In this game of wordplay, you play as someone forced to take a one-way elevated train trip to Erebus, a land of darkness deep underground. Stranded, you will need to use the homophones you find there to spell the tools you need to escape.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 2 of the game.
"Long Ladder" becomes "Lilliputian Ladder" when you're huge and "Leviathan Ladder" when you're tiny.
"Buzzing Bees" becomes "Bitty Bees" when you're huge and "Brobdingnagian Bees" when you're tiny.
"Pea Plants" becomes "Petite Plants" when you're huge and "Prodigious Plants" when you're tiny.
"Inhospitable Isle" becomes "Insipid Isle" after Polyphemus is gone.
The "Tiled Terrace (inside the building)" location, not shown on the map, is available only after you've created the pub.
There is also an "In The Hole" location, not shown on the map, only reachable when tiny by entering the hole at the Heart Of Darkness.
Walkthrough
State/Lake Elevated Station
A cold open: A Black Line train to Erebus is arriving at the station, but there is no such thing.
> i.(You're wearing your backpack.)
You're pushed onto the train by the crush of bodies.
Black Line El
> x man.(He ignores you.)
Descent Into Darkness
It feels like the train is going straight down.
> x pole.(Which you automatically grab onto at this point.)
Mind The Gap
Has the train left the tracks? Someone vomits on you.
> x me.
Hard Landing
The train lands on new tracks and the brakes engage.
> x train.
Last Stop
The train stops and everyone else runs out, followed by screams.
> look.(It's dark.)
> i. x clothing.
> x backpack.("O.D.C.S.")open it.
> x textbook.(It's too dark to read.)
> listen. smell. touch pole.
> out.(Or any other compass direction.)
End Of The Line
The game helpfully tells you about the EXITS command.
> exits. exits off.
> x ladder. x tracks.
> x train. x port. x doors.
Time to explore the landscape.
> s. s.
Bridge To Nowhere
The tracks end here.
> x tracks.
> n. n. d.
Long Ladder
> x ladder. listen. n.
Carved Coast ("T")
> x glyph.(It's not immediately clear, but it's of a teacup with the square tag from a teabag hanging out. Part of the picture is missing.)
Considering that I know the map layout, a circular traversal of the area might be the simplest.
> sw.
Carved Coast ("L")
> x shape.(It's of a train; arrow pointing east.)
> sw.
Carved Coast ("B")
> x picture.(It's of a bee; arrow pointing east.)
> se.
Carved Coast ("I")
> x diagram.(It's of an eye; arrow pointing southeast.)
> se.
Calm Channel
> listen. g. g.(They're all different.)
> s.(Water is too deep.)
> ne.
Carved Coast ("U")
> x carving.(It's of a fat animal, probably a ewe; arrow pointing southwest.)
> ne.
Carved Coast ("P")
It took me ages to realize the circle was meant as a drawing of a pea.
> x glyph.(It's a deeply cut circle; arrow pointing west.)
> nw.
Carved Coast ("C")
> x glyph.(It's wavy lines.)
Anyway, I hope it's becoming clearer that the glyphs are of letter homophones, that is, things whose names sound like letters of the alphabet. You'll be using these soundalike objects to spell words. The arrows point in a general direction to where you can find the depicted objects.
> w. sw.
Buzzing Bees
> x insects. se.
Tiled Terrace
I suspect this is meant to suggest a Scrabble board, but we don't really do much here.
> x tiles. x pillar. taste water.(salty)
> ne.
Pea Plants / Petite Plants
> x plants. take pod. open pod.("Eat me!")
> x pea. eat pea.(You're suddenly gigantic and naked.)
Note: This location is now "Petite Plants"; Long Ladder is now "Lilliputian Ladder"; Buzzing Bees is now "Bitty Bees". Your backpack is now a "wristpack".
> w.
Heart Of Darkness
> x column. x button. x booths.
> x first booth.(It won't admit your wristpack.)
> drop wristpack. x first booth.(Nothing inside.)
> x second booth. x third booth. x cord. x hole.
> take pack.
> s. s. s.
Inhospitable Isle
"Who dares trespass upon the island of Polyphemus?"
⚠️ Examining Polyphemus (or doing anything else with him) results in your death.
⚠️ Answering "nobody" also results in your death. Since you'll need to use a different name each time you visit the cyclops, I suggest starting with an "A" name, then a "B" name, and so on.
Your response is... Adam
He demands you return with a suitable drink or not at all.
> take ewe. n. n. nw.
Bitty Bees
> take bee. e. e.
Petite Plants
> take pod. open it. w.
Heart Of Darkness
The first thing to create is a PUB.
> put pea in first. put ewe in second. put bee in third.
> push button.(+10 for PUB; explosion to south.)
> s.
Tiled Terrace
Although it doesn't say explicitly, the new building is a pub.
> x building. x plaque. in.
Tiled Terrace (inside the building)
You can't take any hot tea until you have a container. Based on the letters you have to work with, it'll have to be a CUP.
> x table. x cylinder.("DRINK ME" in morse code; also "T")
> smell cylinder.(tea)
> out. s. s.
Inhospitable Isle
Your response is... Boris
> take ewe. n. n. n.
Heart Of Darkness
> put ewe in second. e.
Petite Plants
> take pod. open it. w.
Heart Of Darkness
> put pea in third. s.
Tiled Terrace
With no other containers, you need your hands free to take seawater.
> take sea. n.
Heart Of Darkness
> put sea in first.
> push button.(+10 for CUP)
> look. take cup. x it.
> s. in.
Tiled Terrace (inside the building)
> fill cup. out. s. s.
Inhospitable Isle
⚠️ Don't give the tiny cup of tea to Polyphemus; it's too puny for him. You'll need to make a larger container, like a TUB.
Your response is... Charles
> take ewe. n. n. nw.
Bitty Bees
Some awkwardness carrying everything.
> drop ewe. take bee. put bee in pack.
> take ewe. e.
Heart Of Darkness
> put tea in first. put ewe in second. put bee in third.
> push button.(+10 for TUB)
> look. x tub. take it. put cup in pack.
> s. in.
Tiled Terrace (inside the building)
> fill tub. out. s. s.
Inhospitable Isle / Insipid Isle
Your response is... Daniel
> give tub to polyphemus.
He shrinks, leaving a glassy sphere and an empty tub. This is now "Insipid Isle".
The game also now tells you a shortcut command: SET (booth) TO (letter), eg: SET 2 TO U.
> look. x sphere. take it. x eye.(Yes, it's a glass eye.)
> x plants. take tub.
Now what? Our alphabet now seems to be P, U, B, C, T, I. Peas make us grow; tea makes us shrink.
Well, there were seven glyphs, not six. We're missing the L. Which must be the train? Let's go get that.
> n. n. n. n. u.
End Of The Line
> take el.(Hm. Still too large.)
> x port.(Oh. Can we make the train smaller?)
> d. s. s. in.
Tiled Terrace (inside the building)
> fill tub. out. n. n. u.
End Of The Line
> open port. pour tub in port.(The train shrinks.)
> take el. d. s.
Heart Of Darkness
Let's now tackle the issue of the shuttered booths, the cord and the hole.
> put cord in hole.(hmph.)
Time to get small.
> s. in.
Tiled Terrace (inside the building)
> fill tub. blow tub. drink tub.(You're normal size.)
You can now spell words up to six letters long. The question is, what to spell? Well, anything new you spell will gain points, but to escape Erebus, you'll need a BULB, PUPIL, and PULPIT.
But first, we'll need to get huge again to be able to get a ewe. And there's a command called CREATE that we need to unlock to make things much easier. The CREATE command is unlocked once we've used every homophone, so I suggest using the El and eye to spell LI next.
> e.
Prodigious Plants / Pea Plants / Petite Plants
> take pod. open pod. eat pea.
> take pod. open pod. eat pea.
> sw. in.
Tiled Terrace (inside the building)
> take pack, tub, el.
> out. n.
Heart Of Darkness
> put el in 1. put eye in 2. push button.(+½)
Now that we have CREATE, we can make things much faster.
> create bulb.(+10 for BULB.)x bulb.
> create pupil.(+10 for PUPIL.)x Eu. ask Eu about Eu.
> create pulpit.(+10 for PULPIT.)x pulpit.
> put bulb in pulpit.
> take book. put book on pulpit.
> read book.(It is essential that Eu learns from the book that he can eat peas.)
Here's the point in the game when we start racking up the points. If you just want to escape, feel free to skip this part.
Your answer, if any, is... 2(+½; also new sticker.)
> x sticker.
> create cubit.(+½)x cubit.(It's a stone rod.)
> create cult.(+½)
> create cultic.(Eumaeus lives only to serve you.)
> create cut.(+½)x me.(You have a cut.)
> create cutup.(+½)
> create lib.(+½)
> create lip.(+½; you're mildly insulted.)
> create lit.(+½)x me.(You have a headache.)
> create litu.(+½)x litu.(A third coin.)
> create pi.(+½; a voice will recite pi one digit per turn.)
> create pic.(+½)x pic.
> create picul.(+½)x picul.(The weight.)
> create pip.(+½)x pip.(The seed.)
> create pit.(+½; there's now a deep pit at the northernmost coast.)
> create piu.(+½)
> create ptui.(+½)
> create pubic.(+½)
> create public.(+½)
> create pul.(+½)x pul.(A fourth coin.)
> create puli.(+½)x puli.(The shaggy dog.)
> create pulp.(+½)x pulp.
> create pup.(+½)x pup.(The scruffy dog.)
> create put.(+½)
> create putt.(+½)
> create putti.(+½)x putti.
> create ti.(+½)
> create tic.(+½)
> create til.(+½)x til. smell til. open sesame.
> create tip.(+½; you get a hint.)
> create tit.(+½; the bird flies away.)
> create tittup.(+½)
> create tulip.(+½)x tulip. smell tulip.
> create tui.(+½; the bird flies away.)
> create tup.(+½; there's now a ram on the Isle.)
> create tut.(+½)
> create tutti.(+½)
> create tutu.(+½)x tutu.
> create ulu.(+½)x ulu.(The knife.)
> create up.(+½)
> create ut.(+½)
You should now have 89 points.
> xyzzy. plugh. plover.
> take book. put it in pack.
> take robe. put it in pack.
> e.
Petite Plants
> take pod. open pod. give pea to eu.
> eu, eat pea.(He grows to giant size.)
> sw. in.
Tiled Terrace (inside the building)
> fill tub. out. s.
Calm Channel
Both you and Eu must be giant-sized for this to work.
> stand on eu. u.
Back On Track
> drink tub. wear robe. u.(+10)
*** You have won ***
The game will comment on your nudity or choice of clothing, as appropriate. It will also note if you left your expensive textbook behind.
> amusing
Extras
Amusing
Do you find death amusing? According to the game's own response to AMUSING: There are at least 16 ways to perish in Erebus, including
a terminal fall, Just jump off the track at normal size at either End of the Line or Straightaway.
an interminable fall, Enter the pit you create at Carved Coast (T).
being squashed,
diminished into nothingness, Drink the tea when you're already tiny at any location except the Calm Channel.
hit by a train, I assume this is why you die if you JUMP as your first move at State/Lake Elevated Station.
mobbed by a crowd, Mob violence can happen by hitting (or kissing) the large man (or any other passenger) on the train.
slain by an invisible stalker, I think this one happens when you CREATE IT.
stabbed by a cyclops, Give Polyphemus a cup of tea; he's insulted by the "puny gift".
incinerated, Happens when you CREATE UPLIT.
poisoned, Eat a bee.
envenomed,
electrocuted,
drowned, Jump when at normal or tiny size from Bridge to Nowhere; you'll land in deep water and drown. Or drink the tea when you're already tiny at the Calm Channel; you'll suddenly find yourself underwater and drown.
shot with high-explosive rounds,
tossed off the edge of the world, Happens if you dare CREATE TILT.
and doomed by fear itself. Happens when you CREATE UTU.
Also: More bonus points also remain to be found, some of which might happen to amuse. Unfortunately, I didn't find any "bonus points" in the game, but I did note:
You can count things, like COUNT ME, COUNT CARS, COUNT SHEEP, COUNT BOOTHS, COUNT FINGERS, etc. You're discouraged from counting scenery items like the tiles, plants, or tracks.
Characters
The large man and other passengers who die on the doomed train.
Polyphemus, an unpleasant cyclops, lives on the Inhospitable Isle until you kill him.
Most other characters in the game are either sometimes portable or created by you in this game, so their details are in the Inventory section below.
Various voices are heard when you create certain things like BLUB, BUB, PI, TI, UT, for example.
Mentioned:
Acis was Polyphemus's rival.
Galatea was Polyphemus's lost love.
Ulysses was probably one of your ancestors.
Endings
Game over, dude. if you CREATE TILT.
You have died
if you jump onto the tracks as your first move in the game,
if you try to kiss or kill anyone on the train,
if you jump off the tracks,
if Polyphemus kills you,
if you CREATE IT,
if you CREATE UPLIT,
if you CREATE UTU,
if you eat a bee, or
if you enter the pit at Carved Coast (T).
But just wait forRevenge of the Colossal Erebian... if you escape from Erebus when you're giant-sized.
You have won if you escape Erebus at your normal size.
Note that Polyphemus may kill you for different reasons:
saying your name is nobody,
saying your name is Ulysses,
saying your name is Acis,
saying your name is Galatea,
saying your name is Polyphemus,
saying your name is one of the names you used earlier if you took a sheep under that alias,
giving him a small cup,
giving him seawater,
doing anything else directly with Polyphemus other than giving him a large container of tea, or
outstaying your very brief welcome on the Isle.
Inventory (and created items)
I'm going to separate your potential inventory into broad categories, okay? Most items can only be carried when you're normal sized or huge. Most created items appear at the Heart of Darkness location; the pit, pub, and ram are notable exceptions.
First, there's the things whose names are homophones for alphabet letter names:
B: A (tiny/huge) dead bee. Take one from the Bees when you're normal-sized or huge. It represents the letter "B".
C: Some seawater from any Carved Coast or the Calm Channel. If you have an empty cup, tub, or barrel, you'll fill that first. Otherwise, you'll have to drop all your non-wearables to hold some in your hands. It represents the letter "C". You can't drink it; it's too salty.
I: The glassy orb which is a glass eye. Found on the Isle after you've dealt with Polyphemus; give him some tea in a tub. When you're huge, it's a glassy marble; when you're tiny, it's a huge glassy sphere. The eye represents the letter "I". If you're wondering why he had a glass eye, it's because Ulysses destroyed his natural eye as told in The Iliad.
L: the Black Line El. This is the train itself, miniaturized. Get it by pouring a tub of tea into the train's port at End Of The Line. The el represents the letter "L".
P: A (infinitesimal/orange-sized) pea. Open a pod from the Pea Plants to get a pea. It represents the letter "P". Eating a pea enlarges the eater; both you and Eu can eat peas to grow huge. (The pea won't fit into the train's fuel port, though.)
Note that, if you've drunk some tea, you can pee into a booth as another homophone for the letter "P".
Also note that pea plants are also on the Isle to eat, so you're not stuck in the event you drink tea on the Isle and become too small to walk back to the main island.
T: Some (hot) tea can be obtained from a large cylinder in the pub, assuming you have a suitable container like a cup, tub, or barrel. You also must be giant-sized in order to reach the cylinder. Drinking tea makes the drinker smaller. Blow on the tea or wait, if necessary, to make it cool enough to drink. You'll need a tub or barrel of tea to shrink from huge to normal, but only a cup of tea to shrink from normal to tiny. Giving a tub of tea to Polyphemus is how to defeat him. Pouring a tub of tea into the train's port will shrink it into an el. You'll also need to be tiny to enter the hole of the third booth with the cord.
U: A (tiny/huge) ewe. There's two ewe on the Isle. Until you've dealt with Polyphemus (see tea), you'll need to steal the ewes from him by using a different alias every time you visit the Isle. Each ewe represents the letter U. (Unfortunately, you can't put both sheep into the same booth to mean W.)
Note that you can also ask your pupil, Eu to step into a booth as another homophone for the letter "U".
Note that all homophone items used in the booths return to wherever they originally came from; in particular, the ewes and eye return to the Isle.
Clothing and wearables include:
Your backpack which you have at the start of the game. Note that it becomes your wristpack when you're huge and an enormous pack when you're tiny.
An (tiny) bib, made by CREATE BIB. When you are tiny, it's an apron. You can wear the bib when you're at normal size, and the "apron" when you're tiny.
Your defiled clothing, which you're wearing at the start of the game. Admittedly, it's not defiled until the vomit accident on the train, but it's not listed in your inventory until then either. When you are huge, they're ruined miniature clothing. Washing the clothing won't help it, unfortunately.
⚠️ If you're wearing your clothing when you eat a pea, your clothing is destroyed. You can save your clothing by removing it first, but know that your character will be naked during most of the game regardless.
A (miniature/enormous) robe, made by CREATE BUBU. You can only wear the robe when you're at normal size.
A plastic star, made as a side-effect of CREATE CUBIC, assuming you solve the equation correctly. (The answer is 2.)
A (tiny/gigantic) tutu, made by CREATE TUTU. You can only wear the tutu when you're at normal size.
Coinage includes:
A (tiny/huge) butut coin, made by CREATE BUTUT.
A (tiny/huge) ten litu coin, made by CREATE LITU.
A (tiny/huge) fifty-pul coin, made by CREATE PUL.
A (infintesimal) wedge, made by CREATE BIT. It's still just called "wedge" without a size modifier when you're tiny.
A (little/immense) tub, made by CREATE TUB. It's larger than the cup.
A (small/enormous) barrel, made by CREATE BUTT.
Note that the cup, tub, and barrel can all be filled with either tea or seawater. You may not fill any of them with pee.
Creatures include:
Eumaeus a.k.a. Eu, made by CREATE PUPIL. He's obsequious to a fault. He follows you everywhere if he's able to. He'll do almost anything you order him to do except leave you or let you pick him up. Although he can be used as a "U" homophone just like a ewe, his real value is to help you escape. Order him to read the textbook (you'll need light) so he knows he may eat peas. Order him to eat a pea so he's huge, then climb up him while you're huge as well at Calm Channel to reach Back on Track and finally escape Erebus.
A (tiny) bear cub, made by CREATE CUB. When you are tiny, it's a bear.
A (tiny/enormous) shaggy dog, made by CREATE PULI.
A (tiny/big) scruffy puppy, made by CREATE PUP.
A (tiny/huge) ram, made by CREATE TUP. It appears on the Isle.
Note that you can also create two birds, a tit and a tiu, but they fly away, so they can never be in your inventory.
Plants include:
A (infinitesimal/orange-sized) pea, mentioned earlier.
A (tiny) pod, found at P— Plants. Open it to get a pea.
A (infinitesimal/large) seed, made by CREATE PIP. You can eat it, if you like, but not plant it.
A (small) sesame plant, made by CREATE TIL. You can eat some of it, or try OPEN SESAME. You can't take it.
A (tiny/towering) tulip, made by CREATE TULIP. You can't take it.
Other inventory items:
Your (tiny/genetics) textbook which was in your backpack at the start of the game. Because of the darkness everywhere, you won't be able to read it until you've created the pulpit and bulb. Put the bulb in the pulpit's socket to give you some light, then put the textbook on the pulpit. Both you and Eu will now be able to read the book; in particular, Eu learns that he can eat the pea. Don't forget to take the textbook back before you leave Erebus; it's expensive.
A (infinitesimal/tiny/light) bulb, made by CREATE BULB. It's a light bulb; put it in the socket of the pulpit.
A club, made by CREATE CLUB. When you are tiny, it's a gigantic club, but when you're huge, it's just a small stick.
A cord, found in Heart of Darkness. When tiny (see tea), take the cord, enter the hole and put the cord in the outlet. This opens the shutters on the three closed booths.
A (tiny/huge) wedge-shaped knife, made by CREATE ULU.
A (small/heavy/enormous) weight, made by CREATE PICUL.
A (small/huge) bracket, made by CREATE BIBB.
A (tiny/poster-sized) photograph, made by CREATE PIC. If you put the photograph on the lit pulpit, you can see it's a photo of you tied to a ship's mast, which you don't remember doing. I'm pretty sure this refers to the legend of Ulysses, who also had to outwit the cyclops Polyphemus. And perhaps Ulysses looks like you because maybe, just maybe, you're Ulysses's descendant or reincarnation. Maybe that's why you ended up down here in the first place?
A (miniature/huge) post, made by CREATE BITT.
Some pulp, made by CREATE PULP.
A (small) stone rod, made by CREATE CUBIT.
Scenery and fixed-in-place items that you create include:
A pit, at Carved Coast (T), made by CREATE PIT.
A building at Tiled Terrace, made by CREATE PUB. Inside there's a container of tea.
A (tiny) pulpit, made by CREATE PULPIT. See textbook on how to make it useful.
Some putti on a column at the Heart Of Darkness, made by CREATE PUTTI. They look like cherubs.
Ten points are awarded for each of six objectives, and ten more for successfully escaping Erebus. Sixty optional bonuses are worth a half-point each, for a maximum total score of one hundred.
10 points each (60 points total) for spelling PUB, CUP, TUB, BULB, PUPIL, and PULPIT. These are all essential to escaping.
10 points for successfully escaping Erebus.
½ point each (30 points total) for spelling the following sixty words (two of which I failed to discover!):
BI
BIB
BIBB
BIT
BITT
BLIP
BLUB
BUB
BUBU
BUILT
BUT
BUTT
BUTUT
CIT
CLIP
CLUB
CUB
CUBIC
CUBIT
CULT
CUT
CUTUP
LI
LIB
LIP
LIT
LITU
PI
PIC
PICUL
PIP
PIT
PIU
PTUI
PUBIC
PUBLIC
PUL
PULI
PULP
PUP
PUT
PUTT
PUTTI
TI
TIC
TIL
TIP
TIT
TITTUP
TULIP
TUI
TUP
TUT
TUTTI
TUTU
ULU
UP
UT
???
???
⚠️ Creating TILT (or UPTILT), IT, UPLIT, or UTU will end the game prematurely in your death.
Also note:
Spelling CLIT or BIC or I or ULT or PITT gains you nothing.
CREATE BUL has a bizarre response. CREATE BLIT is also odd.
CULT, CULTI, or CULTIC does nothing useful when Eu is there.
CLIPT is the same as CLIP.
The game doesn't seem to know PUPU.
I only got popping sounds for BB, BC, CB, CT, PICT, TB, TP.
the support of Thomas Bøvith, Christos Dimitrakakis, Darius Katz, Ville Lavonius, Andrew Schultz, Jacques Frechet, Kenneth Hon, Jason McIntosh, Mark Musante, and Phil Tatro;