In this espionage game, you play as an intrepid spy sent to retrieve the Gorreven Papers. Unfortunately, you were captured, beaten, and brought to this bare cell. But your mission must succeed. The Papers are somewhere on this side of the electric fence. Find them and escape with them to save the free world... again.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 2 of the game. Note: This walkthrough is only for the Inform 7 port. The original Archetype game is more like a Scott Adams game and recognizes fewer commands.
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.
⚠️ Save often. There's a rare bug that may occur when the game thinks the elevator is both there (so you can't call it) and not there (so you can't enter it). If you're lucky, you'll never see this bug. but save your game every so often just in case.
Bare Cell
The prologue mentions this place has electric fences around it; remember that.
Examine everything. Note how the guard looks north every so often; you can take drastic actions during turns when he's not watching.
> x me. i. x coveralls.
> x cot. x mattress. x metal.
> x guard. x uniform. x card. x pistol.
Time to take some risky actions. Wait until the guard looks north before each risky action.
> z.(repeat until guard looks north)
> pull metal.
> z.(repeat until guard looks north)
> pull metal.
> z.(repeat until guard looks north)
> kill guard.
When the guard, Krugnik, dies, he drops everything.
> look.
> put guard on cot.
> wear uniform. put coveralls on cot.
> take pistol and card.
> x metal. x uniform.
> x card. x pistol.(has four bullets)
> wear card.
> n.
Long Dark Hallway
> x light. x puddles.
> n.
Upper Stairwell
> x tape. x pipes.
> d.
Middle Stairwell
> x bugs. d. e. e.
Filthy Corridor
You can't do anything helpful or useful here, but it's part of the storytelling.
> x shape. x cells. x sign.
> w. s. w.
Wide Corridor
You can avoid killing this guard if you work quickly.
> unlock door with card. s.
Vault Anteroom
> close door. push button.
> z.(Repeat until elevator is here.)
> in.
Elevator
> push 3. out.
Dingy Hallway
> w.
Warehouse
CAUTION: Don't turn off the switches just yet.
> open panel. x switches.
> x thumbscrews. x wire. x prod.
> x maiden. x trap. x can.
> take trap and can.
> e. e.
Barracks
It's best not to linger here. If any guard in this place looks at you too long, they realize you're not the guard you're pretending to be.
> e.
Kennels
> x dogs. x cages. x hopper. x food.
> x button.("PUSH TO FEED")
> put poison on food. push button.
> x dogs.(all dead)
> w. w.
Dingy Hallway
> push button.
> z.(Repeat until the elevator is here.)
> in.
Elevator
> push 2. out.
Elevator Alcove
> e.
Closet Hall
> x closet. x lock. x office.
> n.
Velchny's Office
CAUTION: It takes two bullets to finish off Velchny; his twitching fingers after the first bullet is your clue that he needs a second bullet.
> shoot Velchny. g.
> look.
> x desk. open drawer. take keys. x keys.
> x cabinet. open it. x papers.
CAUTION: The grainy powder on the papers is a fatal contact toxin; these are not the papers you're looking for.
> x Velchny.
> s.
Closet Hall
> unlock closet with keys. s.
Janitor's Closet
> x broom. x mop. x pail. x cleaner.
> x rags. x dustpan.
> take mop and dustpan.
The broom is a disguised lever.
> push broom.(The south wall opens.)
> s.
Octagonal Chamber
Note: You must examine the pedestal before you can interact with the papers in any way.
> x pedestal. x papers.
> x moat. x acid.
> put dustpan on mop.
> take papers with mop. x papers.
> n.
Janitor's Closet
> pull broom. n.
Closet Hall
> close office. close closet.
> w.
Elevator Alcove
> push button.
> z.(Repeat until elevator arrives.)
> in.
Elevator
> push 4. out.
Guard Tower
You need to wreck this searchlight, so unfortunately, you can't let this guard live.
> shoot guard.
> x searchlight.(battery-powered)
If you shot the guard stationed at the vault door, you won't have a fourth bullet for the searchlight. But worry not, you can smash it with something heavy like the bear trap.
> smash searchlight with trap.
> push button.
> z.(Repeat until elevator arrives.)
> in.
Elevator
> push 3. out. w.
Warehouse
Time to make your escape. You need to turn off the power so the electric fence won't kill you.
> turn off switches.
> e. e. n. n.
North Courtyard
> climb fence.
North Woods
You have saved the free world... again.
*** The End ***
Extras
Characters
You are an intripid spy who was captured despite all your precautions.
S. Knugnik is the guard outside your cell; you learn his name from his ID card.
The occupants in the filthy corridor's cells are all dead or dying.
A guard is stationed outside the vault door on level 1.
A guard is whittling something in the barracks on level 3.
Other guards are wandering in and out of the barracks on level 3.
A guard is stationed in the guard tower on level 4.
Commandant Velchny is sitting behind his desk in his office on level 2.
Several dogs snarl at you from their cages in the kennels on level 3.
A cockroach frequently crawls under the closet door on level 2.
Several dead bugs are in the level 1 stairwell.
Endings
All endings use the epitaph The End, but there's several ways the game can end, usually in your death.
Deadly endings:
The cell guard, Knugnik, shoots you if you try to try to leave the cell three times, if he sees you pull the metal loose from the cot, or if he sees you trying to kill him with the piece of metal.
The vault door guard shoots you if you attack him with the piece of metal, or if he recognizes you as the spy.
The barracks guard shoots you if he recognizes you as the spy.
Several guards shoot you if you shoot the barracks guard.
The tower guard shoots you if he recognizes you as the spy.
Velchny shoots you if you don't shoot him twice.
You die if you touch the false papers in Velchny's filing cabinet. The false papers are coated in a powerful neurotoxin.
You are torn apart by the dogs if they catch you; someone opens their cages when you turn off the power.
You are fatally electricuted if you try to climb the fence while it is still elecrified.
You are shot multiple times as you try to flee through the north woods if the searchlight is still operational.
Losing endings:
If you escape the stronghold by climbing the electric fence without the Papers... and they still have them.
If you escape the stronghold by climbing the electric fence after the Papers fell into the acid.
Winning ending:
If you escape the stronghold by climbing the electric fence with the Papers.
Inventory
a pair of prison coveralls. You're wearing them.
Replace them with the uniform as soon as possible. All guards instantly recognize you as the spy when you wear the coveralls. Leave the coveralls in the cell.
Amusingly, if anyone besides the cell guard sees you naked, they're confused for one turn before they recognize you as the spy. So nudity is better than coveralls.
a sharp piece of metal. It's part of the cot in your cell.
Pull the metal twice to get it loose, but only pull it when the cell guard isn't looking, else he'll kill you.
When the cell guard isn't looking, kill him with the piece of metal.
The metal is your backup weapon when your pistol is out of bullets, but you won't be able to kill anyone else with the metal; they'll always shoot you before you can get within striking range.
a crisp dark green uniform. It's worn by Krugnik, the guard outside your cell. He drops it when you kill him; see metal.
Wear the uniform. Guards now assume you're just another guard, at least at first. CAUTION: If you spend three turns in a guard's presence, they see through your disguise and shoot you.
a pistol. It's held by Krugnik, the guard outside your cell. He drops it when you kill him; see metal.
The pistol only has four bullets and the game offers no way to get more.
Optionally shoot the vault door guard if you must.
Shoot Velchny twice in his office to kill him.
Shoot the tower guard in the guard tower.
an identification card. It's worn by Krugnik, the guard outside your cell. He drops it when you kill him; see metal.
You can wear the card, but it's okay to just carry it.
Unlock the vault door with the card.
a pair of thumbscrews. They're in the warehouse (level 3).
You don't need the thumbscrews.
an electric cattle prod. It's in the warehouse (level 3).
You don't need the prod. It doesn't turn on.
an early American bear trap. It's in the warehouse (level 3).
In the guard tower, after shooting the tower guard, smash the searchlight with the trap to put it out of commission.
Note: You cannot consume the poison yourself; it's not coded as edible.
some dog food. It's in the hopper in the kennels (level 3).
Leave the dog food in the hopper. Put poison on the dog food. Now push the red button to feed the dogs the poisoned food; they all die immediately.
Note: You cannot eat the dog food yourself; it's not coded as edible.
a set of keys. They're in the desk drawer in Velchny's office (level 2).
The keys unlock the closet door outside the office.
a mop. It's in the janitor's closet (level 2).
Put the dustpan onto the mop; the combo makes the mop's handle into something like a snow shovel.
In the octagonal chamber, take the Papers with the mop-dustpan combo.
a pail. It's in the janitor's closet (level 2).
You don't need the pail. You can't even try to fill it with acid.
a vacuum cleaner. It's in the janitor's closet (level 2).
You don't need the vacuum cleaner. It's doesn't turn on.
some dirty rags. They're in the janitor's closet (level 2).
You don't need the rags.
a dustpan. It's in the janitor's closet (level 2).
Note the dustpan's unusual handle shape. Put the dustpan onto the mop. The mop is now a tool with a mop-head on one end and a dustpan on the other. Use this combo to get the Papers.
If you accidentally put the dustpan onto the broom, the command to remove the dustpan is DETACH DUSTPAN FROM BROOM. You're welcome.
the Gorreven Papers. They're on the pedestal in the octagonal chamber (level 2), but only after you examine the pedestal.
After putting the dustpan onto the mop, take the papers with the mop.
You won't read them. Just keep them and escape from here with them to win the game.
