Part 21: Blackwell Unbound - Update 7

I also like the fact that the Blackwell games aren't a generic "good vs evil" story. There are bad people in the series, but generally it's more about struggling against forces they don't fully understand.

And yes, I do love the games - I'm glad it's shining through in my commentary


Let's make this update happen!


Update 7

Time to see if Joey can get some sense out of this lady ghost.

Inside The Gate



Joey: Hello, miss.
Lady: Hello. Can I help you?
Joey: I'm Joey Mallone, miss.
Lady: Well, Mister Mallone. To what do I owe the pleasure?

Good, good. A decent start. Let's try to figure out who she is.

Joey: What's your name?
Lady: Excuse me?
Joey: Your name.
Lady: My name is on the DOOR. If you don't know who I am, then why are you here?

Didn't take long to hit a snag.



Let's try a different approach.

Lady: Sorry. I'm not sure what you mean. Are you looking for a specific apartment, or...?
Joey: Apartment? You mean we're inside a building?
Lady: Yes. Are you feeling all right, mister?

She sounds very confused as she says "yes". At least this confirms what we already suspected; the lady thinks she's inside a building, even though it's very clear she's not. Joey presses the point.

Joey: You're not in a building, lady. Take a look around.
Lady: I don't know WHAT you're talking about. We're on the third floor! Look, there's the elevator down the hall.
Joey: Ahh. Right. Yeah. I see it. Are you sure you're feeling alright?

Not just inside a building, but three floors up as well. This ghost is clearly delusional, so Joey decides the subtle approach isn't going to work.



Lady: Oh?
Joey: There's no delicate way to put this. You're dead.
Lady: Pardon me?
Joey: Dead and buried. You're a ghost haunting a wasteland.

Hahaha, smooth. The lady is lost for words for a couple of seconds, before responding angrily.

Lady: You're unbalanced. Tell me what you want, before I call the police.

Unsurprisingly, Joey doesn't take that threat seriously, and just keeps pressing the point instead.

Joey: You're not in a building, lady.
Lady: What are you talking about?
Joey: We're on the ground. We're OUTSIDE.
Lady: YOU, sir, need glasses. Look at the door. It says "D". Clear as day.

Third floor, room D. That might be useful for tracking down information about this ghost lady, though obviously Lauren can't just hop onto the Internet like Rosa would.



Joey looks to probe further, but the ghost lady is not interested.

Lady: Look, I've had enough. I'm not going to stand here and indulge in idle chit-chat. Who are you?

Joey has a few bluff options, but none really work out that well.

Joey: I was sent by your landlord.
Lady: Oh, you were?
Joey: Yep. He wanted me to ask you a few questions.
Lady: Well, for your information I don't HAVE a landlord. I OWN this apartment.

Whoops!

Joey: I'm with the gas company. I was sent to check your apartment for leaks.
Lady: Didn't you come this morning?
Joey: Ah...
Lady: Yes you did. You found nothing AND you charged me a fortune!
Joey: That must have been someone else...

Aww, you were almost in, Joey!

Joey: I live next door.
Lauren: You do? Which room?
Joey: Ah... 4E?
Lauren: No you don't.

Joey obviously wasn't paying attention before.

Joey: I'm with the census bureau. And I have to ask you a couple of questions.
Lady: Where's your clipboard?
Joey: Excuse me?
Lady: I thought all census takers needed a clipboard.
Joey: Ah, no. Not any more. Cutbacks.

Hahahaha, "cutbacks", that's brilliant

Lady: You're not fooling me. You're one of THEM, aren't you?
Joey: One of... them? Who is "them"?



Lady: The only way you can drag me out of here is as a corpse! Goodbye!

With that, the lady turns her back and... kind of floats a short distance away. I guess in her mind she has gone back inside and slammed the door shut. We won't get any more use out of her for a while.

There is a temporary office set up in the background there which might have some information. Joey heads inside...



There should hopefully be something useful in here. That "Seagram Realty" sign in the background presumably refers to the construction company that was working on this site.



Joey: - Which I don't - It would be too dark to see anything.

There are some drawers, which Joey can't do much with. It's interesting - Joey can't open things, but he can put his head inside. The games do a pretty good job of figuring out whether any light would be able to penetrate in those circumstances.



Joey: Cheap material. I want nothing to do with it.

You're such an adorably classist ghost, Joey



On the table there is a note.



Joey: This letter was written only a few weeks ago. This lady is upset because she's been stiffed 5 bucks a month. My guess is she's not too happy with the foreman.

The letter is signed, which helps matters.

Joey: Harriet Sherman. I have no idea who she is, but any lead is a good lead.

At least we've got a name to go on with!



In the background is a sexy calendar with Farrah Fawcett on it. Not sure whether the typo was intentional to avoid copyright issues, or just a mistake. Interestingly, the famous photo depicted on this calendar was actually taken in 1976, three years later than Unbound is set. Gilbert realised this eventually, but decided to leave it in anyway. It must be difficult to design a contextually relevant game from a time before you were born.

Joey: I wonder if she likes dead guys?

Time-travelling dead guys from three years in the past at that!



With a couple of leads but not much else to show for his time, Joey heads back out to Lauren.

53rd and Lex



Joey: Not yet, dear.
Lauren: Slacker.

Joey fills Lauren in with what he saw.

Joey: I can't get a read on that lady ghost. She either wants to slap me or bake me cookies.
Lauren: You could use a good slap.
Joey: I'd rather have cookies.

Hahahaha. I know I say it a lot, but I love the banter between these two

Lauren: So any thoughts on our lady ghost?



Lauren: Any thoughts on how to SAVE her?
Joey: Nothing springs to mind.

And again...

Alright, let's take stock here. Presumably the ghost lady lived around this site, or visited here a lot. She still believes she's in a building, even though the construction site has been left unfinished, so presumably she died while a previous building was still here. Meanwhile, a Mrs. Harriet Sherman was receiving some money from the same construction company. Perhaps she can give us some info as to what happened?

Lauren's Theme (Alternative)



Lauren: Got her. There's a phone number, but no address.

We'll have to ring her.



Lauren: Is this Harriet Sherman?
Harriet: Who is this?
Lauren: My name is Lauren Blackwell.
Harriet: What do you want?

Harriet is very obviously voiced by a young woman putting on a screechy old lady voice. It's a bit out of place in what is otherwise a very professionally acted game, but Gilbert apparently loved the voice. Perhaps it reminded him of someone he knew.

Lauren: I could really use your help.
Harriet: Help? Why should I help YOU? Why should I help anybody? Nobody's ever done ME any favors. Goodbye. Don't call back.

Harriet is a real bundle of joy.



Of course, Lauren is stubborn and so she complete ignores Harriet's request for privacy.

Harriet: Hello?
Lauren: It's me again.
Harriet: You? I thought I told you not to call!
Lauren: Yeah. I know. Please just listen. Could I ask you a couple of questions?

Harriet doesn't immediately hang up, but she's not happy either.

Harriet: What is this? A survey?
Lauren: No-
Harriet: Well NO. You can't ask me a couple of questions. I'm busy.
Lauren: Listen-
Harriet: Goodbye. Don't call back.

Let's try a different approach.



Lauren calls back, but immediately offers to help Harriet.

Harriet: What? You selling something?
Lauren: No, I'm-
Harriet: I've told you a million times - NO! I don't need any insurance.
Lauren: I'm not-
Harriet: Gotta go. My stories are on. Don't call back.
Lauren: No, wait-

Gah, this just isn't working.



Lauren: Yeah yeah, I'll wait here.

What's gone wrong? Did I miss something?



Ah. I forget to have Joey actually look at the Seagram Realty poster, so therefore he never saw it to report back to Lauren. This is similar to the issues with characters not recognising obvious connections before you make them in the notebook.

Joey: I guess they're the guys who own this construction outfit.



Lauren: Hm. There's no listing. They must be based out of town.

We can't just look them up either. Let's try Harriet again.



Harriet: Ohhh. Why didn't you say? You've got my sixty dollars?
Lauren: Um, yes. Yes I do. But before I give it to you, I have to ask you a couple of questions.
Harriet: Fine fine fine. Come on by and I'll answer whatever you want. 24 Rector. Down in Battery Park City. Just buzz up.

Bingo. Of course, Lauren will actually have to spring for the $60, making this an expensive exercise.

Lauren: So Joey.
Joey: Yeah?
Lauren: Got any spare cash on you?
Joey: Sorry. Left my wallet in my other pants. Probably the pair I was buried in.



Sigh. There goes the rainy day jar.

Harriet's Theme



Lauren knocks on the door after being buzzed up, and meets with Harriet.

Harriet: I'm back here in the kitchen!
Lauren: Harriet?
Harriet: Mrs. Sherman, if you don't mind. You from Seagram Realty?
Lauren: Yes.

Still sticking with that story, I see!

Harriet: You have my money?
Lauren: I wanted to ask you a few questions first.
Harriet: You're welcome to ask me anything you'd like. AFTER you give me the money. You got it?
Lauren: I sure do.
Harriet: It's about TIME. Give it here.



Lauren parts with her hard-earned. Actually, come to think of it, does Lauren even have a job? Where does she get her money from?

Harriet: Hm. It's all here, sure enough. I'd say thanks, if I hadn't had to fight tooth and nail to get it.
Joey: What teeth, you old bat?
Lauren: Don't worry about it.
Harriet: Oh, I WON'T. Now, you wanted to ask me something?

Here's our opening. Hope it ends up being worth the price of admission!

Lauren: So tell me about yourself.
Harriet: Me? Why do you want to know?
Lauren: Your name came up during an investigation I'm working on.



Hahaha, sharp lady. Of course, Lauren just shamelessly admits to the lie.

Lauren: Not exactly.
Harriet: Ahh. You just used them as a way to get to me, huh?
Lauren: Yes.



I like the way Lauren will always throw these things back at the other person.

Harriet: Oh not at all. Just don't expect your money back.
Joey: She's all heart.

Lauren can now ask questions from her notebook. Before tackling the issue at hand, Lauren decide to ask about the Countess, on a whim.

Lauren: Do you know anything about a strange old woman, wandering the streets?
Harriet: Hm. Funny you mention that.
Lauren: Really?
Harriet: I once saw a strange old woman wandering the hallway, back in the old building. I yelled at her to leave, and she did. I doubt that she was the one you're looking for, though. World is full of strange old ladies. Not unlike myself.

I wonder.....



Okay, now for the reason we're here.

Harriet: You've been there? How's the old place looking?
Lauren: It's a big hole in the ground.
Harriet: Hah! Can only be an improvement. I used to live there. Then Seagram Realty bought it and tore it down. Going to build something new and fancy, no doubt.
Lauren: They kicked you out of your own home?
Harriet: No big loss. The place was a dump. Plus they wanted it so badly that they paid most of us a monthly stipend just to leave. Pretty generous, actually. I can almost forgive them for nearly robbing me.

I guess that's what the $230/month was for.

Lauren: Can you tell me anything else about your old building?
Harriet: Good riddance, is what I say. I lived on the third floor. Everyone on the street could see me. I like my new place much better.
Lauren: So they paid you money to leave?
Harriet: Yep. Like I said, it was a pretty generous deal. Building was about to be condemned anyway, so everyone was grateful for the offer. Well, everyone except for Mavis Wilcox.

Finally, we get a possible name.



Harriet: A lunatic, is what she was. She lived down the hall from me, so I know how crazy she was.
Lauren: Why was she crazy?
Harriet: She refused to leave, is why. Seagram was offering her a fortune, but she still refused.

This matches up pretty well with the ghost lady's comments before about "THEM" having to drag her out of her house as a corpse if they want her gone. Lauren continues asking.

Lauren: Why did Mavis refuse to leave?
Harriet: She was a lunatic. I believe I already established this. A total shut-in. The prospect of leaving her little apartment terrified her. I'm old and feeble. If I could manage the move, she could have. Course it doesn't matter now.
Lauren: Did they ever get Mavis to leave?



That's... kind of ominous sounding. Harriet comes across as a creepy old bat throughout this whole scene.

Harriet: She left all right. Left the entire world, in fact.
Lauren: You mean, she died?
Harriet: Yes. Someone broke in and choked her to death, right in the apartment she loved so much. I'd call it ironic, if it weren't so tragic.

So, wait, another murder by choking? Two in one night? That seems a very strong coincidence, and as Joey says, coincidences don't happen in their line of work.

Lauren: Did they ever find out who killed Mavis?
Harriet: No. Some street kid, most likely. Thought the building was empty and went in to steal whatever was left over. Didn't count on anyone being there, bumped into Mavis, then had to kill her. Happens all the time.

As I said, Harriet's voice is distractingly "put-on", but I should also say that her writing is very good. These all sound like the kind of things a crotchety old grandmother would say.

Lauren: How well did you know Mavis?
Harriet: Like I said, I lived just down the hall from her. On the third floor. I didn't know her well, but she did get some mail just before they smashed the place up. I took it, just in case a relative or something came looking. It's been six months, and nothing.
Lauren: Do you still have Mavis' things?
Harriet: Yes I do. Such as they are. There wasn't much. Just that envelope on the counter.

That sounds important. I wonder what Adventure Game Puzzle hoops we'll have to jump through in order to get that?

Lauren: Could I look at it?
Harriet: You knew Mavis?
Lauren: Sort of, yes.
Harriet: Well, you might as well take a look at them. Nobody else has come looking.

Or I guess we could just ask for them! I love your forthright style, Lauren



Hopefully Mavis' things will come in handy.

Lauren: Thanks. Good bye, Mrs. Sherman.
Harriet: Don't mention it.

Though I doubt it'll be worth the $60 it cost us to come here


Tomorrow we'll see if we can figure out what happened with Mavis, and what to do about it.


Harriet's Theme (Alternative)

Another alternative theme before we finish up today. Harriet's original theme was very different to her eventual theme, and was apparently inspired by Yiddish folk music. I guess Harriet is supposed to be a stereotypical New York Jew, hence explaining why she's so interested in our money or something equally discriminatory. The alternative theme is quite catchy, but is kind of distracting and Gilbert felt it got in the way of the dialogue. I actually quite like the theme Harriet ended up with, so I'll say it was a good choice to change it. To be honest, having looked very closely at all four games, almost every replacement choice Gilbert made has indeed led to an improvement, either in overall quality, or in playability.