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Casual Game Playthrough #12 - Surface: The Noise She Couldn’t Make

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oosaji - 31 August 2015 10:47 PM

Finished! This time I had to use a couple hints. Did anyone else find it was really unclear that you could use the spider to get the car key? That’s what I got stuck on. I hadn’t noticed that there was anything on that door other than the piece with the four gold spiders. Did anyone else miss that? ><

Despite it being the 3rd time of playing I still didn’t think to use the spider to get the car key & yet again had to use a hint as no, it wasn’t clear!

oosaji - 31 August 2015 10:47 PM

Looks like we’re figuring out Noise a little more! It definitely sounds like a psychological thing rather than a paranormal thing now.

Yes, I agree as it does seem like that!

furgotten - 31 August 2015 11:43 PM

I really like the nurse, cheesy acting and all. She provides a bit of balance to the seriousness of the rest of it.

I also had trouble (again) finding the second hotspot on the mill door.

Ah, this time I’d remembered that there were 2 hotspots on that door! I have to agree about the nurse as she does provide some light relief!  Laughing

One of the hotspots I missed yet again was the pedestal next to the waterfall in the scarecrow’s cave

Ugh! there was another one of those magnet & gem puzzles to confront but I loved the puzzle in the wish cave where you had to combine the models to make another - I happily spent ages on that!

Another enigma in this chapter was the ghostly dog - did Jane kill it while in one of her ‘blank outs’?

Out of curiosity I’ve got the CE version of the game where you can collect flowers to ‘spend’ in a shop - can you do that in the SE version too?

     
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I know I said I would start the game from the beginning, but as I haven’t had time to play before now and I had fallen behind, I instead decided to continue from where I left it in the demo, which also happened to be right where this chapter starts.
I have now finished the second chapter.

I really like the whole concept of entering somebody’s mind, and see everything in a more symbolic way and perhaps also see some rather twisted things. Perhaps a bit funnier if it is your own my (like in The Next Big Thing), but it also works pretty well here in this game.

As for noise, my initial though was also that it was some kind of split personally thing, which also seems to be what the protagonist is thinking, but I have never heard of a alternative personality being outright hostile towards or trying to hurt the original personality, or for the matter trying to kill of the person altogether, so now I’m leaning more towards a demonic evil possession. I would have loved for the game to be a psychological drama without any supernatural elements at all, but my experience with casual games tell me that it is unlikely to be the case.

As for the dog, then I believe that it is some kind of helping spirit, perhaps also an outside entity trying to help, or perhaps a part of Jane’s mind that is trying to fight back against Noise. Probably the image of a childhood pet that died many years ago.

I quite like both the nurse and the FMV. Okay it won’t win any awards for the acting, but simply having these FMV scenes imo adds to the game.

As for the puzzle in this chapter: I don’t really mind the magnet puzzles, or at least I have so far been able to solve them without any difficulty, but I must confess that I hid the skip button on both the pawn and the caveman puzzle Meh I could probably have solved the caveman if I had been more patient, but after almost getting it on my very first try, it just went downhill, and I even forgot how I got so close the first time. As for the pawn puzzle, then I never really got the idea, and it seemed to be more or less random what would work and what wouldn’t, at least I had some alternative solutions which I believe makes just as much sense as the ones that did work, so I quickly lost patience with it.

     

You have to play the game, to find out why you are playing the game! - eXistenZ

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Iznogood - 01 September 2015 11:51 AM

I really like the whole concept of entering somebody’s mind, and see everything in a more symbolic way and perhaps also see some rather twisted things. Perhaps a bit funnier if it is your own my (like in The Next Big Thing), but it also works pretty well here in this game.

As for noise, my initial though was also that it was some kind of split personally thing, which also seems to be what the protagonist is thinking, but I have never heard of a alternative personality being outright hostile towards or trying to hurt the original personality, or for the matter trying to kill of the person altogether, so now I’m leaning more towards a demonic evil possession. I would have loved for the game to be a psychological drama without any supernatural elements at all, but my experience with casual games tell me that it is unlikely to be the case.

I confess to hitting the skip button on the caveman puzzle also but I did attempt it enough times to suss out what was expected but got fed-up with it!

I agree that if it’s a case of split personality why would Noise want to destroy Jane as she would be also destroying herself surely! Yes, it could be a case of demonic evil possession but in my mind it could also be a battle in someone’s mind about whether they want to live or die or maybe it’s not that simple? We just don’t know at this point whether the psychic is right or wrong & is possibly dealing with something beyond his/her control.

     
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chrissie - 01 September 2015 09:32 AM

Ugh! there was another one of those magnet & gem puzzles to confront but I loved the puzzle in the wish cave where you had to combine the models to make another - I happily spent ages on that!

I don’t mind the magnet and gem puzzles so much! It got a lot more straight-forward once I realized that [spoilers]the colors on the magnets show which color gems they move[/spoiler]. Once you know that, it narrows down what area you need to wave the magnet around.

I really liked the model-combining puzzle too. I don’t think I’ve seen a puzzle like that before, although maybe I’m just really inexperienced with these games. It was a really cool idea.

The worst puzzle for me was the very last one, where you have to move the pressure meters to get the pistons to move at the right time for the ball to pass by. I ended up using the skip button after trying for quite a while. I couldn’t figure out which pressure meter goes in the second last spot. ):

chrissie - 01 September 2015 09:32 AM

Another enigma in this chapter was the ghostly dog - did Jane kill it while in one of her ‘blank outs’?

SHE’D BETTER NOT HAVE. Killing a dog is a whole other level of evil.

Was anyone else really upset about the inflatable dinosaur exploding? I thought we were inflating it so we could use it to help the orca or something similarly pleasant… and then it exploded! ): I was heartbroken.

     
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oosaji - 01 September 2015 02:05 PM

I really liked the model-combining puzzle too. I don’t think I’ve seen a puzzle like that before, although maybe I’m just really inexperienced with these games. It was a really cool idea. [/spoiler]

I’ve played a lot of games & so far haven’t come across a puzzle like it but I might just have forgot! Laughing

oosaji - 01 September 2015 02:05 PM

The worst puzzle for me was the very last one, where you have to move the pressure meters to get the pistons to move at the right time for the ball to pass by. I ended up using the skip button after trying for quite a while. I couldn’t figure out which pressure meter goes in the second last spot. ):

It did seem that some of the pressure meters worked well in a couple of places - I didn’t mind fiddling around with it for a while but confess to eventually hitting the skip button myself! 

oosaji - 01 September 2015 02:05 PM

Was anyone else really upset about the inflatable dinosaur exploding? I thought we were inflating it so we could use it to help the orca or something similarly pleasant… and then it exploded! ): I was heartbroken.

No because it was only an inanimate ‘plastic’? thing.  Smile

     
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Iznogood - 01 September 2015 11:51 AM

I really like the whole concept of entering somebody’s mind, ... Perhaps a bit funnier if it is your own my (like in The Next Big Thing)

Entering your own mind? Malkovich Malkovich! Cool

I have never heard of a alternative personality being outright hostile towards or trying to hurt the original personality, or for the matter trying to kill of the person altogether, so now I’m leaning more towards a demonic evil possession.

One personality being hostile to another personality in the hopes of taking over is not that uncommon in fiction. Mr. Hyde takes over Dr. Jekyll, for instance, and the same goes for the “remake” The Nutty Professor (both the So there Jerry Lewis and Eddie Murphy versions). And have you seen Identity? Even Gollum/Sméagol qualifies.
And it doesn’t end in fiction as there have been reported cases of dissociative identity disorder patients where a secondary personality tried to kill the primary self (without realizing that success means their death as well).

I would have loved for the game to be a psychological drama without any supernatural elements at all, but my experience with casual games tell me that it is unlikely to be the case.

This is a good point, though. Always remember what genre you’re in. Grin

oosaji - 01 September 2015 02:05 PM

SHE’D BETTER NOT HAVE. Killing a dog is a whole other level of evil.

That will take you to the special hell? Grin

Was anyone else really upset about the inflatable dinosaur exploding? I thought we were inflating it so we could use it to help the orca or something similarly pleasant… and then it exploded! ): I was heartbroken.

I kinda knew the idea was to explode the bucket to get the wooden planks. It just took me a while to realize you needed the spray can to inflate it.

     

The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka

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I finished the first chapter a bit late I guess, it took a good deal of time. None of the HO-scenes or puzzles were hard at all but I was “semi-stuck” a couple of times not noticing something I could click.

Even though I think psychics are total humbug, the idea of going into someone’s mind was very appealing. And it does give the game’s puzzles some logic. The gameplay itself was mostly enjoyable, I didn’t get fed up with the few HO-scenes and most of the puzzles were fun.

I had some thoughts about Noise but I’ll try to specualte with them later on when I’ve caught you guys. Though I think I’ll most likely be late again for the next part since I’m traveling and stuff. But not quitting!

     

Currently Playing: Dragon Age Origins: Awakening
Recently Played: Red Embrace: Hollywood, Dorfromantik, Heirs & Graces, AI: The Somnium Files, PRICE, Frostpunk, The Shapeshifting Detective (CPT), Disco Elysium, Dream Daddy, Four Last Things, Jenny LeClue - Detectivu, The Signifier

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Finished the second part. I love the sky above the desert in the first screen of the third part.

oosaji - 31 August 2015 10:47 PM

Finished! This time I had to use a couple hints. Did anyone else find it was really unclear that you could use the spider to get the car key? That’s what I got stuck on. I hadn’t noticed that there was anything on that door other than the piece with the four gold spiders. Did anyone else miss that? ><

*raises hand*

I had to use the hint button twice. The first time was after a break where I couldn’t figure out what I still had to do. Turned out I had forgotten about the trunk of the car and kept missing the hotspot so I didn’t realize I could use the lock on the chain. Second time was indeed because I had completely missed the second spider hotspot on ALL passes through that screen, so I was completely oblivious to the hotspot’s nutcracker potential.


No hints/skips for the minigames or the HO scenes, though. I persevere. Tongue

Although I have to admit that getting the house in the model-combining puzzle gave me a lot of trial-and-error headache. The rest was more obvious, imo.

furgotten - 31 August 2015 11:43 PM

I’m a bit troubled by drilling on the fuel tank of the car. It would probably be petrol and not diesel right? I think we’re in trouble!

I agree. I knew what I had to do, but I was still thinking “are you daft?” at the action. Tongue

     

The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka

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I’m caught up.

I didn’t find the [spoiler]caveman puzzle to be that difficult. But then, I’m playing on “casual” so maybe it’s been made easier if you select that level.

I did also miss the upper hotspot on the spider and had to get a hint. When virtually every other object has just one, it’s easy to think that they all just have one.

I liked the barrel thing. I chuckled afterwards. It’s just a plastic blow-up toy, after all! I’ve seen kids wear out many similar toys over the years. Never gave a single one a thought when I finally trashed it because it had a hole. BWAHAHAHA! It did make me think that the live dolphin/whale was another plastic toy at first, though. I was taken aback when it turned out to be alive. I would have enjoyed another location with the car under water, where, say, we would have to rescue something we couldn’t remove before because a crab had loosened the bubble gum sticking it to the seat.

I’m starting to think that part of what makes the FMV sequences campy is the dramatic, swelling music. It’s also a little strange that the nurse never seems to remove her surgical mask. Like, ever. Are there hospitals that are that strict about it?

The part that was hardest for me on the model-combo puzzle was the knight. I assumed the horse MUST be part of it. I mean, mounted is the definition of knighthood, right?

Looking forward to the next surreal part of the game.

     
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Becky - 02 September 2015 10:40 AM

I’m starting to think that part of what makes the FMV sequences campy is the dramatic, swelling music. It’s also a little strange that the nurse never seems to remove her surgical mask. Like, ever. Are there hospitals that are that strict about it?

I’ve never come across nurses wearing surgical masks in a hospital, other than if they are in an operating theatre, even in intensive care units! The question is: are you as the psychic wearing one too? - I did notice that ‘you’ had gloves on when ‘you’ touched the girl! Laughing

     
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I also finished the second part and am sweltering in the parched landscape of the poor girl’s mind.  Fortunately, I have the AC going because it’s hot and muggy here in NJ.

     

Carpe chocolate.

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Lady Kestrel - 02 September 2015 01:50 PM

I also finished the second part and am sweltering in the parched landscape of the poor girl’s mind.

That’s such a great description of the 1st scenario in Chapter 3 Lady kestrel! Smile

Lady Kestrel - 02 September 2015 01:50 PM

Fortunately, I have the AC going because it’s hot and muggy here in NJ.

 
AC is something that’s not the norm in our homes here in the UK with alleviation from hot muggy weather to be addressed by either spending hours hovering around the frozen food cabinets in supermarkets or opening your windows (which doesn’t usually help!) with the only other option of buying one of those plug in fans that bump up your electric bill! Laughing 

It’s just a little early but let’s move on…...

By the end of this 2nd deeper chapter it does seem that ‘Noise’ represents the darker side of Jane’s mind who’s working to destroy the good things in life that mean something to Jane represented especially by the whale, the contents of the wish tree & possibly the ghostly dog. If that’s the case the question is why?
Or is it that Noise is a completely separate entity, as has been suggested, & somehow seeking to possess Jane/take her place by destroying her?  How would that work?
However we are playing in the scenarios of Jane’s head so not all may be as she perceives? But in the ‘real world’ memories it is quite clear that Jane is quite distressed at finding she’s done destructive things without realising or remembering the incidents or why & is desperate for help. 

 


Chapter 3:  Paralysis

For this slightly shorter chapter you have until Friday 4th September 5 pm (AG time) to complete it. (12 pm for you Tim?) 

Play until you get to the following scene!


     
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I’ve got some things going through the weekend. Not sure I can make the deadline regardless of what time it is. I’ll try to catch up in dribs and drabs as best I can.

     

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Late to the party: I played this a long time ago. I thought the “mind” parts, especially the early ones were excellent, but the real life portion was pretty terrible. Not so much the videos in the early part of the game that really just gave context, but once it becomes interactable. The nurse feels very over the top, but outside of her, it’s suprising to see a game with fmv type art where it doesn’t feel too unintentionally hilarious.

I remember being really impressed with the “puzzle” quality in how the game did a good job of creating “moon” logic that was extremely easy to grasp/felt like it made total sense considering the setting.

     
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I managed to squeeze in some time today and finished the current part. Actually I think I went past the stop point by one move. I put the key in the flying machine, and was taken to a new location with a blank map.

Most of the puzzles were fairly simple. But the “Diamond” puzzle in the Hall of Wind drove me nuts!

This seems to be the last episode. Post the finish date for this one if you have a chance. Not sure when I’ll be able to get back to it. Certainly not before late Saturday non-AG time.

     

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