9: The Last Resort9: The Last Resort

Game Details:  Fantasy, 1996

Links:  Moby Games, Adventure Gamers

Walkthrough Updated:  12/18/2021

Suggested Listening:  Give Up Now (Ash 25)

9: The Last Resort is a challenging first-person surreal puzzle adventure game. After inheriting a mansion, you discover it is haunted, and must get rid of the 9 evil muses that have taken up residence. There are multiple difficult puzzles with random elements throughout the game.

Entrance

After approaching the door, pull one of the large door knockers, and Salty will appear. Use the controller on the right to enter the code found on the Last Will and Testament that came with the game: 0821-1996-A92C. Press the OK button and the doors will open. Step forward and look around at all of the portraits. Pull the lever to the left of the gate, then grab the monocle floating in the air.

Lobby

There is a large compass rose in the floor here, that will help you locate some important areas. Look first to the southwest. Go forward and climb the ladder here. Continue forward and pick up the LP, then go back down the ladder. Just to the left of the ladder there is an empty space for an LP - put the one you just picked up here to reveal a large red valve. Turn this clockwise until it disappears again. Still in the southwest area, examine the controls on the large boiler. Turn the red valve here clockwise so the gauge moves from E to F. Press the small red button so the steam gauge climbs to 7, then pull the red lever (you should here an organ playing briefly).

Return to the compass rose, then head to the northwest, just to the left of the large red staircase. Look beneath the staircase and pick up the coin from the floor. Go to the compass rose again, and head southeast to find Isadora, the fortune teller, up a short staircase. Insert your coin, then listen through a series of cryptic hints. Go back down the stairs, then look on the wall to the right of Isadora to find a single LP. Examine this and flip it over to see that one song called "Dogfight" has a red asterisk next to it - write this down for later, as it is random for each game.

Next look to the left of Isadora's stairs and you should see a ladder. Climb up the ladder and try to open the door - a puzzle will jump out at you. This is a memory game with 48 shapes - you need to click on pairs of shapes that make the same noise. Go through the door when you are done.

Muse Machine

Turn around and look at the blueprint on the back of the door. Turn around again and head along the walkway. Click on the Muse Machine to open it, but it is missing all 5 of the components that were listed on the blueprint. Return back down to the Lobby.

Lobby

From the compass rose, go northwest and pull a red lever - this will release some water. Return to the compass rose and go directly north. Pull another red lever to raise a bridge, then continue forward to reach an organ. Examine the "Fun with Music" book and pay attention to the right page for now. There are 8 symbols with curved lines to 8 notes on the keyboard. You need to play these 8 notes in the order indicated by the order of the symbols. If you do this correctly on the organ's keyboard, you will hear a musical riff play afterwards (make sure that all 5 of the levers above the keys are down, or this sequence will not work).

Return to the compass rose, then head up the curved staircase to the northwest. Look to the left and lift up the picture of your uncle to see the shape of a guitar neck (1/3) - note this down for later, as it is also random for each game. Go back down the stairs, then go through the doorway directly to the west (you will be allowed through if you played the organ correctly).

Drum Room

Turn right and examine the large drum to see an image of a monkey pointing to 4 symbols - note this down. Now turn left and pull the left red lever on the ACME drum machine. Try pulling each of the 6 smaller red levers and memorize their drum patterns. Now press the red button and use these smaller red levers to copy the series of drum patterns played by the Drum God. After matching his entire sequence of 6 beats, go over and talk to the Drum God and he will give you the maraca. Head back out of this room and up the ladder to the Muse Machine.

Muse Machine

Approach the machine and insert the maraca (1/5). Now leave this area and return to the Drum Room.

Drum Room

Go the drum room again and look at the wall of 10 masks. They will make noises for a while, then will start switching positions. You need to drag them into an order so they seem happier, with adjacent masks having one matching feature. From left to right, arrange them as follows:

  • Grey mask (large eyes)
  • Red mask (large eyes, forehead symbol)
  • Brown mask (forehead symbol, 5 spikes)
  • Blue mask (5 spikes, red eyes)
  • Blue mask (red eyes, big tongue)
  • White mask (big tongue, black hair curl)
  • Red mask (black hair curl, 2 horns)
  • Green mask (2 horns, big fangs)
  • Red mask (big fangs, round eyes)
  • Yellow mask (round eyes)

Once you have done this, note the 4 masks and 4 colors that are revealed. Back out and use the skull on the door next to the Drum God, then enter the next room. Approach the clown machine. Set the 4 colors and masks to match those you just saw. Click on the hand inside the machine, and eventually the gear will fall down. Look down, open the grate, and take the gear. Head to the left and notice the flashing painting and the 4 faces on the colored wheel. At the other end of the corridor, click on the picture of the cat to see the shape of a guitar body (2/3). Now try to head through the wooden door (even though Salty doesn't want you to). After Salty does battle with another plane, try to enter again, but you will be unable to proceed. Head back down to the Lobby.

Lobby

Climb up the curved staircase to the northwest again - the moving floor will stop you from proceeding forwards. Look slightly to the right and climb down the ladder here. Now examine the green pillar to your left and click on the large heart to open up the mechanism. Drag down the bottom and left gears, then insert your gear in the middle. Climb back up the ladder and now you can go forward over the moving floor.

Second Floor Hallway

Walk forward, then turn right and open the microwave door. Look at the piece of paper inside to see the shape of a guitar head (3/3). Continue around the hallway and lift up the roller-door to the left, but the area is guarded by a Hellhound. Turn around and examine a gramophone. Set the slider on the right to the track number for "Dogfight" from earlier, then press the button in the corner - if you get it right, Salty will be excited and will fly away to battle behind that wooden door again.

Continue to the end of the hallway and look through the viewfinder. Turn left and examine the strange game board, then flip it over and take note of another page of organ music.

Go back along the hallway and press the button to call the elevator. Go inside and look to the left, then press in the top part of the control panel to activate the elevator. Now turn back towards the doors and drag the lever to 1.

Lobby

Make your way back down to the compass rose again, then head west to the Drum Room.

Drum Room

Continue straight through here, then turn right and go through the wooden doors at the end of the hall.

Tapestry Room

Turn left and go through the red tapestry to find the Wheel of Fortune. Look down and pick up the yellow piece of tapestry on the ground (showing a mouse). Turn around and go through the blue tapestry opposite. Adjust the 3 dials so they are all focused on the throne (each eye will start pulsating when it is focused correctly, and when all 3 are correct you will here drums). Sit in the throne at the end of this room and press the button, then note the alignment of the letter and symbol that is projected above you.

Go to the Wheel of Fortune again and align the discs according to what you just saw. Now you need to note down the whole alphabetic conversion from symbols to letters. Back out from here and go through the green tapestry to the right. Read the guitar book on the small desk (note the order of tuning pegs on the guitar). Open the middle drawer to find some more organ music to note down. There is also an E-string in the left drawer, but you are already holding the mouse tapestry.

Back out and go to the multi-colored tapestry showing parts of guitars. Select the guitar neck, body and head that you have seen earlier in the game. If you choose correctly, you can go through to a movie projection room. Flip the switch up and watch the whole movie. Now look down to the right and open the door - the vacuum tube will be stolen before you can grab it.

Turn around and leave, then go straight across to the cat tapestry - you will automatically give it the mouse and be able to proceed through.

Chasm

This is a confusing area with multiple tiny island floating in a great void. The following is a rough map of the area, with the door marked D and the other locations numbered 1 to 10. You can move between the islands on the map if they are directly aligned either vertically or horizontally:

3
5
6
7
D
1
8
2
4
9
10

From the door, head around to island 1 (by going through 10, 9, 4 and 2 on the way). Talk to Mr Bones here, then make your way around to island 3 (by going through 2 and 4 on the way). Here you will find a large skull, and there is a mechanism in the floor but it is missing a piece. Next move around to island 6 (by going through 5 on the way). Go around behind the bar and examine the machine. Lift the lid of the machine and take the vacuum tube. Now head all the way back to the door and leave the Chasm, returning all the way to the Lobby.

Lobby

Cross the room and climb the ladder to the Muse Machine.

Muse Machine

Approach the machine and insert the vacuum tube (2/5). Now leave this area and return all the way through the Lobby, Drum Room and Tapestry Room to the Chasm.

Chasm

Using the map as outlined above, go back around to the bar at island 6. Open the right red cupboard and take out the bottle of whisky. Now head to Mr Bones at island 1. Trade your bottle of whisky for a bone. Go back through the door and head to the Lobby once more.

Lobby

Go up the curved staircase and over the moving floor.

Second Floor Hallway

Go forward and turn left. Lift up the roller-door and give the bone to the Hellhound. You will now have access to the Garage.

Garage

Turn left and look inside the race car to find some more organ music to note down. Next go and talk to Charlie, who will challenge you to a slot car race. Select the Quarkmobile, click the lights to start the race, then just click and hold to keep the accelerator on the whole time and you will win (the other cars are faster but you will almost certainly crash and lose the race). After you win, you can open the shiny cupboard, known as the Toolshed. Take note of the organ music guide here. Pick up the spark plug, then back out and leave the Garage.

Second Floor Hallway

Turn left and call the elevator, then use it to get back to level 1.

Lobby

Go around and down the stairs, then climb the ladder to the Muse Machine.

Muse Machine

Approach the machine and insert the spark plug (3/5). Go back to the Garage.

Garage

Open the Toolshed (shiny cupboard) and take the strange gear from the left side of the shelf. Leave the Garage and make your way to the Chasm.

Chasm

Using the map above, make your way to island 3. Open the floor panel in front of the large skull. Insert the strange gear you just collected. The goal here is to align all of the pink dots on the 4 gears so there are 12 displayed in the central wheel. Make sure you start with the gear with the fewest overall dots, and end with the gear with the most overall dots, rotating so the pink dots don't overlap when the gears are slid into the central wheel. Look up and the skull will open - head inside.

Dali Room

Go down the stairs and approach the ball game. You need to guide the ball off the bottom of the game. Just check the discs ahead and make sure they can rotate the full 360 degrees before advancing the ball on to them. Once the ball reaches the bottom, click on it for the final organ music.

Turn left, then talk to the guitar in its case sitting on the throne - it is missing a G-string. Go back up the stairs and through the skull again.

Chasm

Starting from the skull on island 3, make your way to island 6. Open the left cupboard of the bar and take out the G-string. Return to the skull on island 3 and head inside.

Dali Room

Approach the throne and give the G-string to Lucille. When she asks you to tune her, you will need to refer to the guitar book from the Tapestry Room. Remember that Lucille is turned away from you, so the order of pegs is reversed from the book. Press the desired note on the tuner, then turn the tuning peg until the arrow points straight up. Repeat with all 6 pegs. Take the tuning peg from the tuner.

Muse Machine

Insert the tuning fork (4/5) into the machine.

Lobby

Approach the organ, where you now have a series of 4 musical sequences to play. Before you start, you will need to draw out a copy of the organ keyboard. Each of the 24 keys needs to have an associated letter and symbol. You already know up to 8 of the symbol assignments from right page of the organ music on the organ itself - this was the sequence you played earlier. You also have the complete set of matching letters and symbols from the Wheel of Fortune. The letters A-Z (minus M and R) wrap around the organ keys in order from left to right, so you can therefore fill in the remaining letters and symbols on your drawn keyboard.

The second step is to use the organ music guide from the Garage. This shows 2 grids, which will both end up having the same set of instructions. Notice the totems to the left of the left grid, and at the top of the right grid - all of the organ music you have seen contains a totem that shows a letter or symbol at the top, and a partially-shaded square at the bottom. The letter or symbol is the first note in the sequence, and the partially-shaded square indicates a series of steps to discover the other 3 notes. Some of the grid is already completed, and you can fill in the missing boxes using the other organ music you have found. Now you can play all 4 musical sequences on the organ:

  1. Tapestry Room: Set the 1st lever up. Play the 4 notes indicated by the 4 letters (note the small arrows beneath them which indicate how far apart the notes to play are). If you get it right, you will hear a reward sound, and if you look up you will see the monkey has a coin floating above one hand.

  2. Second Floor Hallway: Set the 2nd lever up. Play the 4 notes indicated by the 4 symbols. Again, if you get it right you will hear a reward sound and there will be another coin above.

  3. Garage: Set the 5th lever up. The music here only gives you the starting note and partially-shaded square, but you can work out the sequence of notes from this. Play it correctly for another reward sound and another coin.

  4. Dali Room: Set the 4th lever up. The solution to this one is particularly long. So far all of the letters on the totems have been yellow. Blue letters need to be played twice, and red letters four times. First play the specific notes indicated on the left totem the correct number of times. Now play the sequence indicated on the right totem the correct number of times. Again, if you get it right you will hear a reward sound and there will be another coin above.

Now take each of the coins and give them to Isadora - she will give you a key when you hand over the coin related to the Dali room sequence.

Head up the large red staircase and up the next stairs.

Second Floor Hallway

Turn right immediately and use your key on the lock here, then open the door.

Attic

Step forward onto the game board, then time a fast run straight across between the moving cretins. Look inside the box on the left and take the Bammo elevator piece. Press the button to call the elevator, then get inside. Insert the Bammo button in the blank space on the left wall. Now use the elevator to head down to the basement.

Basement

Step forward to play an arcade sequence - you need to shoot a total of 50 mechanical rats with targets. If you hold down the control key, your 6-shooter will temporarily become a machine gun. When a real rat arrives, it takes 4 shots to kill, and if it reaches you the game must be started over.

Step forward into a tunnel. Open the roller desk on the right, unfold the blueprints, and take the monocle. Return to the elevator and head back up to level 1, then go to the Muse Machine.

Muse Machine

Insert the monocle (5/5) to complete the machine. After everything explodes, turn around, then climb down the broken railing.

Jungle

Enter the gondola. Save your game, then approach the organ. You have to get 5 musical sequences correct now, and you have limited time. Follow the keyboard instructions you have created to solve the previous puzzles. Remember that you must play yellow notes/sequences 1 time, blue notes/sequences 2 times, green notes/sequences 3 times, and red notes/sequences 4 times. For the last challenge, you will be asked to play a note that doesn't exist - hold down the notes on either side of this non-existent note.