In this shipboard game, you play as an amnesiac employee of Aesthetic Deletions. You mission is to eliminate someone on this boat. If you succeed, you'll get your name and memories back. But watch out for Jesus.
This solution is by David Welbourn.
SPOILERS AHEAD. Reading a walkthrough prematurely can sometimes diminish one's enjoyment of an interactive fiction game. Please make an honest effort to play the game before reading this walkthrough.
> x mirror.(Now you know your mission: eliminate someone.)
> open drawer. take card. x it.
> x plant.
> open door. e.
The hallway on the lower deck (north end)
CAUTION: If you try to enter any of the other cabins, you'll lose points.
> open storage door.(locked)
> s.
The hallway on the lower deck (south end)
> x staff door. x cat flap. open it.(A key falls.)
> take key. x key.("Storage Area")
> n.
The hallway on the lower deck (north end)
CAUTION: It's safe to unlock this door, but you'll lose 10 points if you dare enter the storage area. The only reason to unlock this door at all is to satisfy some door-unlocking urge that you, dear player, might have.
> unlock storage door with key. drop key.
> u. n.
Lounge
> x cat.(His paws are wounded.)
> x people.(They're ignoring you.)
> s. s.
Dining Room
> x fur. take it. wear it
> n. n.
Lounge
While wearing the fur skirt, you can talk to the cat.
> cat, hi.
> ask cat about paws.
> kiss Jesus.
> ask Jesus about Aesthetic Deletions.
How interesting. Now restore Jesus back to his human form.
> remove fur.
> give fur to cat.(+10; He thanks you and will forgive you for anything.)
> look.(It's really Jesus.)
> x Jesus.(+10. He leaves.)
> s. s. s.
hallway (between MD1 and Galley)
> open galley door. e.
Galley
> x balloon.(deflated)
> take it.
> w. s. s. s. s. s. u.
Deck (south end)
Mostly for narrative reasons, I'm gonna ask you to not fill the balloon with helium just yet. Also, you can't go up or down any stairs with a full balloon; it's just too awkward.
> x tank. x nozzle. x sun. x fog.
There's nothing of interest on the west or east sides of this deck. Just head striaght north to the prow.
> n. n. n. n. n. n.
Prow of the boat
> x plaque.("Aurora Borealis Tours - SS Jesus")
> x girl. ask girl about girl.
> ask girl about fog. ask girl about aurora.
I'm sure you know where this is going.
> s. s. s. s. s. s.
Deck (south end)
> put balloon on nozzle. turn on tank.
> x balloon.
> n. n. n. n. n. n.
Prow of the boat
> give balloon to girl.(−20. She sails away)
*** You watch your aesthetic deletion sail away into the sunset with a sense of pride.
A voice speaks in your head.
"Well done!"
"Now that you are one of us, I can tell you that your name is... George."
You slowly realise that that is your name as the memories start flooding back.
But, given what you know, are you sure you have done the right thing?
Thinking about it, you start to smile. ***
Extras
Characters
A voice representing Aesthetic Deletions talks to you in the prologue and again in the winning ending.
Two people in the lounge are sitting and talking loudly to each other. They ignore you. If you stay in the lounge long enough, you'll hear parts of their conversation.
A black cat is limping in the lounge. If you help him, he transforms back into Jesus.
The weather girl is at the prow of the boat. She's skinny and only likes to talk about the weather.
A staff member is briefly seen leaving the dining room when you enter there.
Endings
Oh dear. It looks like you have made Jesus angry. The last thing you need is an angry (and visibly naked) Jesus.
He looks you in the eye and says: "I am very, very disappointed in you. I thought you may be a better person than that. Tsk Tsk"
You can see him thinking for a minute.
"I have decided to put you off the boat. You will not remember any of this happening."
You groan inwardly as you realise that you will never find out who you are now...
if you give the inflated weather balloon to the weather girl, then look at Jesus, and you never gave the fur mini skirt to the black cat earlier.
Oh dear. It looks like you have made Jesus angry. The last thing you need is an angry Jesus wearing a fur miniskirt for a loincloth.
He looks you in the eye and says: "I am very, very disappointed in you. I thought you may be a better person than that. Tsk Tsk"
You can see him thinking for a minute.
"I have decided to put you off the boat. You will not remember any of this happening."
You groan inwardly as you realise that you will never find out who you are now...
if you give the inflated weather balloon to the weather girl, then look at Jesus, and you gave the fur mini skirt to the black cat earlier, but never looked at Jesus until now, so he was still on the boat.
You watch your aesthetic deletion sail away into the sunset with a sense of pride.
A voice speaks in your head.
"Well done!"
"Now that you are one of us, I can tell you that your name is... George."
You slowly realise that that is your name as the memories start flooding back.
But, given what you know, are you sure you have done the right thing?
Thinking about it, you start to smile.
if you give the inflated weather balloon to the weather girl, and Jesus has left the boat.
Also, I note that Emily Short's review on IFDB says that there's a way to die in this game, but I couldn't find it.
Inventory
You have an inventory limit of three items, not counting worn items.
NOTE: Even though there's two dark locations in this game, there are no light-sources to let you see what's in them.
a big black cape. You're wearing it and nothing else.
If you take the cape off and then examine it, you'll see "Society for Aesthetic Deletions" on the back.
a business card. It's in the table's drawer in your cabin (LD1).
Read it.
a storage key. Find it by opening the cat flap in the staff door at the south end of the hallway on the lower deck.
It unlocks the storage door at the north end of the hallway on the lower deck.
a fur mini skirt. It's in the dining room (main deck); it looks like a bundle of fur.
You can wear the skirt, but you feel silly doing so. While wearing the skirt, you can talk to the cat.
If you give the fur to the black cat in the lounge, the cat transforms into Jesus. The fur skirt looks like a loin cloth on him.
a weather balloon. It's in the galley (main deck) and deflated.
To inflate the balloon, go to the rear end of the sun deck, put the balloon on the nozzle, then turn on the helium tank.
While the balloon is inflated, you cannot use any of the stairs. The balloon won't fit.
At the prow, give the inflated balloon to the weather girl. She'll be carried away. Your memories will be restored unless Jesus is still on the boat in any form.
Score
The response to SCORE is:
You have so far scored 0 out of a possible 20, in 4 turns.
Points are awarded or deducted as follows:
10 points for helping the black cat turn back into Jesus.
10 points for seeing Jesus leave the lounge (and the boat).
−2 points for trying to open the LD2 door.
−1 point for trying to open the LD3 door.
−1 point for trying to open the LD4 door.
−1 point for trying to open the MD1 door.
−1 point for trying to open the MD2 door.
−1 point for trying to open the MD3 door.
−1 point for trying to open the MD4 door.
−1 point for trying to open the MD5 door.
−1 point for trying to open the MD6 door.
−1 point for trying to open the MD7 door.
−1 point for trying to open the MD8 door.
−1 point for trying to open the MD9 door.
−1 point for trying to open the SD1 door.
−1 point for trying to open the SD2 door.
−1 point for trying to open the SD3 door.
−1 point for trying to open the SD4 door.
−1 point for trying to open the SD5 door.
−1 point for trying to open the SD6 door.
−1 point for trying to open the SD7 door.
−1 point for trying to open the SD8 door.
−10 points for entering the storage area (lower deck).
−10 points for trying to kill the black cat.
−20 points for giving the inflated weather balloon to the weather girl.
Note that your best score when winning the game is zero. You gain twenty points from Jesus and lose twenty points when giving the balloon to the girl.
Surreal cheating moment
> gonear SD8
Cabin SD8
This is cabin SD8. If you could get in here you would be surprised by the amount of junk and Jesus' that the writer of this game throws in here...
You can see a Jesus and a Jesus here.
By the way, it's important to not end your GONEAR command with a period. Somehow, it makes all the secret rooms dark and you can no longer see in any of them. Also, avoid visiting any dark room prior to this, otherwise SD8 will again be dark. The darkness rules are really sensitive and there's no light-source in this game.
