Don't give up! You're almost at the weekend, and here's another installment of Link Dump Friday to sustain you through the day. If anything can give you a reason to go on, surely it would be multiple, horrible things befalling a rabbit who only wants to be reunited with his true love!... no? Well, what about a man who has nothing left to live for after everything he loved has died and so goes on a quest that will likely ultimately lead to his own self destruction?... no? Geez, picky, picky. Next you'll be telling me you like things that are uplifting and cheerful to motivate you. Weirdo.
Silk - You guys, you're thinking about your lives too hard. I'd tell you to be a leaf on the wind, but all that gets you is an enormous spike through your chest and a traumatic on-screen death. Instead, I'm going to tell you to relax, let yourself go, and spend a while doodling with this simple but beautiful little webtoy where the only purpose is just to take in the view. Draw lines of "silk" on the screen and then just watch it flow, creating a rippling cascade of colours like the world's loveliest Winamp visualisation. It may seem to lack much of a point, since there aren't any secrets or other elements, but when have you ever needed a reason to appreciate the shinier things in life once in a while?
Utigawa RA - I have a terrible secret. I think there's a disconnect in my brain whenever I'm expected to handle non-linear puzzle solving... being forced to think "outside the box" just frustrates me. While this is only sort of an escape game, it's about as abstract a puzzle game as you can get, with a minimalistic approach and no instructions. Dearest reader Blue sent this one in and suggested it would make an excellent Link Dump Friday entry (it does!) and also suggested some kind soul might make a walkthrough for it (they might!). What say you, brave readers?! Will you answer the call? The call for... directions and spoiler tags?!
Epic Fail - I'm seven years old, it's my birthday, and my mom gets me a rabbit. I was in paroxysms of joy. Until the following day when I rushed out to play with him before school and discovered that getting a rabbit for your birthday essentially means getting an uncommunicative, uninterested pet that continually generates a stream of unpleasant chores and will never, ever thank you for scraping out the poo enamel it's trying to lay on the floor of its hutch. Maybe that's why I get some sort of mean-spirited pleasure out of this weird little arcade avoidance game about a rabbit continually trying and failing to reunite with the object of his affections. I have a lot of weird stories about rabbit ownership; I suspect if you grew up in rural Canada, you probably do, too.
Ancient Powers - If you took Tiny Castle and endeavor and bonked them together while making mwah-mwah-mwah sounds, then you might get something that looks sort of like this single-screen platform adventure puzzler, even down to the retro-ish visuals. While I can't say I support dragging your deceased beloved by her hair to some suspicious old cave so you can dig up the very powers that killed your father is what I would call logical thinking, but I have driven twenty minutes to a convenience store at midnight because I "needed" a cornetto, so I suppose I can't throw stones.
Another Cave Runner - Almost two years down the road, and Canabalt is still breaking hearts and inspiring developers left and right. This snappy little arcade survival game combines everyone's love of running really, really fast with a rockin' theme and some light RPG elements to make a fast-paced, addictive experience. Come on, who amoung us hasn't had a day that wouldn't be wildly improved by running pell-mell down a corridor, leaping over Indiana-Jones-style boulders, and slashing wildly at everything in reach? Awesome is the cure for all life's woes.
I made it pretty far on Utigawa RA Escape, but I'm stuck after getting the second key. Any hints?
Nevermind, I got it myself. Just because the block doesn't sink doesn't mean nothing happened.
So....where is the
second key
in Ancient Powers?
That Utigawa RA is pretty neat. Good old "well, what else can I do now?" got me through most of it, and then at the end I finally noticed the traffic pattern . . .
The big key, as I stumbled over it, is that the nine squares of the game (3x3) follow that zigzag pattern. If you want something to happen in square 9 you need to "activate" square 9 first. And direction as you navigate about counts.
So in Epic Fail
I made it to the female rabbit and we both got squished by a foot.... Is that the only ending?
But other then that it was a fun way to kill five minutes.
Oh, nevermind, figured it out.
Utigawa RA Walkthrough
From the start, head northwest into a room with a large circle. Take the small key from the center of the room.
Head back southeast into the starting room. Use the small key on the panel with the triangle to pick it up.
Use the small key on the tiny hole in the ground to reveal a black block. Pick up the block and the small key.
Head notheast to the center room. Place the triangle panel on the dots on the northwest edge of the room to open up a new room to the northwest.
From the center room, move southeast to a room with a lot of white blocks. From now on, I'll refer to this as the "block room". Each block corresponds to a different room.
Head southwest to the south room; there's nothing but a square on the ground. Head back northwest to the block room. Use the black block to hold down the southern white block.
Move southwest. A white block has appeared from the ground. Take it, then go back to the block room.
Our white block looks much like the others... place it in the empty space.
Now, hold down the northwest white block. Walk northwest. Note the pattern on the ground.
Head northwest again. You'll see the four symbols that were on the floor pattern, and four buttons underneath them.
The arrow on the floor hints at the order in which you should press the buttons.
From left to right, number the buttons 1 through 4. Press 2, 4, 1, 3, 3, 1.
The northern room is now open. Check it out; there's a strange pattern on the ground.
Head back to the center and go northeast. There's a big white block in the center, but more importantly the southeast arrow panel is facing backwards. We'll need to fix that.
Go back to the block room. Hold down the southwestern block, then go to the starting room.
The left panel has risen out of the ground. It has a hole in one side; insert the small key to create a lever. Click the key again to push the lever up, then click it once more to retrieve it. Go northeast twice; the arrow panel is now oriented correctly.
Go back to the block room. Hold down the eastern white block, then head northeast.
Now, for some reason, there's a big pillar in the center of the room. Why? I dunno.
Go back to the block room and hold down the northeastern block.
Head northeast. Huh. There's a big block here now.
Head northwest. Oh hey, the big block is gone! In its place is a big key. Take it.
Go back to the block room and hold down the western block (the one with the circle). A pattern appears.
Remember, each white block represents a particular room. The pattern represents a path through the rooms, starting from the western room (where we got the small key).
Remember the pattern, then place the black block on the northern square. The block won't sink, but that's okay.
Head to the western room and then walk the path we saw earlier.
Walk SE, SE, NE, NE, NW, SW, NW, NE.
Now there's a hole in the ground. Insert the big key.
Go back to the center. Hmm, now there's a striped pillar in the center of the room.
Go back to the block room. Now hold down the southeast block.
A block rises from the ground. I see a small hole in the side! Insert the small key.
Remove the black block. Because of the small key, the block can't descend back into the floor.
Insert the black block into the square-shaped hole in the center block.
Go to the center room. There's a door in the pillar! Click on it to escape.
@eibon:
You get the second key by shooting the frozen guy with a fireball with damage set to zero.
About the ending of Ancient Power:
I got the second ending (sacrifice for your girlfriend). How do you get the other endings? (Actually, i'm too lazy to find them myself :-) )
I'm at the part in Ancient Powers where
I've reached the bottom, and placed the pieces of whatever in that hole. There a ladder to my right which presumably leads to the final room, but I can't jump high enough to reach it. I've explored everywhere else. Where do I go from here?
EDIT
Of course, right after posting that, I discover that I'm just not jumping hard enough and make it up :p
Kabumm - I got the third ending: time is never enough (you don't save her in time). I don't know what I did special to get that ending. I defeated the last boss, I reached the surface, and I definitely had all the pieces. OH, I got all three parts to that ancient scroll, and all the health upgrades. Depending on whether you reach those or not could affect the ending...
The Utigawa thing is good. I liked it. Unfortunately I got terminally stuck somewhere around 95% complete and didn't have time so i had to resort to Lavos's great walkthru for the one move I didn't realize to take by myself -still it was lots of fun.
Thx for including it.
bio
Loved Utigawa! Very abstract.. I needed walkthrough for one part but it wasn't something random and stupid, the clues were there but I just got lazy. So it's a good puzzle game :)
Ancient Powers was interesting, but not enough to make me replay to see the other endings :P
Dora. We adore her xx
Thanx for another lovely end to my week!
Mmm... Cornetto.
Ancient Powers All 3 Endings:
1. Eternal Rest
Talk to Kalish, then head back to the girl.
2. Sacrifice
Get the Soul Key, then head back to the girl.
3. Too Late
Defeat Harold, then head back to the girl.
Wow, I love Utigawa. Nice and simple in visuals, not even needing a loading screen. All the straight edges and the isometric projection... really appeals to me for some reason. I only needed one half-hint and that was near the end.
I read Lavos' walkthrough only up to the point where it mentioned the blocks on the floor revealing a path. I stopped there because after that I knew exactly what to do. It didn't tell me anything new, just helped me put two and two together.
The path was the first thing I found out in that room, but it was gone from my mind when I discovered each block represented a room.
It helps to take note of everything, including what happens and where it happens when it does. :P
Im at the point in Ancient Powers where
I just got to the last power and the temple goes dark. I cant get by the ladder with a hole in it. Help?
Finish without any help! Yeah!!
@Dora,
I have two rabbits at home who are the cuddliest, friendliest creatures you could imagine. So I'm kinda sorry you still hold a grudge against that poor creature that ended up in your arms - if it's any consolation for you, I am sure that after suffering psychological trauma of abandonment and negligence it eventually suffered a horrible, painful death.
@Baba -- oh, lighten up.
Once Dora realised she didn't really want a rabbit as a pet, her mom presented the family with Lapin à la moutarde maison
If the developer of Epic Fail is listening: Mouse OR Keyboard. Not both. Having to use the keyboard and then switch to my mouse every time I die is itself an epic fail. Past that, interesting game.
So I'm stuck in Ancient Powers.
I've gotten the second power, and released water from the bottom right side, but can't release the second water, and think I've literally shot and gone everywhere 100 times.
My death power is almost fully maxed and the fire power with full propulsion and velocity can't get the second water.
Not sure what else to do...
Nevermind...
I finally was able to jump on a frozen enemy as I suspected I could. I just never had them frozen low enough... *sigh*
Am I missing something in Ancient Powers? I got fire, and managed to level up, but can't allocate any points!
Ah, I got it. We need an "Instructions" section for how to allocate points.
*Ancient Powers*
How do you get "Eternal Rest"? I can't figure out how to get back up on the platform...the one above the two water-filled areas.
Oops, nevermind, found it.
Was this translated from another language into English? The game has bad grammar galore.
How does one allocate points in Ancient Powers?
Ancient Powers, how do I move past where I am now? I've made it to the bottom levels, talked to the guy who told me how to get the Eternal Rest ending, walked over him like he told me to to get some other power up, but nothing happened. What next?
Power of posting, figured it out.
Utigawa RA is a great game! Despite claiming to be of the "escape" genre.
You win so hard for that Firefly/Serenity reference.
I'm with bren, temple went dark, can't get back up to a platform now that ladder is broken. I've tried burning down the busted brick, freezing it, etc, no joy.
to allocate/use the points you have gotten in ancient powers use the arrow keys. Hit Z. up/down changes which thing you are adding to, left/right to + or - damage, propulsion etc. use ice power and then hit z in order to allocate point to ice power as well.
I am stuck in the same place every one else is. I can't get over the large gap with the dragon head thing at the other side. I have all three whatsits I guess.
Ok I figured out how to get across that gap, and now I am stuck too in that corner with broken ladder. I'm guessing this is some weird unsatisfying forth ending where we've screwed it all up.
Ah!
It's hard to do, but you can climb up the broken ladder and out and then go to the left and you have to figure out your way back up and there are new monster bird things.
I tried to love Ancient Powers, but I keep getting stuck while climbing back up after the temple crumbled. All the possible ways don't take anywhere, even when freezing enemies to use them as platforms.
I reached a vertical stairwell roughly in the center of the map which looks like the obvious way out (especially given how difficult it was to reach in the first place), but I just can't find any way to jump off its top.
I am clearly doing something wrong, but... what?
Ancient powers...remember to grab broken ladders by clicking up again when climbing over the gaps. I too forgot for awhile.
I'm not finding the second key in ancient powers...
Can anyone explain how you get Ancient Powers ending 3-3?
I tried defeating Kalish and going back but nothing happened..
Dear Jay and Dora,
Thank you so much for featuring this game. And a big thanks also to Lavos for the clear walkthrough. It really made my weekend. Now I know what the circles are for.
in ancient powers...how DO I get past the dragon?????
Yay, I'm glad you guys put Silk up. :3
I was actually able to draw a dragon with it, using the stop button. :)
A couple tips on it:
Press shift to stop the silk in place.
(You can also use shift to choose colors, by drawing a line, looking at the color before you let go and if you decide you don't want it, press shift to get rid of it.)
Press "s" and move your mouse to control the wind. :D
My dragon: http://kulekrizpy.tumblr[dot]com/post/3863322093/i-found-a-cute-little-webtoy-awhile-ago-and-messed
Ah, I'm sorry for double-posting, but it's actually s to stop it and shift to control the wind!
XD :)
One last interesting thing.
If you don't like the way your "painting" turned out, you can hit the replay button and press "s" when the part you didn't like comes up, and it won't draw it. :D
Seriously, sorry for triple-posting. :P
OMIGOD FIREFLY
Thankies for that, Dora. You are truly made of win. ^_^
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