Anachronox/The Bricks (1)


 * Bricks
 * Shops: Zordo's, Plib (MysTech Museum)

Rowdy's
Welcome to Anachronox! What a sad little man you are, Boots.


 * QUEST: Fatima has some chores for you before you can leave the bar.

Turn around and go upstairs to your office. Grab the camera off your desk. Click on the broadband scanner for a clue you'll use later.

Pick the lock to your back room, by holding down CTRL as you click on it. Always, always use the keyboard when picking locks. For each tumbler, hit space once. If the tumbler doesn't drop immediately, look at the meter on the lockpick, which tells you how far off you are, on a scale of 1-5. Hit up or down that many times, and hit SPACE again. If it still misses, you went the wrong way. You can always get it right on the third try; you are always either 2 or 4 spaces away from the right spot.

In your back room, there is Some Dough ($20), your APE game console (which has no games now, but you can find some later), and a chest which you can't pick yet. Grab the Dough and head back downstairs.

Marina and Mardoman, the folks at the table near the stairs, are with the Resistance. Talk to Marina.

If you like, play a game of OX on the game table opposite the bar. I can't do better than a tie.


 * QUEST: Talk to Valesta, the woman at the bar. She gives you a lead on a job.

Dim Jose, the guy at the table, wants to know if he should keep or sell his slag of MysTech. I don't know if the answer has any significance.

Save at the TimeMinder by the exit, and you've completed your first quest! Woohoo.

Fountain Spiral

 * QUEST: As you pass, K'jagra Khk tells you to visit his cousin.

Walk forward, and get beat down. Not having a good day. QUEST: Fatima suggests you visit Whackmaster Jack's.

Continue along, grabbing the HealGrease Plus that Fatima points out. Don't use it now, but remember about pressing F5.

You can't take the path down right now; head up to the Fountain Spiral. When you get there, turn around, look up, and take a photo (F11) of the Anachronox symbol above the sign for the MysTech Museum.

Now head up the Spiral to:

Whackmaster Jack's
Jack is the guy in red by the ring upstairs. Talk to him for a combat tutorial. He'll also give you:


 * Old Vistin Pistol (Boots, bad, ranged)
 * LifeCursor Shield Upgrade (FatimaScreen, Boots' L1 skill)
 * 2 HealGrease Plus
 * 2 Bindlebags

Talk to Stang, the guy with the bag on the ground, for a Glodent. Also photograph the two Brebulans (the aliens to the right of the door). Be sure to fit their whole bodies in the frame.

When you're done, head back to the Spiral.

Fountain Spiral
Head up the Spiral to the next exit, with a sign for Frank's Flophouse. Get ready for your first real fight, with the same guy who beat you down before. You can't win this without using an item. The easy way is to use a Bindlebag; hit 3 3 SPACE as soon as it's your turn. Or you can start with FatimaScreen, and use a HealGrease Plus when you're about to die. If you're lucky, you can get the shield up before he hits you the first time.

Notice the green bug mound in the corner. It'll be interesting later.

Take the gravpath to Casinox.

Casinox Area
Take the lift down. Talk to Maria Black, standing by the TimeMinder. You don't get a quest note, but you can help her out.

Go through the door and meet K'Conrad Khk, the cousin mentioned before.

Down the next lift, a NoxGuard asks if you've seen Marina. Tell him no. Continuing on, you can't go towards the Platform Area, but if you wait you can watch a guy running around on fire. Take a photo of the Anachronox symbol. Continue on.

Junkyard Area
Go straight ahead and get the $50 from the chest. Then go through the door next to the TimeMinder. Head around to the left, and buy some HealGrease from Ghalla. Continue around to the back to find your first TACO.

Continue on and fight off a couple of Alley Goons. Photograph the Brebulans and the Anachronox symbol over the sign for the Tenements, and continue on to:

Tenements Area
When you enter, turn around and photograph the Anachronox symbol. Head to the right and photograph the Brebulan. If you head all the way down the stairs, there's a HealGrease at the bottom. Go back along the railing and look out along the wall. See the red thing? That's a Red Bipidri. Take its picture, too.

Sometimes photos fail to register with the game, for some reason; the photo of this Red Bipidri is particularly problematic. To make sure it worked, save your game, pull up C:\Anachronox\anoxdata\SAVE\ \photos and select the directory for this save (the autosave is #0; the normal saves are ordered from top to bottom). If the .dat file for the photo has size 0, it didn't work, and you need to try again. Try moving a little left or right (hold down Shift to walk slowly).

Head back up and take the elevator down. Head into:

Frank's Flophouse
If you're injured, take a room for $5; otherwise walk down the stairs to the room. Either way, grab the TACO.

Go back upstairs and pick all the locks you can.
 * Room contents:
 * A - Deanamo, Valesta's Bracelet (Speed +1, prot. Nuts) QUEST: Visit Grumpos Matavastros in Building 5
 * B - can't pick yet
 * D - HealGrease
 * E - just a guy

Head back out to the tenements, over and down to

Building 5
Note the directory on the wall to your right. Browse the SenderNet station if you want, and head into Section C.


 * Interesting rooms:
 * Level 2, Room 5: Simon Black. You can tell him that Maria is coming to kill him for $25. Ask for any more, and you won't get it.
 * Level 2, Room 7: Healgrease
 * Level 3, Room 11: Healgrease Plus
 * Level 3, Room 14: Healgrease Plus
 * Level 4, Room 19: Grumpos. QUEST: Find a size 5 NoxGuard helmet

After the cutscene, grab the TACO to your right. Go back down to Grumpos' apartment, grab the blue keycard from his counter, and you're done with Building 5.

Remember the message on the scanner in your office? Time to head for the Platform area; go back where you came from and follow the signs. Now you can go where the burning man was running around before.

Beat up the Alley Goon, notice another bug mound, and continue on to:

Platform Area
Continue until you get to the elevator. Take it down to level 2, and snap a photo of the Anachronox symbol. Continue down to level 1, and go talk to the guard. You can either talk him out of the helmet, or beat him up for it. Or both; if you talk to him after he gives it to you, he'll attack you.

When you've got the helmet, head back to Grumpos. Woohoo, your first henchman!