A lighter. Some flour. A stick, a rock, a knife and a towel. How, using only these handful of items, can you escape a room? Six different ways, apparently, at least in Room Escape SIX, a new escape-the-room game from Japanese designer Kotaro. You are the latest challenger to enter a strange, hexagon-shaped building that exists solely to be escaped from; how you do so depends upon the way in which you use the room's odd furnishings.
This game is a bit unusual in that the meat of its challenge takes place on the inventory screen. After the room's objects have been collected (which will take, even the first time you play, a total of about 30 seconds) you can begin the entertaining, experimental process of combining them. Each method of escape requires certain combinations of objects (and/or actions to be performed upon those items); as you might imagine, this involves a good bit of trial-and-error. To a limited extent, it is possible to reverse the combining process; with the push of a button, you can separate an object into its original component parts. This only works, however, if the separation process is realistically feasible. For example, if you've tied the towel to the stick, you can separate the two; if you've cut the towel into pieces and realized it was a mistake, however, tough luck. In the latter situation, the "Reset" button is your only option.
You'll probably be using that button a lot. The constant resetting can become a little bit tedious, but the short setup time needed to get back to where you were pre-mistake keeps it from being too much of a bother. It's a lot of fun to explore the different ways you can use and combine the objects; the game has a great sense of fun and whimsy, and an undeniable but not cloying cuteness. My one complaint is that one of the six endings (the simplest, ironically) is, in my opinion, really unintuitive. The other five, however, are all reasonably logical, and you'll probably stumble upon the last one by mistake anyways.
The game's graphics are simple and colorful, not extraordinary but certainly pleasant enough to look at. A soundtrack would have been nice, but the game's lack of one isn't a huge detriment. There is no pixel hunting, and navigating around the room is easy. The inventory system, by far the game's most important feature, is set up in a straightforward, user-friendly manner. Also, while there's no save button, the game will remember what methods of escape you've already discovered. You can play, find an ending, leave, come back and escape two more times, and so on--the game is basically a series of little escape vignettes. This makes it the perfect two-minute diversion, ideal for slipping in between classes or on a coffee break. Enjoy!
Walkthrough Guide
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Room Escape Six walkthrough
Start by getting all six items from around the room.
There is a towel in the cupboard under the fish tank
There is also a bag of flour in the same cupboard
Inside the fish tank there is a mortar stone
The other three items are on/by the fireplace. Knife, lighter, log.
Once you get all six items reset the room and do it again. And again, and again. This will sound stupid but after the fourth time you do this you will start with all six items when you reset. Saves time overall.
There are six ways to escape the room.
Use the knife to cut the bag of flour open.
Scoop up some water with the bowl, then pour the flour in the bowl.
Click on it a few times till you get a ball of dough out of the bowl.
Flip the bowl over and use the dough on it. You should get a bowl shaped piece of dough.
Go to the picture of the baby and cut it with the knife.
Cut the towel up with the knife as well.
Click on the towel to make a rope.
Get the bowl upside down and use the knife on it a few times to break it.
Use the rope on the bowl, and then the stick to make a hammer.
Bash the crack in the wall with the hammer.
Untie the rope (Use the disassemble button).
Wrap the towel around the stick, and light it on fire.
Use the torch on the fireplace, then the snake, then the fireplace again, to get a fire going.
Bake the dough once.
Go to the fishtank and scoop some water out with the pastry.
Dump all your items into the hole. The lighter needs to be closed to be able to dump it in.
Go open the door.
cut the towel and make a rope.
Tie the rope to the stick, then tie the knife to the stick.
Use the new tool on the fireplace, then on the snake. when the snake spits out the stick grab onto it.
Make the hammer you made in the first escape with the rope, rock and the stick.
Use the hammer to smash the lighter.
Disassemble the hammer, and the rope.
Soak up the lighter fluid with the towel shreds, and use it repeatedly on the painting.
Make a ball of dough like you had to before, but when it is in a ball cut it up into four pieces with the knife.
Throw the bowl through the window
Spin around the room and some birds will show up by the open window. Give them the pieces of dough
Tie the rope to the stick and use it on the birds. They will make a ladder for you.
Wet the towel in the fish tank, and use it to wipe off the graffiti on the wall.
Cut the piece of carpet the arrow is pointing at with the knife.
Scoop up the fish with the bowl, and let him go in the drain.
Make the torch like you were trying to bake bread (no need to cut the towel)
Use the torch on the wax on the pop to cause a flood.
Cut open the bag of flour.
Stir the flour in the bag with the stick until the room is all white
Use the lighter. SPUDOW!
Posted by: Kero | June 10, 2009 12:34 AM