The White Bull is a TADS 3 interactive fiction game and is © 2012 by Jim Aikin. It was an entry in Spring Thing 2012 where it took 2nd place.
In this mythological game, you play as a young man named Matt. You, your archaeologist girlfriend Julia, her fey-like best friend Fawn, and Fawn's dirtbag boyfriend Leo came to this remote Mediterranean hunk of bleached rock because Julia hopes to find King Minos's palace, later called the Labyrinth, here. You just plan to poke about and have a great summer vacation.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on version 1.0.0 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 Deck of the Trawler
Music plays when the game starts. An distant view of the entire island is also shown.
> about. credits.
> x me. i. x hat.
> x Julia. x Nikolaides. x wheel.
> x Fawn. x Leo.
By this time, the island is larger, and the pier is visible.
> x island. x luggage. x engine. x cabin.
The trawler bumps into the pier, and Nikolaides asks someone to jump across and a wrap a rope around a piling.
> w.
On the Pier
Julia tosses you a coil of rope.
> catch rope.
Everyone moves the luggage across. Nikolaides and the trawler leave the game.
The game title is displayed to stirring music.
> take my pack.
Julia intends to go up the ridge. Fawn intends to explore the beach. Leo intends to visit the shacks. Everyone heads south. The luggage will be dealt with later.
> s.
The Beach by the Pier
Julia heads south; Fawn, east; Leo, west. Let's go with Julia.
> s.
The Scrub Forest
You briefly see a ancient Greek warrior among the trees, but he utterly vanishes before you can react.
Julia didn't even notice, and continues southward.
> s.
The Path over the Ridge
Julia stops to look through her binoculars.
> open pack. (It has a black flashlight and a canteen.)
> x meadow.
> s.
A Broad Meadow
> x bull. (dramatic music; he has sharp horns, is not hostile, and knows you're there)
> x temple. x figures.
> read inscription. (in Greek)
> ask Julia about inscription. ("What has been built here, let it remain intact forever")
> ask Julia about bull. (Minos's wife Pasiphae mated with the bull and gave birth to the Minotaur. She suggests telling Fawn about the bull, but don't let her get close to it.)
> ask Julia about columns.
> tell Julia about warrior.
> x canteen. (has over a quart of water)
> x flashlight.
> w.
In the Temple
> x statue. x Poseidon. (yes, that's him)
> x trident. x altar. x shadow.
> x plate. x lines. (like a maze)
> search shadow —or— look behind altar. (bowl found)
> take bowl. x it.
> look in it. (empty)
> close it.
> e.
A Broad Meadow
> tell Julia about Poseidon.
> ask her about Leo. ask her about Fawn.
> n. w. w.
A Shelf above the Sea
> x glint. take ring.
> x stairs. u. e.
A Dank-Smelling Cave
I recognize an oracle of Delphi clone when I see one.
> x oracle. greet her.
> x stool. x fissure. x fumes.
Asking the oracle about anything only gives you random canned evasions. You need to pay her.
> give ring to her. (yes: text-dump prophecy!)
The prophecy is essentially a list of things you need to find.
Before you enter the labyrinth, you need:
Within the labyrinth, you need to acquire, sooner or later:
> w. d. (Stairs, platform, and cleft vanish.)
A Shelf above the Sea
> s. e. n. w.
By a Pool
Enchanting music plays when you first enter here.
> x pool. taste pool.
When you first drink from the pool, a barefoot girl arrives.
> x girl. x eyes. x shift.
> ask girl about herself. (She's Naia.)
> ask her about pool. (her favorite place)
> ask her about labyrinth.
> nw. (She says goodbye as you go and to make a pleasant sound if you wish to talk to her again.)
Abandoned Fishing Village
> ask Leo about village. (He found nothing.)
> x huts. x shack. (You see a white bird disappear behind the eave.)
> x window. x flower.
> look in box. (You find and take a little brass bell.)
> x bell. (Has glyph suggesting water.)
> x door. knock on door.
An old man answers. He begs you to radio your boat to take you back, but allows you to enter his home and ask him questions.
> s. (Leo and the old man follow you inside.)
In the Shack
You may only enter here once, so make the most of it, and make sure you get both the feather and the twine before you leave.
> ask man about himself.
> ask man about island.
> ask man about temple. (for Poseidon, a jealous god)
After three turns in here, Leo asks where everyone went. The man says they found the island inhospitable; there are grave dangers. Then a white feather falls out of the rafters.
> take feather.
I have many questions.
> ask man about bull.
> ask man about Poseidon.
> ask man about girl. (Man says she can be helpful, but she is not young nor innocent.)
> ask man about dangers.
> ask man about warrior.
> ask man about maze.
> ask man about table.
> ask man about Daedalus. (He pauses then claims the name means nothing to him.)
> look under canvas. (With surprising speed and strength, the man stops you.)
> show feather to man. (He admits being fond of birds and flight, but the ground is safer.)
> ask man about Icarus. (He really doesn't want to speak about him.)
> ask man about red flower. (It cheers him.)
> ask man about Minos. (He suggests seeing the Greece and the Acropolis.)
> ask man about Pasiphae. (He interupts you, and accidentally implies he was foolish for helping her.)
> ask man about oracle.
You have a sense of foreboding if you leave the shack without acquiring the twine.
> look under table. x twine. take twine.
> n.
Abandoned Fishing Village
> ask Leo about old man. ("creepy")
> sw. (nothing of interest behind the shack right now)
> w.
Deeper in the Village
> x plank. ("ATOM RUIN")
> x huts. x paths.
All directions but east lead to "Somewhere in the Village". Use the twine as a guide through the village:
> tie twine to plank.
> w.
By the Fire Pit
> x ashes. search ashes. (You find a goat skull.)
> take skull. x it. (Has pins for guitar strings, maybe?)
> search ashes. (You find gold coins!)
> take coins. x coins. (six of them)
> search ashes. (You find nothing more.)
> e.
Deeper in the Village
> untie twine. e. e. e.
Curving Beach
> x stick. take it.
> tell Fawn about temple.
> tell Fawn about bull.
She demands that you lead her to the bull.
> ask Fawn about Tarot.
> w. s. s. s.
A Broad Meadow
Fawn faints. You revive her with the canteen, then the three of you return north.
The Scrub Forest
Julia declares this will be the campsite and asks you to help bring the luggage here.
> n. n.
On the Pier
> take luggage. (It's now all at...)
The Scrub Forest
Julia is setting up camp. Fawn is meditating again.
> e.
Sand Dunes
> take disk. x it. (a small bronze shield)
> x blocks. (possible ruins)
> e.
Crooked Path
> x summit. (see ledge halfway up cliff)
> s.
On a High Ledge
> x sea. (There's music. You see an underwater maze, but then you don't see it.)
> x crevice. (You briefly see yellow-red eyes and hear a deep rasp. Is a large animal trapped in there?)
> g. (You no longer see it.)
> listen to crevice. (You feel sure that the whatever is in there is both aware of you and unfriendly.)
Use the flashlight.
> take flashlight. turn it on.
> point it into crevice. (You see something almost out of reach.)
> x something. (It's tucked well back.)
> put stick in crevice. (You get a scroll.)
> turn off flashlight.
> x scroll. (It's a map of something.)
> n. n. ne.
Among the Rocks
> x shell. take it.
Revisit the pool, but avoid the campsite.
> sw. w. w. se.
By a Pool
> ring bell. (Naia returns.)
> show shell. again. (She tells you a story that the old man told her.)
> show skull. (It's a lyre. She asks for it and some string.)
> give lyre. give twine.
She restrings the lyre and hands it and the rest of the twine back.
> x lyre. play lyre.
> e.
The Scrub Forest
Leo arrives and you mention finding a shell. Leo asks to see it and he gives it to Fawn and somehow is a hero for doing so.
Then the old man arrives and tells Julia to radio the boat to return. (I note that "radio" is not understood by the parser. That's not an option.)
> z. (The old man notices Fawn holding the shell.)
> z. (The old man tries to scare Fawn into returning the shell to the sea. Fawn holds the shell more closely, and tells him he's silly and rude.)
You have a few turns to do something before the old man leaves.
> ask man about sea.
> ask man about shell.
> ask man about minotaur. (Daedalus built the Labyrinth as the Minotaur's prison.)
> z.
The old man leaves, warning that if we get into trouble, he can't help.
I'm a little uncertain what triggers nightfall. The luggage needs to be here, Fawn needs to have the shell, and you need to have collected everything but the bowl, but still, nightfall isn't automatic. Wait, examine the luggage, or check your inventory until it happens.
> z. z. z. i.
Night falls. Julia and Leo make dinner, then everyone goes to bed.
The Campsite
You're woken by Leo calling Fawn, who has gone missing. Then you hear a scream to the south.
By the way, all of your inventory, except for the stick, is in your backpack now, except for your flashlight.
> s. s.
A Broad Meadow
Two women in long robes are urging Fawn into a four-legged sidecar thing draped with animal hide.
Lou shouts, and one of the women makes a multi-silibant hiss that freezes you three where you stand.
Note that Fawn still has the shell, but it's emitting rainbow light like a prism.
One woman comes near you, and you can see she has snakes for hair. "Little Cow Mother is ours now. She has chosen. She is to be the bride of our Master."
Fawn is imprisoned into the device which walks into the temple with the Gorgons. Eventually, the three of you regain mobility.
> ask Julia about gorgons. (She doesn't want to believe it.)
> ask Julia about device. (Daedalus built a mechanical heifer for Queen Pasiphae so that she could mate with the white bull.)
I wouldn't think I could possibly symphathize with Leo, but I don't want to think about that either. That's horrific. I had to stop playing for several minutes before I could continue.
• • •
Maybe trivia will help. Show Julia your inventory items for some insight.
> open pack.
> show shield to Julia. (She says because it's not old, it must be a modern replica.)
> show scroll to Julia. (She dismisses it as too modern.)
> show lyre to Julia. (Also modern.)
> show coins to Juila. (20-drachmae pieces from early 19th century)
> show bell to Julia.
> w.
In the Temple
Julia and Leo are now following you wherever you go. The plate is now tilted, revealing a hole downwards.
> x plate. d.
Cramped Cavern (in the dark)
> turn on flashlight. (You see only the trapdoor up.)
> search walls. (nothing)
> u.
In the Temple
This is actually a different temple. The statue of Poseidon here isn't headless and his eyes are glowing bright green.
> x statue. ask Julia about statue.
> take trident. (You fail, but Leo succeeds and keeps it.)
> e.
A Star-Lit Path
> x lake. x moon.
> e.
A Faint Path
> x birds. (metallic)
> hit shield. (Leo suggests letting him hit it with the trident.)
> Leo, hit shield with trident. (The clang scares the birds away.)
> e.
Deep in the Grove
> x trees. x ashes.
> e.
Before the Bronze Door
> x door. x figures.
> ask Julia about door.
> ask Julia about figures. (She suggests using a document.)
> x scroll. (You note symbols of a snake, a scorpion, and a sword.)
> push snake. push scorpion. push sword. (clunk)
> open door. e.
An Echoing Hallway
> play lyre. (The dog sleeps.)
> x dog. x torches.
> e. e.
Solarium
This is obviously Icarus, the son of Daedalus who flew too close to the sun. I thought he also fell into the ocean and drowned, but perhaps not.
> x Icarus. (bound by golden chain)
> greet him. (He begs you to leave.)
> break chain. (He stops you: the chains keep him safe and alive.)
> x panel. ask Icarus about panel.
> x feathers. ask Icarus about feathers.
> give feather to Icarus.
Oh, if only you had a lidded container that can hold fire.
> give bowl to Icarus. (He will fill the bowl with fire for you. Now go!)
> se. (Not that way! Creatures that beguile you with song are out there!)
> w.
Gently Rising Hallway
There's a burst of light and a scream.
> e.
Solarium
Icarus gives you the closed bowl of fire with thanks. Dont open it until you need it! And don't forget to take some wax!
> take wax. g. g. g. (You have enough.)
> give wax to Julia.
> give wax to Leo.
> put wax in my ears.
> se.
Misty Arboretum
With wax in your ears, the shapes are skeletal and the singing is horrible.
> x shapes. x trees. x vines.
> s.
In the Mist
> x scroll. (The solarium is northwest, and the way forward is southwest.)
> sw.
At the Top of a Stairway
On arrival, all three of you remove the wax lumps and discard them.
> s.
The Shore of a River
> x river. x clouds. x tower. x wheel.
> turn wheel. (The top of the tower emits a beam across the river.)
> z. z. z.
A boat approaches.
> z. z. z.
The boat is here.
> x boat. x ferryman.
> give coins to him. ("You may board.")
> enter boat. (There's eerie music; the boat leaves the shore.)
In the Boat on the River
> ask ferryman about river.
> ask him about labyrinth. (This is it, yes.)
> ask him about Daedalus.
In the middle of the river, you lose the shield, even if it's in your backpack and the pack is closed. This loss is unavoidable and cannot be prevented.
> z. z. z. ("Out now.")
> out. (The boatman and his boat leave you.)
On the Far Shore
> s. (no: It's too cold to go without a source of warmth.)
> open bowl. s. (unusual music)
An Icy Waste
> x scroll. (go west)
> w.
A Bare Patch Within the Icy Waste
> x building. (see top of stairway inside)
> w. (You enter and go down.)
A Long Dim Hallway
> close bowl.
> s.
At an Intersection (the first one)
The scroll is surprisingly of no use here.
> x scroll. (no help here)
> e. e.
At an Intersection (the second one)
> x disk.
> stand on disk. (Julia and Leo join you.)
> touch disk. (It's not at all obvious, you teleported to an identical intersection.)
At an Intersection (the third one)
> out.
> n.
The Den of the Cyclops
> x cyclops. x pelt. x club.
> ask Julia about cyclops. ("... leave him alone.")
She's right. You cannot get past the cyclops.
> s. w.
Nest of Cobras
> x cobras.
You can't get past the cobras.
> e. s.
Pit of Boiling Lava
> x lava.
And you obviously can't get past boiling lava.
> n. e.
Sand-Floored Room
> x sand. x water. x gravel.
> ask Julia about sand.
> ask Julia about gravel. ("... walking on the gravel")
Thank you, Julia. I couldn't guess the correct syntax. "Stand on gravel" and "get on gravel" didn't work.
> walk on gravel.
The Far Side of the Sand Room
> e.
Guard Post
> x guards. x sarcophagi.
The guards ignore whatever topic you try to ask them about, so just talk to them several times to get them to say their rote responses.
> talk to guards. g. g. g.
"If you attack us, we will pursue and kill you." That sounds like a dare.
> hit warriors. (They stop you the first time.)
> g. (They are now attacking. Hooray!)
> w.
The Far Side of the Sand Room
> walk on gravel.
The guards sink into the quicksand.
Sand-Floored Room
> walk on gravel.
The Far Side of the Sand Room
> take sword. x it.
> e. s. s.
Room of Giant Gears
> x gears. (Some gears have "dragon teeth"?)
> x teeth. x catwalk. x pendulums.
> put sword in gears. (The gears stop, teeth get scattered, and the sword is lost.)
> take teeth. x teeth.
> ask Julia about teeth. (She has nothing useful to say, which is unfortunate, since the idea of using teeth as seeds is hardly common knowledge.)
> s.
The Cavern of Catwalks
> x catwalks. x ramp.
> s.
The ramp pivots like a teeter-totter, and instead of ascending to the ledge, you're much lower, at a barred door.
At a Barred Door
> x skeleton. (too far for details)
> x ramp. x door. (has keyhole)
> open door. (locked)
You don't have a key or any way to pick the lock, so back you go.
> n.
The Cavern of Catwalks
Sometimes, you only way you know you're on the right track is when one of these two follows an instruction. And make sure you use the verb "stand"; instructions to "get on ramp" are ignored.
> Julia, stand on ramp.
> Leo, stand on ramp.
> s.
A Narrow Ledge
> w.
A Crumbling Ledge
> e.
A Narrow Ledge
> e. (no, not without your companions)
> x ramp. (There's a hole and a pin here.)
> put pin in hole. (Now the ramp won't tilt.)
> n.
The Cavern of Catwalks
> Julia, follow me.
> Leo, follow me.
> s. e.
Before the Portal
> s. (dramatic music)
Throne Room
> x minotaur. x Fawn.
Leo attempts to attack the Minotaur with the trident and is killed horribly. This cannot be avoided. He is dead now and you must continue without him.
The Minotaur won't answer questions, but allows you to explore his home or talk to Fawn. Julia is no longer following you.
> x Leo. x armor.
> ask Fawn about Fawn. ask Fawn about armor.
> ask Fawn about disk. ask Fawn about minotaur.
> ask Fawn about bull. ask Fawn about Leo.
> ask Fawn about Gorgons. ask Fawn about curtain.
> x trident. take trident.
> w. w. n.
At a Dead End
You cannot open the door from this side, and the skeleton has nothing for you.
> x skeleton.
> s. e. e.
Throne Room
> s.
Banquet Hall
> x tables. x diners. x music. x food.
> x gorgons. x snakes. x centaur.
> x cloth. take cloth.
> n.
A drunken lout blocks your way, shoves a chalice at you, and demands that you drink with him.
CAUTION: Don't take the chalice! Instead, drink from your canteen.
> x lout.
> open canteen. (The lout is satisfied.)
> n.
Throne Room
> wave red. (The minotaur charges into a wall.)
> wave red. (He charges into a wall again!)
> wave red. (He charges a third time and knocks himself out... for now.)
> open armor. (no: The buckles are fused.)
> open armor with trident.
Fawn is now free! Her headdress and disk spill free also.
> take all. (You grab the armor, headdress, and disk.)
> e. (The curtain bends slightly, but doesn't let you through.)
> ring bell. (The curtain turns from gold to blue.)
> e.
Twisting Tunnel
Julia and Fawn follow you. Then the Minotaur enters! He generously stops to roar and posture and threaten so you have enough time to prepare a line of defence... in the dirt.
> dig dirt. (with the trident)
> drop teeth.
Warriors sprout and attack the Minotaur! He knocks them aside, but new warriors rise.
CAUTION: There is a only a limited supply of warriors and the Minotaur will defeat all of them if you give him enough time. Run!
> ne. (Everyone follows.)
A Cave
The crevise is only open wide if you have the disk.
> e. (Everyone follows.)
On a High Ledge
Do you remember what the old man said to do with the shell? Don't hesitate.
> put disk in sea.
Triumphant music. The warriors force the Minotaur back inside the cave before the crevice closes completely. Whew.
Fawn points down at the cliff rocks. Leo's body is down there. He appears to have fallen the way Icarus did.
> x Leo.
The old fisherman arrives. "Now you know." Many things are said before he leaves.
*** You have saved the world from unguessable evil ... for a while, anyway. ***
When the game begins, you are shown the first sight of the island as the trawler approaches it. This is a screen-capture, greatly reduced in size. Please play the game to see the artwork in its intended size and context.
Found dead:
Minor and mentioned characters:
This is the response to CREDITS:
“The White Bull” was written using the TADS 3.1 authoring system, which was created by Mike Roberts. Software extensions by Eric Eve, Ben Cressey, and Nikos Chantziaras were used. Many thanks to the contributors to the Interactive Fiction Forum for answers to my technical questions.
The opening photo of an island is “L’estartit,” by xesko82, and was made available for free use by Stock Xchng.
The music for the game was all composed and recorded (by me) using Propellerhead Reason 6 software.
The testing team for “The White Bull” included Michael Franzioli, Radical Al, Hanon Ondricek, dacharya64, and Marco Alpert. Without their generous help, this game would have been a lot messier than it is now. Needless to say, they bear no responsibility for any snarfles that remain.
These are the endings I found. If I missed any, I apologise.
Items are listed in the order you acquire them in this walkthrough.
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!