Greetings, Internet of the Future! I hope this missive finds you well, as it was written in the distant past of last week to prepare for the vacation I am currently on. Through the magic of the interwebs, it's like I've never left! (Though I totally have.) This week we bring you airships, whales, foxes playing soccer, and a panda bear on an island with a cave man! As you can see, coherency is very important to us around here.
Gearlock Episode 1 - Hyptosis, whose work you might be familiar with, created this little point-and-click adventure as an excuse to draw some airships a compulsion I completely understand. (Or at least I would if I were in any way artistically inclined.) In it, you are the Captain of one of the aforementioned spaceships, and awake to find you're being followed and fired upon by people who are apparently after a prisoner you hold. The game is fairly short, and a little confusing, but features some gorgeous production values. Goodness knows I love me some twangy musical scores.
Evolution - You may remember that Doodle God was rather redonkulously popular, and if you enjoyed it, you'll probably enjoy this similar puzzler where you try to combine various elements to unlock new ones and create life. Although you get to see the effects your creations are having on your tiny island oasis (sort of), some of the combinations can be a bit odd. Thankfully, David Duchovny does not make an appearance, but they are missing the most important combination; JiG + Sunglasses = YEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
Romeo and Juliet - It's about time we checked in on Minoto again, and, uh. Don't really... remember Shakespeare's classic tale of star-crossed codependency involving a mouse riding an aerosol spray can. Or a penguin in a jet. Um. Well... if you come to Minoto expecting the puzzles to make any sort of sense or have anything other than the most tenuous of connections to the source material, you're the weird one. (I don't know about you guys, but my favourite is still Beard of Santa.)
Whale of Noise - In this artsy-farsty, open-to-interpretation-sy exploration-type game, you play a whale traversing the depths of the sea, alone, and relying on your ability to sing to navigate through a series of tunnels. The farther you go, the more you have to stretch yourself, singing higher notes as you try to reach a brighter place until... ! Well, I suppose that depends on what you take away from it.
Escape the Ladies Room - Featuring what I believe to be the only singing/kazoo playing toilet in JiG history, this escape game is a little... odd. Fortunately, if you are among those of us who are just neurotic enough (guilty) to be squicked out by the notion of public restrooms, you will never have to worry about this danger. If you do brave the horror of the Stalls, however, you might want to play this to brush up what to do. It's bound to happen to you sometime.
Evolution: is there any way to get the instructions to go away?
Ezra: There is a very small, red 'x' in the upper right hand side of the instruction window.
Gearlock was great, thanks for the link. It had everything I want in a point and click - great art and mood, logical problem solving, nice music. The only problem was when it ended. Looking forward to the next part.
I loved the Minoto too. Clicking the '?' on each item on those games is probably my favourite part. The descriptions are often bafflingly unexpected and have me laughing at the surrealness.
Well, I don't generally make a habit of going into ladies' rooms but if I do I hope I find one fully equipped with all of the materials needed to escape if I'm unlucky enough to be locked in. That was kind of fun.
Okay! I'm stuck in Romeo and Juliet.
Romeo is outside Juliet's house and there's the mouse with the aerosol can and the bird... thing with the... food?
I have the lit match, the cleaner, and the glow fish.
Kenshiro,
the lighting along the runway is not quite long enough.
Escape the Ladies Room HINT-THROUGH
Sometimes the easiest escape games can leave you baffled if you overlook a tiny detail.... We all have our off days. Here's a few gentle hints.
1.
Facing the toilet stalls, turn right.
Notice the symbol over the garbage can.
Green - Red- Blue.
2.
Zoom in on the garbage can.
What's in or around it?
Click behind it on the right side for an aerosol can of cleaner.
Click inside the garbage to get a dice. Notice the numbers on the die.
3.
Go left twice.
Check out the diaper-changing table.
Anything look familiar?
Use the code from above the garbage can to open the table.
Note the symbol inside the changing table.
Grab the rag.
4.
Go right twice.
Face the sinks.
Click on the middle mirror.
It's dirty.
Spray with cleaner, wipe with rag.
Note the symbol on the mirror.
There's also something else you should notice about the mirror...
A nail file on the top edge of the mirror.
5.
Turn back to the toilet stalls.
What's with that out of order sign?
Oddly, your fingers are too weak to tear the paper or pry off the tape or, even, pull that red string. Guess you'll need a tool.
Use nail file to reveal a screw-driver.
6.
Zoom out from the out of order sign, then zoom in on stall next to it.
Get the straw.
7.
Facing the toilet stalls again, enter the stall on the far left.
There are two items to be gathered in here.
Without zooming in on the TP dispenser, click the bottom roll, then grab a sheet of toilet paper.
Behind the right side of the toilet is a piece of paper.
8.
Facing the stalls once again, click on outside left corner of stalls, by the wall.
In a game full of obvious, this is the most obvious....
(Screwdriver+screws=get bracket).
9.
Back up again and face the stalls.
There's a darker-red baseboard tile on the right side.
Use the bracket to pry open that tile.
Get the wrench.
10.
Back up, face the garbage can.
Zoom in on the hand drier.
Turn on the hand drier.
Put the piece of paper with faint markings under the drier.
Take note of what's revealed and where it was revealed.
11.
Click right twice to face the door.
By this time you should have (almost) everything you need to unlock it.
Use wrench to open panel.
Use the codes you've gathered from....
The hand drier:
What did you dry?
The garbage can:
What did you find in it?
The sink:
Look at the mirror.
The bathroom door:
Zoom out to look at the symbol again.
And... the changing table...
Just want the code?
5 and 5 from the piece of paper...... "6" symbol on the die........Red "X" from the mirror.......Pink circle from the door.... and yellow pacman from the changing table.
A key-hole is revealed.
12.
Go back to the sinks.
Turn on the water.
Hmm. Water. TP. Straw. Juvenile prankster memories coming back into focus...
Wet the TP.
Attach the wet wad of TP to the straw.
13.
Go back to the changing-table.
Look up.
Use the makeshift pea-gun.
Look down twice....
... to retrieve the plunger.
14.
Find something that needs to be unclogged.
Go back into the far left toilet stall.
Use the plunger in the toilet. Get the key.
You now have everything you need to exit.
Oops.
That hint-through is for "Escape the Ladies Room"...
...done just for my rarely-indulged joy of writing walkthroughs.
Thanks, Jim_in_Oz.
I've gotten all the combinations, but Evolution says I'm only 94% done. Help?
I have the same problem as Wolfgang with Evolution.
And as always I love the Minoto games to death. I like to read the descriptions out loud to my friends over our chat program without giving them any clues to what is going on. I think they think I'm a bit loony.
Wow, I thought Evolution looked rather ugly and wasn't expecting much but it's absolutely ace and very edutaining!
(similarly to Wolfgang and Jenysis I've finished with 82% but I assume that's the order in which you do them as I was doing it systematically)
Just as a warning to people who like to play other games that might be on sites that are linked here: Avoid the game sub/conscious on the whale of noise site. It has a very nsfw gimmic that does google image searches for things like "underage girls naked" which is a terrible thing to have in your browser history...
Adding to Jenysis, "Math Land" on that site will deliberately crash your browser at a certain point. As a rule, it's not a bad idea to read the comments before playing any of Increpare's games, so you can see if anyone says "Is a hand supposed to reach out from the screen and ghgakfkkaf"
Great hint-through, elle, thanks! There was one step I don't think I'd have been able to work out on my own (how to use the thing described in step 12 - I had the object but had no idea what to do with it) so this was just what was needed :-)
I was having the same trouble as Kenshiro. The problem with the plane is that he still can't see the runway. See if you can light up the runway even more for the poor blind penguin......
Oh, come ON! In "Escape the Ladies Room," You have to get the key from...
the TOILET??
UGHHH.
Gearlock is great! Random tip: click on everything clickable with the stuff in your belt. It will give really sarcastic comments, such as, "If you do that, the ship will blow up. Just don't." :D
Evolution (by rows)
1)
fire
air
land
water
2)
water+air=steam
fire+air=energy
fire+land=lava
land+water=dirt
3)
fire+water=alcohol
fire+air=life (or water+air)
lava+land=volcano
air+lava=stone
4)
steam+air=cloud
energy+air=storm
fire+stone=metal
dirt+life=bacterium
5)
water+stone=sand
life+stone=egg
bacterium+water=plankton
energy+metal=electricity
6)
fire+sand=glass
life+sand=seed
egg+land=lizard
dirt+sand=clay
7)
plankton+bacterium=fish
seed+land=palm
electricity+storm=thunderstorm
land+lizard=animal
8)
air+lizard=bird
storm+palm=bananas
animal+bananas=monkey
palm+thunderstorm=wood
9)
fish+plankton=whale
stone+logs=hammer
metal+wood=roof
glass+wood=window
10)
stone+hammer=brick
hammer+monkey=human
clay+brick=house
human+plankton=UFO
Let me know if there are other possible combinations!
BTW, I did not use a walkthrough EXCEPT to find 10-3, the house.
Following my walkthrough will net 94%.
In R&J, any hints on what to do with the aerosol can?
Nevermind! PoP.
@Wildbreeze: It's a point-and-click
If there's a toilet, there's ALWAYS a key inside. It's like a law
What? Next you're going to tell me there's a screwdriver somewhere, beeblebrox.
Thank you, Linnea... It's good to be able to help! I've had enough moments like those where the "obvious" or "easy" wasn't always so obvious or so easy but hated to ask for help.
I love Minoto, but this was the most random game yet. Most of the things you do make no sense, I mean:
turn a balloon into powder, then cook it to make an escape sponge?
How nice to open a door by using a pin tumbler type key on a traditional style keyhole... :) (Escape the ladies room)
I'm also stuck on Romeo and Juliet.
I've guided the penguin down the runway and used the propeller to get the net to catch the mouse. Now what? The items I have are: Net, lit match, cleaner, aerosol and pan.
Help!
looks like Alchemy/DoodleGod/Eveolution is the next big thing- there's even a version running around in Second Life now. Although all the phone and desktop versions I've seen use basically the same combos- would be nice if someone broke the mold.
Whale of Noise: Things that make you go "hmmm".
Not much game play, and I don't get the ending.
I was expecting something involving noise at the end. But it's just a white screen with a sort of breathing sound. Double hmmmmmm.
Two things I had trouble with in Escape The Ladies Room (besides the usual things that the hint-through helped with, thanks Elle).
To get into the 2nd toilet stall you have to click near the top of the door.
After zooming out of the changing table by clicking on the bottom ('hehe, "bottom"', she said childishly) you have to click on the top to zoom out further. I thought the game had frozen up; I don't know what made me finally click up there.
Elpunt Thing,
Put the pan on the fire...
;-)
For Escape the Ladies room, I can't seem to click on things in my inventory to actually use them. If I click on things, it examines the object as if I had clicked the ? symbol. Any suggestions?
I've tried the game in Chrome as well as IE.
ROMEO and JULIET WALKTHROUGH
For just in case anyone gets stuck on this.
The spoilers are scaffolded and divided by scene to prevent giving away too much at once.
Scene One:
A pony is bouncing around unrestrained.
You have nothing that can be done here yet, so move on to the next scenes.
Come back when you have the . . .
Rope.
Get the rope . . .
. . . from boat, after it docks (click boat to make it dock).
Use the rope to tie up the pony.
Then Romeo moves to Scene Two and this scene is finished.
Scene Two:
This scene isn't revealed until you solve Scene One.
Juliet's in her balcony. A mouse is flying around on an aerosol can. A dippy-toy-bird pecks at a plate of yummy fish pate'.
*Pick up a bottle of cleaner (by Romeo's feet).
1. Nothing more can be done here until you get . . .
Something to catch the mouse.
Get the net after the fox kicks a soccer ball into it.
Use the net to catch the mouse. When you catch the mouse...
*Pick-up the aerosol can.
2. Once the above is finished, come back when you have . . .
Something to stop the dipping bird.
Perhaps blocking the bird's food would stop it.
Come back when you have . . .
The kitten. The poor little kitten is found in the . . .
. . . coin-operated dispenser by the soccer-player.
By stopping the bird from dipping, you'll be able to . . .
*Pick-up the powder.
3. After doing all of the above, you can't do anything else here until . . .
You have a big sponge. Get the sponge by . . .
Putting the powder in the boiling pot of water.
4. When you have completed steps 1-3 . . .
Put the sponge where the arrow indicates.
Juliet jumps out of her balcony and bounces out of sight with Romeo.
Shakespeare's ending has nothing over Minoto's version!
Scene Three:
A sailor waits to dock by a rather oily beach.
Click on the sailor to help him dock.
*Pick up the rope.
*Pick up the pan.
Nothing more can be done here until...
.... you find something to clean up the oil.
Get the cleaner from Romeo after you tether the horse.
Use the cleaner on the oily beach.
*Pick up the blackmouth goosefish (notice its glowing head lantern).
Later you can use the . . .
Aerosol can.
Attach it to the hose. Out comes a . . .
Ball of gold which the sailor smashes . . .
*Pick-up the coin.
After all that, you're done with this scene.
Scene Four:
A fox playing soccer by an over-sized coin-operated dispenser.
No matter how often he kicks the ball, it comes rick back to him.
*Pick up the match
Nothing more can be done here until you find a...
A fan-blade for the broken fan. Get the fan-blade from the...
Penguin's airplane, after he lands.
After you attach the fan-blade, click on the fox.
He'll kick the ball into the net, allowing you to . . .
*Pick-up the net.
Next, you'll need a . . .
Coin. Get the coin by . . .
Attaching the aerosol can to the hose.
Once you have the coin, put it in the dispenser then . . .
*Pick-up the kitten.
Nothing more is needed in this scene after that.
Scene Five:
A penguin hovers over the landing strip.
It seems the penquin needs help landing his airplane.
The landing strip is not lit up sufficiently.
You need to use . . .
The match (found by the soccer-playing Fox).
Light the match over the fire then light the five other fires all the way to the back-end of the landing strip.
There still is a problem, though. You also need . . .
. . . another source of light from the front-end of the landing strip.
Place the lantern-headed blackmouth goosefish at the front end of the landing strip.
When the penguin lands . . .
* pick-up the fan-blade.
In the meantime, one of the fires has a convenient rack over it. You can . . .
. . . put the pot on the fire. It starts to boil.
There is nothing more you can do with the pot until you have . . .
The powder. Get the powder from . . .
. . . the dipping bird in scene two.
Put the powder in the pot.
It will automatically change into a sponge in your inventory.
After that, there's nothing more to do in this scene.
:)
~Elle
wickedcherub -
The game is just very picky about -where- you click. Instead of clicking the box containing the item, be sure to center your pointer directly on the item.
If that still doesn't work...perhaps you need to go into your computer control panel to adjust your pointer's settings.
Also, you might like to try Mozilla Firefox (my all-time favorite browser!)
wickedcherub: in this game, you don't single click to use items in your inventory, you drag them.
Romeo and Juliet
I did everything as Elle
then I put the sponge on the where Juliet would land but she's too fat and made a hole in the ground that swallowed both... any progress on other possible endings?
You're right clubaiss, it all happened so fast, I didn't realize that...
... they both disappeared into a hole. I saw it as an indentation in the ground left from them bouncing away. The hole is an even funnier ending.
Mimoto has a warped sense of humor, I think ;-)
I enjoyed EVOLUTION and I hope there's a sequel, perhaps a longer version (much the way Achievement Unlocked 2 was five times the game as the first).
But... I just can't figure out WHALE of NOISE. I am unable to pass through that narrow tunnel at the top. Number keys produce no singing, despite what the directions say. Is it a browser issue or game issue?
Anyhow, I'm home sick this weekend, so am catching up on a lot of casual gaming. I can always count on Jay is Games -- Thanks guys!
Nevermind. durr. Have figured out whale of noise -- there is a method to it afterall.
(I should not post when under the influence of meds. Sorry for all the ramble).
Lol.. in Gearlock: "That could kill you, put the ax away, Conan."
I found Evolution boring and basically a compressed version of Doodle God. So, in conclusion, it sucked.
Romeo and Juliet: 'blackhead goosefish'.. wow. XD Minoto games are hilarious..
Whale of Noise was interesting, but basically pointless.. very pretty though. Good time waster.
Escape the Ladies Room: lol, did anyone say 'a wee screwdriver' out loud in a scottish/irish accent? Haha. This game.. well, there's actually nothing I have to say other than the beginning and ending music was creeeeeepy.
I haven't gotten more than 94% on Evolution, but I *have*
gotten the man to go inside and leave behind some sort of grill? I'm not sure what I did, other than
make Human a bunch of times, and reconnect fire with everything.
I am, however, quite convinced that you can get 100% with the "Easter egg" mentioned at the start of the game.
With some help from SkylerF's walkthrough (Thank you SkylerF!) when I was stuck, I was able to get 100% on Evolution...
Here's the walkthrough hints divided by row and column
ROW 1
1- Fire
2 - Air
3 - Land
4- Water
-------------
-------------
ROW 2
Column 1 - steam
air + water
Column 2 - energy
fire + air
Column 3 - lava
fire + land
Column 4 - dirt
land + water
Completing All of Above Rows/Columns = 8%
-------------
-------------
ROW 3
Column 1 - alcohol
water + fire
Column 2 - life
water + energy
Column 3 - volcano
lava + land
Column 4 - stone
air + lava
Completing All of Above Rows/Columns = 22%
-------------
-------------
ROW 4
Column 1 -cloud
steam + air
Column 2 -storm
air + energy
Column 3 - metal
fire + stone
Column 4 - bacterium
life + dirt
Completing All of Above Rows/Columns = 30%
-------------
-------------
ROW 5
Column 1 - sand
water + stone
Column 2 - egg
life + stone
Column 3 - plankton
bacterium + water
Column 4 - electricity
energy + metal
Completing All of Above Rows/Columns = 38%
-------------
-------------
ROW 6
Column 1 - glass
sand + fire
Column 2 - seed
life + sand
Column 3 - lizard
land + egg
Column 4 - clay
dirt + sand
Completing All of Above Rows/Columns = 52%
-------------
-------------
ROW 7
Column 1 - fish
plankton + bacterium
Column 2 - tree
seed + land
Column 3 - thunderstorm
storm + electricity
Column 4 - animal
lizard + land
Completing All of Above Rows/Columns = 60%
-------------
-------------
ROW 8
Column 1 - bird
lizard + air
Column 2 - bananas
storm + palm tree
Column 3 - monkey
animal + banana
Column 4 - wood
thunderstorm + palm tree
Completing All of Above Rows/Columns = 76%
-------------
-------------
ROW 9
Column 1 - whale
fish + plankton
Column 2 - hammer
stone + wood
Column 3 - roof
metal + wood
Column 4 - window
glass + wood
Completing All of Above Rows/Columns = 90%
-------------
-------------
ROW 10
Column 1 - brick
hammer + stone
Column 2 - human
monkey + hammer
Column 3 - house
clay + brick
Column 4 - ?? easter egg ??
UFO...
human + plankton
Completing of All of Above Rows/Columns = 100%
Just came back to JiG after an extended, Minecraft-related absence, only to find a Minoto game in the Link dump. :D
Blackmouth Goosefish . . . XD
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