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Ceremony of Innocence
(Real World Multimedia, 1997)
By Alexander Tait
April 30, 2001
This game is not an adventure or puzzle game as such but does feature puzzles on
each letter or postcard that must be "solved" before the message can be viewed.
Any way it is viewed, it is a beautiful work making excellent use of multimedia
(as you would expect from Real World, makers of Xplora and Peter Gabriel's Eve).
The sound and visual effects are stunning. The voice acting by Isabella
Rossellini, Paul McGann, and to a lesser extent, Ben Kingsley, is of a very high
standard. The game does not take long if played purely as a puzzle game. The
game
is meant to be savored and digested slowly to experience the beauty of the love
between Griffin and Sabine, two souls linked by a force beyond their knowledge.
The Falcon
(1) The first postcard has a bird on it that you can control with the mouse.
Move
the mouse first to the right to take control of the bird and then to the left
make the bird on the stamp fly away. Further progress with the feather causes
the
stamp to tear, allowing a sunflower seed to fall out of it. Back away (move
right) until the bird on the lower stamp runs away. Then, move the mouse to
position the bird to peck the seed. Click to cause it to peck the seed. This
causes the seed to open and the message on the back of the postcard is revealed.
(2) The second postcard has a goldfish in a champagne glass. When you move the
mouse near the glass, the goldfish swims around. To release the goldfish, click
on the glass several times. A different position on the glass causes a different
tone. Eventually the glass will crack and the goldfish will swim away, free.
This
reveals the message on postcard two.
(3) The next postcard requires that you hold the mouse button while you drag the
mouse left to detach the butterfly. Take the butterfly to the mouth of the
lizard. It will eat the lizard and then another lizard will burst from the
first.
Click on the lizard until it disappears down the hole left by the butterfly.
Then
click on the hole to return the butterfly to its original position. This turns
the postcard over.
(4) The next postcard features a zebra with a hat. Click on the string in its
pocket to drag a banana out. Then move the moon down in sweeping motions until
the background becomes very dark. It becomes a moon and positions itself at the
top left of the postcard. The card turns over.
(5) A simple card. Click on the "E" until it plummets to Earth. A parade of
animals appears. The card turns over.
(6) On the next postcard, as the boy climbs up, click on the man's eyes to make
him look up and left. Keep doing this until the boy falls. The card turns over.
(7) Another easy puzzle. Your cursor is a flying creature. Click on the
outstretched hand of the creature in the middle of the page. The envelope opens,
revealing a letter.
(8) In the next letter, click on the fish until it grabs and stretches the
knight's nose to it maximum. When the letter turns over, click on the fish until
the letter opens.
(9) Click and drag all the dog-ears that appear. Eventually only the Venus will
be left. It will drop off the card and the postcard is revealed.
(10) With the man on the stairs, click and hold the top left corner. Drag the
corner down until the man slides down the stairs. The next card is revealed.
(11) Click on the word "water." The water drops on the seed. It expands and
grows, opening the envelope. Now you can read the letter.
(12) Move your mouse up to make the weasel burst out of the man's head. The
letter turns over. Move the reaching hand down until it grasps the flap of the
envelope. Move the mouse up to open the letter. Read the letter.
(13) Move the man cursor to the center of the spinning circle. This allows you
to
read the card.
(14) Click on the banana to shoot the apple. The postcard turns over.
(15) Click on each of the two rock-like objects (one bottom left, the other top
right). This starts the next piece of correspondence.
(16) This card does not really have a puzzle. After twenty seconds, the card
turns over.
(17) Click the insect things twice and the card turns over.
(18) Make the figure walk left and up until it stands on a pillar and dances.
Then, the figure becomes engulfed in flames and the card is turned over.
(19) Make the man look up. The second time he will fly away and the card will
turn over.
The Gryphon
(1) Click both the bird and the figure until the card turns over.
(2) Make all the insect things leave the card using the mouse. Then click on the
plane. This flies off the card and reveals the other side of the postcard.
(3) Use the machine gun cursor on the man's head. Click it and the card will
turn
over.
(4) Click on the stamp. Click on the ticket. Use the ticket on the ticket slot.
This will turn the card over.
(5) Slide the marble lid off the card to turn it over.
(6) Click on the gray, pointed object. The portrait will open. Click on the
blackness and the card will turn over.
(7) Click on the jacketed man until he pulls the postcard out of his pocket.
(8) Click on each letter (this releases a snake) until no more snakes appear.
The
card turns over.
(9) Move the cursor up to the sand. Each movement removes a little more of the
sand. When finished, a zeppelin starts its engine and flies over the other side
of the letter, opening the envelope.
(10) Click on the Egyptian winged creature, then on the airmail sticker, then on
the winged creature again. The card then turns over.
(11) Click and drag the Japanese mask to the left. A door opens. Click on the
samurai. Drag the mask closed and the card will turn over.
(12) Click the dragon's head and it will left up releasing a cat. Click and hold
the body to turn it around. Click it again and it will walk off the card,
turning
it over in the process.
(13) Drag the mouse right to make the figure run. A video begins with a voice-
over by Ben Kingsley. When finished, the card turns over.
(14) Click and drag the fish lever (you will need to experiment to find the best
place) until it moves nearly to the horizontal. This will start the machine and
the letter turns over. Click on the winged creature. It will pull the fishtail.
Click on it again and the rope will break thereby opening the letter.
(15) Use the mouse to move the jaguar to the extreme right. It will rise to the
next level. Move it to extreme left. Again it will climb to the next level. Take
the jaguar to the extreme right and it will grasp the sun. The card turns over.
(16) Use the cursor as a paintbrush to paint the hidden image. Click on the word
and click on all parts of the image. Another word and image appear. Click these
the same way. The image and word disappear. Continue to use the cursor as a
paintbrush and paint the postcard. It will turn over when complete.
(17) You must wait a few seconds for the sea (the sound becomes louder and
louder). It will wash over the card and an envelope appears. Click and drag the
seal off the flap of the envelope to read the letter.
(18) Use the mouse to move forward in the cemetery until you reach the angel
statue. At this point, the card turns over.
The Sphinx
(1) Drag the mouse down. The winged man will appear. Move the man to right to
make him walk off the card. The date will change as this happens. Continue to
walk him right until he decays. The card turns.
(2) Drag the night part of the card to the left to cover the knight king. Then
drag the satellite the lower left of the card. Two star maps appear. Move the
satellite up to one third from the top off to the right. Click to complete the
star map. The card turns over.
(3) Click on the card. Chase the insect off the card with the mouse. Click on
the
card again to turn it over.
(4) Drag the mouse down to open the matchbox. The matches spill. Pick up the
match, strike it against the matchbox, and burn the matchbox. When it burns up,
the card turns over.
(5) Make the insect run around the card. Where it moves, a rubber stamp will
leave a stamp mark. Eventually, the stamp will crush it and the car will flip
over.
(6) Using the mouse, fly the plane off the card to the right. The cat will
follow
and the car turns over. Use the plane to release the flap on the envelope.
(7) Click on the figure. The spinning wheel picture will open. Click on the
spinning wheel pictures inside until the picture door closes. Click on the main
spinning wheel picture several times. It will spin and then the whole card will
turn over.
(8) Again, controlling the plane, bring it down further and further until it
crashes. A banana junk floats down the river and the card turns over.
(9) The butterfly on the stamp flaps its wings several times and the card turns
over.
(10) Click on the man with the flute. His playing attracts the winged insects.
Eventually, they disappear and the letter turns over and opens.
(11) The figure on the stamp makes several noises and the card turns over by
itself.
(12) Click on the woman to make her grasp the waterwheel. Move the mouse in
clockwise circular motions to make her turn the waterwheel. This causes the
postcard to break into pieces and turn over.
(13) Move the cursor onto the stamp repeatedly (each crash of thunder and
lightning moves the crab's pincer closer to the moon). Eventually, the pincer
plucks the moon from the sky and the card turns over.
(14) Click on the figurine above the stamps. It opens releasing gold dust. The
envelope turns over. Click on the winged frog to open the flap on the envelope
to
read the letter.
(15) Click on the crab stamp. It then chases the creatures off the letter and
opens the sealed flap.
(16) Click on the hanging body. Move the mouse back and forth until the rope
breaks and wakes the boy. The next card is revealed.
(17) Move the mouse to bring the woman closer and closer. When it is as close as
it can get, the card turns over.
(18) Bring the laser to the weak point in the rope. Hold it there briefly and it
will burn through the rope. The next piece of correspondence is revealed.
(19) Move the shooting stars using the mouse. The idea is to reveal the whole of
the hidden picture of the baby. Once all the parts of the picture have been
revealed, the card is revealed and the closing video runs. An unusual ending,
open for interpretation.
(Real World Multimedia, 1997)
By Alexander Tait
April 30, 2001
This game is not an adventure or puzzle game as such but does feature puzzles on
each letter or postcard that must be "solved" before the message can be viewed.
Any way it is viewed, it is a beautiful work making excellent use of multimedia
(as you would expect from Real World, makers of Xplora and Peter Gabriel's Eve).
The sound and visual effects are stunning. The voice acting by Isabella
Rossellini, Paul McGann, and to a lesser extent, Ben Kingsley, is of a very high
standard. The game does not take long if played purely as a puzzle game. The
game
is meant to be savored and digested slowly to experience the beauty of the love
between Griffin and Sabine, two souls linked by a force beyond their knowledge.
The Falcon
(1) The first postcard has a bird on it that you can control with the mouse.
Move
the mouse first to the right to take control of the bird and then to the left
make the bird on the stamp fly away. Further progress with the feather causes
the
stamp to tear, allowing a sunflower seed to fall out of it. Back away (move
right) until the bird on the lower stamp runs away. Then, move the mouse to
position the bird to peck the seed. Click to cause it to peck the seed. This
causes the seed to open and the message on the back of the postcard is revealed.
(2) The second postcard has a goldfish in a champagne glass. When you move the
mouse near the glass, the goldfish swims around. To release the goldfish, click
on the glass several times. A different position on the glass causes a different
tone. Eventually the glass will crack and the goldfish will swim away, free.
This
reveals the message on postcard two.
(3) The next postcard requires that you hold the mouse button while you drag the
mouse left to detach the butterfly. Take the butterfly to the mouth of the
lizard. It will eat the lizard and then another lizard will burst from the
first.
Click on the lizard until it disappears down the hole left by the butterfly.
Then
click on the hole to return the butterfly to its original position. This turns
the postcard over.
(4) The next postcard features a zebra with a hat. Click on the string in its
pocket to drag a banana out. Then move the moon down in sweeping motions until
the background becomes very dark. It becomes a moon and positions itself at the
top left of the postcard. The card turns over.
(5) A simple card. Click on the "E" until it plummets to Earth. A parade of
animals appears. The card turns over.
(6) On the next postcard, as the boy climbs up, click on the man's eyes to make
him look up and left. Keep doing this until the boy falls. The card turns over.
(7) Another easy puzzle. Your cursor is a flying creature. Click on the
outstretched hand of the creature in the middle of the page. The envelope opens,
revealing a letter.
(8) In the next letter, click on the fish until it grabs and stretches the
knight's nose to it maximum. When the letter turns over, click on the fish until
the letter opens.
(9) Click and drag all the dog-ears that appear. Eventually only the Venus will
be left. It will drop off the card and the postcard is revealed.
(10) With the man on the stairs, click and hold the top left corner. Drag the
corner down until the man slides down the stairs. The next card is revealed.
(11) Click on the word "water." The water drops on the seed. It expands and
grows, opening the envelope. Now you can read the letter.
(12) Move your mouse up to make the weasel burst out of the man's head. The
letter turns over. Move the reaching hand down until it grasps the flap of the
envelope. Move the mouse up to open the letter. Read the letter.
(13) Move the man cursor to the center of the spinning circle. This allows you
to
read the card.
(14) Click on the banana to shoot the apple. The postcard turns over.
(15) Click on each of the two rock-like objects (one bottom left, the other top
right). This starts the next piece of correspondence.
(16) This card does not really have a puzzle. After twenty seconds, the card
turns over.
(17) Click the insect things twice and the card turns over.
(18) Make the figure walk left and up until it stands on a pillar and dances.
Then, the figure becomes engulfed in flames and the card is turned over.
(19) Make the man look up. The second time he will fly away and the card will
turn over.
The Gryphon
(1) Click both the bird and the figure until the card turns over.
(2) Make all the insect things leave the card using the mouse. Then click on the
plane. This flies off the card and reveals the other side of the postcard.
(3) Use the machine gun cursor on the man's head. Click it and the card will
turn
over.
(4) Click on the stamp. Click on the ticket. Use the ticket on the ticket slot.
This will turn the card over.
(5) Slide the marble lid off the card to turn it over.
(6) Click on the gray, pointed object. The portrait will open. Click on the
blackness and the card will turn over.
(7) Click on the jacketed man until he pulls the postcard out of his pocket.
(8) Click on each letter (this releases a snake) until no more snakes appear.
The
card turns over.
(9) Move the cursor up to the sand. Each movement removes a little more of the
sand. When finished, a zeppelin starts its engine and flies over the other side
of the letter, opening the envelope.
(10) Click on the Egyptian winged creature, then on the airmail sticker, then on
the winged creature again. The card then turns over.
(11) Click and drag the Japanese mask to the left. A door opens. Click on the
samurai. Drag the mask closed and the card will turn over.
(12) Click the dragon's head and it will left up releasing a cat. Click and hold
the body to turn it around. Click it again and it will walk off the card,
turning
it over in the process.
(13) Drag the mouse right to make the figure run. A video begins with a voice-
over by Ben Kingsley. When finished, the card turns over.
(14) Click and drag the fish lever (you will need to experiment to find the best
place) until it moves nearly to the horizontal. This will start the machine and
the letter turns over. Click on the winged creature. It will pull the fishtail.
Click on it again and the rope will break thereby opening the letter.
(15) Use the mouse to move the jaguar to the extreme right. It will rise to the
next level. Move it to extreme left. Again it will climb to the next level. Take
the jaguar to the extreme right and it will grasp the sun. The card turns over.
(16) Use the cursor as a paintbrush to paint the hidden image. Click on the word
and click on all parts of the image. Another word and image appear. Click these
the same way. The image and word disappear. Continue to use the cursor as a
paintbrush and paint the postcard. It will turn over when complete.
(17) You must wait a few seconds for the sea (the sound becomes louder and
louder). It will wash over the card and an envelope appears. Click and drag the
seal off the flap of the envelope to read the letter.
(18) Use the mouse to move forward in the cemetery until you reach the angel
statue. At this point, the card turns over.
The Sphinx
(1) Drag the mouse down. The winged man will appear. Move the man to right to
make him walk off the card. The date will change as this happens. Continue to
walk him right until he decays. The card turns.
(2) Drag the night part of the card to the left to cover the knight king. Then
drag the satellite the lower left of the card. Two star maps appear. Move the
satellite up to one third from the top off to the right. Click to complete the
star map. The card turns over.
(3) Click on the card. Chase the insect off the card with the mouse. Click on
the
card again to turn it over.
(4) Drag the mouse down to open the matchbox. The matches spill. Pick up the
match, strike it against the matchbox, and burn the matchbox. When it burns up,
the card turns over.
(5) Make the insect run around the card. Where it moves, a rubber stamp will
leave a stamp mark. Eventually, the stamp will crush it and the car will flip
over.
(6) Using the mouse, fly the plane off the card to the right. The cat will
follow
and the car turns over. Use the plane to release the flap on the envelope.
(7) Click on the figure. The spinning wheel picture will open. Click on the
spinning wheel pictures inside until the picture door closes. Click on the main
spinning wheel picture several times. It will spin and then the whole card will
turn over.
(8) Again, controlling the plane, bring it down further and further until it
crashes. A banana junk floats down the river and the card turns over.
(9) The butterfly on the stamp flaps its wings several times and the card turns
over.
(10) Click on the man with the flute. His playing attracts the winged insects.
Eventually, they disappear and the letter turns over and opens.
(11) The figure on the stamp makes several noises and the card turns over by
itself.
(12) Click on the woman to make her grasp the waterwheel. Move the mouse in
clockwise circular motions to make her turn the waterwheel. This causes the
postcard to break into pieces and turn over.
(13) Move the cursor onto the stamp repeatedly (each crash of thunder and
lightning moves the crab's pincer closer to the moon). Eventually, the pincer
plucks the moon from the sky and the card turns over.
(14) Click on the figurine above the stamps. It opens releasing gold dust. The
envelope turns over. Click on the winged frog to open the flap on the envelope
to
read the letter.
(15) Click on the crab stamp. It then chases the creatures off the letter and
opens the sealed flap.
(16) Click on the hanging body. Move the mouse back and forth until the rope
breaks and wakes the boy. The next card is revealed.
(17) Move the mouse to bring the woman closer and closer. When it is as close as
it can get, the card turns over.
(18) Bring the laser to the weak point in the rope. Hold it there briefly and it
will burn through the rope. The next piece of correspondence is revealed.
(19) Move the shooting stars using the mouse. The idea is to reveal the whole of
the hidden picture of the baby. Once all the parts of the picture have been
revealed, the card is revealed and the closing video runs. An unusual ending,
open for interpretation.