Estranged: Act I

Estranged: Act I

183 ratings
Puzzle #1: The Room of Doom
By ouij
Judging from the negative reviews and comments, it appears a moderate number of players are quick to write the game off due to the tremendous difficulty of the first puzzle. While these criticisms are certainly fair, and the game does require a substantial amount of logic, I'm confident that the average person will be able to solve the remainder of the game's "brain teasers" after they receive this tiny push in the right direction. Thus, I intend to provide a step-by-step solution to this infuriating mind boggler.
   
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Blue Collar Man
I would tell you to take a look at your surroundings but, if you're reading this guide, you're probably very familiar with them by now. Locate the table and move it into position like so:



How do we move the table, you ask? Simple! Objects too heavy to carry can be moved simply by walking into them (this method will hereafter be referred to as "shoving").

No time to admire your handiwork - we've got shelves to move!



Shove the shelves until they're flush against the wall and place a cardboard box on top as pictured below:



Are we done now? Ha ha...HARDLY! Climb the ladder in the corner and locate the pile of cinder blocks up above. Pick one up by pressing your "use" key and drop it to the ground floor below by pressing the "use" key a second time. Do this with one more brick.



(Side Note: As the "Hint Message" states, objects can also be thrown with the left mouse button. I've found this to be a completely useless feature, though it adds a nice touch of authenticity.)

Getting the hang of it? Good! Shove the table firmly against the wall and arrange a cardboard box and pallet into the following configuration:



Finally, place one of the two cinder blocks behind the table legs to prevent it from moving.

Congratulations - you're 1/3 of the way there!
Rock the Boat, Baby!
This next section is incredibly simple yet it can be amazingly time consuming. Ascend the ladder again and locate the boat.



Those dastardly developers have placed yet another obstacle in our path! Fortunately, you should be a master of the shoving arts by now.



Don't tip the boat ovah!



Congratulations - it's just that easy! Now, return to the ground floor and place the remaining cinder block on the pallet as shown:



ONWARD TO VICTORY!
Break on Through (To The Other Side)
(I believe this is the part where everyone is getting stuck so I'll do my best to explain it.)

So, everything is in place and we're ready to shatter that window - but there's one little problem:



The boat is impeding our progress yet again! This time, it's blocking the ladder we need to ascend. DAAAAAMN YOOOOU DEVELOPEEEEEERS!

Fortunately, we've already provided the solution. Simply arrange the remaining cardboard boxes into a makeshift staircase in front of the shelves we moved earlier in the walkthrough!



Wow! I almost took a nasty fall! That was a close call. Carefully make your way across the rafters until you're positioned over the device we assembled earlier:



Take a deep breath, cross your fingers aaaaand...JUMP!



WE DID IT! And not only that - we did it in style! If you're lucky, you crashed through that window like a professional surf ninja. If you aren't...well...the window's still broken. So...good job anyway.



That's right. Check out your new surroundings. Drink it in. You've earned a moment of quiet reflection. Bask in the brilliant light of your own greatness. You are one part Professor Layton, one part Einstein and three parts MacGyver. You are a sexy cocktail of genius.

You. You are an inspiration to us all now. Go forth and-



Oh? But what's this? It appears the challenge has just begun...
95 Comments
The Beautiful Egg 26 Sep, 2024 @ 9:12pm 
Genuinely wondering if this is a joke, I'm not the best when it comes to puzzles but I didn't need help with this one. Are people often struggling with this?
Sutasu! 15 Jul, 2024 @ 4:20pm 
This puzzle fucking sucks, but thank you for your care mate. I had no idea there was a fucking ladder in this retarded room, but when you pointed it out, I BLMed my way into the room with a cinder block
EyeoftheMonster 6 Mar, 2024 @ 6:15am 
throw cinder block through window,...done
Astoneon 31 May, 2023 @ 12:32pm 
truly one of the puzzles of all time
MisterMan 13 Feb, 2023 @ 9:13pm 
I read this in the voice of the narrator from The Stanley Parable for some reason
monke 18 Feb, 2022 @ 4:21pm 
To solve this puzzle you simply, SMASH THE SHIT OUT OF THE GLASS WITH A CINDERBLOCK!
Dangerous Beans 21 Sep, 2020 @ 10:57am 
> TBH, you can throw the cinderblock in the glass... plain and simple

That seems like a glitch. The solution in this guide is clearly what the developers had in mind.
its rick and morty time 27 Aug, 2020 @ 1:23pm 
i didnt know this was a puzzle, i thought it was just design
Mann Disguised as a Mercenary 23 Apr, 2020 @ 9:47pm 
The puzzle: finished after 22 hours
The f/ucking vent:
X-C-V 19 Mar, 2019 @ 2:53pm 
LOL, yup this is one way to do it when you want to make a simple challenge into a long complicated one :2016snocone: