The Black Mirror
2003 Unknown Identity
Designed by Michal Pekárek, Pavel Pekárek, Zdenek Houb
Relevance / mimesis:
*) planets puzzle
Magic mechanism. Also, requiring you to place the planets in their
*proper* order is a poor lock mechanism, since that's the most likely way
anybody would try to place them.
*) cross peg sliding puzzle
Magic mechanism.
*) offerings in Welsh tomb
Magic mechanism. Detecting substances, lights.
*) zodiac slider
A slider. Magic mechanism.
*) secret chambre below the church
Who lit the fire? Or is it a magic fire that has been burning for hundreds
of years?
*) jewel box knights puzzle
Magic mechanism.
*) tomb in Wales, especially Dergham's tomb underneath
Who lit the candles? The place was locked, and nobody was in it for ages,
nor expected to be in it. Especially underground, where nobody has been
for ages.
*) heat up boiler with cool rag
It's pouring out. Just hold the rag up and it will be soaked.
*) boiler room door code
Why is this lock here? The outer door is already locked, and the
maintenance man clearly has the inner code. Who are they trying to keep
out?
*) fish out cog
The wood has been floating in murky water for years. It would be too
rotten, too punky to be of any use.
*) sewer mechanisms
These are big, industrial age mechanisms, but the sewers are, apparently,
mediaeval. Everything should have rusted out, to boot.
*) sewer lighting
Where does it come from? Who lit it?
*) gravedigger in crypt
He should hear the door closing. Why doesn't he say anything? Bang on
door, etc.
*) labyrinth
Who lit the torches? The funny light-globes are magic. On the other hand,
this area *is* magic.
*) final portal and altar
This is magic, but it's supposed to be magic.
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Real-time:
*) breaking brick (ashburry)
Synchronous, aural, repeating, nonfatal - generous time.
Timed to the sound of the machine, a good use of both real-time and
sound clues.
*) escaping James at the old lighthouse
Timed sequence, fatal - moderate time.
There's a warning of potential danger ("I had better be careful").
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Reasonability:
*) mine gate padlock / wolf
If you shoot first, you waste all bullets and later get killed by the
wolf. It's a resurrection fault.
*) proving you're a Gordon
Showing your wallet results in a bribery attempt. I thought I was
showing him my ID (driver's license, etc.).
*) offerings in Welsh tomb
Why is earth a symbol of the harvest? Seems a plant (fruit) would be the
appropriate thing. Also, it shouldn't be that special soil, since it
would likely have been mixed with fresh / neighbouring soil long ago.
*) zodiac slider
Requires extra-game knowledge. In this case, the symbols and orders of
the zodiac. This is unlikely knowledge, even just recognising the symbols
for what they are. There should have been an in-game clue that that's
what they were, even better to have all the info in the game somewhere.
*) getting keys from boiler man
The plan relies on the boiler man forgetting his keys in the lock, which
you can't expect, let alone rely upon.
*) side-holes in maze
Look-and-die, but you *must* look to get the object from one. I didn't
notice any clue suggesting which you should look into. This is a
resurrection fault.
*) throwing helmet and sword into abyss
Why does this activate the closing mechanism? Maybe it just accidentally
hits a switch. But there should be a deterministic way (from the game-
world standpoint) to trip the switch. As it is, it's an arbitrary action.