You play as Dirk Justice, recently-disgraced and suspended police detective and walking cliché. You were relieved of your badge and absurdly large arsenal of weaponry this morning because you dared to arrest Mr. Big, the kingpin of crime in Grittyville, without a warrant. Of course, this means you'll totally go "lone wolf" and kill every criminal you find. In self-defence. And this will make everything okay because Justice must prevail.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Version 1.01 of the game.
Before we begin, I need to discusss how combat works in this game. First, about Endurance:
You have a maximum of 25 Endurance, which one might as well call hit points. If you have 0 or less Endurance, you're dead.
You must examine yourself, X ME, to find out your current Endurance. Endurance is not reported on during a battle; it does not appear in the status bar.
You can restore your Endurance by:
Doing nothing. There is a random chance of one point of Endurance restored every turn, including during combat.
Resting. You can REST between battles to restore your full Endurance.
Eating or drinking. You can EAT food or DRINK drinks at any time, including during battles, to restore your Endurance.
Saying XYZZY. You can just XYZZY at any time, including during combat, to restore your full Endurance. This makes food and drink completely unnecessary.
Your opponents also have Endurance, and can also randomly get Endurance back during battle. Examine your opponent to learn what his current and maximum Endurance is.
Second, about weapons:
There are several weapons in the game. It is not at all clear how to tell which weapons are better than others. I assume weapons obtained later in the game are better than earlier ones, but there is no easy way to tell.
To use a weapon, you must wield it; for example, WIELD KNIFE. A command like KILL THUG WITH KNIFE will also wield a weapon.
You can only wield one weapon at a time.
You can also UNWIELD weapon, but why bother? Wielding a new weapon automatically unwields your current wielded weapon.
CAUTION: Dropping any weapon seems to unwield your weapon, even when the dropped and wielded weapons are different items.
Use the INVENTORY command if you're unsure which weapon, if any, is wielded.
All guns are always loaded and have unlimited bullets; don't worry about ammo.
Third, about battle tactics:
All battles are fights to the death. You will not be permitted to leave a location during combat until your opponents are dead.
Always wield a weapon.
I suggest using XYZZY every seventh turn of battle, attacking your opponent the rest of the time. For the battle in the factory, against three opponents, I'd use XYZZY every fourth turn instead.
If you're killed, UNDO a turn or two then XYZZY.
I don't know of any clever way to finesse a battle. I don't know about any special attacks. If any opponents are especially vulnerable to any particular weapons, it's not at all obvious.
Seriously, you can only attack repeatedly, eat, drink, and XYZZY. That's pretty much it.
Walkthrough
Your apartment - front room
You can't sit on the sofa. You can't turn on the tv. Only the fridge is vaguely important.
> x sofa. x table. x tv. x fridge.
> open fridge. take bourbon. x it. close fridge.
> s.
Your apartment - bathroom
Naturally, your bathroom isn't functional.
> take trunk key. x sink. x toilet. n. e.
Your apartment - bedroom
> x bed. x photo. x bookcase. x trunk.
> unlock trunk with key. drop key. open trunk.(I'm dropping keys because of inventory limits.)
> take cash. x it.(Unlimited cash means you can buy everything. Except a plumber's services, I guess.)
> w. n.
Poor district
Next thing we need is a weapon. We have several options for our first weapon:
We can go east into Zeke's Pawn Shop and buy a baseball bat.
We can go west into an alleyway and take a broken bottle from the dumpster.
We can grab a plank of wood from the underground fighting tournament, east of Gangland.
We can break into a mansion and get a kitchen knife (and other stuff).
We can break into another mansion and get a golf club (and other stuff).
I vote for the last one. Naturally, it's way on the other side of Grittytown.
> w.
A grimy alleyway
> x dumpster. open it. x broken bottle.
> w.
The projects
> x Marla. ask Marla about Marla. ask Marla about landlord.
> ask Marla about me.
> w. n. nw.
Mansion - front door (red door)
The way the door is coded shows the author doesn't know how to code a locked door. We must ENTER DOOR once it's unlocked; we can't just go north.
> x mailbox. open it. take red key. unlock door with it.
> drop red key. enter door.
Mansion - front room
> x golf club. take it. wield it. w.
Mansion - kitchen
Here's the real reason I wanted to come here first: the rucksack.
> x rucksack. take it. open it.
> x grapefruit. put it in sack.
> x fridge. open it. x milk. put it in sack. close fridge.
> e. s. se. s. w. w.
Department store - general store
I bet there's actually two newspaper objects in the code: an unbought version and a purchased version. Why? Because if you try "buy it. read it.", the second "it" doesn't work.
The newspaper does provide a bit of background story, but you can forget the name "Raya Martinez" mentioned by it. That name isn't a conversation topic with any of the characters.
Notice I don't bother taking the newspaper. I'd rather fill the rucksack with food or stuff I might actually need.
> x newspaper. buy it. read newspaper.
Let's head back to the poor district and the abandoned store.
> e. e. e. e. e.
Poor district
Make sure your golf club is wielded.
> i. save. n.
Abandoned store - storefront
When you enter this location, a crackhead will attack you.
> x crackhead.(He has 10 endurance and a switchblade.)
> kill crackhead.(Repeat until the crackhead dies; he drops his weapon. See combat.)
I suspect the golf club is better than the switchblade, so just leave it.
> x switchblade. w.
Abandoned store - office
I have no idea what the gaming chip is for; I assume it has some use, but I never found any use for it.
> x desk. open drawer. take chip. drop it. x it.
> e. u.
Abandoned store - upstairs storage
The magic word XYZZY magically heals you to full endurance.
> x boxes. open box. x notepad. read it. xyzzy. x me.
Next, let's confront Marla's landlord, Andrew Samson.
> d. s. w. w. w. n. ne.
Mansion - front door (green door)
> x mailbox. open it. x envelope. open it.(Can't open it. Leave it.)
> x mat. look under mat. x green key.
> unlock door with green key. drop green key. enter door.
Living room
> w.
Kitchen
Is the knife better than the golf club? I have no idea.
> x knife. take it. drop club.
> x fridge. open it. x cheese. x sausage.
> put cheese in rucksack. put sausage in rucksack.
> wield knife. e. n.
Office
A thug attacks you when you enter.
> x thug.(He has 30 endurance and a knuckle duster.)
> kill thug.(Continue combat until the thug dies; he drops his weapon.)
> xyzzy. look.
I'm hoping that the weapons get better as I tackle more difficult foes, but it's hard to tell for sure.
> x duster. take it. drop knife.
> x desk. open drawer. take cabinet key.
> unlock cabinet with key. drop key.
> x cabinet. open it. take document. read it.
> x laptop. read email.
> x painting. x basket.
> wield duster. e.
Small bathroom
> x Samson. ask samson about me.
> ask samson about document.(He kills himself, dropping a pistol.)
> look. x body. x pistol. x toilet. x sink.
I'm going to leave the pistol, and go confront Ramon in the factory.
> w. s. s. sw. s. e. s. sw. w.
Factory
For once, you're not attacked right away.
> x Ramon.(He's carrying a briefcase.)
> x cocaine. save.
Make sure your weapon is wielded.
> ask Ramon about briefcase.(Ramon becomes hostile, grabs a steel pipe and summons Sal and Ernesto.)
New battle: Ramon has 30 Endurance; Sal has 20; Ernesto has 10.
> kill Ramon.(Continue until he's dead.)
> wield pipe. xyzzy.(Because why not.)
> kill Sal.(Continue until he's dead.)
> kill Ernesto.(Continue until he's dead.)
> drop duster. take briefcase. x it.(You can't open the briefcase, by the way.)
Next, let's visit Mr. Big's casino.
> e. ne. s.
Casino
You can't actually gamble here, and the bouncers don't talk.
> w.(If you have the briefcase, they let you go past them.)
Casino - corridor
> s.
Casino - storeroom
> x sandwich. put it in rucksack.
> wield pipe. save. n. n.
Casino - Mr. Big's office
Another thug attacks you. Go figure.
> x thug.(He has endurance 30 and a shotgun.)
> kill thug.(Continue until he's dead.)
> xyzzy. look.
> x desk. open drawer. take all from drawer.
> x chest key. x keycard. x cupboard key.
> x cupboard. unlock it with cupboard key. drop cupboard key.
> open cupboard. x wine. put wine in rucksack.
> x shotgun.(I'm leaving the gun; there's another weapon to get.)
> s. d.
Casino - basement
> x drain. open it. x clump.(Ew.)
> x chest. unlock chest with chest key. drop chest key.
> open chest. x chainsaw. take it. drop pipe.
Let's clean up cardboard city next.
> u. e. n. n. n. e.
Derelict bank - entrance
Hope you're ready for grossness.
> u. e.
Derelict bank - bloody room
Although the intestine and skull are takeable, there's no reason to take them. And the blood? It's not implemented.
> x intestine. x skull. w. n.
Derelict bank - room full of bodies
You can't examine the bodies! They're not implemented!
> x diary. read it.(I assume the diary belongs to the killer and not to one of his victims.)
Make sure your weapon is wielded.
> wield chainsaw. save. n.
Derelict bank - dark room.
The killer attacks you as soon as you enter the room.
> x killer.(He has 90 endurance and a machete.)
> kill killer.(Continue the combat until he's dead; he drops the machete.)
> xyzzy. x machete.(I assume the chainsaw is better, but again, how to tell?)
Next: visit the other bank.
> s. s. d. w. s. w. s.
Grittyville bank
Note: You can't "swipe" the keycard.
> x door. unlock door with keycard. enter door.
Bank - vault
Note: The word "lockers" isn't recognized.
> x locker. unlock locker with keycard. open locker.
> take ledger. read it.(The police chief is implicated.)
> n. n. sw. n.
Police station - chief's room
Note: You can't enter this location from the beginning of the game, but I don't know for sure what event unlocks it.
> x chief. x desk. x burger. put burger in rucksack. x plant.
> ask chief about me. ask chief about chief.
> ask chief about marla. ask chief about andrew.
> ask chief about ledger.(He pulls a gun on you! The slimeball.)
> x chief.(His endurance is 35, and he's wielding a handgun.)
> kill chief.(Continue combat until he's dead. Seriously.)
> xyzzy. take paper. read it.(The DA's on the take, too!)
> s.
Police station
Ella is here? She's new.
> x Ella. ask Ella about Ella. ask Ella about me.
> ask Ella about chief.(She gives you the evidence key.)
> x evidence key. w.
Police station - evidence locker
> x box. unlock box with evidence key. drop evidence key.
> open box. x Old Painless. x mousetrap.
> drop chainsaw. take painless. wield it.
> e. ne. nw. n.
City Hall
You can't enter the DA's office unless you've read the chief's note.
A big battle's coming up. Unless you want to eat and drink stuff during the combat, your last chance to gobble it all down it now.
> save. w.
District Attorney's office - City Hall
> x DA. ask DA about me. ask DA about chief.
> ask DA about note.(DA confesses, but then, Mr. Big enters and kills him!)
You're in battle with Mr. Big!
> x big.(He's got 100 Endurance and an assault rifle.)
> kill big.(Continue combat until he's dead.)
*** Congratulations, you have completed the game! ***
List of Characters
The people you let live (5):
Zeke. He's in Zeke's Pawn Shop; you can buy a baseball bat from him.
Marla. She's at the projects. I'm not sure why she's just standing there. Maybe she's waiting for a bus?
Two casino bodyguards. They're in the Casino, blocking the entrance to the corridor. You can't really interact with them at all. Just walk west past them while carrying the briefcase.
Ella. Officer Ella Gould shows up late in the game after you've killed the police chief. Somehow, she magically learns that the police chief and the DA are crooked at the same time you learn it. It's nice this means she's not going to arrest you for murdering the police chief, but if you step back a bit and think, this also means if you'd just stayed home as you were told to do, Ella would've taken care of all the trouble. Your vigilantism wasn't needed at all.
The people you see die (2):
Andrew Samson. He's in his bathroom, and suicides when you ask him about the document. He drops the pistol when he dies.
The DA. He's in his office at City Hall. You can't visit him until you've read the note that the dead police chief drops. The DA is killed by Mr. Big when you ask the DA about the note.
The people you kill (9), in self-defence, of course:
A crackhead. He's at the abandoned store storefront at the north side of the poor district. He attacks at first sight. His endurance is 10 and he wields a switchblade.
Arno is Samson's thug. He's in the office in Samson's mansion. He attacks at first sight. His endurance is 30 and he wields a knuckleduster.
Ramon. He's in the Factory, carrying a briefcase and guarding a bag of cocaine. Asking him about the briefcase, after you've been to Samson's mansion, makes him turn nasty. His endurance is 30 and he wields a steel pipe.
Sal and Ernesto show up at the Factory when Ramon starts a battle to make it three against one. I think they only have names so you can tell them apart. Sal's endurance is 20. Ernesto's endurance is 10. Their only weapons are their fists. They attack at first sight.
Mr. Big's thug. He's in Mr. Big's office in the casino. He attacks at first sight. His endurance is 30 and he wields a shotgun.
A serial killer. He's in the dark room, upstairs in the derelict bank. He attacks at first sight. His endurance is 90 and he wields a machete.
The police chief. He's in his room at the police station. You can't visit him right away, but I don't know what action unlocks his door, as it were. He's dismissive of you until you ask him about the ledger; then he attacks you. His endurance is 35 and he wields a handgun.
Mr. Big. The big bad of the game, he appears in the DA's office when you ask the DA about the police chief's note. His endurance is 100 and he wields an assault rifle. Killing Mr. Big ends the game in victory.
Other people mentioned (2):
Mary. She appears in a photo in Dirk's bedroom. She's someone Dirk loved, but we're not told if she was Dirk's wife, girlfriend, or daughter, nor if she died or left him. However, based on how cliché a character that Dirk is, we can safely assume that their parting was tragic.
Raya Martinez. Described as a missing homeless man by the newspaper, we should probably assume that Raya is one of the unfortunate victims of the serial killer.
List of Inventory Items
Weapons
baseball bat. Buy it at Zeke's Pawn Shop.
broken glass. Found inside the dumpster in a grimy alleyway.
chainsaw. Found in the casino basement chest.
kitchen knife. Found in Samson's kitchen.
knuckleduster. Dropped by the thug in Samson's office.
golf club. Found in the Jones's front room.
handgun. Dropped by the police chief in his office.
machete. Dropped by the serial killer in the derelict bank's dark room.
Old Painless. Your favourite weapon is inside the evidence box in the police station's evidence room.
pistol. Dropped by Samson in his bathroom.
plank of wood. Found at the underground fighting tournament.
shotgun. Dropped by the thug in Mr. Big's office.
switchblade. Dropped by the crackhead in the abandoned store.
Food and Drink
beer. Buy it from the bar.
bourbon. In your fridge in your apartment's front room.
cheese. In Samson's fridge.
grapefruit. On the table in the Jones' mansion kitchen.
hamburger. On the desk in the police chief's room.
milk. In the Jones's fridge.
sandwich. In the storeroom of the casino.
sausage. In Samson's fridge.
soda. Buy it from the general store.
wine. In Mr. Big's office cupboard.
Keys
trunk key. In your sink in your bathroom. It unlocks your trunk in your bedroom, where you can find cash.
red key. In the Jones' mailbox at the Jones' mansion front door. It unlocks the red door to Jones' mansion.
green key. Under the welcome mat at Samson's mansion front door. It unlocks the green door to Samson's mansion.
cabinet key. In Samson's office desk drawer. It unlocks Samson's office file cabinet which contains the document.
cupboard key. In Mr. Big's office desk drawer. It unlocks Mr. Big's office cupboard which contains a bottle of wine.
chest key. In Mr. Big's office desk drawer. It unlocks the chest in the casino basement; the chest contains a chainsaw.
keycard. In Mr. Big's office desk drawer. It unlocks both the bank vault door and the locker inside the bank vault. The locker contains the ledger.
evidence key. Ella will give it to you when you ask her about the chief. The key unlocks the evidence box in the evidence room, where you can get "Old Painless" and the mousetrap.
Reading material
notepad. In the box in upstairs storage of the abandoned store.
newspaper. Buy it at the general store.
diary. In the room full of bodies in the derelict bank.
envelope. In Samson's mailbox. You can't actually open it or read it, though.
document. In the cabinet in Samson's office. It's evidence that Samson is working for Mr. Big.
ledger. In the locked box in the bank vault. It's evidence that the police chief is crooked.
note. Dropped by the police chief when you kill him. It's evidence that the DA is crooked.
Assorted body parts
None of the characters are the slightest bit interested in these gruesome mementos.
skull. Found in the bloody room of the derelict bank. No obvious use.
intestine. Found in the bloody room of the derelict bank. No obvious use.
clump. Found in the drain in the casino basement. No obvious use.
Other stuff
cash. Found inside the trunk in your bedroom. You need cash if you want to buy anything from the pawn shop, the bar, or the department store.
gaming chip. Found in the desk drawer of the abandoned store's office. No obvious use. You can't actually use it in the casino.
rucksack. Found on the table in the Jones' mansion kitchen. It lets you carry a lot more items.
fedora. Buy it from the accessories department of the department store. You can wear it after you buy it, but you don't need it.
scarf. Buy it from the clothing department of the department store. You can wear it after you buy it, but you don't need it.
briefcase. Ramon is initially carrying it. Ask him about the briefcase to begin a battle; he'll drop it when he's dead. Carry it to get past the casino bouncers.
cocaine. On a table in the factory. You can take it after Ramon is dead. No obvious use.
mousetrap. Found in the evidence box. No obvious use. (Although the prologue tells you that the mousetrap was taken from behind your fridge, the game doesn't understand put mousetrap behind fridge.)