Scorpion's Tale

Spellbreaker: As told by Scorpia

Scorpia

WARNING! This article contains spoilers. Avert your eyes!

At last, we've gotten everything cleared up from the holidays (although Fred was practically broken-hearted at having to take down his garland). So just step on over to your favorite chair, and relax awhile before you embark on your quest to (once again) save the world, this time through the magical lands of Spellbreaker.

This one is a toughie, folks. When Infocom said that the concluding chapter of the Enchanter trilogy would be hard, they weren't kidding. On the other hand, that also means it's been well worth waiting for, because Infocom hasn't put out a REALLY hard adventure in awhile.

For most of the game, you'll be spending your time picking up a number of little white cubes. They all look exactly alike, so your first task is to figure out a way of making each cube unique. This shouldn't be too difficult, especially if you take a good look at your inventory at the beginning of the game.

The cubes are magical, of course, and function as gateways to other places. This means that most of the time, you are exploring small clusters of rooms, rather than one giant area. It does help to make mapping easier. However, it also means that you spend a lot of time going back and forth through the cubes to solve puzzles.

Another thing to keep in mind here is that from time to time your spells will not work. Therefore you will have to memorize them once more and try again. Tedious, but necessary. So it's a good idea to save your position pretty frequently, as there are some situations where a spell backfire could mean disaster, since you may not have time to learn it again, or even cast it again if you have learned it more than once.

All the comings and goings through the cubes makes it rather difficult to present my usual coherent narrative, so for this column, I will simply deal with the rooms off each cube individually.

The Earth Room Cube. This is the first one you find (after you clear up the fog in Belwit Square). It leads to several sneaky obstacles, including an over-protective Roc, a sneezy Ogre, and an avalanche. Explore all the exits from the cube first, then go back and deal with the avalanche. When you get to the hut, make sure you have a chat with the Hermit, who will give you a clue as to what needs to be done to pick up the next cube. The snake is much too large; perhaps in your wanderings you can find a way of putting him on a diet. As for the idol, if only you could get its mouth open just a bit more. How tiresome. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

The Soft Room Cube. This one is pretty simple, and you only need to use this cube once. Don't settle for a piece of the action, take it all.

The Water Room Cube. You will return to this one several times, as both the ocean and the Oubliette require two visits each. The first solution to the Oubliette is likely to leave you cold, while the second visit will probably make you feel like Alice in Wonderland. The ocean is a bit easier; you only need to pick up something during your first swim (and remember that your spell book is NOT waterproof!). For your second dip, keep in mind that only a fish can get down to the bottom. Hmm, I wonder why the grouper thinks he's seeing double? As for the tower, you'll need something to give you a lift.

The Air Room Cube. Here you come to a carpet shop (among other places). That blue carpet sure looks nice; unfortunately, the merchant wants a little more for it than you can afford. Maybe you can get him to bring his price down to a more reasonable amount. Just remember to check your inventory before you leave the store.

The Bone Room Cube. Unless you left something behind in the Guild Hall, you don't need to use this one at all.

The String Room Cube. Another one-timer. All you need do here is talk to Belboz (keep those cards handy).

The Light Room Cube. Only one visit needed, and your actions here should be pretty obvious.

The Change Room Cube. Now, this one is a bit sneaky, and the closest thing to a maze in the game. You have to make your way through the octagonal rooms, and you have to be careful that you don't end up going back the way you came, so it's essential to map out your progress. As to how you get through the rooms in the first place, surely you brought the compass along with you.

The Void Room Cube I. Here we have two of the more vexing problems in the game. Those rocks, for one. You night think there's no way of ever catching up to that exasperating brown-eyed rock, but it's really easier than you might suspect. The first thing you should do is map out the whole area (make careful note of that one diagonal corner; it's there for a reason) and make it a large map. Then use two different objects, one to represent you, and one to represent the brown-eyed rock (a penny and a dime work nicely). Move the coins (or whatever) as you and the rock move in the game. This will give you a clear idea of how the brown-eyed rock moves to foil your efforts at reaching it. Now a little thought should show you how you can corner it without difficulty.

The Void Room Cube II. The other nasty problem is the vault room. Not getting the vault door open (which can be done once you've souped-up your magical abilities), but determining which of twelve cubes is the real one. This is not so easy, and is made harder by the fact that once in the vault, you CANNOT save the game! Each time you enter the vault, the program chooses one of the twelve cubes at random to be the 'real' cube. Your difficulties are compounded by the eventual appearance of the [censored] alarm fairy, so your time is very limited. Actually, if you do everything right, and do not waste moves, you will have just enough time to determine the right cube and blorple out before the guards grab you (there is nothing, alas, that you can do about the obnoxious fairy). Jindak is the key to success here. It will indicate which pile the real cube is in. It then becomes a matter of elimination, with repeated use of Jindak and careful manipulation of the cubes. Think about it.

The Black Room Cube (Fred's favorite). An easy one, actually. The convention of Grues is not so terrible as it may appear. Remember the grouper.

The Fire Room Cube. Without doubt, the single nastiest problem in the game. The solution lies in the gold box (make sure it's empty). You've probably noticed that whenever you put a cube in the box, the designs change to something appropriate to that cube. Dolphins for the Water cube. Moles for the Earth cube. And so on. So there is some kind of relationship between the cubes and the box. Or at least the last cube that was in it. Keep that in mind, and remember that nothing is impossible.

The Sand Room Cube. Talk about deja vu! You've been to these places before, but from different cubes. And, from the look of things, at a different time. Here you must be careful and do the rooms in the right order. As a matter of fact, these problems are easy, so long as you remember that all must be as it was (will be?), down to the last detail. And that blank scroll is there for a very important reason.

The Magic Room Cube. The gateway to the end game. At last, you discover what it's all about, and who that mysterious cloaked figure is. There are two places here where timing is critical. First you must act quickly, because you will need time to recover completely. Second, you must wait for the right moment to cast your last spell, and only one moment is the right one. Be patient, and don't panic.

The Hypercube. You have only two moves to do something about it, and you need both of them. The first move is fairly obvious. As for the second, well, look in your inventory; there should be an item there you've had from the start of the game, but never used. Do something (nonviolent) with it.

Whew! And so, once again, the world has been saved. Although, in this case, at a hefty price. A sad, and yet appropriate, ending.

Well, Fred is pointing his claw (err, finger) at the invisible clock, so it's just about time to close the doors until next issue. In the meantime, if you need a hand (or three) with an adventure game, you can reach me in the following ways:

On Delphi: Visit the GameSIG. Just type GR GAM at the MAIN> prompt.

On GEnie: Stop in at the Games Round Table. Type: Scorpia to get there.

On the Source: Send SMAIL to ST1030.

And, as usual, there is US Mail. PLEASE, if you are writing from the United States, you MUST enclose a selfaddressed, stamped envelope to receive a reply! Send your questions to:

Scorpia
P.O. Box 338
Gracie Station
New York, NY 10028

See you next issue...happy adventuring!

Copyright 1986 by Scorpia, all rights reserved.

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