I agree 100% ( I had a better response typed out, but accidently pressed back so I guess this response will have to do )
That's generally good advice for any adventure game, and the reality is that most of the small handful of puzzles in IL are logical, and self-explanatory. The couple that aren't particularly well-designed have already been acknowledged by the developer, and are to be addressed in the upcoming patch. However, I can foresee (and actually have seen) quite a few people not even recognising that the very first real puzzle in the game is in fact a puzzle due to its nature, even with the hint on the wall nearby, and the second one is worse because there's literally no hint or indication in the game that it is even a puzzle at all, let alone what the solution might be. Most of the people asking for help with this game have been entirely justified in doing so, as two of the most common questions (regarding the "photo key" and placing the crystal) relate to puzzles suffering from poor design, not a lazy player. With the crystal device, for example, pretty much everybody coming here already knew what the solution was supposed to be, and it was just the particular way that solution had been implemented that was causing them trouble and leading some to believe there was a bug. On the other hand, the pictographic wall is entirely fair, and will literally tell you everything you need to do for the rest of the game if you only spend a little while translating it using the nearby computer. In general, the solution to a difficult puzzle in an adventure game should generate an "A-ha! Of course!" reaction, not, "Sorry, how the hell were you supposed to figure that out?" Developers often become so deeply immersed in their creation that even the most illogical or obscure puzzle solutions seem perfectly normal and obvious to them, and the past few decades have left us with many, many examples of this, which is why "USE BLUEBERRY PIE TO UNLOCK SPACECRAFT HATCH" and "cat hair moustache" jokes still persist when discussing adventure games. This is something beta testers are supposed to pick up on, not make excuses for.
Just had a great review from 148 apps, Last year they game the woods 3.5 stars but they really love Indigo Lake http://www.148apps.com/reviews/indigo-lake-review/
Awesome review! Congrats! I have one technical question and don't want any spoilers. But if there's a door that requires a key and you have a key, are you supposed to be able to just tap on the door? And if it doesn't open, that just means you have the wrong key?
Good to hear; I do hope this game is successful. ^_^ If a door tells you it requires a key, it means you don't have the one you need. Doors will open automatically if you approach them with the correct key in your possession.
If you don't have the it says [No Key] when you walk up to the door. if you have the right key the door will open. Thinking about it there might be one door upstairs on the left that you can never open im guessing its that one they is a bit confusing. Thanks Appletini you beat me to it
okay so I finished the game and it was brilliant, it took longer to complete than I expected which is very good, and the puzzles were well thought out, it really may even be a game of the year contender, one question though... Spoiler What was the point of the 9 sticks standing out of the ground? I noticed they had letters on the back which made something like "do you hear the music" when lined up. Did they have any relevance to the game or were they just part of the scenery?
Spoiler Well there are 12 pillars but dr everetts smart glass note says he only counts 11, in another note dr everett says there has been 11 suicides. Basically for each death a pillar stands and the 12th pillar represents dr everett dying(or undead). it was just a hint that he was dead. The "can you hear the music" refers to the last puzzle where you hear music from each glow stone just a little hint to get people to remeber that the storm stone shine has music. also the music playing from the piano is the same as the music at the end of the game but in reverse
Oh nice touch, didn't notice it but it's always good to have little hints and secret messages throughout the game to make people wonder
Game Impressions I am stuck at the point inside the camp after solving the cupboard puzzle and getting the key and watching all those ghastly photos inside the room. Where can I get the key to the room on the 1st floor?
I understand some of these points, but part of the fun in Indigo Lake is that it's not a pure adventure game and equating it to such might be a over generalization. With the first person perspective and moody environment comes an emphasis on world exploration, you're not stuck in a Gabriel Knight style static confined room pixel hunting. I agree some puzzle could be clearer or more well implemented but there's nothing near "cat hair mustache" quirk here. In many cases there's odd furniture or some indicator of a puzzle hot spot if you explore enough. Hopefully the developer can smooth out some of the wrinkles, but they are hardly game breaking and I had a blast.
Spoiler There's a strange cabinet on the wall in the army headquarters, shoot the doors to form a pattern matching the chairs on the floor
Spoiler Where should I go from the first floor? I'm stuck after seeing what seems to be Dr. E underneath the table. Is there another puzzle?
It's also hinted Spoiler on the text that says If it's all too much take a seat The words underlined are the words that are upside down, with each word representing a panel, which translate to the panels on the wall that need to be turned inside out.
I think undead only had the Spoiler chair clue in the beta he played. he said it needed another hint.
