General hints: This game is easier than the others in the series, so
you might want to hold off on the hints. It has an in-game
help command that gives you a lot of guidance, especially
early on, and which I think makes the game too easy – so maybe
try not to use it? There is no examine command, so what you
see is what you get. Also, there are no up or
down direction – only the four cardinals.
What is this game about?
- It’s named after
A Blue Öyster Cult
song.
- You want to climb to the stars.
- Your goal is go up in the world.
- … To get as high up as you can by various means.
- … And to make a big declaration when you’ve achieved this.
How can I use the stream?
- You can’t.
- It’s a barrier, not a resource.
- You need to get across it.
- You can’t jump over it.
- But you can swim across it.
swim stream.
How can I use the lake?
- Can you swim across it?
- No, you can’t.
- But it’s a source of water.
- Do you have the watering can?
fill can.- Why can’t you fill the can from the stream?
- I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation.
What’s in the wood?
- Trees.
- Come on, you’ve played an adventure game before.
climb tree.
How can I get further up the
tree?
- The game is all about going up.
- But you can’t climb any higher.
- This is one occasion when you need to go down.
- In the absence of a
down directon, how might you do
that?
- Try jumping.
- You need to provide a second word to the jump command.
jump down.- (The game really should recognise just
jump here.)
How can I climb the
extremely high cliff?
- Try being less ambitious.
- You can’t climb the extremely high cliff.
- But you can climb the fairly high cliff.
- Did you try
climb cliff?
- Of course you did.
- It doesn’t work (and the game should give a better message).
- You need a tool.
- You won’t find the tool you need.
- You need to make it.
tie rope while carrying the hook.- How might you use a rope tied to a hook?
throw hook while standing by the cliff.- Then
climb rope.
- Make sure you take everything with you: it’s a one-way trip.
How can I get into the shed?
- It’s locked.
- You need to unlock it.
- Did you bring the key?
- Unfortuntely, some guess-the-noun is required.
unlock door.- Yes, it should be
unlock shed. Sorry.
How can I ascend from the
garden area?
- There is no way to ascend.
- You must make a way.
- If you’ve got into the shed, the approach should be obvious.
- What do beans grow into?
- You need to plant the bean.
- The muddy garden plot is the obvious place to do this.
- No hole? Dig one!
dig hole. (Sorry for another guess-the-noun here,
though at least it’s clued by the response to trying to plant the
bean.)- That’s not a beanstalk, it’s just a shoot.
- It needs encouragement.
- Water it.
- You did remember the watering can, didn’t you?
- I hope you remembered to fill it with water from the lake.
- Then
climb stalk.
- Make sure you take everything with you: it’s a one-way trip.
I’m lost in the clouds!
- Sorry.
- Yes, this is a classic maze.
- All the rooms look the same.
- Drop objects in each room to make them look different.
- (Also, some of the cloud-maze rooms have different help texts.)
- Then you can figure out all the north/south/east/west
connections.
- Don’t forget to go back and pick up all the items when you’ve
finished mapping the maze.
- To get from the first cloud location to the castle door:
west, south, east.
- To get back from the castle door to the first cloud location:
east, north.
- Why would you want to go back to the first cloud location?
- To collect an object. You can’t carry everything you need all at
once.
How can I get into the
giant castle?
- Can you open the door?
- What door?
- I mean, there probably is a door, but all the game
explicitly mentions is a keyhole.
- How can you reach the keyhole in a giant door?
- You’ll need to climb up.
- Use the ladder.
drop ladder, then climb ladder.- Make sure you take everything with you: it’s a one-way trip.
How can I get through the
window?
- Can you just
go through it?
- Is it open?
- Can you open it?
- No, you cannot.
- But you can look through it.
- But
look just redraws the screen, and there is no
examine.
- Time to use the telescope.
- Literally.
use telescope to discover a magic word (and hint of
what’s coming).
How can I get through the
door?
- Can you just
go through it?
- Is it open?
- Can you open it?
- No, you cannot.
- But you can smash it down.
- But there is no
break, smash or
chop.
- Nevertheless, you can smash the door.
- Use the axe.
- Throw it.
throw axe / at door.
How can I climb the stairway?
- I will not insult your intelligence by answering that question.
- Make sure you take everything with you: it’s a one-way trip.
How can I get down from the
belfry?
- In the absence of a
down directon, how might you do
that?
- Did you try
jump down?
- You don’t get down from a belfry, you get down from a duck.
- There’s no going back.
What should I do with the
bell?
- What would you normally do with a bell?
- Come on, there’s really only one option.
ring bell.- This sequence is just there to make you feel clever as you cruise
through it correctly without looking at hints.
- There’s really only one thing to do with a rolled-up carpet.
unroll carpet.- You’ll need to take it first.
- Which means you’ll need to drop something.
- How do you activate a magic carpet?
- With magic!
- There is only one magic trigger in the game.
say quaz.- There is one nasty wrinkle.
- If you are carrying the carpet when you say the magic word, you
won’t be able to carry everything else that you need.
- Drop the carpet after unrolling it and before saying the magic
word.
- Make sure you take everything with you: it’s a one-way trip.
Hey! I’m back in
Nosferatu!
- It’s true: this game, like Nosferatu, has a field where “a
crusifix is engraved on the ground”, misspelling and all.
- It’s an homage.
- An adjacent location clues you into its purpose.
- As any pirate can tell you, X marks the spot!
dig hole.- I hope you remembered to bring the spade?
- That’s right: several objects must be used more than once in this
game!
Hey! I’m back in Magic
Mirror!
- It’s true: this game, like Magic Mirror, has a pond which
you can only safely enter if you are wearing an aqualung.
- But this time, it doesn’t take you to a new location, it contains an
object.
wear aqualung / go pond.- I hope you dropped nearly everything first!
What is the purpose of
the small copse?
- None whatsoever.
- Seriously: it does nothing at all.
How can I get past the guard
- Sorry to relate, he is not a stickler for the rules.
- Bribe him.
give chain.- Make sure you take everything with you: it’s a one-way trip.
How can I open the cupboard?
- Surely you brought the key?
open cupboard.- That’s right: several objects must be used more than once in this
game!
Oh no, a security checkpoint!
- If you figured out the “crusifix” you should be fine here.
- You found the buried treasure, right?
- What was in the treasure chest?
show pass.
I can’t blast off
- Stupid perspex cover
- You’d think you just needed to lift or move it, wouldn’t you?
- Nope. For some reason, you need to destroy it.
- What did you do the last time you needed to destroy something?
throw axe / at perspex.- That’s right: several objects must be used more than once in this
game!
- Then
press button.
No air … I’m dead!
- Come on, you know how to handle this.
- You got the cupboard open, right?
- So you have the space suit?
wear suit before exiting the airlock.
I’m on the moon. Now what?
- Have you tried exploring?
- No, it’s not a maze.
- There’s nothing here.
- So you need to leave something here.
- What would crown your achievements?
- The union flag.
- It’s not enough just to drop it here.
plant flag