Key & Compass presents:
Quirky Test
by Andrew Schultz

Quirky Test is a web browser interactive fiction game written with Adventuron and is © 2025 by Andrew Schultz. It was an entry in the Text Adventure Literacy Jam (TALP) of 2025 where it took 4th place.

This is a game about making spoonerisms of the people, places, and things you find while you search for the Rare-Thing-There Ring. Let Beery Thor welcome you to a land of Quickie Trips and Tricky Quips.

This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Version 2.1.1 of the game. Note that I originally wrote this walkthrough back in May 2025, then had to re-edit it to account for subsequent changes to the game. Hopefully I got everything fixed again.

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.

Map
Walkthrough
Extras
- Achievements, Artwork, Characters, Credits, Footnotes, Inventory, Score
Thank You to my Patreon supporters
Support me on Ko-Fi
External links:
- This game at Homepage, IFDB, and IFWiki.
- Follow me at Bluesky, Ko-Fi, Mastodon, Patreon, and Wordpress.

Map

Walkthrough

Use tutorial mode?

? 2 (no)

Use color-coded hinting?

? 1 (yes)

NAMELESS LAMENESS

> turkey quest. (+1 bonus)

> x me. (You find an "Ooh, Task to Ask".)

> x Ooh. (find the Rare-Thing-There Ring)

> listen. ("Whoa! Guest!")

> go west. (+1)

BURST FACE

> x face.

> first base. (+1; a Pro Boor greets you)

PRO BOOR

> t. shush lout. (+1 bonus)

> x Boor.

> bro poor. (+1; he gives Prayer Lights)

> bad teacher. (via Tad Beecher)

> x Lights.

> player rights. (+1)

PLAIN BASE

> x Thor. talk. (You can ask him about each of 17 rules that Graham Nelson wrote.)

> ask 1. ask 1. ask 1.

> ask 2. ask 2. ask 2.

> ask 3. ask 3. ask 3.

> ask 4. ask 4. ask 4.

> ask 5. ask 5. ask 5.

> ask 6. ask 6. ask 6.

> ask 7. ask 7. ask 7.

> ask 8. ask 8. ask 8.

> ask 9. ask 9. ask 9.

> ask 10. ask 10. ask 10.

> ask 11. ask 11. ask 11.

> ask 12. ask 12. ask 12.

> ask 13. ask 13. ask 13.

> ask 14. ask 14. ask 14.

> ask 15. ask 15. ask 15.

> ask 16. ask 16. ask 16.

> ask 17. ask 17. ask 17. (+achievement)

> theory bore. (+1 bonus)

> bane place. (+1 bonus)

> death sentence. (+1 bonus)

> nw.

WEST TILES

> test wiles. (+1 bonus)

> x runes. (V V 7 7 V)

> u.

STEALING HILL

> t. x hill. healing still. (not yet)

> think.

> e.

EAST BRANCH

After you've visited Plain Base, West Tiles, East Branch, and Stealing Hills, abbreviations for those locations (PB, WT, EB, and SH) are unlocked, which you can now use to quickly teleport to those locations.

> beast ranch. (+1 bonus)

> x runes. (caret line angle angle line)

If you mentally place the runes at West Tiles above these runes, they spell XYZZY in captial letters.

> xyzzy.

> n.

SKY FLOOR

> x floor. fly score. (+1)

> i. (You now have a low song.)

> x song. so long. (+1 bonus)

> look. s. w.

MONEY FOUNTAIN

> x fountain. funny mountain. (+1)

> i. (You now have no greed.)

> x greed. grow need. (+1 bonus)

> look. t. e. e.

WARRING BAY

> x bay. t. boring way. (+1)

> i. (You now have peace surging.)

> x surging. cease purging. (+1 bonus)

> look. w. se.

HURT DOME

> x dome. dirt home. (+1)

> i. (You now have trial pics.)

> x pics. pile tricks. (no bonus this time)

> look. nw. ne.

TRENDING BOOTH

> x booth. t. bending truth. (+1)

> i. (You now have a fast vision.)

> x vision. vast fission. (+1 bonus)

> look. sw. s.

ROARING PAIN

> x pain. pouring rain. (+1)

> i. (You now have a rain soul.)

> x soul. sane role. (+1 bonus)

> look. WT. s.

CAKE TRACKERS

> x trackers. t. take crackers. (+1)

> i. x crackers.

> look. x boxes. n. e.

SHELL FORT

> x fort. t. fell short. (+1)

> i. (got pacing rations)

There's no way to know this until later, but by taking inventory at this time with nine items, you earned an achievement.

> x rations. racing passions. (+1 bonus)

> look. t. w. w.

GRUNTERS' HILL

Now start using pairs of items. Here, you need the crackers and rations.

> x hill. t. hunters grill. (+1)

> i. x meal. (Crackers and rations are gone; you now have a deal-mood meal, dude.)

> look. e. sw.

GIFT SHOALS

Here, you need the no greed and the peace surging.

> x gifts. x shoals. shift goals. (+1)

> i. (no greed and peace surging are gone; you now have focus.)

> x focus. co fuss.

> look. ne. nw.

YELLOW FIELD

Here, you need the trial pics and a fast vision.

> x field. t. fellow yield. (+1)

> i. (Pics and vision and gone; the bit of Confidence is new.)

> x confidence.

> look. EB. nw.

WRATH/POUT PATH/ROUTE

Here, you need a low song and a rain soul.

> x goon. t. grim tune. (+1)

> i. (Song and soul are gone, but your confidence is now serious.)

> x confidence.

> look. WT. n.

PLASTER MAN

Here, you need to have the meal and focus.

> x man. t. master plan. (+1)

> i. (Meal and focus are gone. You now have a master plan.)

> x plan.

> look. s. ne.

SCENE MORE MEAN/SORE

Here, you need Confidence (serious).

> x chap. t. chalice map. (+1)

> i. (Your confidence is replaced with a chalice map.)

> x map.

> look. SH.

STEALING HILL

Here, you need both map and plan.

> x hill. healing still. (+1)

> i. (You have a travel grail.)

> x grail.

> look. PB.

PLAIN BASE

You earn an achievement by returning here with the grail when you see Thor for only the second time.

> gravel trail. (+1; north opens; Thor takes the grail.)

> x trail.

> n.

GRAVEL TRAIL

> x mouse. t. missing house. (+1)

> listen. x chimes. cheery times. (+1 bonus)

> look. x mailbox. 17.

> n.

MY HOUSE

> i. x ooh.

> x poster. I stay. (+1 bonus)

> x table. x doodles.

> x bookshelf.

> x simmers. x house.

> see glimmers. (+1)

> hi mouse. (+1)

The mouse finds a tiny shrunk shiny trunk and a costly lost key.

You use the key to unlock the trunk and get the ring!

You are then treated to a list of all the possible achievements by name, telling you which you've won and how and which are still locked. Then the game restarts from the beginning. Footnotes are now unlocked. You are replaying to find that extra content, yes?

Extras

Achievements

There are twenty-one possible achievements. You're told which achievements you've unlocked or didn't unlock when you win the game. After you've won at least once, the ACH command lists your achievement.

It is impossible to earn every achievement in one playthrough.

I unlocked some achievements, but not others, and there were only fourteen achievements when I originally played:

Hi, All I Haul — for taking inventory when carrying around the maximum number of items possible.
More than Thor, Man — to unlock.
Too Yacky: You, Tacky — for trying to talk to everyone who might speak.
Get a Major Meta-Gauger — to unlock.
Totes Need Notes Teed — for uncovering all the footnotes available.
Cueing Direct Doing: Correct — to unlock.
Reach Out Each Route for scoring a bonus point in each post-intro location.
Clever! Nap? Never! (Clap!) — to unlock.
Quell-Worrying-Well Querying — for ASKing Thor about each rule in the Player's Bill of Rights.
Knowin' Stuff, Stowin' 'Nuff — for ASKing Thor three times about each rule in the Player's Bill of Rights.
So Slick! Slow? Sick! — for not returning to Thor until you got the grail.
Great Style, Straight Guile — for not having to repeat the right phrase in any hub side room.
Re-Sight-See? Riiight — to unlock, but don't use warps.
Second Revvin' Reckoned? Seven — to unlock.
Balk "Why? Walk By!" — to unlock.
Throw Me Mo': Three — for making a three-room jump.
Chump, Joke Jump? Choke — for trying to jump to a blocked-off room.
Did-Buzzin'-Bid? Dozen — to unlock.
Cousin, Draft Dozen-Craft — to unlock.
Hi! Beer By Here? — to unlock.
Neat-Book-Beat Nook — to unlock.

Artwork

Each location is illustrated with a strip of simple artwork at the top of the screen. Here is a small sampling, reduced in size. Please play the game to see the artwork in its intended sizes and contexts.

Nameless Lameless
Burst Face
Pro Boor
Plain Base

Characters

Pro Boar tries to tell you want a real quest is, telling you that only foolishness lies ahead here.
Beery Thor acts like the emcee of this adventure and also as the author's spokesman. He can explain, in detail, how the Player Rights apply in this game.
The Stealing Hill doesn't want you to steal its stuff.
A fellow in a yellow field just won't stop talking.
A trim goon looks ready to rough someone up if provoked.
A malice chap grins nastily at you.
A hissing mouse is a gray mouse who may grouse.

Background characters:

People try and fail to get money from the fountain.
Fighters are fighting in the warring bay.
Someone in the trending booth is spouting about things better than text adventures.
Cake trackers try and fail to find cake.
Assailants in the fort are firing rounds at you.
Grunters on a hill try and fail to find food.

Mentioned:

Seth Denton presumably owns the unpleasant establishment at Plain Base.
Graham Nelson wrote the Player Rights.
Walter Mitty is mentioned in the response to "racing passions".
An old couple down the street owned some chimes.

Credits

This is the response to CREDITS:

ONE-TIME NOTE: General credits from Chris Ainsley, the creator of Adventuron, can be seen with *CREDITS. Also, clicking on green text below opens a link in a new tab. Thanks to TALJ (formerly TALP, p = project) admins past and future: Chris Ainsley and Garry Francis and Pinkunz. Thanks to those who came before who wrote so many great games that made me want to write something more welcoming than my usual efforts. LINKS will lead you to past comps. Thanks to John Doolittle for offering generous prizes for TALP. I'd have written Quirky Test anyway, but my prize was a wonderful motivator to release the post-comp version sooner and not later. Thanks to Chris Ainsley for creating Adventuron. Thanks to Khurasan for the Game Bubble font which appears in the MAP. Thanks (in alphabetical order) to people who found bugs and/or offered big-picture advice. Pre-comp: Wade Clarke, Garry Francis (who also helped me with collections,) Leon Lin, Christopher Merriner, and Deborah Sherwood. In-comp: DemonApologist and Olaf Nowacki. Post-comp: Wade Clarke, Leon Lin and Tabitha. Thanks to you, for giving Quirky Test a chance.

And this is the response to *CREDITS:

------- CREDITS ------- Game Version : 2.1.1 Adventuron Version: 1.0.0 Beta 68j [PERSONAL USE ONLY] Parser type : The game requires only two word commands (VERB NOUN). ------------ SYSTEM FONTS ------------ - Delta10 - based on Delta 4 font, released into public domain by Fergus McNeill. Modifications by CA. - Clairsys / Clairsys 10 by Paul Van Der Laan, SIL Font License. - DAAD by Adventuras AD. Released into the public domain by Andrés Samudio. Minor adaptations applied (by CA). - Bamburgh - Adventuron Font Created by Christ Ainsley. All Rights Reserved. - Plotter Bold Extended by Damien Guard. Licensed free to use and redistribute (with games). - Kitchen Sink created by Retroshark and Polyducks. The font may be used with attribution in commercial and non-commercial projects free of charge. The font may not be redistributed or remixed in whole or in part. It may not be resold elsewhere as an asset or part of an asset pack.

Footnotes

Footnotes are unlocked when you win the game. Start the game again, and you'll now start seeing footnotes within the game. FOOTNOTE 0 lists all footnotes with minor clues for footnotes not found yet.

There are 17 footnotes (originally just 16):

X ME two times ❤️ Retry a basic command
GO WEST for the first point ❤️ Found during core walkthrough
Try going east from Burst Face ❤️ Looking back, sort of
Examine the Pro Boar ❤️ Examine someone
First description for Plain Base 🧡 Found during core walkthrough
Visit both West Tiles and East Branch 💛 Found during core walkthrough
Use the secret magic word/command XYZZY 💛 Magic word
Visit Stealing Hill 🖤 Found during core walkthrough
Escape Stealing Hill with the grail 🖤 Found during core walkthrough
Get to Sky Floor 💚 Found during core walkthrough
Examine the trending booth 💚 Examine something
Get to Warring Bay 💚 Found during core walkthrough
Examine the pouring rain/roaring pain or plaster man/master plan 💙💚 Examine either of two things
Examine the Malice Chap 💙 Examine someone
Examine the crackers 💙 Examine something
Examine the Hissing Mouse 💜 Examine something
Examine the bookshelf 💜 Examine something

Inventory

Tangibles (listed in white)

Ooh Task to Ask ('Ooh Task'). Acquired via X ME at Nameless Lameness.

Examine it. It names the macguffin you're trying to obtain by game's end.

trial pics (of the dirt home). Acquired via DIRT HOME at Hurt Dome.

Used with a fast vision when you FELLOW YIELD at Yellow Field; you gain or strengthen your Confidence.

Crackers. Acquired via TAKE CRACKERS at Cake Trackers.

Used with pacing rations when you HUNTERS GRILL at Grunters' Hill. You gain a deal-mood meal, dude (eaten).

pacing rations. Acquired via FELL SHORT at Shell Fort.

RACING PASSIONS for a bonus point.
Used with crackers when you HUNTERS GRILL at Grunters' Hill. You gain a deal-mood meal, dude (eaten).

a chalice map. Acquired via CHALICE MAP at Malice Chap, using Confidence (serious).

Used at the Stealing Hill with the master plan to acquire the travel grail.

a master plan. Acquired via MASTER PLAN at Plaster Man, only possible after you both SHIFT GOALS at Gift Shoals (using no greed and peace surging) and HUNTERS GRILL at Grunters' Hill (using crackers and pacing rations).

Used at the Stealing Hill with the chalice map to acquire the travel grail.

Region unlockers (listed in off-red)

Prayer Lights. Acquired via BRO POOR at Pro Boor.

PLAYER RIGHTS to proceed to Thor in Plain Base; the Lights are gone.

travel grail. Acquired via HEALING STILL at The Stealing Hill, using up the chalice map and master plan.

At Plain Base, GRAVEL TRAIL to open a gravel trail northward. Thor takes the grail from you for the next adventurer.

Abstracts (listed in gray)

a low song. Acquired via FLY SCORE at Sky Floor.

SO LONG for a bonus point.
Used with a rain soul when you GRIM TUNE at Trim Goon; you either gain or strengthen your Confidence.

no greed. Acquired via FUNNY MOUNTAIN at Money Fountain.

GROW NEED for a bonus point.
Used with peace surging when you SHIFT GOALS at the Gift Shoals. You obtain focus.

peace surging. Acquirsd via BORING WAY at Warring Bay.

CEASE PURGING for a bonus point.
Used with no greed when you SHIFT GOALS at the Gift Shoals. You obtain focus.

a fast vision. Acquired via BENDING TRUTH at Trending Booth.

VAST FISSION for a bonus point.
Used with the trial pics when you FELLOW YIELD at Yellow Field; you gain or strengthen your Confidence.

a rain soul. Acquired via POURING RAIN at Roaring Pain.

SANE ROLE for a bonus point.
Used with a low song when you GRIM TUNE at Trim Goon; you either gain or strengthen your Confidence.

deal-mood meal, dude (eaten). Acquired via HUNTERS GRILL at Grunter's Hill, using up the crackers and rations.

Used with the focus when you MASTER PLAN at Plaster Man; you gain a master plan.

focus. Acquired via SHIFT GOALS at Gift Shoals, using up the no greed and peace surging.

Used with the meal when you MASTER PLAN at Plaster Man; you gain a master plan.

Confidence (a bit of). Acquired either via GRIM TUNE at Trim Goon (using both a low song and a rain soul) or via FELLOW YIELD at Yellow Field (using both the trial pics and a fast vision).

After doing both GRIM TUNE and FELLOW YIELD, your confidence is strengthened and is now styled as Confidence (serious).
Confidence (serious) is used when you CHALICE MAP at the Malice Chap; you obtain the chalice map.

Score

This is the response to SCORE:

Your core score is N out of 23. [after reaching Plain Base, include:] You're solved N of 7 parts of West Tiles and N of 7 parts of East Branch. Your bonus score is N out of 17.

One core point is awarded for each of the following:

GO WEST. (re "Whoa! Guest!")
FIRST BASE. (re "burst face")
BRO POOR. (re "Pro Boor")
PLAYER RIGHTS. (re "Prayer Lights")
FLY SCORE. (re "sky floor")
FUNNY MOUNTAIN. (re "money fountain")
BORING WAY. (re "warring bay")
DIRT HOME. (re "hurt dome")
BENDING TRUTH. (re "trending booth")
POURING RAIN. (re "roaring pain")
TAKE CRACKERS. (re "cake trackers")
FELL SHORT. (re "shell fort")
SHIFT GOALS. (re "gift shoals")
FELLOW YIELD. (re "yellow field")
HUNTERS GRILL. (re "grunters' hill")
MASTER PLAN. (re "planter man")
GRIM TUNE. (re "trim goon")
CHALICE MAP. (re "malice chap")
HEALING STILL. (re "stealing hill")
GRAVEL TRAIL. (re "travel grail")
MISSING HOUSE. (re "hissing mouse")
SEE GLIMMERS. (re "glee simmers")
HI MOUSE. (re "my house")

One bonus point is awarded for each of the following:

TURKEY QUEST. (re "quirky test")
SHUSH LOUT. (re "lush shout")
THEORY BORE. (re "Beery Thor")
BANE PLACE. (re "Plain Base")
DEATH SENTENCE. (re "Seth Denton's")
TEST WILES. (re "West Tiles")
BEAST RANCH. (re "East Branch")
SO LONG. (re "low song")
VAST FISSION. (re "fast vision")
GROW NEED (re "no greed")
CEASE PURGING. (re "peace surging")
SANE ROLE. (re "rain soul")
RACING PASSIONS. (re "pacing rations")
CHEERY TIMES. (re "teary chimes")
I STAY. (re sty, eh?")

I didn't earn all of the bonus points. Sorry!

Thank You to my Patreon supporters

This walkthrough was funded via Patreon with

the support of Robin Johnson, Ville Lavonius, Andrew Schultz, Kenneth Hon, Carl Muckenhoupt, Mark Musante, Phil Tatro, and Daniel Stelzer;
the generous support of Janice M Eisen, Matthew Foxley, Thomas Insel, and Brian Long;
the very generous support of Karl Ove Hufthammer, Lance Campbell, and DrkStarr;
the extremely generous support of Emily Short, Allen Garvin, Jesse McGrew, Jacqueline Ashwell, Jennifer Rexrode, and Christos Dimitrakakis;
and the invisible support of several anonymous patrons.

Ko-Fi is a way to send me small one-time donations. Every little bit helps, and thank you!

Key & Compass presents: Quirky Test by Andrew Schultz

Map

Walkthrough

Extras

Achievements

Artwork

Characters

Credits

Footnotes

Inventory

Score

Thank You to my Patreon supporters

Key & Compass presents:
Quirky Test
by Andrew Schultz