Frankenfingers is a Z-machine interactive fiction game written with Dialog and is © 2025 by Charles Moore, Jr.. It was an entry in IF Comp 2025 where it took 31st place.
Inside this game, beware the name of Victor Frankenstein.
His secret arts use body parts, and one of them is mine!
I move and see and hear and yet I'm just a severed hand.
Reanimated in this crypt without my wedding band.
Where can I go, what should I do with this strange borrowed life?
Can I escape? Can I go home and find my grieving wife?
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 1.0 of the game.
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.
Parts Room
> x me. (You're a left hand.)
> listen. smell.
> x sconce. turn it. (out of reach)
> x arm. take arm.
> push sconce with arm.
A passage to the north opens. The arm and the parts squirm north, leaving you alone.
> n.
Dark Chamber
> x paper. read it. (Victims' personal items were put into the large fellow's coffin then buried.)
> open door. w.
Laboratory
Frankenstein says the lightning rod needs to be higher and that there might be a break in the machine's circuitry. Then he and Igor leave.
> x hulk. x table. x skullcap. x spire.
> x machinery. x panel. x gap.
> x switch. x stairs. x skylight.
> n —or— enter gap.
Inside The Panel (lower half)
> x conduits. u.
Inside The Panel (upper half)
> x wire. (gap of several inches between left and right ends)
> d. s. u. s.
Dining Room
> x fireplace. x table. x seats.
> s.
Grand Foyer
> x portraits. x chandelier. x staircase.
> x umbrella. (has metal frame)
Leave the umbrella here for now. There's something in an upstairs bedroom that you want as soon as possible.
> u. u. w. w. s.
Bedroom
> x bed. x wardrobe. open it.
> x handbag. smell it.
You smell your wife's Penelope's perfume. You need to find her, and you have, uh, this very strong intuition that you must be wearing your wedding ring when you do find her.
> take bag.
You automatically wear the bag when you take it. This is like a player's carry-all, except transfers are never automatic. It's up to you to explicitly put things into the bag. The umbrella won't fit into the bag, but everything else you want to pick up will.
> put note in bag.
> n. e. n.
Exercise Room
> x weights. x bar. x trampoline.
> s. e. e.
Hallway East End
> pull rope. (can't reach it)
> e.
Master Bedroom
There's nothing useful here. Check for yourself:
> x bed. x wardrobe. open it.
> x clothing. x table.
> w. w. w. n.
Exercise Room
> push trampoline s.
Hallway
> push it e. g.
Hallway East End
> get on trampoline.
> jump. g. g. pull rope. (hatch opens)
> x ladder. u.
Attic West
> x trunks.
> e. u.
Widow's Walk
> x cupola.
> e.
Above The Skylights
> x rod. (Note the hole for inserting something.)
Head back all the way to the kitchen.
> w. d. w. d.
> w. d. d. n. w.
Kitchen
> x shelves. x cookware. x dishes.
> x stove. x coal. x kettle.
> x table. x apple.
> put apple in bag.
> w.
Maid's Quarters
CAUTION: Don't try to take her stuff while Inga's here! If Inga notices you, she kills you!
> x Inga. x needle. x yarn.
> s. e. e.
East Atrium
> x statues. (the nine muses)
> e.
Sitting Room
You don't need the pipe.
> x lighter. put it in bag.
> x pipe. x sofa. x piano.
> s.
Library
CAUTION: Look, don't touch while Frankenstein is here!
> x figurine. (of lion with keyhole in its mouth)
> x doctor. x books. x longue.
Enough exploring for now. Head back to the kitchen.
> n. w. w. n. w.
Kitchen
Distract Inga with a whistling kettle. Because she's more alert when investigating why the kettle is on, you must go the long way around to her room without giving her any chance to see you.
> look in kettle. (see water)
> save.
> light coal with lighter.
> e. s. w. n.
Maid's Quarters
Do what you must while Inga is in the kitchen. Your distraction doesn't last long and you won't get another chance. You need the needle. You don't need the yarn.
> put lighter in bag.
> put needle in bag.
Head back to the broken wire while avoiding Inga:
> s. e. n. n. d. n. u.
Inside The Panel (upper half)
> attach left to needle.
> attach right to needle.
> d. s. u. s. s.
Grand Foyer
> enter stand. take umbrella.
> out. u. u. e. u. e. u. e.
Above The Skylights
> open umbrella. put it in rod.
And back to the lab:
> w. d. w. d.
> w. d. d.
> n. n. d.
Laboratory
> pull lever.
Frankenstein arrives in time to see the creature come to life. The creature runs up the stairs, and the doctor chases him.
> u. s. s.
Grand Foyer
The creature smashes through the front doors. Frankenstein follows, but then there's a scream!
> s.
Courtyard
> x doctor. x key. put key in bag.
> s.
On The Road (near manor)
> e. (no: too muddy)
> w.
On The Road (west way)
> w. (nothing useful that way)
> e. n. n. e. e. s.
Library
> get on shelf.
> put key in keyhole. turn key. (An east exit opens.)
> d. e.
Study
> x diagrams. x chair. x desk. x statue.
> x newspaper. read it. put it in bag.
> open locket. x it. close it. put it in bag.
> w. n. w. w. s. w. nw.
West Side
> x stable. w.
The Stable
Buttercup poses no threat to you.
> x Buttercup. x saddle. x bridle. x reins.
> x hay. x stalls.
> search hay. (mouse hole found)
> x hole. n. n.
Igor's Shack
CAUTION: While Igor is here, don't touch anything!
> x Igor. x radio.
Another hand and arm enter from the hole, and chase Igor out the door. Another scream! Igor is no longer a problem. Feel free to turn the radio's tuner knob if you want to hear another station, but the radio isn't important.
> open armoire. x effects. x uniform.
> turn off radio. e.
Outside The Shack
> x torso. x crop.
> put crop in bag.
> n. d. w.
Behind Waterfall
The creature poses no threat to you.
> x creature. x prints. x rocks. x waterfall.
> give newspaper to creature.
> give locket to creature.
He points out his name, then leaves via the waterfall. Remember the name he pointed to!
> e. u. s. s. w.
The Stable
Note: You can't RIDE Buttercup, nor get onto the saddle, but you can get onto Buttercup or climb her.
She has a left rein and a right rein. Pulling the left rein turns her a little to the left, and the pulling the right rein turns her a little to the right. Tapping her with the crop means "go" except she's unmotivated initially.
> give apple to her. (She's now willing to leave the stable.)
> get on her.
> take crop. tap her with crop.
She carries you east.
West Side
> pull right rein. (She continues southeast.)
Southwest Corner
> pull left rein. (She continues east.)
Courtyard
> pull right rein. g. (She continues south.)
On The Road (near manor)
> pull left rein. g. (She continues east.)
On The Road (east of manor)
> z. (She continues east.)
On The Road (at west to south turn)
> pull right rein. g. (She continues south.)
On The Road (at still junction)
> pull right. g. (She goes west onto the spur.)
Spur
> pull reins. (She stops.)
> put crop in bag.
> d. s.
Abandoned Shack
> smell. x hatchet. put it in bag.
> n.
Spur
> get on her.
> pull right. g. g. g.
> tap her with crop. (She heads east.)
On The Road (at still junction)
> pull right. g. (She head south.)
On The Road (south of junction)
> z.
On The Road (west of town)
> pull left. g. (She heads east.)
In Town
> x church. (She continues east.)
Street East End
> pull reins. (She stops.)
> d. e. (Pushing the doors open.)
Church Nave
The doors shut behind you.
> x pews. x windows. x doors.
> e.
Sanctuary
> x altar. x dome. x door.
> s.
Church Office
> x desk. x book. ("Register")
> open book. read it.
> look up CREATURE'S-NAME in book.
You learn which grave that the creature's coffin is in. This is also randomized and will be from a1 to f4. Remember the grave!
> n. w. w.
Street East End
> w. n. n. ne.
Cemetery Entrance
> ne. se. w.
Caretaker's Shed
> x trowel. put it in bag.
> x tin. put it in bag.
> put crop in bag.
> e. sw. nw. n. e.
Among The Graves ("C1" and "C2")
If you're looking for grave C1 or grave C2, you're already here. Otherwise, you need to find the grave you want.
Among The Graves (at correct grave)
> take trowel.
> dig GRAVE with trowel. g. g.
> d.
In A Hole
> put trowel in bag. take hatchet.
> chop lid with hatchet. put hatchet in bag.
> take tin. light tin.
> d.
In The Box
> x band. take it. wear it.
> take tin. close it. u.
In A Hole
> put tin in bag.
> u.
Among The Graves (at correct grave)
Head for Potters' Field:
> w —or— n —or— s. (repeat as appropriate)
Potters' Field
> s. sw. s. e.
Cul De Sac
> x gate. n.
Yard
> x flowers. x downspout.
> u.
Outside Window
> in.
Nursery
The window closes behind you.
> x crib. look in crib. x chair.
Penelope enters, sees the wedding band on your hand, and drops the pistol.
Your borrowed time ends with love transcendent.
*** You have won. ***
Mentioned:
This is the response to CREDITS:
Frankenfingers - A Gothic Tale of Love, Redemption, and Dismemberment
An interactive fiction by Charles Moore, Jr.
Release 1.0 Serial number 250827.
Dialog compiler version 1a/01-dev. Library version 0.46.Special thanks to R.J. Kowalski, Garry Francis, Doug Egan, Andrew Apted, and Daniel M. Stelzer for input and beta-testing.
There are also at least two ways you can make the game unwinnable:
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