In this extended fairy tale set on New Year's Eve, you play as a nameless little girl, barefoot and freezing in a lonely corner of town, and clutching the four matches she failed to sell. But when she lights a match for warmth, its wonderful flame shows her... it's like she's there in Paris, France, but as a ghost. Soon, she will have to wake and light a second match.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 1 (Serial number 221130) 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.
The game doesn't mention "Copenhagen"; I'm inferring the city name from subsequent games in the series.
> x me. i. x match. light match.
RiversideParis, France
> x tower. x quai. x sewer. x Seine.
> ne.
Sewer Tunnel
> listen. listen to music.
> nw.
Darkness
> wake.
CornerCopenhagen, Denmark
> i. x first match.(It might burn again.)
> light unburnt match.
BedroomThe Undersea Kingdom of Atlantis
> x window. x bed. x vanity.(You're like a ghost.)
> d. d.
Gallery
> x busts. g. g. g.(Repeat looking; there's so many!)
> n.
Throne Room
Your tale touches Poseidon's heart. He summons his daughters, Eirene and Eunoia, to treat you like their sister. They each beg you to look at their collections: Eunoia to the northwest, and Eirene to the northeast.
> ne.
Eirene's Chamber
> x Eirene. x bottles.
> talk to Eirene.(She collects bottles; Eunoia gets everything else.)
> sw. nw.
Eunoia's Chamber
> x Eunoia. talk to her.
> x uniforms.(You see bones.)
> x clam.
> se.
Throne Room
> talk to Poseidon.(In Atlantis, everyone quests for truth and beauty.)
> x throne. x trident.
> wake.
CornerCopenhagen, Denmark
> light unburnt match.
OutsideOgureyama, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan
> x village. x trees. x cabin. x shed.
> enter cabin.
Inside
In the village, they ring the bell for the new year, but Yasushi and his wife are skipping the festival, and his wife can't sleep.
> x man. x kotatsu. x door.
> talk to man.(He's writing a poem.)
> enter door.
Bedroom
> x Kazue.(She complains about the ringing.)
> x bed.
> out. out. e.
Shed
> x cow. x hen.
> out. nw.
Pond
> x pond. x stoic moon. x drunken moon.
> wake.
CornerCopenhagen, Denmark
> cry. pray.
> light unburnt match.
Desert (first)Cuervo, New Mexico, USA
> x grass. x sky. x sun. x shape.
> se.
Desert (second)
> take can. x it.
> se.
Desert (third)
> x crow. se.
Parking Lot
> x car. look under car. x cat.(thin as a rail)
> x highway. x pump. x building.
> in.
Convenience Store
> x counter. x cigarettes. x drinks.
> x statue.(Nash asks you to take it somewhere it'll be appreciated; you take the statue.)
> x Nash. talk to Nash.
> x toothpick.
> in.
Restroom
> x graffito. x mirror. x pipes.
> wake.
CornerCopenhagen, Denmark
> i.(You just have the four matches.)
> light second match.
Throne RoomThe Undersea Kingdom of Atlantis
> i.(Here, you have the rusted can and the pirate statue.)
> give statue to Poseidon.(He suggests giving it to Eunoia.)
> nw.
Eunoia's Chamber
> give statue to Eunoia.(She gives you a glowing pearl.)
> x pearl. se.
Throne Room
> show pearl to Poseidon.
> wake.
CornerCopenhagen, Denmark
> light first match.
Crumbling TunnelParis, France
> x debris. w.
Boudoir
> x Urimedonte. x violin. x scarves. x longue.
> x pole.(Urimedonte suggests taking it; you do.)
> talk to her.(She'd like a friend to stay with her.)
> e. se.
Sewer Tunnel
> fish.(No fish swim in the sewer.)
> e.
Waterfall
> x waterfall.
> fish.(no: water too violent)
> w. sw.
Riverside
> fish.(no luck here)
> wake.
CornerCopenhagen, Denmark
> light second.
Throne RoomThe Underwater Kingdom of Atlantis
> show pole to Poseidon.("Be careful with that thing, little girl...")
> s. u. u.
Bedroom
> fish.(A merman berates you.)
> wake.
CornerCopenhagen, Denmark
> light third.
Pond Ogureyama, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan
> fish. x carp.
> wake.
CornerCopenhagen, Denmark
> light fourth. out. out.
Parking LotCuervo, New Mexico, USA
> give carp to cat.(It eats it and now wants you to carry it.)
> x cat. pet cat.
> wake.
CornerCopenhagen, Denmark
> light first. ne. nw. w.
BoudoirParis, France
> give cat to woman.
Urimedonte gives you a bottle of wine as thanks, but she also calls you innocent and stupid. She's a vampire and intends to later feed on the cat as a snack.
> talk to her.(You should count yourself lucky she can't feed on a ghost like you.)
> x bottle.(You can't read it.)
> wake.
CornerCopenhagen, Denmark
> light second. d. d. n. ne.
Eirene's ChamberThe Underwater Kingdom of Atlantis
> give bottle to Eirene.(She gives you an empty bottle.)
> x bottle.
> wake.
CornerCopenhagen, Denmark
> light third. se. e.
Shed Ogureyama, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan
Of course, you can't really feel the warmth of the fresh milk; obviously this is just artistic license.
> milk cow. x milk.
> wake.
CornerCopenhagen, Denmark
> light fourth. in.
Convenience StoreCuervo, New Mexico, USA
> talk to Nash.(He's thirsty.)
> give milk to Nash.(He gives you a bottle of pills and explains how to use them.)
> x pills. wake.
CornerCopenhagen, Denmark
> light third. w. in. in.
Bedroom Ogureyama, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan
> give pill to Kazue.(She takes a pill and sleeps.)
> x Kazue.
> out.
Inside
You tell Yasushi about the pills and that Kazue is sleeping now. His poem is finished. It's in Japanese and you can't read it, but it's pretty and he gives it to you regardless.
> x poem. wake.
CornerCopenhagen, Denmark
> light second. sw.
Throne RoomThe Underwater Kingdom of Atlantis
> give poem to Poseidon.
He thanks you for this gift of beauty then asks about your quest. You tell him about the vampire. She's in another year, so he can't kill her directly, so he gives you his trident so YOU can kill her!
> x trident. wake.
CornerCopenhagen, Denmark
> light first.
BoudoirParis, France
> kill Urimedonte with trident.
The deed is done. You acquire both the cat and the violin.
> look. x ash.
> wake.
CornerCopenhagen, Denmark
> i.(You now have just the cat and the violin. The matches, trident, etc. are gone.)
> pet cat.(Her hands are too numb.)
> play violin.
A rich man, attracted by the beautiful music, talks to you. He asks for your name, but you have none. He asks if your father values you, but he does not.
The man lifts you up and declares he will buy you from your father and you shall never want for food or shelter ever again. His name is Ebenezer Scrooge. He will be your father now. And your name is now Ebenezabeth Scrooge.
*** The End ***
> quit
Extras
Characters
Main characters:
The little match girl is the protagonist. She has long flaxen hair and bare feet. At game's end, she gets a name: Ebenezabeth Scrooge.
Urimedonte is a female vampire who lives in the tunnels below Paris, France. She plays a violin, possibly to lure victims to her.
Poseidon, Lord of All Merfolk, King of Atlantis, looks down at you from his coral throne. He reveres truth and beauty.
Princess Eirene is Poseidon's fair-haired daughter. This mermaid collects bottles.
Princess Eunoia is Poseidon's dark-haired daughter. This mermaid collects everything that isn't a bottle.
Yasushi, a Japanese man, is trying to finish writing a poem before midnight.
Kazue is Yasushi's wife. She can't sleep because of the bells ringing in the nearby temple.
Nash is the boyish-looking man running the convenience store in New Mexico.
Ebenezer Scrooge is the rich man who rescues you, adopts you, and names you at game's end.
Animals:
A cow and a hen are in Yasushi's shed.
A crow in the desert startles you with a shriek.
A brown cat, thin as a rail, mewls underneath an abandoned car outside the store.
A silver koi can be caught in the pond near Yasushi's home.
Cameos:
A boy snatches up your slipper in the prologue.
A merman berates you if you dare try to fish from the underwater bedoom.
Mentioned:
The little match girl's mother owned the slippers that the girl loses in the prologue.
The little match girl's father will beat her if she dares return home without selling a single match.
Hephaestus forged Poseidon's trident long ago.
A man left the pole with Urimedonte, but he doesn't need it any more.
Nash's grampa won the pirate statue in a chess tournament.
Nash's grandma gave the pirate statue to him.
Yvette, Nash's girlfriend, wants Nash to get rid of the pirate statue.
Plus everyone named by all the busts in Poseidon's gallery: Simon Carless, Juhana Leinonen, Emily Boegheim, Jenni Polodna, Hamish McIntyre, Rich Cheng, Anya Johanna DeNiro, Carolyn VanEseltine, Derek Sotak, Matthew Zimmermann, Jason McIntosh, Steven McKinney, Doug Orleans, Emily Short, David Simon, Zachary Hodgens (who beta tested this game), Jacques Frechet,Maiko Ziegler, Math Makes Sense, Stuart Lloyd, Jeff Lindsay, Janice M, Eisen, Thomas Bøvith, Cat Manning, Darius Katz, Sammy El-Bahrawy, Jenelle Marie, "Me" (that's the guy's name), Paul Stanley, Matt Schneider, Allen Tan, Kenneth Hon, Alex D'Arata-Newby, Heidi Mandelin, Ivan R, Sarah Nerboso, Evan Downey, Carl Muckenhoupt, Yerrik (who beta tested this game METICULOUSLY), Rapscallion, Robin Johnson, Karl Ove Hufthammer, Q. Pheevr, Josh Labelle, Greg Frost, Robert Paloutzian, Grant Veeder, Harrison Gerard, Michael Knowles, quollish, silentphantom, Mark Vian, Ben Smith, David Welbourn, Josyris, Mathieu Sylvain, Rukesh, Stephen Brown, and viya.
Credits
This is the response to ABOUT or CREDITS:
(Hi, this is Ryan Veeder, your host. The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen was originally written in 2019 as an exclusive game for my Patreon program at patreon.com/rcveeder. Now it is available to everyone—including you!
Okay have fun!)
Inventory
For most of the game, you have two distinct inventories. In Copenhagen, your real body has just the matches, but your ghost-self carries everything else you find and pick up in the other locations and times. Only near the very end of the game are you able to bring the cat and the violin found by your ghost-self back to your freezing body in Copenhagen.
four unburnt matches. You're carrying them.
Everytime you light an unburnt match, you travel, like a ghost, to another place and time. You return to your real body by waking up. Fortunately, you can re-light a match to re-visit a location, at least until the end of the game.
The first match transports you to the riverside in Paris, France.
The second match transports you to Poseidon's palace in the underwater Kingdom of Atlantis.
The third match transports you to outside a cabin in Ogureyama, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.
The fourth match transports you to a desert near a convenience store in Cuervo, New Mexico.
After you return to Copenhagen with the cat and the violin, all your matches are gone.
a rusted can. It's in the second desert location (New Mexico).
You don't need it, but thank you for picking up litter.
a pirate statue. It's on the counter in the convenience store. Nash gives it to you when you first interact with it.
In Eunoia's chamber, give the statue to her. She gives you a giant pearl in exchange.
a giant pearl. In Eunoia's chamber, Eunoia gives this pearl to you when you give the pirate statue to her.
The pearl glows, letting you explore the dark tunnels under Paris and find Urimedonte playing the violin in her boudoir.
a fishing pole. It's in Urimedonte's boudoir. She gives it to you when you first interact with it.
Feel free to amuse yourself by trying to fish at the Parisian riverside, in the sewer tunnel, by the waterfall, in the Atlantean bedroom, or in the convenience store's restroom.
a silver koi. In Japan, fish in the pond (with the pole) to catch this fish.
Outside the convenience store, look under the car and give the fish to the starving cat. Look, you made a new friend!
a cat. Outside the convenience store, look under the car to find the cat. Give the silver koi to befriend and acquire the cat.
In her boudoir, give the cat to Urimedonte. She gives you a bottle of wine in exchange, but also reveals that she's a vampire and intends to feed from the cat!
After you kill Urimedonte with the trident, you regain the cat and bring her back to your freezing body when you next wake up. You will name the cat Puss and keep her; Puss is a recurring character in the Little Match Girl games.
a bottle of wine. In the boudoir, Urimedonte gives the wine to you when you give the cat to her.
In Eirene's chamber, give the wine to Eirene; she gives you an empty bottle in exchange.
an empty bottle. In Eirene's chamber, Eirene gives this bottle to you when you give the bottle of wine to her.
In the shed in Japan, milk the cow (while holding the empty bottle). You now have a bottle of milk.
a bottle of milk. In the shed in Japan, milk the cow (while holding the empty bottle) to fill the bottle with milk.
In the convenience store, give the milk to Nash; he gives you a bottle of pills as thanks.
a bottle of pills. In the convenience store, Nash gives these pills to you when you give the bottle of milk to him.
In the Japanese bedroom, give the pills to Kazue; she sleeps. When you leave the bedroom, Yasushi thanks you by giving you his poem.
a poem. In Japan, go to the bedroom and give the pills to Kazue; she sleeps. Leave the bedroom, and Yasushi thanks you and gives you his poem.
In his throne room, give the poem to Poseidon. He loves it, then asks about your quest and learns about Urimedonte. Angered, he gives you his trident and orders you to kill the vampire with it.
Poseidon's mighty trident. In his throne room, give the poem to Poseidon. This leads to you telling him about Urimedonte, and he gives you his trident, ordering you to kill the vampire with it.
Kill Urimedonte with the trident. You regain the cat plus acquire her violin.
a violin. In the boudoir, you acquire the violin after you kill Urimedonte with the trident.
In Copenhagen, play the violin. This attracts Ebenezer Scrooge, who after hearing your tale, decides to adopt you as his own daughter. Happy happy!
