by Jennifer Miller February 2002

Schizm Mysterious Journey DVD Version Walkthrough

I just upgraded my equipment this past summer to include a DVD-Rom for my computer, so I knew I had to try out Dreamcatcher’s most ambitious release in years in its DVD format.  Wow . . . wow . . . um, did I say wow?  Absolutely amazing.

According to the reviews I have read, there are some major and not-so-major differences between the DVD and CD version of this game.  In the DVD, there are some extra puzzles and more FMV, or so I have heard.  Fair warning if you’re using this walkthrough for the CD version.  Just consider those puzzles and video to be added bonus material from me! It’s like the hidden track on the latest Barenaked Ladies CD!

The interface is fairly intuitive.  This game uses a system similar to the awkward QuickTime VR in The Crystal Key and those seen in the last two Zork games. If you have played LK Avalon’s previous title Reah, the interface will be identical.  You will have full 360-degree motion and in some places you will also be able to look up and down.  Keep an eye on the arrows at bottom left of the screen to see which view directions are available.  Over the course of the game, you will be playing as two different characters: Sam and Hannah.  It will be necessary for you to switch back and forth between them to solve various puzzles and complete tasks, playing your characters as a team instead of against each other.  I thought this was a great and very original idea.  To do this, you will see the pictures of your characters at the bottom right of the screen.  Just click on the character you want to be and you will automatically be shifted to their last position.  You can do this at anytime, save for a few small exceptions.  This walkthrough will get you around those exceptions.  I’m nice like that.  To access game controls, roll your mouse to the top of the screen and the menu will pop up.  I recommend setting the music volume lower than the speech as the characters get drowned out at times.  The music is extremely atmospheric though (like everything else in this game) so take the time to enjoy it when you can.

I took extensive notes when I played this game and I’m adamant you do the same. While this walkthrough will help, you can get a better understanding of the game by writing out your plan.  When I can, I’ll give you visual aids so you won’t use as much notebook space.  Just don’t laugh at my lack of artistic skills.

The world of Schizm is huge with four vast areas to explore and take in. The scenery is layered, like looking at a multi-frame matte painting. Though cartoonish at times, I couldn’t help but notice how alive everything looked.  Movement between nodes takes the form of movies, complete with footstep effects! Depth and perspective are maintained, creating an incredibly real experience.  Water movement is extraordinary!   Feel free to leave my guided tour at any time to take a Sunday stroll. We can pick it up again at any time.  Speaking of which, I think Sam and Hannah just crash landed on Argilus, so let’s get started.

After a deceptively dry and simple introduction that explains the purpose of Sam and Hannah’s mission, you will be switched to Hannah’s view.  She tries to make contact with Sam, but doesn’t seem able to raise him.  Instead, she opts to record her entire experience so Sam can view it later.  Perhaps something we find along the way could be useful as a money winner on America’s Funniest Home Videos!  Go ahead and stay as Hannah for the time being. We’ll take a tour of her area, which I’ve dubbed the Living Islands.  She seems to be marooned on a small island in the middle of a vast purple ocean.  In the distance, she can see a number of tower-like structures that seem to make up this area. To fully appreciate the capabilities of this game (at least on the DVD) stay put for a second and turn off your lights, turn up your headphones.  Amazing huh? Makes you just want to curl up with a good book and stay here.  But we can’t; must press on.  We have to rendezvous with Sam and find a way off the planet.

Head forward four times, making sure to properly take in all your surroundings.  Once you have reached the shore of one of the towers, turn right and go up the ramp.  Oh weird! What was that?  Creepiness . . . glad we got that on tape.  Also, look up here . . . sure makes the Sears Tower look small, huh?  Turn right and go up the next ramp.  When you get to the top, you’ll see three benches towards the right side of the screen.  Go towards them and then run your mouse over the small table.  Ooo, a magnifying glass.  Must mean I’m looking at something important.  This is one of many crew logs that you’ll find throughout the course of the game.  Pick it up and click on the screen to watch as Dr. Tomlin gives some background on the original mission objective of the science team. (If it seems that the voices aren’t tracking with the video, don’t worry. It’s not your computer.  The actors used by LK Avalon were dubbed over in post-production.  This was the only drawback of the game. Oh, that and Hannah’s annoying voice!)  Once the two entries have finished, put the log back and turn to your left. See that gazebo-like structure nearby? That’s an elevator.  Let’s go see where it leads.

You can either call the elevator car by clicking on the button on the left pillar or walking up to the platform.  Either way, get into the car and push the “Up” button to your left.  Once you’re at the top, get out by exiting to your left.  Once you’re outside the elevator gazebo, you’ll see a broken bridge to your right, with a pedestal to the left of it.  Remember that because we’ll need to come back here later.  Turn back to your left and head towards the sunset.  Hannah will make a verbal comment about the abandoned state of the village.  Well, at least there’s no one around to stop us from looting! Well, that is if there was anything to loot.   Continue up the ramp ahead of you (there will be a lot of going up and down ramps in this level) and ignore the buzzing you hear.  Those are just some bees . . . and I promise you, they are nothing like the ones from the X-Files movie. (Checks neck for stray bee.)  Go towards the weird pink pear-shaped object you see ahead of you.  This is an Argilan oil container.  Look on the front, and you’ll see a wooden panel with some weird symbols on it.  Get a close up of it.  This is the basic Argilan numbering system.  They correspond to our numbers. Match them up from top to bottom, numbering 0 – 10. Make special note of the symbol for five; you’ll need it later.  I’ll stick one of my nifty handwritten graphics below to help you out.

After you’ve gotten these symbols, look to the right of the oil container to see where the oil is distributed.  Get a close up on the blue jar to see an image of a bee.  Why all the bees you ask? Well honestly, I still don’t know the answer to that.  I suppose it just seemed cool to put bees everywhere. Otherwise, I don’t remember them being a part of any puzzle.  Of course, I bet I’m really wrong and will discover that farther down the line.  We’ll just have to wait and see, shall we?

Zoom out from the oil container, and then go one node forward.  You should be facing another ramp.  Head down this one until you are facing another elevator shaft.  Take it down one level, and then exit.  You will be facing a set of pots surrounded by (guess, guess) MORE BEES!!!  Ignoring the swarming insects (though that sound just makes my skin crawl) turn to the right walk towards the large organic structure ahead.  There will be a rickety suspension bridge on your right as you pass.  We’ll go back there later. Keep going forward and you’ll approach a pedestal that is supporting a large lantern.  Hit the button on top of the lantern to see the effect light has on the tentacles it is facing.  Ooo, nifty huh?  Place that in your “useful knowledge for later” file.  Add the lantern to your inventory by scrolling over the object until your icon changes to a claw, a la the claw machines from your local grocery store. To use an object, roll over an active area until the claws appear and the correct inventory item will light up in your inventory. Easy as pie . . . or was that cake?  After you have acquired the lantern, reverse your path to the suspension bridge. Go across it.

Don’t look down . . . don’t look down . . . don’t look down . . . I told you not to do that! Just look up and keep going across.  Okay Indiana Jones, once you have made it to the other side, turn left and head down the staircase.  Go two steps across the platform and then go down the next staircase.  Oh dear, not another bridge!  But wait – looks as if I won’t be getting across this one yet. Since I don’t keep spare rope and plywood in my inventory, we’ll have to fix this bridge later. Let’s head back to the other bridge.  Reverse course back up the two staircases and across the first bridge.  You should be back to where I left you off in the previous paragraph.

Once you are there, head forward then right, up the ramp in front of you. Hannah will mention to Sam about how everything seems alive. (Wait, didn’t I say that earlier?)  So like, if I punch a wall, will it hit me back? Best not to try.  Nearby, you’ll see some more benches.  Head towards these to view another crew log . . . but this one seems to be wiped slick. Oh well.  Turn left and go past the brown door.  After going up another ramp, you will be visited by the “spectral vision” of Dr. Tomlin, the man you viewed in the first crew log. Um, the reception’s a little bad, Tomlin.  Can you adjust the rabbit ears? He will tell you that there are plaques scattered around this realm and they contain the coordinates needed to get to another area of the planet known as Bosh’s Tunnels, or Bosh as he will refer to it.  Find these plaques and you’ll be one step closer to getting to Bosh. (Red pages, blue pages?)  After Tomlin has finished with his message, he will disappear back from where he came from. Probably should find those plaques then. All the pink and orange is starting to get to me; need different color scheme! Turn to your right and go forward to see a large purple tulip.  Look inside to see it’s empty.  Hmmm, okay. 

Go up the stairs that are to the left of the large fountain behind you and you’ll be led to a control room of sorts.  There’s a panel on one side with a row of buttons.  If you look down past the panel, you’ll see a whole row of the tulips.  Unknown to you, there is one of the mysterious plaques inside one of the tulips.  Your goal is to use these controls to move the plaque to the first tulip so you can access it.  Each button tosses the plaque to another tulip, but direction and distance changes with each control.  The kicker is you only have five choices on which buttons to use, then the puzzle will reset itself.  So, you want a solution to this? It’s not really that hard, just a matter of patience . . . but okay, stop giving me that puppy dog look.  Here’s what you need to do.  Number the controls 1-5 from left to right.  Here’s the solution I used: 4, 2, 3, 1, 5.  The plaque will be in the first tulip when you are finished.

Head up the next set of stairs to take in one of the best views of this area. If you turn to the right, you’ll find some abandoned stone tablets on the floor. The Ten Commandments of Adventure Gaming?! At long last I have found you! Oh no wait, these are just some alien gibberish.  No wait! This is a set of coordinates.  Let’s write these down. Or you can just refer to the graphic.

The text is like that of the numbering system on the oil container we found earlier, only these represent much larger numbers.  The first set has been crossed out in red paint, indicating that these were the old coordinates.  Write down both sets anyway because they will be useful later on.

Go all the way back down the stairs until you have reached the bottom level and are facing the fountain.  Our friend Dr. Tomlin will reappear and tell you that you are on the right track with finding the plaques. Thanks! Head over to the large tulip and get the coordinates off of the second plaque.  Make sure to get both.  Or look below.

Once you’re done with the plaque, turn right and go forward.  Turn left and head down this ramp. When you’ve reached the bottom, go forward twice and then down the ramp to your right.  Head back towards the pots with the swarming bees and get into the elevator in front of it.  After going down one level, pan to the left to see yet ANOTHER elevator! It’s next to a large plant of some sort. Go towards the elevator, moving only one node.  Don’t get in yet because there are other things we need to do first. See the panel on your left? Press the button and watch as a pretty blue gondola is flown out to the platform.

After a very pretty cut scene, exit the gondola and go up the ramp to your right. Oh creepy! More of those tentacles!  Get a close up of them to see the details.  After zooming out, go to the right and head between the two torches. Once you have reached the end of the path, scroll over the pedestal until your magic magnifying glass appears and zoom-in.  Drop your lantern on top of the pedestal and let’s begin the next puzzle!  You learned earlier that these tentacles are light sensitive and that when beams of light are directed at certain tentacles, it causes other tentacles to react by either shrinking or extending. So, our mission here is to find the right order to shine the light so that all the tentacles are extended.  Looking closely at the pedestal underneath the lantern, you’ll see 14 notches.  Number these from 1-14, left to right.  Now, to shine the light in a certain direction, you have to move the pointer to the correct notch (the notches won’t always line up with the pointer so get as close as possible) and then hit the button on top of the lantern. Be sure to push the button every time or you’ll have to start again, and that would just be frustrating.  I like to keep frustration levels down.  I get frustrated so you don’t have to!  Ready for the solution? Here you are!

9, 13, 1, 8, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 2, 4, 3, 1

If you’re successful, a bridge of light will form over the tentacles and you’ll be free to cross it.  Once you have reached the end, you see a strange long branch with an arm extending from it.  Click this arm to watch as a chair unfolds.  Sit in this chair and be whisked across the water to yet another living island.  Go right after you have landed, and head down the ramp. Go into the elevator that’s dead ahead and go up one level.  You’ll arrive in a strange control room with a series of consoles on the right.  Take two steps toward the large chair on the other side of the room, and then turn right to inspect the three consoles.  The two outer consoles are used for inputting coordinates.  Each has three coaxial rings with symbols painted into positions not unlike those of a clock, so go again and picture these controls as such.  To start up the transport, you must enter the correct coordinates of your destination by highlighting the correct symbols, which will turn green after you have touched them. These coordinates are found on the two plaques you discovered earlier in this world.  The upper/old coordinates are inputted into the left console, while the lower/new coordinates are placed into the right. The center console has the imprint of a hand and is used to activate the transport you are in once you have put in the correct coordinates.  If you don’t want to refer to the pictures from earlier, here are the symbols you need to highlight:

Left console

            Symbol at 7 o’clock on the outer rim

            Dot at 8 o’clock on the middle rim

            Dot at 10 o’clock on the inner rim

Right console

            Symbol at 9 o’clock on the outer rim

            Dot at 2 o’clock on the middle rim

            Symbol at 9 o’clock on the inner rim

Once all the correct symbols have been lit, zoom in on the middle console with the imprint of the hand.  Hey, see that green light below? That’s where you are now!  This saves you from having to input the coordinates every time you want to travel to a new place.  All you will need to do is press that light and touch the hand.  The coordinates you just entered were for a place called Base One, but we will actually travel to Bosh’s Tunnels.  Touch the hand imprint to begin your journey to Bosh.  Hannah will let Sam know that she’s on her way.  Oooo . . . this is kinda freaky to be traveling inside a living island . . . but I suppose whatever works!

Once the island has stopped, move away from the controls and get into the elevator.  Go up one level and then down the ramp until you come to the transport chair.  Get in to be taken across the water.  Once you have landed, follow the metal bridge to the gold tunnel and use this to get to Bosh’s Tunnels.  Let me just say, that the inside of this place puts Notre Dame to shame!  It’s enormous!  Directly ahead you will see a strange statue with a ladder propped up next to it; on left will be a series of scaffolds.  Head towards the statue and climb up the ladders until you can go no farther.  Zoom in on the statue’s head to get a look.  Not much, huh?  Turn to the left and climb down the ladders, then walk over to the plaque nearby to get a look.  Hmm . . . looks like these were coordinates at one time, but there doesn’t seem to be much now.  Let’s keep looking.  Head back towards the entrance, but turn right and head down the path under the scaffolds.  Go forward two steps and an Argilan ghost may appear. If not, Sam will see him later.  If he does appear, the ghost will give you a tile that will be key to solving a puzzle near the end of the game.  Hang on to it.  Keep going forward, and then turn left to see an arch and a set of stairs.  At the top of the stairs is a strange device that looks like a combination of a telegraph machine and an organ.  This is actually a type of primitive Argilan computer.  But there’s no use for it yet.  In fact, there’s really nothing else for Hannah to do at the moment, so let’s go meet the mysterious Sam.

Welcome to the coolest place in the game: The Balloon Field.  Right now, I’m pressing shift+F7 to get a better word than cool . . .because well, it’s just REALLY COOL!!!  The colors are cool, the sound is cool, even the puzzles are cool! Difficult, but cool. (smile)  Sam finds himself standing on the deck of one of the balloon ships, similar to the ones you see floating in the distance.  The wind is blowing the banners around while howling in your ears.  Forget the Living Islands; I want to vacation here!  Except there’s that whole fear of heights thing.  Now, in order to progress past this one balloon, our goal is find a mode of transportation that will take us to Bosh’s Tunnels and to Hannah.  So, let’s get looking for something that will fly.

If you look straight down, you’ll see a strange compass.  Make note of the figure that the arrow is pointing towards because this will indicate your wind direction.  These will vary by game, so you’re on your own here.  It’s not real difficult, I promise.  There will be five of these spread across the station and you will need to get all five symbols to use on a later puzzle: the pearl catcher.  We need to move quickly though because the wind could change and the symbols won’t work.  Let’s go get those other symbols.  Zoom out from the compass and turn right.  There will be another compass ahead.  Zoom in and record this symbol. From there, turn back toward the right, go one step forward, then turn left and go through the passageway directly ahead.  Once through, go past the strange transport to find the third compass.  Record this symbol, turn right, and go forward once to find the fourth compass. Turn right, then go forward one last time to find the fifth and final compass.  Next to this you will find one those mission logs like Hannah found on the islands.  Activate it to get a message from Dr. Francis Bremmer.  She reports that only 4 of the original 32 team members are still accounted for and are at Base 3. Angela Davis, one of the survivors, returned to Bosh’s Tunnels to study something interesting she found earlier.  Bremmer also reports that the balloons surrounding the station can be operated via a special gas collector.  Add that to the “useful information for later” file.

Return to your starting position through the passageway and turn left to see a large device.  This is the pearl collector I mentioned earlier.  When you enter the correct sequence of symbols from the compasses, you will be rewarded with strange blue “pearls” collected from the atmosphere of the Balloon Field.  Go forward to closely examine, then zoom in on the pedestal to the right.  You’ll find another mission log, this one from Dr. Hovis.  He warns any following traveler to get away from the planet immediately before they fall victim to the same fate that has taken him and his fellow scientists.  Well, that’s all fine and good, but I can’t leave!  Turn back to the pearl catcher and enter the compass symbols in the order you found them.  If they are correct, the center will open to reveal nine blue “pearls.”  Add these to your inventory.

Let’s take a moment and learn a little bit about the language of the Argilans.  Each one of those symbols is an Argilan direction symbol.  I’m sure you noticed that when you hit one of those buttons, a sound would follow.  This is the spoken word associated with the symbol.  (Hooked On Phonics worked for me!)  I took the liberty and used my nifty skills as a singer to make you a pronounciation chart.  From the first symbol listed, go counterclockwise, numbering from 1 to 8.

Yeah, it kinda arches up to the right a little . . . but hey, it’s legible!  Make sure you mark this place in your printout or web browser because we’ll need it later.

Back away from the machine and head back to the strange transport you saw earlier when looking for the compasses.  It kind of looks like a Jetson car!  Get in and prepare for a really cool ride through the Balloon Field.  Only, please, don’t look down.  Once you have reached your destination, exit the Jetson mobile and turn right.  Go into the tunnels until you are at the center of the four platforms.  On both sides of you, you will see a strange device with a set of ten purple bulbs with attached hoses.  These are the gas collectors that Dr. Bremmer told you about earlier.  If we can find a way to activate these, we can use one of the balloons to get to Bosh and find Hannah.  Turn to you left and approach the collector, only to be stopped by a spectral projection of Dr. Bremmer.  Like the earlier appearances of Tomlin, Bremmer seems to be floating in and out of reception, but she manages to tell you that one of the gases in the collector is two times stronger than the others.  You only have one try at finding this heavier gas and then the machine will reset itself. Geez, no pressure or anything! (Hahaha, gasses, heavy gasses . . . okay, sorry about that.)  So you have to ask yourself:  How is it that the missing scientists are able to track my progress? Have they suddenly become part of the Q-Continuum and able to come and go as they please?

After Bremmer has finished, continue towards the left gas collector and get a close-up of it.  Our goal here is, with one measurement, to find which gas is twice as heavy as the others.  This gas is the one needed to fill the balloon.  We not only have to do this once, but twice, one time for each collector.  Oh, and did I forget to mention that since this puzzle is randomized with game, there is so set solution? But there is a set way to get the solution.  Time to get out those thinking caps, kiddies. (Hey, at least this isn’t in base-8 math like in Rama!) Oh yeah, and save your game. If you make a mistake, it’s easier to go back this way.

Jen’s tangent:

Since I’m a musician, and we’re only required to count up to four (six on some occasions), I enlisted the help of the illustrious and devilishly handsome Randy Sluganski on this one.  See, I was the kid that took Math for Poets in college.  Our book was called “Math for the Liberal Arts Major” and it had all sorts of pretty pictures in it. Calculus? Bah! I’m one of those hippy visual types.  So anyway, shall we?

Like I noted above, each dispenser has ten hoses and ten bulbs attached to it.  Each bulb/hose has a paddle associated with.  By pressing these, you pump some of the gas into the bulb.  Start at the one o’clock position and number each of the paddles from 1 to 10.  Starting with the first paddle, press each paddle the same number of times as the number associated with it, example being paddle 1 – once, paddle 2 – twice, etc.  Do this with all ten paddles.  Be sure to carefully count when you do this or you’ll end up having to reload. (Not that I would know this, not at all.)  After you are finished, press the button in the center and you will be turned to the right to view the measurement of lifting power for the gas you have just pumped.  The black indicator shows the gas pressure in units of twelve (not tens!) and the white indicator shows ones.  Example: If your indicator is pointed to 4, then the initial pressure reading is 48.  Then, if the white indicator is at 10, your total pressure would be 58.  Here’s the formula for that, x being black and y being white:

(x * 12) + y = total pressure

This is how you find the correct paddle for the heavier gas.  You made 55 total presses when you were pressing the paddles (1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10=55) and only one of these paddles is the correct one, meaning only one of these dispensed the heavier gas, twice as heavy to be exact. So, you will need to subtract 55 from the solution of the above formula.  This answer will be the correct paddle to press.  Using my example, I took 55 from 58, ending up with 3.  Press that paddle only once and if you are correct, you see the balloon rise halfway as the gas is emptied into it.  Now if that wasn’t enough, you get to repeat that whole procedure with the other collector.  Just make sure you don’t mess up or you’ll have to do everything over again.

Once you have finished with the second collector, the balloon will be fully inflated (looking mysteriously like catfish) and almost ready to fly.  Our next task is to find the coordinates that will take us to Bosh.  Go out the opposite end of the tunnels and board the balloon. Head forward once, but don’t climb the stairs.  Instead, head down the ladder.  Go towards the chair at your left and take the gold disk that is lying on the seat.  To get a feel for the controls of this monster, take a seat in the right chair.  Make note of the arch above the steering handles with the various symbols and of the two handles with these same symbols.  It seems that when I move the indicator on the arch, the symbols on the handle shift position.  By moving the indicator on the left handle, the symbols on the right handle move.  It’s like a neat little combination lock.  This must be how we insert the coordinates.  Return everything to how you found it and exit the balloon.

Bremmer will appear again, this time in a complete panic.  She is extremely insistent that you get to Bosh as soon as possible. You want to ask if it’s because of Hannah, but Bremmer disappears before you can open your mouth. Go through the tunnels, past the collectors, to the opposite platform where the Jetson car dropped you off.  Turn to the right and get a close up on the blue sphere.  Open it and insert the disk you found on the balloon.  It will spin up, downloading the information it contains to the sphere. (It’s kind of slow, but faster than those cassette downloads on the old Texas Instruments machines.)  Once the disk has stopped spinning, you will be presented with a series of lit symbols.  These will indicate the coordinates you will have to input to activate travel of the balloon.  By clicking on each of the three large symbols on the bottom right of the circle, you will see the associated symbols of each.  Also, note that these symbols on the bottom right are the same as the ones we saw earlier on the left handle of the balloon controls. Coincidence? Nah.

Think of this circle like the dial of clock, like we did earlier with controls of the living island ship.  Click on each symbol, inner first.  The symbol at 2 o’clock will be placed first into the arch, and then the symbol at seven o’clock will be used on the right handle.  The arch symbols will always be on the top and the handle symbols will always be on the bottom.  If I haven’t confused you enough already, here’s a graphic for the coordinates you will collect from this disk:

Return to the ship and take a seat in the control chair.  Here’s what you need to do. The first symbol represents the symbol seen on the left handle.  Input the second symbol into the arch, and the third into the right handle.  This has to be done in the exact order seen in the graphic, or you’ll end up hovering over the ocean near the Living Islands and nowhere near Bosh’s Tunnels.  In addition, since this balloon is so smart, the coordinates will be saved into the system and you can recall them by using the blue buttons on the left handle.  The first button is already lit, representing your current position at the Balloon Field.  Once you have put in the correct coordinates for Bosh, press the large button in the center of the controls and off we go.

The balloon will automatically dock at a ring of rusted docking hooks and will land safely.  Exit the balloon and take a look around you.  You seem to be on a landing platform inside a large canyon.  The metal around you seems sturdy, but old, showing signs of weathering and wear.  Hannah will buzz you shortly afterward.  She says that she is trapped in some sort of harbor.  The game will flash forward as she recounts her explorations thus far and Sam says that will he try to find her as soon as he can.

Go down the metal steps that lead away from the balloon, then around the platform until you reach another set of steps.  These will lead you to an elevator. (Which, strangely enough, looks like the steam machine from Riven, but who am I to point such things out?)  Take the elevator down one level but activating the lever on your left.  Follow the steel bridge on the lower level (um, what the Voltaic Age, Myst 3: Exile are we talking about here?) until you come to a platform walled by a gold, three-paneled door.  Click on the controls to the right of it, and the door will open.

Follow the path straight along, crossing over two arched stone walkways. Enjoy the views here, too.  Climb the long stairway that will lead you to a dark tunnel with a single rail running into it. Do you suppose this is another transport system? Perhaps.  Turn left and go forward.  In the distance, you will see Base One, or at least what is left of it.  Sam will note that access to it has been purposely cut off.  Guess we won’t be searching for clues there any time soon.  He also notes that the surrounding structures look to be sacred. Best not to touch anything we don’t have to.

Turn left and walk forward, back near the rail.  Zoom in on the pillar behind you and use the controls to call the rail car.  Climb in, and press the right lever, the only one that isn’t damaged.  The car will speed off, taking you to a different place in the temple.  Exit the car and head forward until you are in the middle of a circle of eight large, brass structures.  These are prayer-grinders, used to play specific Argilan prayers for all the surrounding areas to hear.  Each has it’s own distinctive shape and color plate, with an associated pair of intonations. The first sound is the shape of the grinder and the second is for the associated color plate. Start with the green grinder and record the sounds you hear.  If you don’t want to, I’ll list them for you. Much easier that way:

1. Green – toss (long hissing sound on the “s”), toonha
2. White – briss, her-mah
3. Blue – deemah, dinha
4. Orange – tarli, ehsaji
5. Purple (pinkish-purple) – kung-pa-li, curiso
6. Red – tra-li, sorum
7. Black – baloo, samtoo
8. Yellow – toolti, nakri

Exit the circle of grinders between the yellow and green ones and return to the rail car.  Pull the right handle and you’ll be returned to the temple area. Get out of the car and go forward until you are facing the entrance to another long tunnel.  Go through the tunnel to find yourself in the center of the temple and at the side of a large pool that has engulfed the floor.  All we need is some fountains and a couple twisty slides and we could have a kick-ass water park! No? Okay, I’ll save those plans for later. Instead of building slides, let’s turn to the left and go forward twice. If you look to your left, you’ll see a set of eight prayer grinders, smaller, but otherwise identical to the ones we saw earlier.  Sam will mutter something about using these things to open doors.  Um, you think? (Rolls eyes.) Go forward one more time, then climb the stairs on your right. At the top, you’ll be able to access a small chamber on your left.  There’s a large painting of what looks like a Buddha on the far wall.  Walk towards this and get a close of the altar beneath it.  Gasp . . . is that a picture of a bee? But I thought we were done with these things?  Guess not . . . looks like we may have to make a return trip to the Living Islands at some point. Zoom out from altar and then get a close up of the tablet hanging next to the Buddha portrait.  It mysteriously looks like the Roman numeral for 3 (III), but if you remember (or refer to the numbering system earlier in this walkthrough) this is actually the Argilan symbol for 8.  Bees and the number 8? But what does it all mean?!  Do not fear; all will be answered in good time.

Exit the chamber, then go left down the stairs.  At the bottom, head right and go forward once.  Check it out – more of those prayer grinders on your left.  I feel a puzzle coming on . . . kinda like when you can tell a musical number is about to start in a Rogers and Hammerstein show.  Keep going forward, twice to be exact, then turn left to see a cool spiral staircase.  Take this up as far as you can, then turn around and step onto the second floor.  It’s not real obvious at first that you can go there, but trust me, it’s accessible.  Go right, and forward once.  There will be a room up ahead on your right – go ahead and take a look.  This room is decorated in the neo-renaissance style, with Da Vinci operating a spherical device on one wall and a strange version of the Pythagorean theorem on the other.  Get a close up on the triangle to study the formula.  I’ll even sketch it in so you can save it for later.

Okay, Geometry was the only math class I did well in because it was mostly visual association. So it was easy for me to guess that this must give you the solution to finding distance and angle degree.  The eye represents your position.  Make note of where the different symbols fall: two that measure horizontal distance and two that measure height.  We’ll need to refer to this later.  For now, let’s look around a bit more.  If you zoom out from the triangle and look to the left, you’ll see a strange control panel with pipes coming from it.  If you look above the panel, there’s another fresco with symbols similar to those on the strange triangle.

Go out of this room, and go right, moving forward once. If you look to your right, you’ll see another one of the strange chambers, but this one has been blocked by the cave in the roof.  Below the broken pillar is a mission log.  Let’s take a look.  In the following three videos, you will meet Angela Davis, the scientist Dr. Bremmer referred to earlier over at the Balloon Field.  Angela says that a group of visitors came to Argilus many years ago and unknowing to the visitors and natives, they spread a plague that wiped out most of the planet’s inhabitants.  After this occurred, the survivors set up a complicated defense system to protect themselves from future visitors.  Angela seems convinced that this system is what is taking all the members of the science team.  But where they are taken to, she has no idea.  In addition to that mystery, she is learning about Argilan mythology.  The main figures in this are two gods known as The Good Servant and The Wanderer. However, in more recent texts, Angela has started seeing the word Matia. But what Matia really is, she doesn’t know.  Matia is referred to as a god, as doomsday machine, and as a savior.  She hypothesizes that Matia could be a presence bigger than The Good Servant and The Wanderer.  Sam realizes that he must finish Angela’s work and uncover the mystery of Matia in order to save his crewmates and hundreds of the Argilan natives.  Nothing like a small task to brighten the day, right?  We’ll need to let Hannah know about this.  Let’s get back to the main entrance and finish up our tasks here.

To get back, turn right, go forward three times, then go down the spiral stairs on your left.  Once at the bottom, go forward once, turn right, and go forward three more times. Turn left and go up, over, and down the stairs directly ahead. At the bottom, turn left, go forward three times, and then exit through the opening on your right.  You should now be standing outside the main entrance to the temple.

You ready for another big math puzzle? Let’s go for it.  It’s time to solve Hermat’s Pillars.  If you turn left and head towards the red pillars, you should reach the edge of footbridge.  Aw, talk about dangerous!  This thing has no rails!  Carefully go across it and take a seat at the spherical machine you see ahead.  This one is like the gold sphere you saw earlier in the temple.  Look down and pull the handle to open the sphere.  At the top you will see a lens with a horizontal red line across the center.  We will use this as a targeting lens to measure the height of five pillars that are surrounding you.  The scale you see below it has seven marks.  If you look below this, you’ll see another indicator.  This one will measure length.  Push the “0” button to reset the controls if there aren’t already. When you take a length measurement, press the “+” button to get a distance measurement.  This will be the distance between you and the selected pillar.  If you zoom in on the panel above the lower measuring scale, you’ll see a familiar symbol: it’s the symbol from the triangle diagram that indicates the base measurement.  This scale has a length of 10 units and is equal to the length of the base line of the triangle indicated in the fresco.  Turn behind you (going left) and you’ll see another familiar symbol from the fresco.  Looks as if we need to take some measurements.

From your last view, pan slightly to the right until you have the first pillar in view and centered in your targeting lens.  To center it, pull the lens up until the red line is level with the top of the pillar.  Check for the measurement and make note of it in your notebook.  This is the relative height of the pillar from the base of the canyon.  After you have this, let the lens retract.  Zoom in on the panel below the targeting lens and press “0” to reset.  Afterwards, press “+” and the scales will give you the distance.  Since this scale has 50 numbers, and your measurement is five marks back from the starting position, your measurement is 45.  Zoom in on the panel just above that and note that your relative distance is 10.  This last measurement will be the same for all five of the pillars.  Follow this procedure with the other four pillars, going clockwise from the first one.  Here’s what you should get (RH = relative height, RD = relative distance, AD = actual distance):

1. RH = 4, RD = 10, AD = 45
2. RH =5, RD =10, AD =16
3. RH =7, RD =10, AD =20
4. RH =4, RD =10, AD =25
5. RH =6, RD =10, AD =35

Once you have all these, head back to the main entrance of the temple, over the scary footbridge and past the red pillars, down the dark tunnel.  Once you’re back at the side of the pool, go all the way down the hall at your left, then go over the stairway on your right. At the bottom, go forward three times down the hallway on your right.  Turn left, and go back up the spiral staircase and then onward to the room where you found the triangle diagram.  Get a close up of the diagram or refer to my “oh so skilled” recreation.  Now, here’s what all those symbols mean: relative distance is to relative height as the relative distance plus the actual distance is to the actual height.  Got all that?  Let me show you equation I used (thanks to Randy for helping this math-impaired child), using the numbers from pillar one:

10/4 = (10+45)/x where x is the actual height = 2.5, and thus x = 22

So, as I’m sure there are plenty other math-impaired children like myself out there (yes, they do exist and can still be adventure game fans!) here are the formulas you’ll need for the rest of the pillars.  Think of it as Algebra homework:

2. 10/5 = (10+16)/x = 2; x = 13

3. 10/7 = (10+20)/x = 1.43; x = 21

4. 10/4 = (10+25)/x = 2.5; x = 14

6. 10/6 = (10+35)/x = 1.67; x = 27

That’s the kind of Algebra homework I always liked, where the answers were already given to you.  Ah, but we’re not finished yet.  Did you think I’d let you off so easily? Let’s press on.  Go back to the control panel and zoom.  In order to get this console working, we have to set the dials so that the pipes match the heights of the five pillars outside the temple. And this must be done in the order you recorded the data.  In addition (math pun, hahaha . . . um sorry) we also need to use our knowledge of Argilan numbers to set the dials accordingly.  Give up yet?  Just look at my pretty picture.  Here’s your order and where to set the dials:

Ta da! For all that work, we’re rewarded with . . . a piece of glass inside a metal ring? What the heck is this? Some stupid lens . . . geesh.  I could have stolen one of these from that Jetson car back on the Balloon Field.  Guess we should hang on to it for later. Exit the room and go back down the spiral stairway on the left side of the hallway.  Go forward once, then turn left, and go forward one more time.  Guess what’s on the left side of you? You bet, more prayer grinders. If you look right, you’ll see a strange woven bridge that extends across the water towards that large statue with the lotus flower at the bottom.  Okay, is it me, or does that statue look like some twisted version of the Heisman trophy?  (For all the football-impaired, that’s the award given to the college football player of the year.)  Go across this bridge towards the statue and when you’ve reached it, a mysterious Argilan priest will appear and chant an Argilan prayer.  Here’s what he’s saying:

Toss

Samtoo

Toolti

Her-mah

Tra-li

Toonha

If you missed that, you can walk back across the bridge to the shore, then back to the statue and he will reappear and chant again.  Once you’ve had your fill of Argilan prayer, go back across the bridge to the temple hallway and approach the prayer grinders.  Now, if you’ll recall, those tones are associated with color and shape.  My guess would be that we need to follow his prayer on the grinders to advance.  So here’s what you need to do. Number the grinders 1 – 8 from left to right.  You’ll notice that the color plates can be changed on the grinders, so change plate 6 to black (samtoo).  Doing this will change the plate on grinder 3 to white (her-mah) and the plate of grinder 8 to green (toonha). Finally, spin the grinders in this order: 6 (toss), 3 (toolti), and 8 (tra-li).  The priest’s prayer will be replayed on the grinders and a secret door on the base of the statue will open.  Go across the woven bridge and around to the back of the statue to access the new passage.  From here, we have a quick way to get to Bosh’s Tunnels and to Hannah.

Sam will arrive under the arch that is supporting the primitive Argilan computer Hannah discovered earlier.  He’ll call Hannah to have her report her position, which she answers with coordinates 139.6.4.  Sam becomes confused because he is also at 139.6.4, but Hannah is nowhere in site! Hannah realizes that the two of them must be existing in slightly different phases of reality because, against all laws of known physics, they can exist in the same space and time, but not see or touch each other.  Disappointed at this new setback, the two agree to keep looking around and make Bosh their headquarters.

After your conversation with Hannah, go down the pathway beneath the scaffolds.  (If that creepy Argilan ghost I spoke of earlier didn’t appear for Hannah, he’ll show up here and hand you a tile with a strange symbol on it. Hold on to that for now.)  Go over to the large seated statue and climb the ladders all the way and zoom in the head.  Seems that he’s a little out of focus . . . wait! Where’s that lens? Place it over the porthole head of the statue and the light will change.  Hurry down the ladders to the plaque near the foot of the statue.  Check it out!  New coordinates!

These coordinates for getting to a strange area known as Matia’s Zone, but we’re not going to investigate that yet. We still have lots more to do before we can head there.  Remember that bit from the temple about the bees and the number 8? Why don’t we take Sam back to the Living Islands so we can learn more about that.  Go forward three times, through the main entrance tunnel and across the steel bridge.  Use the hanging chair to get back across the to Living Ship, right where Hannah parked it.  Head up the path and up the elevator to the control room.  Approach the center console (the one with the hand) and press the upper green button to lock in the coordinates for the Living Islands.  Press the hand imprint to set sail.

The ship will dock in its original position.  Once the vehicle has come to a full and complete stop, exit down the elevator, up the path, and across on the chair to get to the Living Islands.  Once there, retrace Hannah’s steps across the bridge of light and forward down the path until you come to the blue gondola. Call the gondola, then use it to cross the water to the next island.  When you have reached the other side, pan left, then forward twice and up the path. Wait a sec . . . is that door opening?  What we can only assume is an Argilan man steps out to greet you.  He tells you, in near perfect English, that many of the Argilans learned your language against Matia’s wishes so that they could communicate with the visitors.  But doesn’t this contradict what Angela said about the natives being fearful of visitors? Could this mean that Matia’s construct is so old, that its programming goes against what the natives now wish?  This could present a problem. After this, he will tell you that oil, which is very valuable to the Argilans, needs to be taken to the temple.  He offers an exchange: a unit of oil for each of the eight blue pearls you have in your possession.  (Now, only Sam has these.  If you decided to deviate from my walkthrough, and you switched to Hannah, you’re screwed.  Go back and get Sam.)  He says to get the exact amount you need, you will need to use the balance on the oil container.  Get it now?  The bees? Number 8?  The bees are found around the oil container, and the number eight is how much oil we’ll need to take back.  Okay, so it’s a stretch, but that’s really the only thing those bees stand for. Sorry to disappoint! 

The man will go back inside his house and you’ll need to turn right and go towards the pear-shaped oil container.  Press the Roman numeral 3 (III), the Argilan symbol for 8.  The pearls will automatically disappear from your inventory after doing so.  Zoom in on the right side of the container (all the way around) and take the blue bottle that contains the eight units of oil.  Time to head back to the temple give this oil to one of the Argilan holy men.

Okay, time to hike back to the ship. (Who wants a zip mode here? Me! Me!) Go forward and back down the path. Turn left, and go toward the gondola platform.  Call the gondola, and cross the water to the other side. Climb up the path towards the light bridge, cross it to get the chair.  Use the chair to go across the ship, then down the path, up the elevator to the control room.  On the central console, press the second lit button to lock in the coordinates for Bosh and press the imprint to return there.

Disembark from the ship once you’re back at Bosh and enter the tunnels.  Follow the path beneath the scaffolds and go through the arch under the computer to return to the temple.  Cross the woven bridge back to the stone shore of the temple, then go left and forward five times. Turn left, go up the stairs, and enter the room with portrait of the Buddha on the right.  Suddenly, the ghostly figure of the Argilan holy man will appear.  He’ll frown at you and hold up one finger.  Seeing the confused look on your face, he’ll point to the tablet on the bearing the number 8, then hold up one finger again. You’ve got to be kidding me!  I only have 7 units of oil?! That old guy on the Living Islands cheated me!!!! Well, either that or the balance was off.  Great, just great . . . where am I going to find another blue pearl?  I could go back to the Balloon Field, but I bet there’s some sort of limit on how many pearls you can take.  I suppose I could go back to that man and demand he give me the rest of the oil I need. 

Exit the chamber and go back down the stairs, turning right at the bottom.  Go forward five times, then cross the woven bridge and use the secret passage to return to Bosh.  Head to where your ship is parked outside the main entrance, but don’t cross over to the ship yet.  We’re going to start some tag team work here.

Egads! Yes, you read it right; we’re switching back to Hannah.  Have her exit Bosh through the main entrance and take her to the chair, where you left Sam.  As before, you can’t see him, and he can’t see you.  Take the chair across to the ship.  Once you’ve landed, go back to Sam.

Take Sam across the water via the chair to the ship.  Go down the path and up the elevator to the control room.  Have him stand near the controls, but don’t touch anything yet.  Back to Hannah.

Hannah

Have her join Sam in the control room and zoom in the central console. Push the first button for the Living Islands and activate the ship.  Now our heroes are traveling together!  Get used to it kids; if you ever want these to move together, you have to repeat certain paths over and over again. Almost enough to make you want to stop playing . . . but I insist, persevere through this.  You’ll be rewarded later.

When you’ve arrived at the islands, exit the ship, ride the chair across, and cross the light bridge.  Take the blue gondola across the water, and switch to Sam once you’ve reached the opposite side.

Sam

Have him follow in Hannah’s footsteps.  Once you’ve ridden across the water in the gondola, go back to Hannah.

Hannah

Turn left and walk forward.  Then, turn right, go forward, and turn right again. Enter the elevator and go up one level.  Sit tight; don’t exit.  Go back to Sam.

Sam

After panning left, go forward once, pan right, walk forward twice and climb up the path.  (I’m sorry if this seems drier than my usual fare, but there’s not much I can joke about when giving navigation. Sorry!)  When you’ve reached the top, the door will open, but before you can chew the old guy out, he’ll tell you to look in the elevator. Elevator? How could there be a pearl in the elevator? Go back down the path, turn right and go forward.  Turn left and zoom in on the floor of the elevator. Well, would you look at that? Hannah freed a stuck pearl from the shaft when she took the elevator up.  Good work! Take the pearl and return up the path to the oil container.  Zoom in on the ledge behind the container and place the blue bottle there.  Go around to the front and press the symbol for 8 again. Your newly acquired pearl will vanish, and your bottle will now be full.  Retrieve the bottle from behind the container, then go back so you are facing the old man’s door.  He will reappear and tell you that you will need a balloon to reach Matia. Well, we’ve got one of those parked over by the temple.  Let’s these two back there.

Turn left, go down the path ahead and go forward twice. Cross the water in the blue gondola, then retrace your steps back to the ship (this should be pretty much memorized at this point).  Once in the control room, have Sam wait by controls.  Go back to the ever patient Hannah.

Hannah

Take the elevator back down and exit. Turn left, go forward once, left again, and you’ll be at the gondola console. From here, you know the way.  Once you’re in the control room, switch to Sam.  His turn to drive.

Sam

Go to the center console and select the second light for the Bosh coordinates.  Touch the hand imprint to activate the ship.

When you have reached Bosh, go back to the tunnels and retrace your steps to the temple via the secret passage.  Once there, go back to the Buddha chamber and the Holy Man will reappear.  He will gladly accept the blue bottle of oil and in return for your efforts, reward you with another gold disk with coordinates for the balloon. Awesome! Now we’re getting somewhere.  Let’s get back to the balloon field and read this thing.

Go back down the stairs to the ground level of the temple.  Turn left, forward three times, right, and then forward once.  Keep going forward and down the temple stairs until you reach the first of the two stone bridges.  Cross this one and when you’ve reached the second, Angela Davis will suddenly appear.  She’ll warn you that everything on Argilus is ritualized and that in order to proceed, you must impress Matia with your knowledge of Argilan ritual.  To do this, you have to get to Matia’s Zone by using the information on the new disk.  By getting to Matia’s Zone, you’ll find what you need to escape the planet. Dr. Hovis will appear then, telling you not to trust what you’ve just been told. Matia can impersonate anyone, meaning it can mislead you with false information.  Trust no one? Believe the lie? I think Chris Carter secretly had a hand in this.

Once Hovis has vanished, keep going forward over the bridge and then right over the smaller footbridge (don’t look down! Eeek!).  Turn left and go through the opened door.  Make sure that you turn around and close this door behind you using the controls.  If you don’t, the docking rings by the balloon won’t unlock and you won’t be able to get anywhere.  Go right and go forward and head across the bridge to the large elevator.  Take it back up to the docking platform and go up the stairs to the balloon.  Head to the cockpit and take a seat in the right chair.  On the steering controls, select the left most blue button and the coordinates for the Balloon Field will automatically be entered.  Hit the large center button and we’re off!

Once you’ve docked at the Balloon Fields, go through the tunnels housing the Gas Collectors to the round coordinate device on the other side.  Open it and place your gold disk inside to collect the new coordinates for Matia’s Zone.  If you don’t remember, this can be done by pressing on the bottom right symbols, from in to out, one at a time. Upper coordinates are for the arch; lower coordinates are for the right handle.  Head back to the balloon and take a seat in front of the controls.  Here’s what you need to enter into the dials:

Once you’ve got these locked in, hit the central blue button and fly off to Matia’s Island.

When you’ve landed, head down the stairs.  However, you won’t be able to get very far as your exit is blocked by a large chain-link fence.  If you look to your right, you’ll see a sealed panel fronted by a metal arch.  Turn the key on the right side of the arch to open the panel and reveal a set of coordinates.  These will match the ones above, the ones you just used to get here.  Close the panel and take the key.  Turn back to the fence, open it and get into the elevator.

To move this elevator, you will need to raise the pole in the center of the platform the number of floors you want to go down; push it down if you want to ascend.  From this position, the pole is all the way up, meaning we are on the top floor of four floors. Push the pole down one notch (you’ll hear a click at each notch) and we’ll be transported to the third level.  Exit out and follow the path ahead as far as you can go. (By the by, take the time and enjoy the detail of the mold growing along the walls of the dam.  It’s so cool!)  It looks as if we are walking across the face a huge dam.  There will be two doors you’ll pass on your way, but ignore them for now. (Damn dam doors, hahahaha.)  For now, let Sam enjoy the scenery and let’s go see what Hannah’s up to.

Hannah

When we last saw Hannah, she was on the ship docked by the tunnels at Bosh.  We need to get her to Matia’s Zone as well, by using the new coordinates we found on the tablet in the tunnels.  Here’s what we need to do.  Start out by getting a close up on the left control panel. Remembering that the controls are laid out like a clock face, press the following items:

Symbol at 10 o’clock on the outer rim

Symbol at 12 o’clock on the middle rim

Dot at 2 o’clock on the inner rim

After these three are lit green, back away and close in on the right most control panel.  You need to press these:

Symbol at 3 o’clock on the outer rim

Dot at 2 o’clock on the middle rim

Dot at 2 o’clock on the inner rim

Once those are green, zoom in on the hand and press it to sail off to see Matia.  Once you arrive, you run into a slight problem.  The docking tentacle has nothing to grab on to since the hook isn’t raised, hence, we have no way to get across to the island.  Super . . . suppose we need to find a way to get that thing activated.  Go out of the control room and down the elevator.  I bet you think you’re supposed to go up the ramp; guess again! We’re going somewhere new! Instead, turn left and go towards that telescope you see ahead.

Time for a pretty tricky puzzle, kids.  Actually, a pair of puzzles.  Take a look through the telescope.  Not seeing much, are you? Well, that’s because the right combination of lenses hasn’t been inserted yet.  Our first task is get all the right lenses into the telescope in order to see the clue to next part our puzzle.  On the telescope’s stand, there are two boxes of lenses, each with multiple slots.  Since this is yet another random solution, I can’t give you definitive directions.  But I can give you the way.  Let’s begin.

Start with the box on the left.  Take the first lens (going from left to right as always) and place it in the telescope.  Now look through the eyepiece.  See those two arrows to the side of your view?  If the down arrow is highlighted, you have selected a correct lens (and the image should be sharper) so leave it in the telescope.  If this is an incorrect lens, the up arrow will be lit.  This being the case remove the lens and put it back in the same slot you took it from. Do this with all the lenses in both boxes until you have a clear image of the area ahead.  Time to get on to the tricky part.  Schizm never makes anything easy, just learn to accept that.

Again, this is another randomized puzzle, so get out your pens and paper. I can’t help you with visuals here.  You’ll need a good memory and quick notation skills to solve this bad boy.  Take a look through your focused telescope.  You’ll see a light on the other end, flashing in a random pattern, like Morse code with long and short flashes. (Sorry folks, knowledge of Morse code won’t help you here!)  The cycle will repeat itself every time you look into the telescope.  Make note of these flashes, which can range in number from 5 to 12.  Also, make note if the flashes are short or long.  For an example, we’ll use the series from my game, which had eleven flashes. I found it the easiest to notate the sequence in this fashion:  Short = S, Long = L:

L – L – L – L – S – L – S – S – S – L – L

After you’ve double-checked your sequence, take the elevator back to the control room.  You’ll be confronted by more visions of the missing scientists who continue to insist that you need to cease your efforts to escape.  Ignore them and lets keep plugging away at this puzzle. Go forward once, them zoom in the panel to the right of the three navigation controls. The perimeter of this panel also resembles a clock.  Since the example above had eleven flashes, click the dot at 11 o’clock.  Select the appropriate position on the clock for your sequence.  This will allow the ship to signal back the same number of times as the sequence.

If you look at the bottom of these controls, you’ll see a set of small switches that can only be pushed up or down (they are all currently in the up position). The kind of flash each position emits is also different with each game, so push the first switch down and leave the others up. Press the center button to watch the sequence of flashes.  For my game, the long flash was emitted in the down position and the short flash came when the switch was up.  Follow your game according to what you see.  Now, once you have that information, set the switches accordingly. Only set switches for the number of flashes you have!  Here’s what my switches looked like (U = Up, D = Down)

D – D – D – D – U – D – U – U – U – D – D  (then the last switch remained up since I didn’t have a 12^th flash)

Press the center button the watch the sequence play.  Okay, now don’t freak out if this doesn’t work.  We still don’t have all we need yet to finish.  Try pacing the deck.  An Argilan will appear and says something to you in the native language.  Angela Davis will then appear and translate for you, saying you’ll have to use the negative of the code.  Go back to the controls and flip the switches to the opposite of what you had.  Again, don’t touch the unused switches:

U – U – U – U – D – U – D – D – D – U – U

Press the center button and you’ll still get nothing. Grrrrrr!!!  Oh wait! They said negative! How about using a complete negative? Not only reverse the flash type, but also the order.  Here’s what my final sequence looked like:

U – U – D – D – D – U – D – U – U – U – U

Hit the center button and watch as the hook responds to the flashes and you are able to dock.  Take the chair across the island.  Welcome to Matia’s Zone!

Get in the rail car on your left and click on the pedestal until the controls are facing you.  Each symbol the dial will represent a different location in the Zone.  The one you’re seeing now represents the dock.  It will look like a strange “X.”  Use the wheel on the right of the symbols and turn the dial up once.  Sit back and enjoy ride as Hannah is transported to the dam.  Hey, did you happen to notice that large, black egg structure in the distance?  That’s the housing for The Wanderer, the mysterious God that Angela spoke about.  We’ll meet him later.  Exit the cart.

Now Sam and Hannah are in the same place, though they still cannot see each other.  From this point on, it almost doesn’t matter who you play.  There will be places in the game where certain inventory items will be needed (like the tile given to you in Bosh) so you will need to use that character in those situations.  From here on out, we’ll follow how I completed the game.  So, let’s switch off to Sam, shall we?

Sam

Turn around, and go back down the metal stairs, then stop in front of the first damn dam door.  Zoom in to get a look at the symbols:  Here’s a graphic for your convenience:

Press the large button and head through the doors.  Oooo . . . this is place is very pretty, and Sam will agree.  In the distance looms The Wanderer.  It looks really out of place here.  Turn right and follow the path to the end.

Do you like excruciating torture?!!!!! (Cackles) Well, if you’re masochist like most adventure gamers (because why would we cause ourselves so much pain otherwise) then this next puzzle is right up your alley.  Zoom in on the panel and let me explain.  Your goal here to get a solid bridge of light built from one side of the board to the other.  However, the computer will be working against you, raising walls to block your path.  You have the first move and the best strategy is to always leave yourself two possible paths to get around the computer. As usual, there is no direct solution, so you’re on your own. Oh . . . and did I forget to mention that you must complete this puzzle twice in a row?  No saves in between either.  So, please save your game before your begin the first puzzle.  Enjoy!

Once you have completed two consecutive rounds of the light puzzle, a section of rail will be raised that leads to The Wanderer’s Island.  Exit through the damn dam door and continue along the path to your right.  Take a second and note the symbol over the second damn dam door.  Does anyone want to take a wager on what’s behind door number two? We’ll play that game later.  Head to the elevator and push the pole all the way down to get to the bottom level.  Let’s not check out the dark tunnel for now; go past it to the right and follow the large pipe to the end of the path.  Turn left and you’ll be facing a large red wheel that controls water flow into the cave . . . oops, you weren’t supposed to know that yet.  Oh well . . . go back to Hannah.

Retrace Sam’s steps down the path and take the elevator to the bottom level.  Since Sam was afraid of the dark, we’ll go into the cave and see what’s to see there.  The cave seems to be flooded and on the opposite side there’s a man, who looks to be human no less, imprisoned.  Hannah doesn’t seem to be fond of water, so let’s see if Sam can help us out.

Does anything seem to be really loud to you? Like maybe the sound of rushing water? Oh right! Have Sam turn the wheel once clockwise and it gets real quiet. But don’t move!  If you do, the wheel turns back and the water starts flowing again.  Go back to Hannah.

Hannah

(Sigh) It’s really nice to make Sam hang out for once.  My turn to play hero! (Oh dear, but I play both characters. Does this mean I’m talking to myself?)  Walk across the cave to the guy.  He’ll introduce himself as Charles Santo and says he was a member of one of the science teams, and possibly the only one still not taken prisoner by Matia.  He explains that a virus of some kind had infected all the other crewmembers.  They all had to leave so they could be treated or they would die from the effects.  In their haste, some of the crew tried to take Argilan artifacts with them for study.  This angered Matia and it imprisoned them.  Santo also reveals that Matia is indeed a Doomsday machine like Angela Davis had hypothesized.   He says that there’s an area nearby that contains five houses, and following Argilan protocol, must be entered twice, but only exited once.  This will cause a dimensional shift and in this dimension, you’ll find the answers you need to disable Matia and leave the planet.  Santo asks that you come back for him when it’s time to go.  Leave the cave and go stand by the small wheel to the right of the cave as you’re facing it. Go back to Sam.

Sam

Since Hannah is out of harms way (the whole rushing water thing) leave the wheel and go left, through the elevator, to the drawbridge on the other side.  What is that I see over there? Could those be the five houses Santo spoke of? All I need to do is push this handy dandy lever to lower the bridge and I can go access this new dimension.  Uh, okay maybe not. Hey Hannah! Can I get some help here please?

Hannah

Oh, so that’s what those pipes coming from these smaller wheels are for! They control the hydraulic pressure to the bridge!  Would you believe that the solution to this puzzle varies from game to game? Who would have thought?  For this puzzle, you’ll lots of patience and character switching. Starting with the right wheel, turn it clockwise once, then switch back to Sam and press the lever.  When Hannah has gotten to the right position, the first have of the bridge will lower and lock into place.  Place her in front of the left wheel and do the same thing until both sides of the bridge lock into place.  Sam is then free to cross.

Sam

Welcome to quaint little village of Matiani, a place were sudden disappearances and dimensional shifts are the norm!  We have five lovely little huts for your housing pleasure, so if you and your partner are stranded on Argilus, you can always find a home with us!  There is one house in the center, surrounded by four others.  The one you are facing when you cross the bridge is the center hut.  Number the ones surrounding you 1 – 4, from left to right.  Hut 1 is closest to the drawbridge on the perimeter of this small plateau.  Our goal here is to open the dimensional shift, just like Santo described.  But how is it possible to enter a house twice, but only exit once?  Well, these are no ordinary houses: stepping into one house will cause you to be transported and to subsequently exit from another.  If you want to try this on your own, enter any one of the houses and see where you exit. I suppose the Argilans felt this would make it much easier to visit your neighbors.  However, if you test the center hut, all you’ll get is a flash of light, so that one’s useless for now.  Here’s how we initiate the dimensional shift:

Enter hut 2 to exit from the center hut

Enter hut 4 to exit from hut 1

Enter hut 1 to exit from the center hut

Enter hut 1 to exit from hut 3

Enter hut 3 to exit from the center hut

Enter hut 3 to exit from hut 2

An Argilan spirit will appear here and hand you a tile, similar to the one you received in Bosh.  The only difference is the symbol.  Let’s finish the shift.

Enter hut 4 to exit from hut 4

Enter hut 2 to exit from the center hut

Once you have completed all these moves, you’ll be in the new dimension.  The village looks the same, but the sky is now completely dark, as though the sun has set in just a couple minutes.  Hannah can no longer be reached because in this new dimension, she is completely out of phase with you.  Take a look around, then head toward the drawbridge.  An Argilan woman will appear, but she seems distracted by something in the sky.  As you approach her, she’ll turn and tell you that it’s up to you and Hannah to choose between The Wanderer and The Good Servant. “Which will it be?”  Heavy philosophy, dude.

Once she vanishes, take a look up at the top of the damn dam and you’ll see that something has changed.  Twelve towers have appeared, and they are raised at two different heights.  If you number them 1 – 12, left to right, you’ll note that 1, 5, 7, 7, 10, and 12 are higher than the rest.

Let’s get back to our own dimension and tell Hannah what we’ve found.  To do so, enter the center hut and you’ll be shifted back to daylight.  Sam will contact Hannah immediately and let her know he’s okay.  Head back toward the drawbridge.  (For some reason, the drawbridge might raise again here.  If it has, and won’t lower as you approach it, switch to Hannah and have her lower it.)

Go into the cave and approach the device on the left hand wall.  Take the new tile from the village and place it into the slot.  Move the windows so that they are revealing the symbol code for the first damn dam door.  Also, make the sure the symbol at top matches the symbol for the door.  If you need more help, this is what you need to do:

Number the pipes from top to bottom, 1 – 4

On pipe 1, pull the window to the left one time

On pipe 2, pull the window to the right two times

On pipe 3, pull the window to the left one time

And finally, on pipe 4, pull the window to the right one time

The revealed code should now match with the one I sketched in earlier.  Remove this tile and place the tile from Bosh in its place. (If Hannah has this tile, then switch to her, bring her into the cave, and continue.)

Match the damn dam door symbol for the second door.  Then repeat the above movements to get the symbols you need to unlock the door.  This is what you should get:

I felt here it was Hannah’s turn to experience some pain.  So head back to the second damn dam door. 

Now let’s play Let’s Make a Deal!  Now Hannah, you have a choice here.  You could walk away from all of this, and enjoy a life of peace and relaxation on the ghost planet of Argilus.  Sam can chime in once in a while and talk to you over the radio, and the spirits of your lost crewmates could keep you company when they pop in and out and the most insane and inconvenient times! All the mind-bending puzzles and gorgeous scenery you could want!  Or, you could continue your quest to get home and take what’s behind Door Number Two! It could cause you no end of pain and frustration, BUT IT MIGHT JUST GET YOU HOME! Which will it be?

“Door Number Two, Monty!” (Oh dear, did I really just say that out loud? I need to get out more.)  Enter the new code and the door will unlock for you.

Take a moment to breathe in the beautiful scenery, then get on with your task of unraveling the painful puzzle that awaits.  Yeah, so you remember that bridge of light thing that you had Sam solve earlier? Well, you get to do it again, only this time, the computer starts first! Muwahwahwahwah!  And don’t worry; you won’t be alone in your feelings to toss that old idiot box out the window.

(Jen checks her watch.) Are you done yet? I would like to finish this thing sometime in the next century! Okay, sorry, don’t get your panties in a bunch.  I knew that you were almost there, really I did! Do you want to go meet this guy they call The Wanderer? Okay then!  First though, switch to Sam.  He’s got something we’ll need there.

Sam

Let’s see, where did we leave Sam . . . ah yes, he’s in the cave.  Have him take the elevator up to the third level and go to the railcar.  Get in the car and turn the dials to face you.  Push the right handle up three times, then push the button. And we’re off!

“Please keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle until it has come to a complete stop.”  When you’ve stopped, get out and take a look around. Bit of a depressing place, kinda like some industrial parts of Northern Delaware . . . although, I think you’d be hard pressed to find a large black egg anywhere around there.  The Wanderer lives inside of this egg.  There are fences that line the walkways and they seem to be housing a series of pipes that go into the egg.  Head over to the left and you’ll see that there’s a strange mechanism attached to the pipes that has eight valves on it, which can be raised and lowered.  These are similar to the twelve towers from the village dimension and to the primitive computer in Bosh’s Tunnels.  If you check out the pipes on the right side of the island, you’ll find eight more of these valves, giving you a total of 16 valves.  But there were only 12 towers on the damn dam! I suppose we’ll eventually have to go to Bosh and find the answers, but not quite yet.

Go forward between the two fences and approach the platform in front of The Wanderer.  On the left is an arch similar to the one you encountered when we first arrived in Matia’s Zone.  Take the key you found there and use it to unlock the panel beneath.  You’ll be rewarded with yet another set of coordinates for the balloon.  These will give you access to The Wanderer’s Domain via the balloon.  Here they are:

This will be the last set of coordinates you will get to navigate Argilus, so you can check that box off.  After you’ve looked at the coordinates long enough, turn around and hit that button in the center of your view.  You’ll hear some gears try to move, but they seem to be locked.  Add that to the “useful-knowledge-for-later” file.  Head back to the rail cart and go back to the dam by pushing the right handle up once.

When you’ve arrived, take the elevator to the bottom level and turn off the water flowing into the cave.  Once it’s stopped running, switch to Hannah.

(Pssst . . . hey Hannah, stop daydreaming. You’re on!)

Have Hannah exit dam and go back to the elevator.  Go all the way up to the fourth level and get into the balloon.  Once you’re looking at the cockpit controls, enter the coordinates that Sam found in the Wanderer’s Domain so you can see exactly where it takes you.  They will also lock into your handle as the fourth lit button.  These will take you directly over The Wanderer itself, but since there is no place to dock, you’ll go back to your previous position.  Good to know for later.

Exit the balloon and head down to the bottom level to talk to Santo.  He’ll say that if you’ve decided to free The Wanderer from its prison, you must remember two things: ossah and dissam.  Sound familiar? They should if you’ve been paying close attention to my graphic aids!  These sounds represent the Argilan words for West and Northeast, ossah = West, dissam = Northeast.  You’ll need the symbols associated with each for a puzzle in Bosh’s Tunnels, so go review the graphic for compass directions to get those.

Take the elevator to the third level and head over to the rail cart.  Enter the code to return to the Living Ship. (It looks like a strange “X” if you don’t remember.)  Once you’ve gotten to the ships control room, hit the second green button on the center console and press the hand to start her up.  Heading back to Bosh, la la lee la . . . .

Exit the ship and enter into the tunnels via the gold-rimmed entryway.  Go left under the purple scaffolds until you reach the computer.  Climb the stairs and walk around it until you are facing the controls.  As you can see, the controls are divided into three sections.  The top section has a series of knobs that move up and down (and strangely enough, look like the towers we saw on the dam!).  The middle section looks sort of like a typewriter keyboard with Argilan symbols instead of letters.  And the bottom has a series of purple bulbs that are all presently level with the console.  Here’s how we work this thing.  Raise the knobs in the top section so that they match the pattern from the dam. Number them from 1 – 12, left to right, and raise the following: 1, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12.

Our next move is to press the button bearing the symbol for ossah. You’ll hear some noises as the computer processes your input, then a few of the purple bulbs will raise.  After this, press the button for dissam and the bulbs will move into their final position.  As you’ll notice, there is a total of 16 bulbs, 8 on one side and 8 on the other.  Where have we seen a pattern like this before? That’s right! In The Wanderer’s Domain!  Copy down the pattern and we’ll use this on the pipes Sam found earlier. 

Left side:

3, 5, 7, 8

Right side:

1, 5, 8

When you’re finished notating the code, head back to the Living Ship and return to Matia’s Zone by selecting the third lit button and activating the console.  When you’ve arrived, exit the ship and get in the railcar.  Select the strange “Y” symbol, which will return you to the damn dam.  Hurry to the elevator and get to the top floor. Enter the balloon and enter the cockpit, but don’t sit in the control chair yet.  Hannah’s all set up for the final sequence.  Let’s set up Sam.

Sam

Sam should still be hanging out by the cave if you haven’t moved him.  Have him take the elevator to the third floor and have a seat in the railcar.   Enter the symbol for The Wanderer’s Domain (which looks like a weird little dancing man) and enjoy the trip.  Once you’ve arrived, head over the pipe housing on the left.  Close in on the valves and raise them according to the code Hannah received in Bosh: 3, 5, 7, 8.  After you’ve done this, go over to the right side and enter in the second code: 1, 5, 8.  Once both codes are in place, walk up to the platform where you found the balloon coordinates.  Remember that large button that didn’t work earlier? Give it a try now.

The top will open and flutter, as though it’s gasping for air.  An Argilan native will appear and question your decision to free The Wanderer.  She suggests returning to the balloon and if it is at all possible to still save your friends.  After she vanishes, Hannah will buzz in and suggest that by performing one of the Argilan rituals, they will impress Matia.  Sam agrees.  Take the railcar back to the damn dam and position him in front of the large water wheel on the bottom level.  Go back to Hannah.

Hannah

Have a seat in the control chair and zoom in the steering.  Press the fourth lit button to activate the coordinates for The Wanderer’s Domain.  The balloon will activate and sail directly over the egg.  It will slowly open, revealing The Wanderer.  A hook will lower from the balloon and grab The Wanderer from inside the egg.  Still on autopilot, the balloon will fly out over the Living Ship and drop The Wanderer inside.  Now housing this mythical creature, the ship will fume with green smoke.  Not a pretty sight.  The balloon will then return to its docking port on the top level of Matia’s Zone.

If you’re curious, I’ve heard that you can visit other parts of the game at this point using the balloon to see how the freeing of The Wanderer affected the planet. So if you would like, please be my guest.  Just make sure to save first so we can come back and finish.

Once you are docked, say good-bye to the balloon and take the elevator down to the bottom level.  We need to get more information out of Charles Santo.

Sam

Hey genius, shut off the water! Thanks.

Hannah

Go across the tunnel to meet Santo at the bars.  He’ll thank you for returning to free him, then cryptically advises for you and Sam to stay together.  And then he vanishes. Um, what just happened? 

Let’s get these two back to the Living Ship.  Have Hannah leave the cave and take the elevator to the third level.  Take the railcar back to the Living Ship and have her wait in the control room beside the controls.

Sam

Ditto for Mr. Sam.  Once he’s at the controls, another Argilan ghost will appear and point to a large gold structure to your left.  Get a close up, then click on it once.  The ship will suddenly spring to life and blast off into space. (Why did this remind me of the final sequence in Comer?)

The Living Ship has now become your spaceship home.  As Sam and Hannah stand on the deck, Angela Davis appears on the forward view screen, confirming she is the real Angela Davis and saying that all the science teams natives of Argilus are fine.  She explains that all the ghosts you saw on Argilus were actually created by Matia in an effort to test you and judge your worthiness.  Matia was impressed with the effort the pair put into helping each other and to discovering the whereabouts of their missing friends.  Because of this, the science team was spared and returned safely home.  Matia did this in an effort to protect the natives of Argilus from the potential harm they could have received from the science team.  As for Charles Santo, he was never part of the science team and actually the visual representative for The Wanderer.  He was sent by Matia to study humanity face to face.  Angela is optimistic that one day the people of Earth and Argilus can live in peace.