Key & Compass presents:
Try Again
by Tom Devereaux

In this very short apocalyptic story, you play as a radiation specialist, Dr Maggie Winston, who wakes up disoriented in a bunker in the ruins of New York City. You soon find a pistol, a golden watch, some of your notes, a diamond, and a portal.

This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 1 of the story.

SPOILERS AHEAD. Reading a walkthrough prematurely can sometimes diminish one's enjoyment of an interactive fiction story. Please make an honest effort to play the story before reading this walkthrough.

Map
Walkthrough
Extras
- Characters, Inventory
Thank You to my Patreon supporters
Support me on Ko-Fi
External links:
- This story at IFDB, and IFWiki.
- Follow me at Bluesky, Ko-Fi, Mastodon, Patreon, and Wordpress.

Map

Walkthrough

Bunker

> x mirror. ("DR. MAGGIE WINSTON", golden watch, red jumpsuit)

> open box. x pistol. take it.

> x door. n.

Ruins

> x cabinet. open it.

> x 1. (weapon has radiation spread control issues)

> x 2. (watch is a time-travel prototype device)

> x 3. (intends to test weapon in testing area)

> x 4. (You set off a nuclear weapon, then entered cryosleep in the bunker)

> e.

Clearing

> take all. x watch. (beeping; "7/31/1996")

> x diamond. (pulls towards the portal)

> x portal. enter portal. (no: locked)

> unlock portal with diamond. n.

Lab

> x calendar. (It's July 31st, 1996.)

> x photograph. (geese dressed as Nirvana)

> x painting. (man glares at daughter; aspect ratio is 3.51:1.)

> take all. (just the calendar)

> w.

Console Room

> x scientist. (woman in red jumpsuit; DR MAGGIE WINSTON)

> x console. (has timer for bomb)

> x portal. (don't use until done with the game)

> give watch. (or anything else: She's not interested.)

> kill scientist. (not the answer)

I was quite stymied and had to cheat to learn that you can ask her about the following nearly-impossible-to-guess topics: "the bomb" (with the "the"), "time travel", "remember", "innocents", and "stop". And you're expected to ask about those topics in that exact order and nothing else.

> ask her about the bomb.

> ask her about time travel.

> ask her about remember.

> ask her about innocents.

> ask her about stop.

Looks like killing the scientist was the answer after all. You can still talk to her, however, since there's no change to the game world at all. The plot is as painted onto the background as that bomb you can't examine.

> enter portal.

Present

The ruins are still here. Your bomb didn't matter. THE END. Except the game doesn't end. I guess that doesn't matter either.

> quit

Maybe next time, use your time travel technology to stop the government from taking your husband in the first place?

Extras

Characters

Dr Maggie Winston is both the player-character and the scientist in the Console Room, that one being your former self in time. You're both wearing a red jumpsuit. The main character energy is strong in this one.

Mentioned:

The government took your husband. Um, why?
Innocents will die, but your former self doesn't care because they can't get away with this. Care to explain further? No? Okay.
Geese dressed as the band Nirvana are in the photograph. Sure, why not? I didn't know that Nirvana wore such distinctive clothing.
A man and his daughter are in the painting. She's holding a Kodak, which is so last century.

Inventory

a pistol. It's in the box in the bunker.

Take it. You aren't willing to use it until you ask the scientist about "stop", and then you use the pistol automatically.

Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3, and Entry 4. They're all in the filing cabinet at the ruins.

Read them for the backstory. You don't need to take them.

a watch. It's in the clearing.

Examine it to learn the date that the portal goes to. The first portal, I mean.
Note: You cannot wear the watch.

a diamond. It's in the clearing.

The diamond is coded as a key. Unlock the portal in the clearing with the diamond. This is a thing you know how to do.

a calendar. It's in the lab.

Examine it to confirm the date, which is possible because you still cross off squares. How quaint. You don't need the calendar.

Thank You to my Patreon supporters

This walkthrough is provided free of charge since the work it's based on has less than fifteen locations. Please consider it a thank you for your support!

I create larger walkthroughs too! Please visit my Patreon account if you're interested in helping me create more interactive fiction walkthroughs. I appreciate all the help I can get! Thanks again.

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