The Let's Play Archive

Safecracker 2

by TheMcD

Part 6: Update VI: I'm Off To See The Wizard

Update VI - I'm Off To See The Wizard

I've got a bit of time before the darts today, so what the hell, let's finish it so I can be done with this game. Now, I believe we have a door to unlock?

Puzzle #25: The Vault Door



This one's pretty interesting. The basic idea goes as follows - you've got six bars locking the door, and turning these wheels will move certain bars half of the way until they're open, and if a bar is open and it's told to move again, it moves half of the way until it's closed again. To complicate matters, turning a wheel moves two bars, turning it again moves two different bars, then the two alternate. With that known, let's experiment to find out which wheel moves what!

First, let's turn wheel 1 twice. First bar 1 and bar 4 move, then bar 5 and bar 6.

1: 1
2: 0
3: 0
4: 1
5: 1
6: 1

Then, let's turn wheel 2 twice. First bar 4 and bar 5 move, then bar 1 and bar 5.

1: 2
2: 0
3: 0
4: 2
5: 3
6: 1

Then, let's turn wheel 3 twice. First bar 2 and bar 3 move, then bar 1 and bar 4.

1: 3
2: 1
3: 1
4: 3
5: 3
6: 1

Now, let's repeat that process:

1: 6
2: 2
3: 2
4: 6
5: 6
6: 2

0 means all the way to the left, 1 half-way moving right, 2 at the right, 3 half-way moving left, 4 at the left, 5 half-way moving right, 6 at the right, which means...



...we're done! And what was this door hiding?



...

Room #32: The Closet





Well then. What a cad this DWA character is - although I have to say I definitely didn't expect this. There's nothing in here, but let's climb up that ladder:

Room #33: The Loft





OK, now this looks more interesting. We have two safes to get to, so let's get started!

Puzzle #26: Fit For A Queen



Alright, this contraption looks like it needs a lever, and it just so happens we have one!



And with that, the actual puzzle opens up, revealing a chess-board, and the little pictures and some experimentation leads us to learn that we're supposed to place six queens that can't run into each other - a downsizing of the Eight Queens chess puzzle. Simply fiddle about with it a bit...



...and the solution should come to you.



With that, we get a triple key. We'll probably run into the door/safe/box/whatnot that takes these fairly soon. Now, we have another puzzle to solve:

Puzzle #27: Pipe Dreams



Another actually interesting puzzle, as we've got to flip these pipes in 90° angles to create a complete loop. This is a rather logical puzzle, you've simply got to connect the closest pipe, then figure out where the fluid goes, flip the adjacent tile until it connects, go from there.



Eventually, you'll figure it out.



And with that, we get a carved stone block and another message from DWA:

"Ha ha ha! With a little more effort my will could be yours!"

So that must mean we're getting close! Now, stone block in hand, let's make our way back to the dressing room to find...

Puzzle #28: The Polybius Safe



We passed on this one the last time we saw it, but now that we have this block...



...we find a Polybius square, which means those numbers are encoded with the standard Polybius cipher. After a bit of decoding and rearranging of spaces, the solution comes out as ONE TWO SIX FIVE.



And after entering that...




...we get the fourth (and final) triple key! Now, with those keys, we go back to the violet bedroom, because there's another door there that we couldn't open.




And after sticking two of our keys into the door, the obvious happens:



There's another door! I suppose this was supposed to catch people that found two keys and rushed to the door off guard, but I missed this door until I solved every other puzzle, so I just figured it to be the logical thing, since I after all have four keys.



Two more keys go into the door,



and the door reveals the final destination!

Room #34: The Secret Room



Nothing but a desk and a safe in here, so let's check that one out:

Puzzle #29: The Final Safe



A keypad combination lock with absolutely no hints around. What could the combination be? The solution lies in actually exploring the mansion and finding the combination piece by piece. You see, we actually ran into all the clues we need before (although I didn't screenshot all of them).



In the violet bathroom...



...the dressing room...



...the toilets...



...and the yellow bathroom, we find these plaques on the doors. And putting them all together...



...leads to the solution!



And with that, we've finally found the will, and a note as well! The note goes as follows: "If you are reading this it means my will is still without a beneficiary. Your presence here indicates to me that you share my passion, and therefore have my full trust in designating my heir. Signed, Duncan Walter Adams"



Suddenly, the entire plot comes to a head, as we now need to select who gets all of DWA's estate (nice typo there, by the way)! This is where a standard thread would have a vote, but honestly, it's not worth it. All you get is one line explaining what happens - here are the options:

Margaret: True to form, Margaret keeps careful watch over the money. It lies resting at the bottom of a bank vault.
James: James divides the inheritance equitably in order not to create jealousy. He takes over his brother's safe business.
Edward: Edward pays off his house. Under the influence of his sister, he gives part of the inheritance to her which she squanders in no time.
Elizabeth: Elizabeth squanders the money in a matter of months through extravagant living. Once the money is gone she goes back to her normal life, more frustrated than ever.
Sarah: Sarah erects a majestic tomb for her great uncle on which she regularly places flowers. She gives a part of her inheritance to each member of the family. Having completed her studies with highest honors, she takes charge of her beloved great uncle's business.
You: You have been entrusted with a colossal fortune. Use it well.

And in a rather bizarre thing to include from the last game, you are given the option to print out the actual will for some reason. Here's the version you get if you choose Margaret:



Picking different people just changes the name, and picking yourself just leaves it blank so you can fill it in yourself.



And that's the game! So, a few closing words:

Is Safecracker 2 a bad game? No - it's functional, the puzzles can give you some trouble and are occasionally interesting to solve, the game looks good and is fairly cheap.

Is Safecracker 2 a good game? GOD no - the environments are bland, the puzzles are often uninspired, the plot as it stands is a joke, and overall it fails to be half as engaging as the game it's a spiritual successor to. Unless you're deathly ill and the only help is playing any sort of games with puzzles in it, I can't recommend this game - there's a ton of better stuff out there, even on the cheap.

Now, this game may be done, but stay tuned, that wasn't all! I've got a certain itch I've got to scratch ever since my sandcastle test post...