Mourir En Mer  (To die at sea)

WALKTHROUGH
 

June 7th 2003               Len  Green               lengreen@hotmail.com

 

PREFACE

 

            This is a pretty short (and generally easy) freeware game produced by Daniel Muller (“Dorcan”) and downloadable at http://www.agsforums.com/games.php?action=detail&id=140  ( Also probably at (French) http://host.deluxnetwork.com/~dorcan/home.php)

The theme is unusual, and it is rather harrowing and melancholy (maybe even morbid!).

The game was made with French subtitles but these can be changed to English texts when performing setup.  The English is faulty, but good enough for comprehension!

            Daniel/“Dorcan” emailed me that  “ ………. don't worry, there are no sounds or music, because I made this game in 9 days for the MAGS competition ……….”.

            The game is of the ‘classic’ 2-D, 3 rd person (cartoon style), point & click, genre.  It is fairly linear … but not completely so.  The interface is extremely simple and slick … the graphics are fairly crude.  There are 20 save game slots and the whole load/save mechanisms are very fast.

            In the first section of the game (and when you are again in the attic), the boy’s father enters every 1¼ to 1½ minutes (real time and depending upon setup resolution, system specs, etc.).  Generally he just potters around with his toolbox, but if he sees that his son is preparing to escape, the game comes to an end and you have to reload a previous save … so save frequently during these sections.  The father seems generally unaware of most of his son’s preparations.  There are only three situations which bring on this untimely stoppage of the game (and NONE in other locations).  I have highlighted these three cases below in block capital letters.  BTW … I think you will find that the abovementioned times, although they may appear to be very short, are actually ample to carry out all designated tasks.

All steps necessary to finish the game successfully are included in the walkthru, and nearly all of them are essential … but just a few (marked in italics) are ‘optional’ and included to advance the logic of the narrative.  You do not need to stick to the order outlined below.  Of course some actions must be performed before you can expedite certain others … but apart from that, there is quite a degree of flexibility.

Attic :-

[01]  Take the dressmaker’s dummy and place it on the mattress. 

      DO NOT PLACE THE BLANKET OVER THE DUMMY AND ONTO THE MATTRESS (now) OR THE RESULTS WILL BE DISASTROUS WHEN ‘DAD’ ENTERS THE ATTIC !

      ALSO, THE SAME THING WILL HAPPEN IF YOU EVER ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE OUT OF THE DOOR WHILST HE’S THERE (particularly when he’s looking at the toolbox and his back is turned)!

[02]  Open the box (underneath where the dressmaker’s dummy was situated) and take the scissors … they don’t cut very well!

[03]  Look at the broken mirror and locate the ‘piece of mirror’ (only a very few pixels and difficult to see … it’s just a tiny bit above the {empty} centre of the mirror).

[04]  Use the scissors on the piece of mirror and pick up the sharp piece of mirror (glass).

[05]  Open the cupboard and take the bedsheet.

[06]  In inventory, use the piece of mirror to cut the bedsheet into three pieces.

[07]  In inventory join all three pieces of the bedsheet together to make a ‘rope’.

[08]  Take the toolbox from the shelf. 

      ALL (‘essential’) ITEMS MUST BE RETURNED TO THE  TOOLBOX AND THE TOOLBOX ITSELF RETURNED TO THE SHELF BEFORE ‘DAD’ ENTERS THE ATTIC --- OTHERWISE HE WILL SEE THAT IT’S BEEN TAMPERED WITH … AND THE OUTCOME WILL BE VERY UNPLEASANT !

[09]  In inventory, look at the toolbox three times.  The first time you obtain some nails, the second time a hammer, and the third time a small saw.

[10]  Use the saw on the window’s metal bars.  The saw blade breaks after cutting one bar only. 

[11]  In inventory, quickly return the nails and hammer to the toolbox (you can’t return the broken saw), and replace the toolbox onto the shelf.

[12]  Push the (now weakened) bars out of the window … leaving it empty (and open).

[13]  Throw your rope through the window.

[14]  Now you must fix the rope in place inside the bedroom.  Repeat [08].

[15]  In inventory, look at the toolbox twice.  The first time you obtain nails and the second time the hammer.

[16]  Put some nails onto the rope.  The hammer will automatically nail the end of the rope firmly into the floor.

[17]  Pick up the blanket.

[18]  Whilst father’s not there, and so that your absence will go unnoticed, quickly throw the blanket over the dressmaker’s dummy on the mattress so that it appears you’re still there and asleep.

[19]  Again quickly, use the rope to climb out of the window.  Free at last!!

[20]  Walk straight across the garden, past the mailbox and turn towards the left hand edge of the screen onto the map.

[21]  On the map, choose the Train Station.

 

Train station :-

[22]  Talk to the Controller and learn that the freight train will be passing the sea. ( N.B.  Both [22] & [23] are not essential  in order to finish the game, but provide the background for subsequent events! ).

[23]  That’s where you want to go, but he won’t let you into the coach.

[24]  Cross the tracks (passage).

[25]  Look at and pick up the mouse trap.

[26]  Look at the phone inside the telephone-booth … its phone number is inscribed.

[27]  Go back across the tracks to the road and from there to the map again.

[28]  On the map, choose Home.

 

Home :-

[29]  Look inside the dustbin (outside the house … to the left of the porch steps) and take the piece of cheese there.

[30]  In inventory, fix the piece of cheese into your mouse trap.

[31]  Climb up into the attic.

[32]  Take the blanket away (into inventory) just  in case father enters the room before you’ve finished there.  ( See [01] and

           [08].   N.B.  Both [32] and [34] are not really necessary … so long as you’re quick enough without them!).

[33]  Use the baited mouse trap on the mouse hole … catch the rat (dead!).

[34]  If you took the blanket away (  [32]  ) then replace it.

[35]  Whilst father’s not there, quickly use the rope to climb out of the window ( see [19] ).

[36]  Walk straight across the garden, past the mailbox and turn towards the left hand edge of the screen onto the map.

[37]  On the map, choose the Fast Food Restaurant.

 

Fast Food Restaurant :-

[38]  Exhaust the small amount of conversation possible with the (woman) cashier … nothing whatsoever doing!  ( N.B.  Both [38] and [39] are  not essential  in order to finish the game ).

[39]  Try to interact with every ‘active’ object (e.g. mobile phone, cash-box, serviettes, price-list, cashier, etc.) … no go! 

[40]  Go to the dust-bin and find a discarded hamburger there … take it!

[41]  In inventory, put your rat inside the hamburger, making a “ratburger”!

[42]  Show/give the ratburger to the cashier.

[43]  Demand to speak and complain to the manager.

[44]  Whilst she’s gone to get him, quickly grab her mobile phone.

[45]  You get connected to the phone number at the rail station.  The Controller hears it but does nothing.

[46]  Repeat [43] and [44].

[47]  This time the Controller answers.

[48]  You are given four possible lines of dialog.  Choose one of them.

[49]  If you haven’t chosen the correct one, then repeat [43] and [44] until you do ‘find it’!

[50]  The correct dialog is to tell the Controller that he’s won 1,000,000 dollars in some “grand contest”, and that he is to wait in the phone-booth for a few minutes until they phone back to him again.

[51]  Leave the restaurant

[52]  On the map, choose the Train Station.

 

Train station :-

[53]  The Controller is in the telephone-booth waiting for the phone call detailing his oncoming fortune.  The freight train coach is unattended, open and empty.

[54]  Enter the doorway of the coach and hide there. 

This is the end of the game … apart from its pathetically sad conclusion!  :~ ((