EYE is a Glulx work of interactive fiction written with Inform 7 and is © 2025 by Arthur DiBianca. It's an entry in ParserComp 2025, where it placed 1st in the Classic category.
In this wordplay game where you can only use one-word three-letter commands, you play as a Word-Mage and as a Visitor to the Academy. Return home with one or more Flowers to placate the Giant and save Isabel.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 1 of the work.
SPOILERS AHEAD. Reading a walkthrough prematurely can sometimes diminish one's enjoyment of a work of interactive fiction. Please make an honest effort to play the work before reading this walkthrough.
>> SPACE (to begin the game)
You have arrived. You don't know it yet, but you are a new Visitor at the Academy. Only one-word commands that are three letters long are valid here; all other commands (besides meta-commands like SAVE, RESTORE, RESTART, VERSION, SCRIPT, and UNSCRIPT) give error messages. Alas, QUIT is not supported.
EYE is the game's title, so try that. EYE works like LOOK in normal text adventures.
> EYE
Lecture Hall
Make a good guess that EAR works like LISTEN.
> EAR
Several new concepts are introduced.
This spells out the word LAF. LAF takes you to the next location that features a pyramid; there are five such locations.
Note that some words have names. The name of LAF is the Sphinx, so when anyone refers to the Sphinx, they're really talking about the word LAF.
> LAF
Office
I luckily guessed that ABC might do something. It toggles the display of the alphabet in the game's status line. The caret in-between M and N simply marks the middle of the alphabet. Having the alphabet visible will help you do the alphabet arithmetic that this game specializes in.
> ABC
> EAR
The head of GERBIL is G. On the alphabet line, starting at G, count back five to B, then count forward eight to J. The Mouse is GBJ.
Oh, you should also remember any names of any mentioned locations, like Gallery.
> GBJ (For a moment you feel insignificant.)
> LAF
Porphyrium
> EAR ("One, twelve, and three")
Another new concept: Words are spelled out with numbers, based on their order in the alphabet. A is called One, B is called Two, C is called Three, etc., up to Z is called Twenty-six.
So "one, twelve, and three" means ALC.
> ALC
Cellar
You can't do much here yet.
> LAF
Alphabet Room
> EAR
Of the Words you've learned so far, you can push the Mouse, GBJ, to HCK.
> HCK
Kitchen
> EAR
I think this is the first mention of Visitors, and since you're already using the Words, you must be a Visitor yourself.
> LAF
Chapel
> EAR
The head of IBIS is "I". Four steps forward on the alphabet line is "M". Nine steps back from there is "D". Your new Word is IMD.
> IMD
Dormitory
> EAR
Twelve is "L". Five is "E". Two twelves is twenty-four; that's "X". Your new Word is LEX. LEX lets you read something in the current room, assuming there's anything to read there.
> LEX ("What is something that would help you find your way around the Academy?")
> MAP (lists everywhere you've been)
> ALC
Cellar
> LEX ("To reach the Kitchen: push the Mouse / To reach the Store Room: ...")
> HCK
Kitchen
> LEX ("one - eighteen - twelve")
> ARL
Library
> LEX ("One who completes the tests will learn a Special Word, useful only in the Chapel.")
About this time, I tried AHA, while guessing words at random. It took me directly to the Alphabet Room:
> AHA
Alphabet Room
And then I had an appropriate aha-moment:
ALPHABET ROOMCELLARLIBRARYKITCHENDORMITORYYou can go directly to any room in the Academy by taking the fifth, fourth, and first letters of the room's name! This implies:
Every room has its own unique Travel Word, and if you know a location's name, you can derive its Travel Word from it.
> LEX ("What comes after the beginning and the middle?")
The answer to that question is END, but don't use it yet. END is your command to leave the Academy, and would result in failure at this time.
Actually, no, wait. Do use it to see the failure message and understand that your overall goal in this game is to obtain Flowers so you can save someone named Isabel from a huge Giant. After any ending, you can always press SPACE to undo the ending and return to the Academy and keep playing.
> END
>> SPACE
*** You have failed ***
>> SPACE
Alphabet Room
> CIO
Office
> LEX ("Take the head of a vulture, cut it in half, and walk back four steps. You will discover the Phoenix, which feeds on fire.")
The Phoenix is VKG, which only works properly in locations with fire.
> VKG (hot and prickly for a moment)
But try not to get distracted with new toys. There's nothing for LEX to read in the Lecture Hall, Porphyrium, or Chapel, so visit the Gallery next.
> ELG
Gallery
> EAR (mentions Garden)
> LEX
The quotes are missing letters: N from RUNG, U from CAUSE, and R from BROOK. So what does NUR do?
> NUR
Rotunda
> EAR (mentions Workshop, and "if you pull the Sphinx's tail, it will spit out a ruby")
> LEX ("To the one who brings me gems I will give a Special Word.")
It shouldn't be too difficult to work out the Ruby's Word.
> LAE (red glint; the statue glows slightly)
You need five Gem Words total for this statue and you just gave him one. For now, continue exploring. The Travel Word for the Workshop is SKW.
> SKW
Workshop
> EAR (mentions Menagerie)
> LEX ("The number of days in the year, if applied correctly, may reveal a diamond...")
> ERS
Store Room
> EAR (mentions Refectory)
> LEX ("The Mouse looked in the mirror and saw the Raven.")
If you divide the the alphabet in half between the M and the N, you can "mirror" one letter to another, where both letters are equally distant from the center. So:
Here's a visual aid to make it a little easier to see:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M Z Y X W V U T S R Q P O N
Mouse is GBJ, and the mirror of GBJ is TYQ.
That means the Raven is TYQ. Remember that for later.
And what does the Raven do?
> TYQ ("Eleven")
The Raven says a different number for every room. But numbers in the Academy mean letters, so the Raven's letter for the Store Room is K.
Anyway, continue exploring rooms that were mentioned earlier. The Travel Word for the Refectory is CER:
> CER
Refectory
> EAR (mentions Gallery)
> LEX ("When you find golden things, name them.")
The Travel Word for Menagerie is GAM:
> GAM
Menagerie
> LEX (mentions Store Room)
There are golden figurines of animals here. As you were instructed in Refectory, you should name them. There's at least 25 animals here you can name, but you only need to name 15 of them to hear your prize:
> OWL > CAT > RAT > DOG > ELK
> COW > PIG > RAM > ANT > HEN
> EWE > FOX > BEE > YAK > BAT
You hear: "When viewed in a mirror, a ruby looks like a topaz."
Ruby is LAE; therefore, Topaz is OZV. Remember that.
Let's be extra and type in the rest of the known animal names:
> GAR > OLM > COD > EEL > GNU
> ASP > EMU > BOA > KID > CUB
You haven't been to the Garden yet. Its Travel Word is EDG.
> EDG
Garden
> EAR ("The Raven looked at a pot, then a portrait, and then a purple cup.")
Okay. You saw pots in the Kitchen, portraits in the Gallery, and a purple cup in the Porphyrium. Use the Raven (TYQ) in those three locations and find out what Word is being clued.
> HCK
Kitchen
> TYQ ("Twenty" — which means "T")
> ELG
Gallery
> TYQ ("Fourteen" — which means "N")
> HPP
Porphyrium
> TYQ ("Six" — which means "F")
TNF? Try it:
> TNF
Front Gate
> LEX ("Welcome to the Academy")
> EAR
To apply 573 to the motto, take the 5th letter from the first word, the 7th letter from the second word, and the 3rd letter from the third word:
BAGINCOR LARPYTUS MORFINEX
That gives you NUR, the Travel Word to the Rotunda.
But remember, you read this in the Workshop: "The number of days in the year, if applied correctly, may reveal a diamond..."
So apply 365 to the motto:
BAGINCOR LARPYTUS MORFINEX
That gives you GTI, the Diamond.
> GTI (white glint)
You've seen all the rooms you have names for, and in fact, there aren't any more. It's time to use the Phoenix. Start with the Refectory's fire:
> CER
Refectory
> VKG
>> SPACE
(white smoke)
A voice says, "I am the Mirror." Feel free to call this non-place the "Reflectory"; I did. Whichever words you say here are mirrored, but spoken as numbers.
For example:
> ABC ("I show you 26, 25, and 24")
There's nothing you need to accomplish here. This is just extra confirmation on how Words are Mirrored.
To leave any smoke-filled area, use the Phoenix:
> VKG
Refectory
Continue with the Workshop's fire:
> SKW
Workshop
> VKG >> SPACE
(dark green smoke)
This smoke-filled area is all about synonyms. The voice gives you a clue suitable for a crossword and you need to provide two or three words that fit the given clue. Use Ordinary Words.
"...to bother."
> NAG > VEX
"...a cover."
> LID > TOP
"...a limb"
> ARM > LEG
"...to doze"
> NAP > NOD
"...a tool"
> SAW > AWL
"...a liquor"
> GIN > RUM
"...to strike"
> HIT > BAT
"...a falsehood"
> FIB > LIE
"...a tree"
> ELM > OAK > FIR
"...to hurry"
> RUN > ZIP > FLY
"Yes, yes! Now for your reward. What is the last letter of the Sphinx?"
> EFF
"But that is not how they say letters here. What is the last letter of the Sphinx?"
> SIX
"That's right. Now, what is the last letter of the Mouse?"
> TEN
"That's right. And finally, what is the second letter of the Sphinx?"
> ONE
"Yes! And there you have your emerald..."
>> SPACE
Workshop
Therefore, the Emerald is FJA (six-ten-one).
> FJA (green glint)
Head back to the Rotunda:
> NUR
Rotunda
To review: LAE is the Ruby, GTI is the Diamond, OZV is the Topaz, and FJA is the Emerald.
> LAE (red glint, statue glows faintly)
> GTI (white glint, statue's aura brightens)
> OZV (yellow glint, statue's aura brightens)
> FJA (green glint, statue's aura brightens)
A voice says to find the last gem, an onyx, "the Raven and the Sphinx must go the Chapel and work together."
It wasn't immediately obvious how to use two Words together, but here's how to do it. Start in the Chapel:
> EPC
Chapel
> TYQ ("Twenty-four"; Onyx's head is X.)
> LAF
Lecture Hall
> TYQ ("Nineteen"; Onyx's body is S.)
> LAF
Office
> TYQ ("Twenty-one"; Onyx's tail is U.)
The Onyx is XSU.
> NUR
Rotunda
> XSU (black glint, statue's aura brightens)
The statue says, "Thank you. In return I give you a Special Word, useful only in the Garden. Start with the head of a tiger. Take three steps forward and one step back."
That would be TWV.
> EDG
Garden
> TWV (You have obtained the Iris.)
Now, remember, the scroll in the Library said: "One who completes the tests will learn a Special Word, useful only in the Chapel." Those three tests are accessed from the fires in the Porphyrium, Kitchen, and Cellar.
> HPP
Porphyrium
> VKG >> SPACE
(dark smoke)
This is a guess-the-word test. It's also a "high-low" puzzle. Whenever you guess incorrectly, you're told "Your head (or body or tail) is too early (or late)." You have infinite guesses.
You already should know that the head of a word is its first letter, the body is its middle letter, and its tail is the last letter.
The concepts of "early" and "late" are new, though. A is the most early letter and Z is the most late letter.
If you're told that an K is too early, that means you need a letter later than K; that is, from L to Z. And if you're told that an K is too late, that means you need a letter earlier than K, that is, from A to J.
Now that you know what "early" and "late" mean, I'm going to just tell you the answer to this one:
> OXD ("That's it! You have passed this test. Your reward is that word's body for a head.")
>> SPACE
Porphyrium
> HCK
Kitchen
> VKG >> SPACE
(dark blue smoke)
"This is a place for Ordinary Words. Tell me, what is in a nest?"
> EGG
"And what is in a pod?"
> PEA
"Where are the moon and the stars?"
> SKY
"What lights the day?"
> SUN
"What drips from the candle?"
> WAX
"What chops the tree?"
> AXE
"What stops the river?"
> DAM
"What grows up the wall?"
> IVY
"What falls from the fire?"
> ASH
"As every weary body knows, at the end of the day I grant repose."
> BED
"You have passed this test. Your reward is the tail of a skink for a body."
>> SPACE
Kitchen
> ALC
Cellar
> VKG >> SPACE
(dark smoke)
"Speak a Neighborly Word." You haven't been told what a Neighborly Word is, but it's one where the three letters, if ordered alphabetically, are consecutive in the alphabet. They can be in any order within the word itself.
> MNO
"Yes! Now speak a different Neighborly Word, using the same neighbors."
> NOM
"Very good. You have passed this test. Your reward is the head of a viper for a tail."
>> SPACE
Cellar
Put the three rewards together:
And you also know (from the Library) that it is a Special Word that can only be used in the Chapel.
> EPC
Chapel
> XKV (You have obtained the Rose.)
You may think you're done. You've seen all the rooms, and you're taken both visible Flowers. But you must've been suspicious that there's more to this game than you've seen so far.
The most suspicious detail is that unlit lamp hanging from the ceiling in the Alphabet Room. If that lamp was lit, you'd have another fire to explore via the Phoenix.
If you dilly-dally after obtaining the second Flower, there is a solitary suggestion that you need to divine more Special Words. But um, how? You only know two Special Words:
That's not much to go on. Both end in a V, but so what?
It took me hours to even think of this, but what if you Mirrored these Special Words?
Good grief. A room's Special Word is its Travel Word reversed and mirrored! Every room has a Special Word! This is huge!
> AHA
Alphabet Room
The Alphabet Room's Special Word is ZSZ.
> ZSZ (The lamp is now lit!)
> VKG >> SPACE
(dark red smoke)
This test is about types of Words. It helps that the game tells you what types of words your wrong guesses are so you can learn what it wants.
"Speak a Neighborly Word"
> NOP
"Yes! Very good! Now, speak an Extreme Word."
> AMZ
"Yes! Yes! Now, speak a Sandwiched Word."
> DAD
"Yes! Very good! Now, speak a word that is Neighborly and nothing else."
> MON
"Yes! Excellent! Now, speak a word that is Balanced and Vocalic and nothing else."
> IOU
"Yes! Very good! Now, speak a word that is Primeval and nothing else."
> WEB
"Yes! You have passed this test. To find the Second Key, bring the Raven to the Workshop, the Rotunda, and the Refectory."
> VKG
Alphabet Room
> SKW
Workshop
> TYQ ("Thirteen", that is, "M")
> NUR
Rotunda
> TYQ ("Twenty-Five", that is, "Y")
> CER
Refectory
> TYQ ("Five", that is, "E")
Therefore, the Second Key is MYE.
> CIO
Office
The Office's Secret Word is LRX.
> LRX (You obtain a token.)
With your first token, you hear a voice suggesting a visit to the Library.
> ARL
Library
The Library's Secret Word is OIZ.
> OIZ (A voice tells you there is a hidden Flower and that you must use three Keys together to discover it.)
> HPP
Porphyrium
The Porphyrium's Secret Word is KKS.
> KKS (You obtain a token.)
With your second token, you hear a voice suggesting a visit to the Front Gate.
> TNF
Front Gate
The Front Gate's Secret Word is UMG.
> UMG (A voice tells you to return when you have three tokens. Hmph.)
> IMD
Dormitory
The Dormitory's Secret Word is WNR.
> WNR (You obtain a token.)
With your third token, you hear a voice suggesting a visit to the Cellar. Which you should do after returning to the Front Gate.
> TNF
Front Gate
> UMG
To find the Third Key, apply 244 here; that is, to the motto:
BAGINCOR LARPYTUS MORFINEX
Therefore, the Third Key is APF.
> ALC
Cellar
The Cellar's Secret Word is XOZ.
> XOZ
The ghostly figure of the Academy's founder appears and asks you to follow him. He will then mime something then vanish. What he mimes is randomized, but suggests one of the Academy's rooms.
You need to chase him to four other rooms before he returns here. If you make a mistake, you hear a ghostly sigh fade away, and you'll need to return here and resummon him to start the chase again.
(I failed to find any mime suggesting the Lecture Hall.)
Back in the Cellar, the ghostly figure tells you that: "the First Key has the head of the Sphinx, the body of the Phoenix, and the tail of the Mouse."
Therefore, the First Key is LKJ.
The hidden Flower is in the Lecture Hall. There's no explicit clue to this location, except the fact that the Lecture Hall's Special Word acts oddly there.
> UTL
Lecture Hall
The Lecture Hall's Special Word is OGF.
> OGF (vibration from something unseen)
> LKJ (for the First Key)
> MYE (for the Second Key)
> APF (for the Third Key)
The pyramid opens.
> EYE
> OGF (You have obtained the Violet.)
> END
>> SPACESPACE
*** You have triumphed over the Giant ***
>> SPACE
You may now either press SPACE again to return to the Academy, or close your interpreter to stop playing. Unfortunately, QUIT doesn't work as a valid meta-command.
These are the only characters who acknowledge your existence in the Academy:
Academy residents:
Characters in the endings:
The following credits are displayed when the game begins:
Special thanks to Andy Fleming, Lorne Harris, Aubrey Orf, and Luke Pebler for testing, and to Aubrey Orf for cover art.
I failed to find any Word that works like INVENTORY in standard interactive fiction games. It's not BAG, EGO, GET, GOT, HAD, HAS, HAV, INV, WHA, WHU, WHT, or WUT. I'm not convinced there is one.
Still, you do collect some things late in the game, so I feel obligated to list them here regardless.
Gem Words are only useful in the Rotunda. Use all five Gem Words there to gain the statue's prize.
If you know the name of a room, you can derive its Travel Word by putting together its fifth, fourth, and first letters.
Key Words are only useful in the Lecture Hall. A Key Word normally has no effect. But when all three Keys are used in the Lecture Hall, the wooden pyramid opens, revealing a porcelain Violet.
Every room has a Special Word which can only be used there. Derive a room's Special Word by reversing and mirroring its Travel Word.
After you obtain three tokens, Special Words no longer provide any more.
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