DAY ONE, AFTERNOON: MAKING UP
The game opens right where the comic left off, in Blade's "apartment". One thing to note before anything else: this is an investigation, so keep in mind that anything the player sees as a "meanwhile" sequence, Blade does
not know about . It can help you decide what to do, but you can't use the information to do something that Blade is otherwise incapable of doing. This is important because most of this and the next update will be about tracking down who Chandra was with - but if you look at the intro and the comic you already know the answer...
Now a few words about the interface. This is all point and click with an "intelligent" cursor that switches between 4 states: the regular arrow cursor, an EXIT sign to move to another location, a magnifying glass to examine things more closely (zoom-in so to speak), and a differently-shaped arrow that indicates interaction, including picking things up. An example of the latter:
indicating that the pile of clothes can be picked up. When you take things, they can then be moved into the inventory by dragging onto the small portrait at the bottom right of the screen.
The above screen shows this after it's done with the clothes, and the coat is about to follow suit (hurr). One more thing about the cursor: all the interactions are done by left-clicking. Right-clicking provides a text description (when appropriate). The whole system is very transparent. While the descriptions (especially of background stuff) are great and add a lot to the atmosphere, I won't be transcribing them unless they're particularly funny.
Anyway, the last thing I need to touch on is the inventory. There are two modes: left-clicking on the portrait brings up a small screen with all items Blade is carrying and allows using them on the outside world (more on that later), right-clicking brings up the same screen but attached to a not-ragdoll representation of Blade. This is where items can be used on him directly.
Yes well he
is in his own apartment...
Notice the arrows at the top. The single arrow advances time by one minute, the double arrows by one hour. The date and time are NOT here for show. The game has both a global time limit AND events happening at specific times that you can miss. I'll point them out as we come to them.
So, let's get Blade to look a bit more decent...
... followed by the raincoat...
Much better!
By the way, if you try to get out without your clothes on, you get a warning, followed by this:
You're under arrest for indecent exposure!
Yep, you can get a game over with exactly 3 clicks after starting. This
is a Sierra-published adventure game after all...
Unfortunately it is totally impossible to get out with clothes but no coat. Game refuses to let you out without the coat, and if you have the coat in your inventory it automatically puts it on, where it becomes undroppable.
Anyway we reload the game, and check out the apartment. There are three EXIT signs: the doorway on the left, and on each side of the screen leading to the two ends of the corridor outside the apartment. You can also get closer to the computer and to the cupboard above the sink. The cupboard is locked for now, so let's examine the computer.
This is Blade's vidPhone, which will get used quite a bit by the end. The cursor is pointing at some ammo, which I pick up and physically move to inventory. Then we press the power button and grab the remote control.
The mayor (who was just here visiting) has left us another message. The options are pretty slef-explanatory, so we click play.
... all were horribly disfigured like my... (gulp) ...my poor daughter.
This infection is spreading, whatever it is...
You've got to find out what's causing this! I suggest that you start ath the Pleasure Dome.
It's where my daughter was last seen. Look for someone called "The Jake". He was one of Chandra's friends.
Not that I'd call any of the slime that hangs out there a "friend"!
I'm sending you a vid-transmission hardcopy of my daughter...
It's not pretty but you might need it.
I don't need to remind you that this investigation is strictly unofficial. I don't want a word of this to leak to the press.
Good luck!
The game helpfully keeps track of which messages you've seen, although there will be a slight subversion of this later on. Anyway we pick up the photo and move it to the inventory. Opening the inventory (in either mode) and right-clicking on items shows a description and an enlarged view of the item.
I will be doing this for all major items, as it'll make it easier to keep track of what Blade is carrying, so that when the item does get used you will hopefully not scratch your head trying to remember where it came from.
Moving on, we play the next message.
Not terribly useful, but it's not
entirely a red herring.
The last message is from Karyn, Blade's "sometimes-girlfriend" as the game describes her.
... and she is
not happy.
We did have a date!
Or did that happen to slip your mind?
You bag of toxic waste!
And don't forget that you left your keys at my place.
I should just flush 'em!
I'll be at the Bureau of Records early...
in case you happen to roll outta bed before noon!
You now have the reason behind the naming of this update.
Anyway, after putting down the remote and stepping away from the VidPhone, we step through the side doorway I mentioned earlier into the cramped bathroom.
Opening the compartment reveals two items.
Neither is essential thanks to alternate paths and multiple puzzle solutions, but we will be using both, so we grab them.
Now, remember when I said the Guide in the comic/manual was mostly useless but with exceptions? Here's one.
ID Card: Don't leave home without it
While the card is again not technically essential, it
is useful to have. So, we go back to the VidPhone and grab it from the slot.
Only one more thing to do in the apartment for now. No self-respecting PI goes without his gun... and where would you expect a PI to keep his gun?
No, you don't get a prize for guessing this one.
This is the "simple" inventory mode I mentioned earlier. You can combine items by simply moving one on top of the other. Here I'm loading the gun with the ammo found earlier. Dragging any item outside the window will close it, allowing you to use the item with anything (or anyone) on the scene.
Anyway that's all we need from the apartment for now. For a small extra, we will exit the apartment on the right side.
Nice view of the city, no? Clicking on the flimsy walkway will get Blade to issue a warning, clicking twice results in:
Yep, anoter death-in-three-clicks. It sure didn't take the guys at Dynamix long to learn all the wily old ways of Sierra.
Anyway we reload and this time take the exit to the left.
Clicking on the top button takes us to the roof of the building. The reason for this scene's existence will become clear towards the end of the game (and no, probably not for the reason you think).
Clicking the lower button takes us to the game's transit system, the Em-Way.
Zooming on the panel displays all the locations that Blade knows about. The list will grow as the investigation proceeds.
For now, let's go to Karyn's and try to make up for missing a date.
Well, she did mention she would be working at the Bureau of Records, so let's go to City Hall and find her there.
First, let go have a quick look through that alley.
There are several things of importance here, but none that we can do anything with. For now, just note that the fence link is open. The significance of this will be clear later on.
Now let's go back and talk to the flower vendor.
We offer the finest selection of organically-grown flowers in the city.
My name is Blissful Harmony. You can call me Bliss.
How can I help you to find greater harmony in your life?
I'm kind of in dutch with my girlfriend for missing a date, so...
I see. I thought I detected anxiety in your aura... It's quite orange.
Wait what?
May I suggest a bouquet of roses and a kind apology to your lady friend?
In most dialogs, you get to choose how the conversations proceeds at several points. In some cases this is purely for flavor, in others the consequences can be quite drastic (including getting into a dead end). Here, the top options are identical, but the first one leads to a slightly funnier exchange, so I'll take it. In all future dialogs I'll always highlight the option that I'm choosing, as in the screenshot.
Well, we have an El Cheapo brand arrangement of dandelions and ragweed...
That's not quite what I had in mind. I guess I'll take a dozen roses.
An excellent choice, sir. I'm sure that these flowers will help you reforge the spiritual bond with your loved one.
Now if you will give me your card so I can charge your account...
Uh... how much is this going to cost me?
Two hundred dollars, plus tax. But how can you put a price tag on love?
May I have your card, sir?
Now you get to see the inventory system in action. When NPC's request an item the game automatically opens the inventory for you, and you then need to drag the required object off the inventory (to close it) and onto the NPC. To make things easier I'll highlight the object I'm about to use in this manner.
May you attain happiness and spiritual fulfillment in this life-cycle.
Goodbye
Notice in the shot above the roses and card icons. This is where items go when you drop them. Leaving them there is NOT a good idea; when you come back, chances are they will be gone, and if this happens to an essential item, you're screwed. So, I'll pocket both of them.
Next we'll talk to the bum on the left side.
We're all DOOOMED!
Have you got a screw loose or what?
Bahumat has risen again! I've seen him!
What the hell are you talking about?
Five thousand years he's waited...
You've been drinking too much of that rotgut!
We're all doomed! Doomed!
Asian version of Cleve?
We're done here, so we head into City Hall.
On the way into the Bureau of Records, we're stopped by the Mayor's secretary.
What are you wasting your time on that little bimbo for?
What you need, Blade, is a REAL woman...
like me, for instance!
One who could take you places you never dreamed possible...
Darn it! The good ones are always taken!
Well, if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me!
While I can hear commie fapping, don't be fooled; Jenni's a real bitch. If you accept her offer she will refuse to have anything more to do with you until you dump Karyn. If you do that,
then she will refuse to have anything to do with you, claiming it's her perogative as a woman to change her mind. So we will ignore her and go talk to Karyn.
Uh-oh. She's
really not happy.
I had a really special time sitting at home watching Rambo 12 in my brand-new evening dress!
You'd better have a darn good excuse for standing me up, Blade!
Now here's the deal: you NEED to make up with Karyn to be able to proceed past a certain point in the investigation. However, you do
not need the flowers to do so; if you don't have them, you get the option to just apologize to her. However, since we do have them, why not give them to her and make her happy?
How about picking me up at 7:30 for dinner at L'Etoile?
Here's the real reason for the flowers: get Karyn out on another date. It doesn't change anything in the game but it does flesh out their characters a bit, so we will go for it.
Great! It's a date then.
Thanks, Karyn.
You're welcome, Blade.
Come back later if you need me to check out anything else for you.
See you later.
With the keys in hand we head back to Blade's.
The card gets you back in. In case you happen to not have the card, you can use the valve on the top left, which releases some steam and leads to a short-circuit that opens the door. Getting into your own apartment illegaly would be a new low for a PI though, so we'll do it legit.
... which means: don't forget to take the card back!
Now that we have the keys we can finally open the cabinet.
All three items in there can be useful, but only two are essential.
You might've noticed there were four bombs in the cabinet. All four can be used, depending on how you approach some situations. Being hardcore, I will only take 2 of them and still solve all situations where the others could've been used.
It is now time to head to the Pleasure Dome and start looking into Chandra's death.
We must be ready in three days or the schedule will not be met!!
We need more time! We're already pushing the end of the safety margin for the reactor coolant systems!
You will either meet the production schedule or face the wrath of Bahumat!
I will end this update on these ominous tidings.