Alpha walkthrough & keyboard mapping

Hi everyone,

Following first feedbacks about the Alpha, here's a little help and advices in order to finish the game.

It can be hours long (5h30 on my last playtest), it'll be sad to shut it down after 15mn because you're missing something ;)

SPOILERS AHEAD

Topics :

• 1 - Keyboard mapping
• 2 - The Eternal Night
• 3 - Leaving Azaka's cornhub
• 4 - Exploring the maze
• 5 - Unlocking quests
• 6 - Quest items
• 7 - Play minigames
• 8 - Ask the scarecrows
• 9 - Explore your story with your smartphone
• 10 - Confront your destiny
• 11 - The lost redneck children
• 12 - The mood effect
• 13 - The passwords
• 14 - Cross Destinies
• 15 - Try things and have fun

1 - Keyboard mapping

Gin House Blues was made with the idea of playing with a gamepad.

If you have a keyboard, here's the correspondance between gamepad and keyboard (from smilegamebuilder.com) (Smartphone replaces Camera zoom left, Crouch replaces Camera zoom right) :

2 - The Eternal Night

In the introduction, when the main character leaves with his/her car and the car breaks down, the night begins to fall.

You have to go take shelter on your car by pressing "A" while standing next to the driver's door before the screen is too dark.

3 - Leaving Azaka's cornhub

While on Azaka's cornhub, you have two exits :

- first one is near the big metal gate, by speaking to Azaka

- second, often missed, is on the other side of the camp : there's a wooden portal, and by using the "Crouch" button, you'll be able to pass under and leave the cornhub to explore the maze

4 - Exploring the maze

The maze is totally random, except for 3 map relations :

- cornhub leading to the straightpath

- straightpath leading to both cornhub and crossroad

- nord path on the crossroad leading to the straightpath

Including the cornhub and Azaka, there's 12 characters / groups of characters on the maze, each one on his/her map.

Azaka, being the voodoo god of exploration, can help you with this :

- after meeting 7+ groups of people, he'll allow you to taste his Great White Rum

- after meeting 12 groups of people, he'll give you a map allowing you to choose your destination on each map change

5 - Unlocking quests

Each met character has 1 to 4 dialog options., some leading to demands and requests, some other giving global informations about the ingame situation.

When you think a quest is complete, go talk to the character again : one of the dialog options will change if you did everything that was needed.

Something, a quest can be multi-characters, and so a new dialog option can be unlocked at another character dialogs. Try to connect the dots.

6 - Quest items

Sometime, people on the maze will give you narrative / quest items.

Talk to everyone to see if these are needed.

Otherwise, you can talk to Satan McKellen (closed shop) and show him your stuff : he'll give you hints and tips about what you currently have, and who would need it.

7 - Play minigames

They are 4 minigames in Gin House Blues. Each minigames has score or checkpoint. Each minigames has 4 levels of completion :

- none : you didn't play the game enough or your score is too low

- bronze / silver : you did progress in the game and deserve a trophy

- gold : you did everything that can be done in this game

After that, you can go to see Anansi, he'll judge your performances and give you trophy.

You can trade these trophies with Satan McKellen (open shop).

Some trophies are needed in order to complete some maze character's quests.

8 - Ask the scarecrows

When talking to a scarecrow in the fields, it'll give you a random tip about Gin House Blues.

The sames goes for Hoodoo Voodoo Returner's Party - Samedi Madness with the Guédés (they are dancing at the entrance of each new room) if you have the soul of John Lee Escort in your team and at least one Voodoo Vévé in your inventory.

9 - Explore your story with your smartphone

By checking your smartphone, your messages, your pictures and your calls, you'll be able to learn a bit about your past and understand why you're in the maze today.

Two folders are protected by password that can be obtained thanks to a quest in the maze.

Each cursor move consume a bit of the phone battery. There's somewhere in the game a special dialog that'll allow you to make your smartphone full again.

The more you'll know about yourself, the more you'll be able to progress in the main quest.

And if your character doesn't want to talk about something, try to check the same thing in another situation of mood.

10 - Confront your destiny

By asking Azaka to leave the maze, you'll be able to confront your destiny.

Whoever the person you'll talk to :

- as long as the dialog is concluded by "Your link with XXX has progressed", there's something new to discover on a new attempt

- when this message is not displayed, you miss something (quest in the game, karma, minigame trophy or dialog with other characters)

After each confrontation with your destiny, Azaka ask you if you're satisfied or not :

- If not, you're allowed to go back in the Maze, explore more, finish quests and dig deeper in your story and relations

- If you're satisfied, it'll be game over : you chose the moment you want to go back to your life with whatever you did about it.

You're in total control of the state you want to leave your character in,
and whenever you want to end your game experience.

There is :

- one really bad ending (it'll trigger a game over)

- one bad ending (you can return to the maze after)

- 2 neutral endings with either your Love or your Past, and you choose whenever you want to end your experience (it'll trigger a game over)

- 2 neutral alternate endings (you can return to the maze after)

11 - The lost redneck children

Lizzie, the Redneck Nana, send you on a quest to bring back her children.

They are 7 children in total.

They are on some maps on the maze, they'll appear as soon as the quest starts.

If you don't manage to find the 7th, take a sip of Great White Rum.

12 - The mood effect

When you check some souvenirs on your phone, you're sometimes "not in the mood to talk about it right now".

Think about something you do in the Maze that can change your mood and check your phone again  🍹

13 - The passwords

Some folders are protected by a password in your smartphone.

If you don't find the good numbers, maybe someone you helped can guess them with a bit of divination or palm line reading ? 🔮👋

14 - Cross destinies

When you ask Azaka to allow you to leave the Maze, you can meet your destiny.

You can speak to the image of your Love, but, did you see the other room ? Something's blocking it, but a quest item can help you to dissipate your shadow doppelganger, and you'll be able to talk to both your Past, and your Self.

If you're stuck in a situation with either your Love, your Past or your Self, try to talk to another the next time : by crossing dialogs & destinies, you'll be able to learn more about them and yourself.

15 - Try things and have fun

This one is quite explicit, I think :)