By John Walker on April 5th, 2008 at 9:18 am.
Videogames are getting so hard these days.
UPDATE: Exclusive RPS Walkthrough now available.
Rock, Paper, Shotgun
You Have To Burn The Rope: UPDATE
Comment on this story
You must be registered and logged in to post a comment.
XHTML: Allowed code: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
Search
Read our finest words
Respond to our gibber
- Cantisque : “This game is hard to recommend because there just isn't much to it for the amount you're paying. For comparison, it's significantly pricier than Dungeon ...” on Wot I Think: Fortune Summoners
- Arbodnangle Scrulp : “Syrim is sublime, but the inventory system is sub-lemon. I've stopped playing, over 100 hours in, because I dread having to wrestle against the inventory, ...” on The Sunday Papers
- Iconik : “Most games that are multiplayer only are dead within weeks? Where do you live?” on Wot I Think: Gotham City Impostors
- Iconik : “It's not a port. It's multi-platform. Why don't people understand the difference yet? Have fun with Tribes. I'm in the BETA, and it's basically just ...” on Wot I Think: Gotham City Impostors
- sinister agent : “@Kadayi At no point have I said that valve "can't" answer the question of what's happening with Half Life 3. They simply don't want to, ...” on The Sunday Papers
I can’t fully explain my affection for this game.
report
It ran a billion miles an hour for me!
report
That made my day, thank you Mr. Walker. I just woke up and played it – wonderful!
report
…maybe press ‘Refresh’ and start again?
report
When you only have time to beat one game before you have to go.
report
I have a feeling the ending is trying to say something about Portal..
report
Spoiler:
You have to burn the rope.
report
Now what am I going to do with the rest of my day?
report
Best ending credits since Portal!
report
Those graphics make me think back fondly to the Sega Master System.
report
I missed the chandelier and fell on the boss the first time I tried to burn the rope. Does this make me the worst gamer ever?
report
I burnt the rope!
report
I got the chandelier the first time, then fell through it and hit the boss.
So, yeah.
report
“I missed the chandelier and fell on the boss the first time I tried to burn the rope. Does this make me the worst gamer ever?”
I had to retry at least 4 times. I’m not kidding.
report
Speaking of Portal, Game-ism has made an interesting observation about GLaDOS.
report
So is this biting social commentary about the false achievement of winning games or something?
I have the vague feeling I’m being made fun of… :<
report
I hate games where you have to know the inner workings of the developers minds and understand their own twisted logic. I mean there are no clues in that game as to how to kill the boss!
report
@freelancepolice
“It ran a billion miles an hour for me!”
Yeah, me too. Fixed it by updating to the latest version of the Flash plugin.
report
Couldnt handle all the rpg stat assignment elements or the character design tools. Found the levelling system awkward and the puzzles really arcane.. Had to resort to gamefaqs TBH.
report
I’m stuck in the corridor. The corridor goes up a bit, and my character can only go left and right. I’m not sure what I have to do. Please help.
KG
report
I’m stuck on that bit too, did some research and I found the manual here, http://www.mazapan.se/YouHaveToBurnTheRopeManual/ but TLDR. Can someone give me a cheat codes instead?
report
Actually it’s weird reading that manual. On the one hand, the comedy is in the obviousness, but on the other hand – when did it become obvious? Would this manual actually be a treasure trove of important information to someone who has never played a computer game before?
report
my copy didn’t seem to have the rickroll mandated by internet law.. is this a bug or do I have an illegal version?
report
Is my ‘version’ broke? He doesn’t seem to “move”; he just teleports places. Also, it causes my browser to curl up and die….
why?
report
As mentioned ^above^, people who find the game at warp speed 9 need to update their browser’s flash player, I’ve tried to complete it without updating, trust me its too difficult.
Anyone else think the music was quite ‘Flight of the Conchords’-esque?
report
Well, it knocks the shit out of Invisible War!
report
heheha,. that was great,. yeah the song makes it. sorta Ween-ish,. great work!
report
That is the pure simple source equation of gaming!
Play. Win. Reward. It doesnt matter that it was ridiculously easy! It gave you game which you smiled your way through beginning to end. It does everything portal does and it succeeds because of that.
BTW Portal really has started something wonderful with Still Alive. I know there were other credit songs but i feel Still Alive will always be “The” song.
YHTBTR is very basically the best game i have played since portal, because it fails at nothing and makes you happy 100% of the time you play.
Nice find Walker
report
Kudos for the find goes to Steve Avery, whose credit is hidden in the alt text.
report
Re: O.G.N
Wow, great find! What’s wrong with you, Valve? Why would anybody want to do that?
report
Made me smile. Love the music in the game
report
hey i liked the walkthrough ne chance you can put the controls in thanks
report
What, no online multiplayer?
report
For those of you having trouble with the graphics, a text adventure version of the game can be yours! It’s still in alpha, so it’s only the bare bones of the strategic depth of the game itself. You can find it here, but you’ll need Win-Glulxe or similar to open it.
report
Excellent stuff Mike, but you forgot to end on a text-song! (Also, some look-ats would be nice : )
report
Alpha 2 coming later. I’m just working on some background AI and environmental effects.
Okay, the second sentence is a lie.
report
To date, apart from portal, I still think world in conflict has had the greatest musical spots ever. But I’ve always been a fan of white snake. Also, someone mentioned invisible war. Kidney Thieves was one of the upsides to that particular endeavour.
Games need more great music, damnit!
report
Intriguingly good =]
Great end music too :D
report
Now with messages, pitfalls and ending celebrations.
http://www.sekritforum.co.uk/burn
That’s all from me. Incidentally, if anyone knows how to get Inform7 to package stuff straight to a Windows executable (e.g. people don’t have to download Win-Gluxle) that would be fantastic.
report
Haha, that’s great Mike! :D
report
Thanks for the great FAQ. One thing though – you forgot the obligatory “Thanks” section that is 3/4 the length of the FAQ
report
OMG THESE GAM IS SO SHIT I USED A TRAINER TO BEAT IT IT WOZ RELLY BORING LULZ
report
I’m extremely conflicted about whether I should bash my head in or grin like a lunatic after playing this game.
In all probability, I shall do both.
report
Brilliant.
report
I love it, great find.
report
Whats interesting is that this game reminds me about that whole thing about death in games. *Jumps for cover as everyone else on RPS throws a pillow at him*
IE Should games really have life or death survival as the basic core of the challenge, for instance, the designers of Fable 2 tried to experiment with a system where instead of dying you just spend a few moments getting your ass kicked on the ground until you eventually get back up and enact your revenge… It got taken out in the end though, it wasn’t popular with testers or focus groups by the sounds of it, which is a shame (In my opinion).
report
Okay, this is embarrassing. How can I beat the text version? I tried to jump fruitlessly, get the chandelier, throw the torch, equip the rope and I just can’t get past the Grinning Colossus. This is not a joke post, I really can’t. Help me.
report
Wiould be interesting to see if a non-gamer actually found this easy or not. Don’t have one to hand myself.
report
Reply to Lambo
I’ve always been incredibly fond of the lecture at the end of the pc version of Earth Worm Jim. Criminaly there’s no youtube video.
Also the song at the end of Battle Isle Incubation is if anything funnier than Portal’s. For a different reason.
report
radomaj – I would strongly suggesting using the ‘burn’ action!
Glad you liked the text edition, Kian! :)
report
Guys, after the corridor there is a big room and a door closes behind you. That is the sign that you are in the room with the big monster. It can hurt you so be careful, I’m stuck at this bit, but I can survive for long periods by dodging and jumping.
report
Reply to Jonaton.
I actually haven’t played Earth Worm Jim or Battle Isle, and wasn’t trying to propose that Portal is the best/only funny game ending.
I was merely pointing out that in the future any game with a song or the like at the end will be thought of as copying portal rather than anything else. Since portal is the most obviously recognized one at the moment.
I completely respect that there may have been better game endings than the, in my opinion, heavenly “Still Alive”.
So put down your torches and pitch forks, no need to kill me for heresy to your cult following to a particular game people……unless you know of the incident involving the goat and the banana, which wasn’t my fault i swear…..*cough*
report
radomaj: the solution you’re after is “up”.
Thelps: have you tried throwing your weapon at the boss?
report
I think he’s found ‘up’, as he’s got the torch.
Is ‘up’ a text adventure standard? I’d not seen it before I used Inform7.
report
Well, on my previous post I meant that I: got the torch, can see the Rope and the Chandelier by looking, I’m in a place with the title “Chandelier”, but when I type burn (by itself or with “burn the torch/rope”) I get:
“>burn
(the Suspicious Torch)
This dangerous act would achieve little.”
and I’m just stuck.
report
Reply to Lambo
Don’t your existence amuses, for now.
I was just saying Portal isn’t the only thing that has ended with a joke or song.
report
Beta testing to the rescue!
Er, well. Mike, how about implementing a check for implied context with verbs like ‘burn’? Should be relatively easy to do in Inform 7.
Radomaj, try using a sentence that has ‘burn’ and ‘with’ in it. :)
report
This would be the second complete game I’ve made with Inform7, and implied context is but a mystery to me without hardcoding! However, come morning that will be the next task.
I’ll make this the best damn tribute you ever saw. *sniff*
report
Who’s up for making a speed-run?
report
Haha!
Actually, I’m waiting for a Portal map to be made based on it.
report
for a second or two at the start of this I had a rick dangerous flashback.
report
By post count, I judge this game to be more popular than Deus Ex 3, Thief 4 and DoW 2
report
Someone else ran with a similar joke earlier…. I present Quest for the Crown:
http://www.lanceandeskimo.com/flash/quest.html
report
I’m reminded of Pick Up the Phone Booth and Die, an old text adventure, more than Portal.
Hint: don’t pick up the phone booth, or you will die.
report
Maybe I’ll press refresh and start again.
report
What I particularly like about this game is from the shots in the end credits you can see that at some point in the design process a conscious decision was made to make the game still easier (the platforms leading to the rope were made wider).
report
that walkthrough is excellent, but not nearly self indulgent enough. i suggest some credits, a few dedications, adverts for other walkthroughs, etc
report
This is an amazing parody and, honestly, put a big grin on my face playing it and finishing it :D
(and thanks for the link to the end song!)
report
Did anyone else find the 4th instruction?
Right click
report
Oo-er, mazapan.se appears to have lapsed for the moment. Will I ever find the 4th instruction?!?!?!
report
I hear they’re dumbing down the console version.
report
And the PS3 version only runs at 40FPS in a 1080i max resolution and has terrible tearing
report
I’m on pins and needles about whether radomaj will figure out how to defeat the Grinning Colossus.
report
I’m not a hero. Never was. Never will be. Yet I burned the rope on first try.
report
The walkthrough didnt help me i just dont understand !!?!?!?!???? What do i have to do these days
report