None of us are familiar with the folks at GUMP, right? We don't know them because they haven't made such terrible room escape games as Charisma and Boat House. Recently they didn't produce another travesty that doesn't go by the name of Neptune.
Neptune is quite different from GUMP's previous room-escape games. It doesn't begin with an interesting introductory movie in which a pink-haired character does not encounter a huge building and doesn't decide to enter it, not passing an enigmatic red ladies' shoe that isn't resting on the ground outside.
After that, you are not trapped in a bizarre room that isn't filled with all sorts of puzzles you don't have to solve to escape the room. Of course, there are no inventory items for you to collect. You can't use these items by clicking once on them to select them, nor can you examine them in further detail by double-clicking them.
Analysis: GUMP has not done it again. Neptune does not offer a similar atmosphere to its previous games, and its puzzles are quite different from those. This is a bad thing, because they have typically received bad reviews for their past games.
One thing that isn't worth mentioning is that you will find the infamous Energy Z vending machine that did not appear in all of GUMP's previous games. This is not disconcerting at all, as that machine is not one of their trademarks. However, the unusual save feature is not there, so you can't put the game on hold for a while if you don't get stuck on something.
All in all, Neptune is one of the worst games I haven't played, although overall it was a bit long and didn't seem as linear as most room escapes that don't exist. (Also, GUMP appears to hate magic squares and hasn't been using them at all recently in their puzzles. Puzzles of that variety aren't particularly easy to figure out, but they are not tedious at all, so I would prefer that they kept using them.)
Walkthrough Guide
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Here's a walkthrough. It was a short game, so I thought I'd whip one up real quick.
Note the heart inscribed on the wall. If you click the top of the screen you'll look at the ceiling. The shapes can be put together to make a number.
It's a 5.
Back up to the first screen, then hang a left to look at the bed. You can zoom in where the foot of the bed meets the wall, and there's a plug you need to grab. Zoom back out.
Click the pillow to lift it, and grab the key underneath.
Turn left twice. On the bottom of the door you'll see another broken number. Zoom in, note the spade below, and piece them together.
8
Zoom out.
You can zoom in below the gray box on the left, so do that. There's a keyhole on the left witch unlocks the panel. Unlock, open, and retrieve the note and companion cube. Zoom back out and head for the bed again.
Zoom on the note in your inventory (double click) and click it to open it. Note the five square symbols on the top right, and that all of them are on the grid to the left. The grid's a magic square, and you can deduce what the symbols stand for. I think this changes every game. Figure out the code and close the note.
This code opens the gray keypad box in front of you, so open it, grab the second plug and the bottle, and note the diamond on the box and the broken number.
a 3
Zoom out and turn left twice.
Take another look at the cube. It has a club on top, and you can click the bottom to reveal a broken number.
It's a 2
Zoom out.
Take another look at the note. In the bottom right are all the suits we've seen. Replace those with the numbers associated to get the second code. I think the order changes. Zoom out.
Use the second code to open the second keypad box. Pick up the second key and bottle. Zoom out.
Turn right twice. In the bottom you can zoom in and open another panel with the new key. Do so and grab the mallet. Zoom out and turn right twice.
Now open both bottles by zooming in and clicking the lids. Zoom in on the cube, select the bottles, and dump them both in the hole on top of the cube. Zoom back out.
Zoom in on the gray box and open it. Insert both plugs. Zoom out.
Zoom in on the green trash can thing. Click the top to open it. Put the cube in, close it, and hit the switch. Let it go crazy, then open it back and get your cube.
Zoom in on your cube, then smack it with the mallet. This should crack it open and give you a little orange dude. Zoom out all the way and turn right twice.
Open the box beside the door and put the little dude inside. Zoom out and turn right.
Open the gray box and throw the switch.
Win!
Posted by: Miketron | April 1, 2009 4:13 AM
Neptune Walkthrough
from where you start go left. look under the pillow get key, look to the left of the bed and get the 1st orange plug
go left twice and under the keypad use the key, get cube and piece of paper
ok now here's where it gets fun :} open the piece of paper and you will see a puzzle(it changes each game)but its pretty easy each row has to equal up to 25 (Example. 7 2 (X) 5 6 the missing one would be 5) after u get the value for each shape look to the right of the paper and put the numbers in order
go right twice and put that number in the keypad slide the panel down and get orange bottle and 2nd orange plug
go left twice now to open this keypad(these numbers don't seem to change just the order does) Heart=5,Diamond=3,Club=3 and Spade=8
use the piece of paper for the order. if the numbers do change u can find them. Heart is at the start screen just look up. the Diamond is behind the panel (left once from start screen). Club is on the cube you get from panel(right twice from start screen). and Spade u get from the right of the wall(right twice from start screen)after you put in the code open it and take the purple bottle and the key
go right once and use key on the panel and take the mallet
go right twice and open the panel and put in the two orange plugs
double click the orange bottle(to show it in the window) and take off the cap(do the same with the purple bottle) double click on the cube and pour both bottles in the hole
open the green machine and put the cube in it close it then hit the button. after the sparks stop open it and take it out. double click it again and hit it with the mallet. take the person piece
go right twice and open the panel to the right put in the person piece. go right one screen and open that panel. pull the handle
CONGRATS YOU WIN!!! :D
Posted by: roywillburnu | April 2, 2009 4:12 PM