Key & Compass presents:
Fade to Black
by D. Jacob Wildstrom

In this tiny game, you play as one of hundreds of stagehands at the 2003 XYZZY Awards ceremony. Justin Timberlake is here backstage with you and let's just say you're not a fan.

This solution is by David Welbourn.

Walkthrough
Extras
- Characters, Inventory
Thank You to my Patreon supporters
External links:
- This game at IFDB, IFWiki, ifwizz, and CASA.
- Tweet about this walkthrough on Twitter.

Walkthrough

Backstage at the XYZZY Awards

Yes, it's a z1 game. Fear and tremble. You cannot UNDO your turns.

> x me. x Justin. hit Justin. kiss Justin.

> ask Justin about Justin. x curtains.

Eventually, there will be a crash, a piece of masonry will fall, and Boldo will arrive one turn after that. Since this event happens at random, you might need to type "wait" or "z" a few times until it happens.

> x chunk. take it. throw it at Justin.

> x adventurer. search Boldo. g. g.

> x eye. x ladder. x death star.

> drop ladder. up.

On the Catwalk

> drop chunk.

*** MTV cries! ***

Extras

Characters

Justin Timberlake is slouching backstage and looking very smug.
Security guards restrain you if you try to attack Justin directly.
A spandex-clad figure smashes through a wall at one point.
Boldo, the adventurer from Lock & Key, will fall backstage and lie there dying. Loot him for stuff!
An audience can be heard reacting to events on-stage.
Hundreds of workers are working backstage, according to the player's description.

Inventory

a large chunk of concrete. It falls backstage when the spandex-clad figure breaks through a wall. Take it up to the catwalk (via the ladder), and drop the chunk on Justin.
the jeweled eye of Wossname. Acquire it by searching Boldo once.
a ladder. Acquire it by searching Boldo a second time. Drop it backstage, and you'll be able to go up to the catwalk.
the Death Star. Acquire it by searching Boldo a third time.

Also, it's mentioned that you're wearing overalls, but they're not implemented or listed.

Thank You to my Patreon supporters

This walkthrough is provided free of charge since I wrote this walkthrough prior to January 2015 when I began my Patreon account, and also because the work it's based on has less than fifteen locations (so I wouldn't have charged for it anyway). I've since reformatted this walkthrough to use my currently preferred style. I hope you enjoy it!