Escape from the Tatami Room 2
Do you ever have nightmares about being locked in a traditional Japanese restaurant, unable to find anything to eat until you escape? Do you dream of having to pull open drawers and closets, searching for a way to melt a block of ice, then create a rabbit from the resulting water? Do you dream about being locked into the same darn restaurant again, once again having to reason your way out of a room to get a darn meal? No? Just me? Okay then, what were we talking about...oh yeah, it's time for Weekday Escape. How about we pick a room escape that will help me exercise those nightly demons? How about Escape from the Tatami Room 2 by Tesshi-e?
Yes, Tesshi-e has created a sequel to Escape from the Tatami Room, that bizarre room escape about having to build a shrine to a rabbit to get a decent meal. Escape from the Tatami Room 2 apparently takes place in the same restaurant, and once again you have to figure your way out of the room to meet your companion and get some grub. This room, however, is different than the one in the first Tatami room. This time there's no fire pit in the middle, so you can guess that you won't be trying to burn the place down to get out. The things we do for a decent meal...
Escape from the Tatami Room 2 is set in a very traditional Japanese space (the tatami in the title refer to the woven straw mats that cover the floor). There's no note from the staff this time around, you already knew before you came to meet your friend that you were going to have to solve your way out to eat. Explore the sparse space, find and use objects, and eventually you'll get that promised feast. Perhaps, if you're really lucky, you'll also make it out with the happy coin, a staple "second ending" in Tesshi-e room escapes. Will you solve the magic lantern puzzle? Will you find all of the tiles? Will you ever get fed? Play and find out.
Tatami Room 2 plays like a traditional single room escape. Look around, observe everything, poke into every nook and cranny, and use what you find to solve your way out. As with all Tesshi-e designs you will encounter a mix of use of found objects, pure puzzle solving, and even a little constructive combining of ordinary household (or Japanese restaurant) items. Navigate around by using bars at the sides, top, and bottom of the screens, double click on inventory objects to view them in close up, get creative with what you can find, and you'll be out in time for dinner. Hopefully.
Analysis: Tesshi-e certainly likes locking players into public spaces. Restaurants, bars, hotels, spas, the list is endless. Here you are in a traditional style Japanese restaurant, surrounded by Tesshi-e's usually sumptuous three dimensional graphics and Zen-like decorations. The lovely, plaintive oriental loop that plays in the background adds to the atmosphere, evoking an era that time has passed by. Half of the fun of Tatami Room 2 is just in soaking up the atmosphere as you wander around the space.
Although Tesshi-e games are always entertaining, there are the usual flaws that also permeate their work. The lack of a changing cursor makes for the usual pixel hunting, and the music loop can get annoying after a few minutes. Fortunately there is a mute button as well as a save button to help you find both "endings" of the game. On the plus side are the easy and intuitive inventory control and the now fluent English translations that allow the gamer to understand what is happening every step of the way as they solve their way out of the space.
Escape from the Tatami Room 2 is one of Tesshi-e's more middle of the road efforts. There are some unique puzzles alongside old chestnuts like the wobbly corner picture. Not, perhaps, their most innovative, but still a nice combination of puzzles and construction make Tatami Room 2 an entertaining way to while away a few minutes. And perhaps a good way to work through those nightmares of being locked in. Just don't play while hungry.
Walkthrough Guide
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Escape from the Tatami Room 2 Walkthrough
General Information
There is no changing cursor, so be prepared for some pixel hunting.
Remember to examine every object you pick up, they may surprise you.
Don't forget to try and combine objects as well.
There will be directions for the color blind.
Good luck!
Exploration
You begin facing a wall with a lot of shelves and alcoves.
In the left alcove is some sort of shrine, with a scroll hanging in the back. Click on that alcove for a close up.
Okay, not necessarily a shrine, then. Looks like a red bowl of water sitting on some sort of object. Click on the bowl for a close up.
Looks like the bowl is locked into place with three brackets, from left to right, yellow, red, and blue. There's also a three digit code needed.
Back up twice.
There's a long, low alcove that appears to hold only one object at the far right. Click on that object for a close up.
It's a mirror in a bracket. Take the mirror and back up. Look at a close up of the mirror and you will see that it is screwed into the bracket.
The middle alcove has several objects. First click on the bonsai tree at the bottom of the middle alcove for a close up.
There's an object sitting in the pot with the tree. Take the object (tile) and back up.
Now click on the fan that is on the right shelf of the alcove.
The fan says 2011. Happy New Year! Back up.
There are three paper lanterns on a shelf to the left of the fan, click on them for a close up.
Each lantern appears to be gray, with the number 8 on them. Below each lantern is a button.
If you click the buttons you will see that each lamp lights up in a different color, and when they light up only certain lines of that number 8 are still visible.
For the colorblind, the lamps light up (from left to right) blue, yellow, and red.
Back up and turn right.
To the left is the door that goes out, but of course it is locked.
To the right is a lovely picture on the wall, click on it for a close up.
On the frame you see the word "star". Yes, it's the classic wobbly picture puzzle! Back up.
Below the picture on the right is a low cabinet, click on it for a close up.
There are two drawers in the cabinet. The right drawer needs a key, and the left drawer needs a four digit code. It also has a clue, "3rdM4thW".
Back up and turn right.
There's a window on the left, but it too is locked.
On the wall on the right is a calendar. Click on it for a close up.
Nice view of Mt. Fuji for January. Back up and turn right.
On the left is some sort of screen. Click on the screen for a close up.
It says "water", and there are two sets of panels that appear to have paper in them. Click on the upper right set of panels for a close up.
Nothing to see, really. However, the knob on the top of the panel on the right looks like a lighter wood than the rest of the frame. Click on it.
This gets you a close up of the knob from above. Click on the knob to remove it.
A piece of paper! Take the paper. Looks like a map of the room and the tatami mats on the floor, doesn't it?
Back up three times.
Now click on the closet on the right for a close up.
There appears to be a bar of some sort in the bottom track of the closet door (on the left). Click on the bar for a close up.
Darn, it needs a key! Back up twice.
Look closely at the light above. Do you see a tiny object in the middle there? Click on it for a close up.
There's definitely something up there, but we can't reach it yet. Back up and turn right.
Time to solve some puzzles!
The Colored Paper Lamp Puzzle
You should be back facing the wall with the alcoves again.
Click on the lamps in the middle alcove for a close up.
When you light each lamp, only certain lines show up with the color. Maybe it's a clue?
Click on a button below a lamp and see which lines are still showing. Then, take the boxy number 8, and remove those lines from it to see what number each color represents.
Blue is 5, Yellow is 4 and Red is 7.
Once you figure out the lamp code, back up.
Now click on the red bowl in the lower left for a close up, then click on the bowl again to see the locking mechanism beneath.
This needs a three digit code, and each bracket is a color we just saw on the lamps. Maybe the lamp code goes here?
The lamp number code does go here, but it needs to go in the same order as the brackets, yellow, red, and blue.
The code is 4 (yellow), 7 (red), 5 (blue).
Enter the code and the brackets will pop open.
Back up once and take the red bowl.
When the bowl is in your inventory you will see a key sitting on the base where the bowl was. Take the key (spade key) and back up.
The Low Cabinet
Turn right to face the exit door and the low cabinet. Click on the low cabinet for a close up.
Use the spade key to unlock the right drawer and open it.
Take the object from the drawer (spritzer bottle).
Now let's get the left drawer open.
The clue on that is "3rdM4thW".
Back up and turn right.
Click on the calendar for a close up.
The clue refers to the calendar.
"3rdM4thW" means 3rd Monday and 4th Wednesday. Look at the dates for those two days and combine them to get the code for the drawer, 1726.
Back up from the calendar and turn left.
Click on the low cabinet for a close up and click on the left drawer to see the code key.
Enter the code and click on the drawer to open it.
It's empty?
Keep clicking the drawer open and closed until the drawer pulls out. Where the drawer was is another of those little tiles, take it.
Back up.
The Screen and the Picture
Turn right (or left) twice to face the closet and the screen.
Click on the screen for a close up.
Notice that it says "water"?
Perhaps water will help solve the puzzle.
You can try using the bowl of water on the screen, but that won't work.
Pull up the red bowl from your inventory into close up.
Notice the hexagonal hole in the bottom of the bowl? That may be important later.
Use the spritzer bottle on the bowl and the bottle will fill with water.
Once the bottle has water, click on the upper panels for a close up and use the bottle on them. Stars will appear.
Back up, then click on the lower left set of panels for a close up and again use the water bottle. More stars.
Once you figure out how to make the icons show up on the screen, make a particular note of the number of stars in each panel.
Where have we seen the word "star"?
Oh, right, the wobbly picture.
Back up and turn right (or left) twice to face the doors and the picture.
Click on the picture for a close up.
Time to move the picture!
The number of stars in the panels shows the sequence of corners, as each set of stars is in a corner of the screen.
Remember to use the stars from both the upper right and lower left panels of the screen. Combined they give the proper sequence.
The sequence is upper left, lower right, lower right, upper right, lower left, upper right.
When you get the sequence correct the picture drops down, revealing a club key. Take the club key and back up.
In the Closet
Turn right (or left) twice to face the closet doors.
Click on the doors for a close up, then click on the bar in the floor runner for a close up.
Use the club key to unlock the pole, then take the pole. Notice that the ends have a hexagonal shape?
Back up, then click on the right closet door to open it.
On the floor, right next to the door, is a screwdriver, take it.
There are some drawers on a middle shelf in the closet, click on them for a close up.
Open the right drawer and take the object from inside.
You now have a jar that has an odd label. There's an icon of a fan, and + = 8792.
Click on the jar in close up and you will see that the top of the jar needs a four digit code.
Remember the fan in the alcove?
The label seems to be hinting that the fan plus some number equals 8792.
The number on the fan was 2011.
Subtract 2011 from 8792 and you get the code, 6781.
Once you figure out the code, put the numbers in the top of the jar and the lid will go away.
Click on the open lid of the jar and you will get a green ball.
The left drawer has four notches in it, they seem to be about the same size as the tiles we've been finding.
Back up, then open the left side of the closet.
There's a device in the bottom left of the closet, click on it for a close up.
Looks like something round should be mounted here. Maybe a mirror?
Pull up the mirror from your inventory, then click on the side for a close up to see the screw.
Use the screwdriver to remove the mirror from the bracket.
Now place the mirror in the odd device in the closet.
Once the mirror is in place click on the object again for a front view.
Notice the numbers running around the mirror? And notice the numbers underneath?
Perhaps the mirror is a clue to which numbers to push?
Look closely at the numbers in the mirror. Find the numbers that are the mirror image (reverse) of themselves.
That would be the numbers 2, 3, 5, and 9.
Click on the numbers from the mirror on the base and a compartment will open up.
Take the object (piece of elastic) and back up twice.
The Notched Box
Now we need to find the tiles to open the notched box in the closet. We have two, we need two more.
Remember that small object in the ceiling above?
Click on the overhead light for a close up. There's the object.
Use the pole on the object. It fell!
Turn right once to face the alcoves.
When you are facing in this direction, the door is on your right, just like it was on the paper we found in the screen compartment.
You will also see the tile that you knocked down from the ceiling here. Take it.
Click to the left of the table to get a close up of the floor.
If you click on the lower right corner (the corner nearest you) of the tatami mat that stretches to the alcove, you will see that it is sticking up slightly (note: you will not get this clue if you don't find the paper in the screen).
Use the screwdriver on the mat corner to pry it up and take the tile.
Back up and turn left.
Open the right side of the closet and click on the drawers for a close up.
Use the four tiles on the notched drawer (the one on the left).
Once the tiles are in place click on the drawer to open it and take the diamond key.
Back up and turn left to face the window.
The Window
Click on the window for a close up.
Use the diamond key on the window lock (very center of the window, on one of the panes).
There's a key hanging on the tree outside!
Unfortunately, you can't reach it.
The Tree Key
You need to accomplish two things here, find a way to knock down the key, and find a way to catch it.
Let's start with knocking it down.
You can throw your green ball at it, but it won't reach. If you do so, you can get another green ball out of the open jar.
Perhaps if you could throw it with more force?
Pull up the mirror bracket from your inventory.
Use the elastic on the bracket. You have a slingshot!
Now put the green ball in the slingshot, and close it back into your inventory.
Well, now you have a way to knock down the key, you just need to figure out something to catch it with.
Pull up the red bowl from your inventory. Remember the hexagonal hole?
Use the pole with the hexagonal ends on the bowl and you have a device to catch the key!
First use the pole device on the tree that has the key.
Once it is in place, use the slingshot on the key and it will drop into the pole device.
Take the key (heart key).
Time to leave!
Regular End
Back up from the window twice and turn left.
Click on the door for a close up, then use the heart key on the door.
Click on the door to open it, then click on the open doorway to exit.
Enjoy the nice feast while waiting for your friend!
Happy Coin Escape
Use the key to unlock the door.
Once the door is unlocked, make sure to click on the right side of the door to open that side.
In the open doorway, look at the door sill to the right. The happy coin is stuck on the side of the sill.
Click on the sill for a close up.
Take the happy coin, then click on the open doorway to exit.
Enjoy the nicer looking feast while waiting for your friend.
Happy coin will bring happiness to you!!
Posted by: grinnyp
|
February 2, 2011 2:18 AM