How to fill your next lunchtime: Guest House.
I’m really falling for these Flash-based minis. Minimal interface, minimal design, point-and-click adventures, lasting an hour tops if you get stuck often enough, they’re ideal little morsels. Especially when they’re as serenely designed as this.
The Japanese game is the first of a series of three, under the umbrella title, Terminal House. Guest House, seemingly having no relation to its title, tasks you with leaving the room in which you begin, and that’s it. But to do so you’ll have to solve various puzzles, from searching out objects to use, to reasonably simple maths puzzles, exploring what at first appears to be a very blank location. There’s a flaw: finding hidden areas – essential for completing the game – requires some rather aimless and random clicking, hoping you’ll find the spot that lets you peak behind an unmarked corner. It’s frustrating to be limited by this, and not particularly satisfying when you eventually click on the correct spot. A relief, but no sense of achievement. However, the calming music, gorgeous sound effects, and really remarkable animation, offer enough incentive to do so. It’s peculiarly beautiful at moments.
A big thanks to reader Martin Edelius for pointing us toward this. And now onto the other two.
Related Stories:
There was something similar floating around a few years back. The Crimson Room or some such.
And for the more strategy minded, there’s the ever wonderful Warbears Series.
Love WarBears… because it’s possible to actually fail.
AWESOME!
Guest House appears to be the most recent game, actually, and it shows. Terminal House is an ugly, poorly designed game, including three arm-wrestling sections. Ew. Guest House, though, was really quite neat.
Ben
Yeh I always enjoy these for some masochistic reason… unable to pull myself away yet still knowing there is absolutely no skill involved etc. Hmmm. Quick entertainment I suppose. I’ve done guest house (took about 10 minutes) onto the others now :)
Alright, by chance, will anyone tell me what to do with the cans, without being sarcastic…?
Neat little game nonetheless.
HELP! Lunchtime is nearly over and the purple lady won’t wake up. The energy drink just dribbles down her chin…
I can help there – she’s got a coin under her hand. Use it to get a yellow can. You have to open the can before you can pour.
Beyond that I’m stuck….
Hotspot hunting without even a cursor change for a hint was rubbish, but a little light maths was fun.
Already.. now i need the next one !
Hint : indeed, you need to be clicking all over the place to find the second coin (that’s the hint).. i even found a place with nothing to do.
Anyways that was a fun couple of minutes.
ah that’s where I’m stuck… [*more aimless clicking*]
*click click click* god this is getting tiresome….
is that second coin in with her?
*click click clickety click* i can’t believe I’m still doing this…
still a few more un-clicked pixels to go!
ok got it… stupid coin! nice game
It’s not a nice game, it’s a bloody stupid game. Not even a game really!
clickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclick
Hooray!
That rhythm action bit in Terminal House was terrible though :(
I hear you on the Flash-based love. The fact that there’s no downloading involved, and you can play literally right away, is always a bonus.
It’s why I can’t wait for that Quake 3 remake that iD are making.
wheres the second coin? i cant stand it anymore
I haven’t actually played it a lot myself but got hooked anyhow.
And yes, the random clicking around is a bit annoying but I sometimes keep the game on in the background just for the music. It’s quite lovely.
Where the hell is that stupid second coin? This was entertaining till this whole pixel hunting thing started.
Sorry, it looks pretty but that’s a terribly-designed game.
That is unless you are about to re-define “game” as being “something that requires you to click everywhere on the screen with no apparent purpose for minimal reward”.
I gave up when I couldn’t find the second coin. There is far too little incentive or reward for the mindless clicking.
*********
SPOILER
*********
second coin is on top of the fuse box
I still don’t care
e8ztmqk6zlc2yjgl