to shake, once to pour) and collect the drink.
Give the man his drink and click him a few times until he coughs up something useful.
A screwdriver? How literal.
Also you can check out the picture/letter he has in his pocket if you'd like.
Bartender Grandpa has something else to say now that you've done his work for him.
It's Time to Light the Light
Moving on, we find a piano, some pictures on the wall, and one of the weirdest wadrobes ever. Let's take a closer look at that the top half of thing, since we don't have any information about the shapes on the bottom half.
Oh hey, you can drag the blue tile over to the similarly-marked spaces!
Oh crap. Hope you like sliding block puzzles. I'll do what I can to help you through these, but if you ever get stuck you can move away from the wardrobe and back again to reset your current puzzle.
Puzzle 1:
Move the bottom two tiles all the way to the left, then the right three tiles down. This was the easy one.
Puzzle 2:
Leftmost up, then bottom one to the left. Slide down the two tiles in the middle, then move the two tiles you can slide left as far as they'll each go. Move the bottom-right tile up as far as it will go, then undo your previous two moves (moving tiles right and up). This will let you move the bottom tile all the way to the right, then slide everything you can down.
Move the key tile as far right as you can. This will let you shift the upper-left tile down, opening the way to move the two tiles in the top row to the left. Now you can move the fight-most tile up one more space and move the key tile into position.
Puzzle 3:
Slide the bottom tile all the way to the right. That lets you slide one tile down, then move the one to the left of that tile right. Now the two left tiles slide down. Move the top tile to the left and slide the tile in front of the key up.
Slide the key tile to the left, then the tile under it to the right. This will let you slide a tile all the way up. Now return the key tile to its original position (slide right). Anything you can move up should now do so. Bottom three tiles to the left clears the way for the right tile to slide down and you're out. Phew!
Grab the plug and the plunger.
Turn to the right. Hmmm. That must be the light in question. We can also see a diagram of piano keys, a recipe for a Bloody Mary that I am fairly certain is inaccurate (I don't drink alcohol, but...), and a six-way pie chart of sorts. On the table next to the locked bathroom door is a program for tonight's show. Let's get the light working.
Click on the outlet behind the light, then use the plug on the cord. Use the screwdriver to connect everything, then plug in.
It's Time to Raise the Curtain
Now that the light is on the show can begin! Turn back to the curtain and open them. Mister Owl is here to introduce the show. Just keep clicking until he shuts up. (That's a lot of applause for a room with only three occupants, isn't it?)
Click on the curtain again to begin the performance of The Lady of the Lake.
The Lady of the Lake
Keep clicking on her until she uh... strains her vocal chords, let's say. Ouch.
Now her ghost wants you to "balance the substance of her past lives." Some sclaes have appeared, along with a hat. When you take the hat the pan rises. Looks like we need to find three other things to put in them. Maybe Bartender Grumpy has an idea?
"Can you play the piano?" No, but thanks to the picture on the wall we probably don't have to.
Checking out the piano, we see the same x-marked key layout as in the poster, plus the message "dead face". Hey, those letters are all notes, aren't they?
Hit the correct keys. Starting from the left X as 1, the order is 2 3 6 2 4 6 1 3
Uh... was it supposed to do that? Maybe there's something in the hole?
Oh. Hi, Thing! Clicking on Thing makes it play a key. Follow along on the higher octave until Thing disappears into the piano. Click on the hole again and get a key.
Bathroom Break
The key opens the WC (bathroom), where you can pick up another cocktail glass (...ew). In the cabinet is... a human heart. Because that's where you keep them, apparently.
Sigh. I guess there's no avoiding this. We have a plunger. There's a toilet. We know what to do. I'm so sorry.
Of course you find a fetus. of course.
While we're in here, let's check out the mirror. Yup, that's us, but let's click on it to double-check.
Hm. I'm old enough to have experienced problems with "horizontal hold" but this is ridiculous. Can we... fix this? Sliding works.
Joy. Well, it's a Rusty Lake game. That was bound to happen sooner or later.
Click on the mirror shards to expose some shapes (square, flower, target, empty crosshairs). It should be obvious where these go.
Entering the correct shapes in the wadrobe opens up the right side and earns you a shell.
Well that's enough objects. Let's see if these work. Go back to the stage and balance the scales.
From left to right, shell, fetus, heart, hat.
Click on the Lady to end the performance. Click again to get a flower. Click to close the curtain.
The Signs
Next up on stage: more dragging! This is actually fairly easy, just drag the pieces around until they make sense. You'll know you have it right when the screen flashes.
Full crosshairs, empty crosshairs, cube, inverted triangle.
Let's put those in the appropriate place.
Ah, the recipe for a Harvey Wallbanger.
Let's head back to the bar. The helpful bartender suggests that the man would like another drink, and since we don't yet have the ingredients for a Bloody Mary (...still not sure that recipe is correct) might as well make a Wallbanger.
Put the empty cocktail glass next to the shaker. Click Juice twice, Galliano once, and Vodka once. Mix, pour, collect.
Before we serve the drink we have to collect the empty glass from the man's hands. Give him the Wallbanger and click until he's done.
Huh. Maybe we made it wrong? It's not supposed to be a "barbanger". Well, we needed blood anyway... might as well collect some in a spare cocktail glass. Grab the empty one while we're here too.
This ends the "Signs" performance, apparently. What's on stage next?
The Fish and the Parrot
Uh... ok. So we have a fish, a frying pan, a flower pot, a parrot, and a maze of pipes. Pulling on the red handle introduces water into the system, and we can redirect the flow using the various joints and junctions.
I don't think the fish needs water, though, since that's the default arrangement. Let's take care of this flower we have.
Put the flower in the pot, then redirect the water to it.
The water travels from the handle to the right, then down.
Pull the handle, water the flower. Click on the flower and get seeds. I see. Now I guess we feed the bird?
It's easier if you start from the parrot and work backwards. If done correctly, you will start at the funnel on the left. Click on the parrot for a black egg.
Let's break an egg.
Again, start at the pan and work backwards. Drop the egg in the right funnel when complete.
Ew, gross. Well, worms for breakfast works for the fish, right?
This one's a little trickier until you realize that the right-hand branch near the fish can't possibly lead to a funnel without dumping into the flower pot. Ignore that branch and focus on going directly up from the fish, ending in the right funnel again.
Click on the fish (and maybe a pipe) to end the performance. Halfway done!
An Intermezzo by Mister Crow
Hey... this looks like the bartender. Sure enough, he's missing in action. Let's see what Grandpa Crow has to offer.
Click on him, and he'll hold up one finger. The heck?
Act 1: Fingers
Click on the left light bulb. He will then hold up two fingers. Click the middle bulb. Three fingers = right bulb. Follow that pattern until he does a little dance and moves on to the next act.
Act 2: "Follow my lead"
Clicking on Mr. Crow again and he'll tap his cane twice. You can zoom in on him to receive the additional hint I quoted outside this spoiler. The numbers haven't changed, just the way he indicates them to you.
Act 3: The eyes have it
Still one more act to go. This time the eye of the crow mask will point to the appropriate bulb.
Well, that was easy.
Remember the Seasons
Huh. This one is tricky. And yet... somehow familiar?
Make the scene on stage match the picture in the drinking man's pocket.
Lower the window frame to cover up her hands. Move the tree to your left, and position the moon just barely in the upper corner of the window frame. When she raises her hand you're done.
Ok, some more frames drop down. I... got nothing. Let's ask around, I guess?
Another Drink
Bartender Crow is just as lazy as ever. Well, we know one other recipe, so we might as well.
Put the empty glass on the bar. Click Tobasco, vodka, then use the blood twice. Shake, pour, serve. I'm sure he won't even notice we're serving his own (diluted) blood back to him, right?
Hey man... don't do it!
He did. Not that he really seems to notice, though.
Man, that looks... bad, I guess? I mean... I was expecting worse but still.
Journey Into the Mind
Click on the wound. Gross. Keep clicking until you reach a fork in the "road", for lack of a better term.
Left:
Pick up the white cube, move past the woman, pick up the white cube in the foliage, then one more before you find the exit.
Right:
Pick up the cube, then check the door. No code, so keep clicking until you get out.
Back to the stage, at least now we have something we can put in the frames. Four of them, anyway.
Put the white cubes into four random frames, then match the filled-in frames to their corresponding place on the stage. The frame will light up and become immobile when placed correctly.
OK... now what? We need something for this last frame, and it's probably behind that locked door.
Clicking and/or dragging on a completed frame will zoom in. You can interact with these frames to reveal the code.
Triangle : 7
Hand: 2
Plus: 8
Heart: 5
Go back to the door and enter the code (the "hand" corresponds to the second design), receive the black cube.
With the final item in hand, complete the performance.
Cube in frame, frame on face. Click on face, finish show.
The Mill
Uh... is Mr. Owl wearing our face? Never mind that now.
"Six stages of the wheel" both sounds like a hint and something familiar...
Remember the pie chart picture? It had six pieces. Clockwise from the top, a question mark, Mr Crow, the black soul, trees, a fish, and a lady. Have we seen these somewhere else?
The pictures above the piano. You might have noticed that each one of them is being shined on by a colored light. If you're color-blind you will have to match up the designs to those on the mill. I can't possible reproduce them here so take notes.
Dragging the flags around is a bit tricky. Fortunately clicking on the hub will rotate them so you can re-orient yourself if necessary. You do not need to have the colors in the proper orientation, just the correct order.
Clockwise from the top: yellow, violet, red, orange, blue, white.
Once you have done so, the rest will take care of itself. When in doubt, click on something.
@horriblesanity: I did that too! It does seem to trigger something, if you're observant...
He gets up and goes to the bathroom during the last act, leaving three drink coasters with messages. Sadly, the content they lead to appears to be unimplemented, though the creators do say how impressed they are.
People who post questions then figure it out before anyone answers... can you guys post what you figured out please? I get so excited to see that someone was stuck at the same place I was, only to read that the answer was "POP" @_@ Thanks~~
I really enjoyed the extra layer of symbolism that this game added to the series.
Spoilered just in case
The Sanskrit words on each picture refer to one of the Six Realms of Rebirth in Buddhism:
प्रेत - Preta, Hungry Ghosts - The Shadow
नरक - Naraka, Hell - The forest
तिर्यग्योनि - Tiryagyoni, Animals - The fish and Harvey the Parrot
असुर - Asura, Angry Gods - Mr. Crow
मानुष - Manusya, Humans - The Young Woman
देव - Deva, Gods - ?
Coffee:
Someday the answer literally will be "POP" and you'll be so confused.
Seriously, though, here's a hint to what Chris and Orient were stuck on:
Have you used the four white cubes? Each one will lead to one of the four digits of the door code.
Hi SonicLover,
Thanks! I used them but
didn't realize you could click on them after rearranging them.
This was my quickest out of a Rusty Lake. Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Very fun game regardless
I totally agree, Coffeeteamix.
And ditto for posts that say just "I'm out". It's like, uh, why am I supposed to care that you successfully played a game? At least post a rating of the game, or a "that was easy", or something that'll give us some context.
@horriblesanity:
the gin tonic is a easter egg!!! :D check the bar after he leaves!
Where is the "save" command ???
The game doesn't need a "save" command, it saves automatically.
I played, turned pc off, came back, turned it on and the game was not saved
"That man looks like he could use another drink." I dunno, I think maybe he's had enough! :)
Some logic explanation, please...
Code of the door inside the brain:
One frame is on the tree with four flowers. There's neither an icon in the door that remains a tree nor a 4 in the code. (??????)
Another yellow frame contains the dress and the white frame. Which is the number here?? And which the corresponding icon in the door??
Same story with the hand....
These clues = no clues
To get the symbols, you have to click+drag your mouse in the frames. Except for the hand, which you just need to click on. Three of the symbols match the door exactly. How the second symbol matches up with the hand I'm not 100% sure but it's the only one left.
unfortunately my poor brazilian english don't allow me to help people while I play the games, but I can say that the Cube Escape series are one of the most exciting things I played these days alongside with scriptwelder games. For Theater I can assign an easy 4.5/5
Thanks for the answer but...
You said exactly?? Where is the heart?? Where is something like a tree or a flower?? And respect the numbers... where is the 7 ?? where is the 5 ??
@ Conan,
click on each frame to zoom in, and then click and drag around the picture (or just click various spots). The symbol and number will appear like one of those scratch cards.
For example, on the tree with 4 flowers, click on different places on the tree trunk and the number will be revealed in the symbol.
I think in the one on the woman's dress, the symbol is on the left side of the frame while the number is on the right side.
I accidentally figured out how to work out
the mill
It took me ages until I accidentally dragged one of the "sails" in place. I was busy trying to click them in order
I really enjoyed this! It was just hard/easy enough to keep me on my toes without boring me or driving me crazy.
Played three times with slightly different moves and each time got a different ending.
Did anyone get the 'BADEGG'
No, would you mind explaining how you got it?
@catsmeow & me:
Yeah! I got the
bad egg
, by giving the drunk the
gin & tonic to get the coasters
, then at the end,
playing b a d e g g on the piano.
It was an easter egg, which is sorta self-evident.
Liked the game, same rusty lake themes, same rusty lake logic. :)
My head hurts too!
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