Last-Minute Magic is a Glulx interactive fiction game written with Inform 7 and is © 2024 by Ryan Veeder. It was an entry in the Le Grand Guignol (English) division of Ectocomp 2024, placement to be determined. The game takes place in the world of Visit Skuga Lake.
In this fantasy optimization game, you play as Quistine. Cimberly is putting up her tent for the crafts fair and needs you to collect as many trinkets as you can for her cauldron so she can enchant them at 3:17:35 precisely. To succeed, you must mix and match amulets with eyestones for different magical effects.
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.
Market Square
You are Quistine. You need to return to Market Square by 3:17:35 with all the talismans for Cimberly to enchant in the cauldron. Don't bother looking at your watch; the time is in the status bar.
You begin with only the raccoon amulet and the quartz eyestone. The raccoon is associated with cleanliness, nighttime, and stealth. The quartz is about clarity, I suppose, and the only eyestone in this game that requires you to point at things to activate its magic.
Because time is of the essence, this walkthrough uses a lot of prescience from previous sessions, knowing exactly where everything is and what everything does. We're speed-running.
> n.
Public Garden
If you stopped to examine the statue, you'd notice the olivine eyestone on the pedestal. Olivines are associated with linguistics.
> take olivine.
> s. e. in.
Inside the Bus Station
The otter is associated with water, grace, and playfulness. You'll deal with vent later.
> take otter.
> out. e. in.
Inside Realm of Pizza
From here, you only want Berbecca's pearl. Pearls affect movement.
> talk to Berbecca. (She loans you her pearl eyestone.)
> out. n.
Courthouse
If you stopped to examine the paper bats and cats, you'd see the origami giraffe.
> take giraffe. d.
Riverbank (behind courthouse)
The buffalo is associated with forcefulness and immobility.
> take buffalo. w. w.
Under the Bridge
> take cap. w.
Riverbank (west end)
The muskellunge is a fish associated with sharp teeth, longevity, and elusiveness.
> open box. take muskie. e. s. w.
End of the Tunnel (northwest tunnel)
The otter/olivine combo lets you talk to otters.
> put olivine in otter amulet.
> talk to otter. (She gives you a spiral shell.)
The raccoon/pearl combo lets you slither through narrow spaces, such as storm drains.
> put pearl in raccoon. u. in.
Heritage Museum Lobby
The squirrel is associated with agility and scatterbrainedness.
> talk to Alimia. (You borrow her squirrel amulet.)
The buffalo/olivine combo lets you talk to buffalo, even this dead buffalo skull.
> put olivine in buffalo amulet.
> talk to skull. (Alimia gives you a spinel eyestone.)
Spinels are "unpredicatable", which means they don't really have a theme the way other eyestones do.
> out.
Outside the Heritage Museum
The buffalo/pearl combo lets you run quickly. You run as far as you can in the given direction.
> put pearl in buffalo. s.
Old Tree
> take off buffalo. e. e. in.
Inside the Visitor Center
All you want from here is Pax's amber eyestone. Amber is associated with time.
> talk to Pax. (You borrow her amber eyestone.)
> out. e. ne.
Path (south of cairn)
The raccoon/quartz combo cleans things. Ignore the squirrel.
> put quartz in raccoon.
> point at mushroom. (It's now cleaner.)
> take it. n.
Cairn
If you stopped to examine the rocks, you'd see a woodpecker amulet on them. Woodpeckers are associated with trees, careful force, and determination.
> take woodpecker. n.
Tall Tree
If you stopped to examine the tree, you'd see a pair of sunglasses on an out-of-reach branch. Fortunately for you, the woodpecker/pearl combo lets you walk up the side of a tree and back down again.
> put pearl in woodpecker.
> u. take sunglasses. d.
The woodpecker/spinel combo lets you use trees as teleporters when you touch them. This is clued by talking to a woodpecker in the northwest corner of the park via the woodpecker/olivine combo.
> put spinel in woodpecker.
> touch tree. (You're now at...)
Secluded Area
> take skull. touch tree.
Old Tree
There's a feather in this tree.
> put pearl in woodpecker.
> u. take feather. d. n.
Tiny Library
The bookcase has a door. Ignore the Ramona Quimby book. Jade eyestones summon temporary tools made of jade.
> open door. take jade.
You're walking (not swimming) underwater next. The muskie/pearl combo lets you breathe and act underwater as if the water wasn't there.
> put pearl in muskie. e.
Bottom of the Pond (southwest corner)
> take key. e. e.
Bottom of the Pond (southeast corner)
> take necklace. s.
Path
If you stop to examine this rock, you suspect it's a geode inside. Your suspicion is correct.
> put jade in woodpecker. (You now have a jade geologist's hammer.)
> hit rock with hammer. take geode.
Next, use the otter/pearl combo to walk on top of the water as if it were solid.
> put pearl in otter. n. n
On the Pond (northeast corner)
> take frog. nw.
Playground
The squirrel/spinel combo lets you remember where you've buried anything, You must have this combo active while digging here to successfully find the army woman. Ignore the slide and seesaw.
> put spinel in squirrel.
> dig sandbox. (You have the army woman.)
> w.
Park Entrance
The raccoon/spinel combo gives you the magical ability to willingly root through garbage with your bare hands. Awesome!
> put spinel in raccoon.
> search can. (You acquire a 20-sided die.)
Use the woodpecker/amber combo to slow down time. You'll be using this combo frequently now.
> put amber in woodpecker. e. e. d.
Culvert Entrance
The gunk here hides a pumpkin amulet. Pumpkins are associated with pranks, frivolity, and fire.
By the way, while you have the cleaning magic on, clean the army woman too. She's a bit dirty after being buried for several years.
> put quartz in raccoon.
> point at gunk. (Pumpkin amulet revealed.)
> point at army. (That toy is now clean.)
> wear woodpecker. (Time slows.)
> take pumpkin. n. w. n.
Tunnel Intersection (middle of northern east-west tunnel)
There's a teen just east of here who only talks to other teenagers. The otter/amber combo de-ages you into a teen!
> put amber in otter. e.
Tunnel (northeast tunnel)
> talk to teen. (She gives you a pewter turtle.)
> e.
Darkness / Dead End
The pumpkin/jade combo summons a jade candle, already lit, so you can see here.
> put jade in pumpkin.
> take handkerchief.
> put amber in woodpecker. (Time slows.)
> w. w. s. w.
Tunnel (southwest tunnel)
The raccoon/olivine combo lets you talk to raccoons.
> put olivine in raccoon amulet.
> talk to raccoon. (She gives you a prism.)
Okay, I know it's weird that the raccoon already knows about your mission to collect trinkets, but if you played Visit Skuga Lake, you know that every amulet has a Realm associated with it, which is another dimension dedicated to the concepts associated with the amulet.
Without question, there's a Realm of Raccoons ruled by a queen raccoon who is also a goddess and your personal patron. I can only assume that it is She who has sent this raccoon here to aid you in your time of need. No need to thank Her at this time. She knows you're in a hurry.
> w.
End of the Tunnel (southwest end)
Slip through the drain:
> put pearl in raccoon. u.
Outside the Sororal Order of Owls
The raccoon/amber combo cloaks you in a twilight aura, a zone of darkness. It's like you're an anti-candle. You need darkness here to spot a glow-in-the-dark horse.
No, that actually makes sense. Remember that puzzle in Infocom's Enchanter where you need to be in the dark to spot a lit candle behind a painting? In normal light, the candle's glow was too faint to spot, but in the dark, it stood out. It's just like that.
> put amber in raccoon. take horse.
Next, use the pumpkin/amber combo to make you elderly. Only the elderly are permitted inside the Order of Owls; younger people are ejected immediately.
> put amber in pumpkin. in.
Inside the Sororal Order of Owls
All you want from here is the pressed flower.
> open book. take flower. out.
Outside the Sororal Order of Owls
> put amber in woodpecker. (Time slows.)
> e. e. in.
Inside the Bus Station
Time to deal with the vent. If you stop to examine the vent, you see there's a Pog inside, but behind a screwed-down grille.
> put jade in squirrel. (You acquire a jade screwdriver.)
> unscrew vent.
> wear woodpecker. (Time slows.)
> take pog. out. e.
Outside Realm of Pizza
I prefer to call the pumpkin that's here "Jack" because "pumpkin" sometimes means the amulet.
> put jade in muskie. (You acquire a jade knife.)
> cut Jack.
> put olivine in pumpkin amulet.
> talk to Jack. (You now see a clover.)
> take clover. e.
Abandoned Gas Station
You can never enter the gas station.
> put spinel in raccoon.
> search can. (You acquire a silver bell.)
> n.
Parking Lot
> search can. (You acquire a rubber dinosaur.)
The buffalo/spinel lets you detect buffalo nickels. There's only one in town and it's right here.
> put spinel in buffalo. take nickel.
> wear woodpecker. (Time slows.)
> w. w.
Outside the River's Edge Lodge
If you stop to examine the sign, you see a model car on it, but it's out of reach. The pumpkin/spinel combo turns one of your arms into a prehensile vine.
> put spinel in pumpkin. take car.
> in.
Inside the River's Edge Lodge
Endolise has nothing to give you, so ignore her for now, but when you have time, examine her repeatedly to see all her tattoos. If you use the muskie/olivine combo to talk to the dead fish, you learn that it has a whistle in its mouth. Skip that conversation too. Just take the whistle.
> take whistle.
> wear woodpecker. (Time slows.)
> out. e. n.
Riverbank (behind courthouse)
If you try using the muskie/spinel combo here, you sense something under the water here. Use the muskie/pearl combo to walk under the water again.
> put pearl in muskie. n.
Bottom of the River (near courthouse)
> take badge. w. w.
Bottom of the River (under bridge)
> search litter. take jar. s.
Under the Bridge
> wear woodpecker. (Time slows.)
> e. e. s. w. w. n. n.
Farther Out on the Bridge
> take pick. s. s. s.
Market Square
The buffalo/amber combo takes you into the past.
> put amber in buffalo.
Teepee
I don't know if you're "off the clock" when in the past, but I'm not risking unnecessary actions. You still might want to talk to the women here then UNDO. It's quite amusing.
I like how this scene underscores how everyone in this world is so accustomed to magic. Remember, Endolise didn't blink an eye when you snagged a whistle with a vine-arm because that's normal. Likewise, these women in the the past are only mildly annoyed that a time-traveler (you) has barged into their private conversation.
> take harp.
The squirrel/amber combo takes you into the future.
> put amber in squirrel.
Overgrown Ruin
> take orb.
> put amber in woodpecker.
Market Square
> save.
Perhaps you'd like to examine some of the trinkets before the game ends? Feel free to experiment with endings with less than 30 trinkets.
> put trinkets in cauldron.
The trinket sales are quite successful, and you celebrate with a pizza and beer party.
*** 100% IN 0:32:05 - AMAZING ***
Note that every person and every animal in the World of Skuga Lake is female. There aren't any males anywhere; that's just how it is. If that's a difficult concept, feel free to pre-order Leah Naidu's Biology Without Men, a sure bestseller expected to be released in December of never.
People:
Animals:
Found dead:
Other:
Mentioned:
This is the response to CREDITS:
(Thank you for checking out this game! "Last-Minute Magic" takes place in the same world as "Visit Skuga Lake" (Leah Naidu's contribution to the 2021 Convocation at Castle Balderstone), but it isn't really a sequel to that story. "Visit Skuga Lake" is a much more involved mystery with much more complicated puzzles. But they both involve the same magic system, which I hope you will enjoy messing around with! (The Masterpiece Edition of "Visit Skuga Lake" is available at rcveeder.net/balderstone/skugamasterpiece/.)
Development of "Last-Minute Magic" was supported by Ryan Veeder's very generous Patreon supporters: Emily Short, Sammy El-Bahrawy, Janice M. Eisen, Q. Pheevr, Matt Schneider, Sarah Nerboso, Jenni Polodna, Rus Whang, Jenelle Marie, Maiko Ziegler, Grant Veeder, Magnus Buchanan, Sarah Willson, Doug Orleans, Jason Love, Greg Frost, Karl Ove Hufthammer, Nils Fagerburg, Rich Cheng, Julia Ramsey, Carolyn VanEseltine, Jacques Frechet, Matthew Zimmermann, Jessica Seidl, Derek Sotak, Yerrik, Zach Hodgens, Carl Muckenhoupt, Allen Tan, Robin Johnson, Robert Paloutzian, Jordan Eash, Mark, Jeremy Wright, Benjamin Slade, Jason Farrell, Dominia, Tobias V. Langhoff, Stephen Norris, BrettW, Robert Eggleston, Josh Lawrence, and Evan Hahn. YOU, TOO, can support Ryan, if you point your internet at patreon.com/rcveeder/.
This game was tested by Jason Love, Tobias V. Langhoff, Robert Eggleston, Sarah Willson, and Zach Hodgens.)
In every ending, Cimberly enchants all the trinkets in the cauldron and sells each of them for fifteen dollars. When there's lots of trinkets, she's able to raise the prices during the fair. At the end, she gives you your share of the sales, and it's entirely up to Cimberly to decide what that share is.
In each ending tier, you decide how you'll spend the money. In the best ending, you celebrate with a beer and pizza party.
Put any eyestone into any amulet. You automatically remove any other eyestone already in the amulet and you automatically remove any other amulet you have on, then automatically wear the chosen amulet.
Every amulet/eyestone combo has a different magical effect associated with it. With the quartz eyestone, activate the magic by pointing at something. With other eysetones, the magical effect may change you, give you a new ability, summon something or someone, or transport you in space or time.
Magic effects are listed with the eyestones.
Jade tools are summoned into existence by inserting the jade eyestone into the appropriate amulet. Jade tools disappear when that jade/amulet combo is no longer worn.
Put as many of these 30 trinkets as you can into the cauldron at Market Square before 3:17:35. I'm listing them in the order they're acquired in this walkthrough.
The response to SCORE is:
You are carrying X trinkets. But, more importantly, Cimberly's cauldron contains N trinkets.
There is no score in this story.
This walkthrough was funded via Patreon with
Ko-Fi is a way to send me small one-time donations. Every little bit helps, and thank you!