When you unwrap your Weekday Escape delivery this week, you're in for a bit of a variety. These three escape games have little in common but one thing: pure puzzling entertainment. You could dig into our weekly package of fun in any order you choose, or try it omakase-style, starting with a fruity dish of whimsy in a grapefruit dressing from FunkyLand, a mental palate cleansing course of puzzles from Yomino Kagura, then a No1Game and Sneedle fusion geared toward the more adventuresome minded. They come with a money-back guarantee to please while you look forward to next week's escapers' curation...
Fruit Kitchens No.9: Grapefruit Yellow - Let's begin with a little FunkyLand. That's what she said. No, really, though: FunkyLand's series of find-the-somethings-sweet-and-colorful is always always the perfect escaping warm-up, stretching mental muscles just to the slightest while charming the funk out of you. This time out you're looking for 7 yellow grapefruits, some hidden in plain sight, others secured behind a coded puzzle. Since the uber whimsy of these kitchens would make any chef green with envy (Envy Green is an episode yet to be released), we can almost forget we're meant to be leaving.
Escape from the Three Colored Diamonds Room - Keeping pretty much with their standard formula for escape game design, Yomino Kagura still manages to produce a neatly logical escaping experience, albeit perhaps a little too easy this go around. A changing cursor helps you find active areas and, even though it's without an English translation, navigation and exploration remains intuitive enough that language knowledge isn't needed. This is purely about puzzles—just enough to keep you thinking without spoiling the relaxing vibe of being locked in a room, forced to scramble about finding clues and hidden tools to procure your freedom.
White Night - by Sneedle tends more toward point-and-click adventure than escape the room game. It even has a cameo appearance from a star of the Reisen series. Although made in collaboration with No1Game, don't bother looking for any little green men. Instead, you're tasked with solving a series of puzzles in order to find you way out of this strange world. Knowing to look out for quirks, including a few pixel hunts and less-than-intuitive actions, will help you complete your quest without frustration. Despite those downsides, or maybe because of them, the quaint artwork and creative environment make this adventure a charmer.
We love escape games, and our readers love talking about them and sharing hints! How about you? Let us know what you think, ask for clues, or help out other players in the comments below.
Walkthrough Guide
(Please allow page to fully load for spoiler tags to be functional.)
Grapefruit Kitchen
1.
On the table, right of the jug.
2.
In the box on the left counter
a.
Open the fridge, take the can
b.
Use the can on the glass on the table, note the number code.
c.
Use the number code on the box on the counter on the left
3.
Behind the painting on the left
4.
In the can on the sink
a.
Note the number code on the painting on the left
b.
Use the number code on the frog cabinet
c.
Get the can opener from the frog
d.
Use the can opener on the can
5.
On the window sill next to the door
6.
In the cabinet above the sink
a.
Get the rolling pin from the right of the door
b.
Use the rolling pin on the cabinet above the sink
7.
From the “U” in Grapefruit
a.
Get the screwdriver from next to the cabinet above the sink
b.
Use the screwdriver on the “U”
Posted by: Jonathan Kok | July 23, 2014 5:06 AM
Three Diamonds Walkthrough
1.
Open the right cabinet. Note the upside down code
2.
Use the upside down code from the cabinet on the draw to the right of the door. Take the wire cutters
3.
Use the wire cutters on the middle cabinet. Take the stick and the circle.
4.
Use the stick under the couch to get the blue button.
5.
Look at the bookcase and note the number of red, blue and yellow stars, and the position of the different diamond colours
6.
Use the blue button on the left cabinet and enter the code as indicated by the clue
7.
Get the square. Note the left/right clue for the picture
8.
Use the left/right code to remove the picture
9.
Use the diamond colour code to open the box and get the triangle
10.
Use the three shapes on the box on the glass table and get the key
11.
Use the key on the door
Posted by: Jonathan Kok | July 23, 2014 5:26 AM
White Night Walkthrough
Go into the hotel (the green building). Get the bow & arrow from the wall behind the receptionist. (Oddly, the receptionist doesn't have any problem with you taking his things.)
Go back outside and click just to the left of the base of the tree. Get the key.
Go into the cafe (the red building with the awning). Note the arrangement of items on the display case.
X _ X X _
X X _ X X
Click just underneath the display case and get the mouse and the glass.
Zoom all the way out and go right.
Get the gear from the vendor's cart (the left wheel).
Go right. Get the black thing hanging from the dragon's tail. This item will hereinafter be referred to as "the pronged thingy" (it's a technical term).
Go back to the graveyard view. Use the key on the house behind the gravestones.
Put the gear into the obvious spot. Click the panel on the wall and put the pronged thingy into the holes. Zoom out and fill the glass with water.
Reclaim the pronged thingy, then go back to the graveyard.
Click just to the left of the leftmost gravestone. Water the plant. Get the bone.
Zoom out and give the dog the bone. Follow him to the right.
Click the dog to get his leash. Use "about item" on the bow & arrow, then use the leash on it.
Shoot the arrow at the dragon in the pattern indicated by the display case in the cafe.
Whoa Nelly fire! Go left, then right again. Get the red baseball from the top of the now-charred tree. Poor tree.
Go all the way left and into the hotel. Scare the receptionist away with the mouse. (He's a singularly ineffective receptionist: first he fails to even pretend to prevent outright theft, and then he's scared of an ordinary rodent. Sheesh.)
Click the panel the receptionist was obscuring. Use your pronged thingy on the holes.
Zoom out and note the diagram that appeared on the wall.
Go outside and throw the red ball at the window indicated by the diagram.
2nd floor of the hotel (or 1st floor for you European types), rightmost window.
Click the scary-looking portal.
Posted by: Reka | July 24, 2014 9:53 PM
Three Colored Diamonds Room Walkthrough
As requested, this is more solution-explicit. Also, colorblind help is provided.
Exploring
Door view
Aside from the obvious door, the only thing here is a table with a drawer that needs a three-digit code. The numbers of the code are green, which might be significant.
Couch view
There's something under the couch, but you can't reach it.
On the small shelf, there's a picture of stars on top, and the titular three diamonds on the shelves.
On the picture, there are three red stars, two yellow ones, and one blue one. The diamonds are yellow, blue, and yellow.
Back wall
There's a round table with a checkerboard box. The box has slots for three shapes (circle, square, triangle).
Cabinet view
There's a wobbly picture on the wall with a picture of an eighth note.
The left doors are missing a button (probably a blue one, knowing this game designer), and there's a star and some numbers.
The middle doors are wired shut.
The right doors are open, and there's a code. LOI? The letters are green. Hmm...
Solving
3-digit drawer
The code is the LOI in the right-hand cabinet, but it's not the right way up.
LOI turned upside-down becomes 107.
Enter the code and get the wire cutters.
Middle cabinet
Use the wire cutters to open the doors. Get the stick and the shape (red circle).
Couch
Use the stick to get the item you couldn't reach before. It's a blue cube.
Left cabinet
The blue cube is the missing button; put it in place. The code is written right on the doors, but you have to translate it first using the picture on top of the shelves.
3 means red, 2 means yellow, and 1 means blue.
Colorblind help: middle, right, left, right, left, middle.
Get the shape (blue square) and note the notes. Uh, I mean notice the notices. Wait, that didn't come out right either. Lemme try again. Get the shape (blue square) and look at the musical notes. There, that's better.
Wobbly picture
Click towards the sides of the picture as indicated by the musical notes in the left cabinet. (Don't click the frame edges, but the picture itself.)
Right, Left, Left, Right, Left, Right.
It's a box with a big white diamond on it.
Diamond box
Put in the colors as indicated by the diamonds on the shelf.
Remember, they were yellow, blue, and yellow.
Colorblind: from top to bottom (or bottom to top), two clicks, one click, two clicks.
Get the shape (yellow triangle).
Checkerboard box
Put the three shapes into the appropriate slots. Get the key.
Exiting
Use the key to open the door, silly!
Posted by: Reka | July 24, 2014 10:48 PM