In this frustrating slice of life, you wake up to the blaring of your alarm clock. But don't get heated! Your future is at stake! Can you get to work on time, looking good, smelling good, and with a cool head? If you fail, you could lose your job. But success could mean a raise or even a promotion!
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 1 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.
Your boss offers you a promotion, and hands you a paper to sign.
> ANY KEY
It was a dream. You need to show up early to work, look sharp, and get your report in today.
> SPACE
bedroom
The game begins at 5:50 am. Time is not on your side, but LOOK and EXAMINE are free actions. You also have to worry about Heat; that is, how angry you are.
CAUTION: Using UNDO will increase your heat.
> x me.(smelly and naked)
> x bed. x alarm.
> x nightstand. g. g. g. g. g. g.
> stand.(heat up)
> break alarm.(You toss the pieces aside.)
> w.
your bathroom
> x shower. x counter. x sink.
> x mirror. x toilet. x keys.
> take shower.(heat down)
CAUTION: If the toilet is closed when you try to take the keys, they bounce off the floor, push the lid up long enough for them to fall inside, and lid closes again. So don't bother closing the toilet ahead of time.
> take keys.(heat up: They fall into the toilet.)
> e.
bedroom
> open closet.
> x shoes.
> search shoes.(You find and take an iron.)
> x iron.(has cord and is cool)
> x clothes.(bit wrinkly; on hanger)
> take clothes.
> s.
living room
> x couch. x TV. x crate. x shoes.
> move couch.(outlet found)
> plug iron into outlet. iron clothes.
> unplug iron.
> wear clothes.(taking the hanger out)
> wear shoes.
> e.
patio
> x gum. take gum.
> w. n. w.
your bathroom
> bend hanger. take keys.(using the hanger)
You automatically clean the keys and discard the hanger.
> e. s. w.
kitchen
> x cupboard. x counter. x stove.
> x fridge. open it.
> x lunch sack. take it.(heat down)
> e. s. e.
driveway
> x car. unlock car with keys.
On the freeway, your car overheats. You pull over to the shoulder and get out.
side of your car
> s.
boot of your car
> x stickers. g. g. g. g. g. g.
> hit trunk.(it opens)
> look. x jug.
> chew gum. take jug.(it starts leaking)
> put gum on hole.
> n. n.
hood of your car
> open radiator. open jug.
> pour jug in radiator.
You head off to work, and the boss promotes you! Congratulations!
*** You get back what you put in, as mother always said! ***
Extras
Characters
Your boss evaluates you in the epilogue.
Mentioned:
Two people scream at each other on the TV.
Your mother is mentioned in the winning ending.
Grues eat your remains in a losing ending.
A hollow voice might be heard once or twice.
A date is why you bought the iron.
The landlord never fixed the stove.
Previous owners etched the nightstand.
Previous owners put stickers on the car.
The author will break the fourth wall to talk to you directly if you try to drink the toilet water twice. Why... why would you do that?
Endings
Eff this
if your heat level tries to go up beyond "heated".
WHOOSH
if you flush your toilet when the keys are in there.
You are a slacker
if you turn on the TV.
Your remains are picked through by grues
if you try to put the hanger in the outlet.
You are unemployed
if time runs out and you're still at home.
Your car is dead
if time runs out and you're at the shoulder of the freeway.
You get back what you put in, as mother always said!
if you get to work on time (or early).
If you do make it to work, the boss makes a decision at the end of his evaluation. I replayed the game several times to get an idea of the possible outcomes.
If you showered, ironed your clothes, and your heat is normal or cooler, then you get a promotion.
If you showered and ironed your clothes, but your heat is, say, agitated, then you get a ten percent raise.
If either you didn't shower or you didn't iron your clothes, but your heat is fine, then you get a five percent raise.
If your heat is fine, but you didn't shower and you didn't iron your clothes, then the boss decides to put you on a performance improvement plan.
If your heat is twitchy or worse, and you didn't shower, and you didn't iron your clothes, then the boss terminates your employment.
Heat
There are six levels of heat: normal, twitchy, agitated, frustrated, angry, and heated. If your heat goes above heated, the game ends with you giving up and going back to bed.
Note also that your heat also represents your "attitude" during your meeting with the boss in the epilogue, the cooler the better.
Actions or events that raise your heat include:
UNDO-ing your last turn.
Hearing your alarm blare.
Watching your keys fall into the toilet.
Trying to drink the toilet water the first time.
Trying to open the stove.
Watching water leak out of the jug.
Eating the ham sandwich, leaving you without a lunch.
Walking around outside your house in bare feet.
Noticing a bad smell coming from the lunch sack.
Actions or events that lower your heat include:
Taking a shower.
Taking a lunch sack.
Saying the f-word the first time. But only the first time.
Inventory
an alarm. It's in your bedroom and blaring.
Get out of bed and break the alarm immediately. Don't waste time picking it up.
your keys. They're on your bathroom counter.
When you try to take your keys, they fall into the toilet. Closing the toilet ahead of time will not prevent this from happening!
Bend the metal hanger and take the keys (with the hanger). You'll automatically clean the keys.
In the driveway, unlock the car with the keys.
an iron. Acquire it by searching the pile of ratty shoes in your bedroom closet.
In the living room, move the couch to reveal a forgotten outlet.
Plug the iron in the outlet then iron your clothes. Unplug the iron afterwards.
your work clothes. They're in your bedroom closet.
Examine the clothes. They're a bit wrinkly and have a metal hanger in them.
In the living room, move the couch to reveal a forgotten outlet.
Plug the iron in the outlet then iron your clothes. Now wear the clothes! You automatically take out the hanger.
NOTE: You're unwilling to go outside when nude. If you're already outside, you won't be willing to remove your clothes.
You're unwilling to take the hanger out until you wear your clothes. When you wear the clothes, you'll take the hanger out automatically.
In the bathroom, after the keys have fallen into the toilet, bend the hanger — it's now styled as a hooked metal rod — then take the keys (with the hanger). You automatically discard the hanger.
a lunch sack. It's in your kitchen refrigerator.
Just take it. There's a ham sandwich inside, but don't waste your time opening the sack.
CAUTION: The sandwich will spoil if it's outside the fridge for too long. Taking the lunch should be one of the last things you do before leaving the house.
Take the jug. It starts leaking. Put the gum on the hole.
At the hood of your car, open both the jug and the radiator, then pour the jug into the radiator. This is the last action of the game. With the car no longer overheating, you automatically go the rest of the way to work and meet with the boss who evaluates your performance.
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