Unboxing the Cryptic Killer

Level 1

As Old Dog, trying to pick up the rock on the floor Rockstar.

Colored Remotes

Examine the device hanging from the hook. One player should press a button, then tell the other player which button to press next. It will start simple, but eventually you will need to describe the positions of a white square, then multiple white squares to indicate which colors to press. The actual sequence required is random.

Welcome Letters

Look at the letters hanging over the locked chest. You must work together to arrange them to say WELCOME. Each player controls one letter, and moving that letter swaps positions with the one next to it. When the two players' letters collide, they separate further apart. Gradually rearrange the letters into the correct order.

Examine the letters that fall to the ground. Old Dog will see the number 8 and a diamond. Ally will see the number 0 and a circle.

Drawing Sequences

Open the folded pieces of paper on the ground. Old Dog will have a series of letters and the clue "3, 6, 9". Ally will have a series of numbers and the clue "Poland". Old Dog should draw a line through this path: P, O, L, A, N, D to reveal the number 1 and a triangle. Ally should draw a line through the path 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21 to reveal the number 4 and a square.

Padlock

Examine the padlock and try to open it 15 times with the combination 0000 The Brute. Now pay attention to the 4 symbols at the top: triangle, diamond, square, circle. Set the combination to 1840, then open the padlock.

Level 2

You will now be presented with a box containing a series of puzzles, and another padlock to open.

Surveillance Photos

Old Dog has a folder containing photos, and Ally has a folder containing police reports. You need to work together to discover which four photos match descriptions in the police files. Once you have done this, sort them into the correct time order and find the 3rd one in the sequence. This corresponds with the police report with the number 6 on the bottom.

True or False

Look at the piece of paper at the bottom left and read out the questions for the other player. You need to work out whether each of the 8 statements is true of false, then flip the switches on the nearby electronic board. Old Dog should set his switches to True, False, False, True. Ally should set her switches to True, True, True, False. This should reveal the number 2 on the digital display.

Anagram Asylum

Both players should examine the computer console and press the power button, then press any direction key to start the game. You need to work together to push the crates on to the crosses, solving a series of 5 levels. Do this without leaving the game Pegasus. At the end, you will be given the number 8, as well as the information that all numbers should be increased by one.

Key Arithmetic

Old Dog has a wooden board with 3 key shapes. He should describe these shapes for Ally, and she should reply with the numbers shown on these keys. The three keys are 8, 2 and 5, therefore the final number for the keys is the number 5.

Padlock

Examine the padlock, and pay attention to the 4 symbols at the top: photograph, digital display, game-pad and key. Remembering that each number should be increased by one, set the combination to 7396, then open the padlock.

Level 3

Rotating Dials

Both players should look at the panel of circles in the left side of the box. There are 6 dials on the right, and they need to be placed in 6 spaces on the left. To start with, look at the spokes on the dials, and place the dial with 1 spoke in the slot for 2 spokes, the dial with 2 spokes in the slot for 3 spokes, and so on In A Spin.

Now correctly place the dials in spaces with matching spokes. Old Dog's panel will give the message "How many?". Now you need to rotate the dials so matching symbols are adjacent. For Old Dog, rotate the middle dial so the game-pad symbol is at the top. For Ally, rotate the middle dial so the knot is at the top. Once both puzzles are completed, Old Dog's will show a ? where Ally's shows the knot. Count the number of knots within both players' boxes once you zoom out, to get the number 5.

Picross Puzzles

Look at the folded paper at the top left. Instructions for completing this are on the back of the paper. Before solving it completely, just keep clicking to fill and erase any squares lots of times Shady Detective. Now fill in the puzzles as follows (Old Dog on the left, Ally on the right):

Look at where the X is pointing on Ally's puzzle (in the middle), then look in the middle of Old Dog's solution to see the number 8.

Watches

Ally has a group of 3 watches, and Old Dog has 2 watches and a dial with letters on it. Look at the hour hand and minute hand on each watch (the watches are numbered 1-5), and look at the corresponding letters:

1. GO
2. LD
3. IN
4. SI
5. DE

Ally should now look at the cryptex in her box. Start by entering the word POOP Sticky Situation. Now enter GOLD. Read the message inside, which shows a picture of a specific watch hour hand. This corresponds with Old Dog's watch 5, and it points to the number 2.

Digital Maze

Both players should look at the green devices in the bottom right of their box. Each player has only 2 buttons to move the red marker around the maze, and if you veer from the correct path you have to start again:

The completed maze shows the number 4.

Padlock

Examine the note that says "You're on your own". Each player will have different symbols within this note: dial, puzzle, watch and maze. Examine the padlock and set the combination to 5824, then open the padlock.

Level 4

Elemental Sums

Both players should look at the electrical device at the top left, noting the elemental sums they need to work on. They should communicate these to the other player, as they will need to find them in their partial periodic table at the top right, then mix the appropriate colors using the pigments in the middle of their box. The four sums are as follows:

• Li+Ir: 3+77 (Blue)
• Se+Hg+Au: 34+80+79 (Red)
• Fe+Mg: 26+12 (Purple)
• Hg+Ag: 80+47 (Green)

Both players can now set the following 4 colors in their electrical device at the top left:

This will provide power to the keypad at the top of the box.

Animal Sounds

Each player can now examine the farmhouse toy at the bottom left of the box, and can press the play button to hear a series of noises. Each player has only two buttons available. To start with, Ally should press the cat button repeatedly Purrrrfection. Now the two players should work together to press the buttons in this order:

1. Rooster
2. Sheep
3. Horse
4. Cat
5. Rooster
6. Sheep

Read the notes that have appeared at the bottom left to piece together this message: "in place of sheep when seeking sleep, count the stars that vigil keep". If you count the stars visible on both players' machines you will get the number 7.

TV Broadcast

Ally now needs to look at the television to the bottom right, while Old Dog looks at the remote control to the left. Start by describing the antenna positions for Ally:

• For the antenna with the sphere on top, keep the top and bottom segments extended, but collapse the middle segment
• For the antenna with the cone on top, collapse the top and bottom segments, but keep the middle segment extended

Now Old Dog should press the power button, and Ally should see a clear picture. Ally must count the number of paper planes (3), trophies (2) and apples (2). Old Dog should now press 322 on the remote control, and Ally's picture will change. Watch the video.

Old Dog needs to leave the box for now. Examine the rock on the floor and read the note, which says "Every second counts, but not behind bars". Watching Ally's video again, if you count the number of seconds not behind bars you get the number 5.

Cryptic Torch

Old Dog should examine the torch, while Ally looks at her folded newspaper. There are 4 paper fragments hidden behind the newspaper, and Ally should put these in order, then call out the buttons for Old Dog to press on the torch:

1. Triangle
2. Square
3. Square
4. Triangle
5. Crown
6. Circle
7. Circle
8. Square

Now Old Dog should call out the Morse code sequence that the torch shows, and Ally will need to convert it into letters using the information in the newspaper. This will give you the word RUM. Old Dog now needs to look at the bottles in the bottom right of his box. Repeatedly back out, then examine the bottles again Nasi Tu Byli. Now look at the bottles again and examine the bottle of rum to see the number 3.

International Travel

Old Dog can now look at the newspaper to see that flights between 14 March 2020 and 20 April 2020 were canceled. Next look at the map. Ally should look at the series of boarding passes. Excluding the ones that were in the flight cancellation period, these are the ones that should be read out in date order:

1. Glasgow to Bordeaux
2. Bordeaux to Krakow
3. Krakow to Stockholm
4. Stockholm to Athens

If Old Dog draws these flights on the map, he will sketch the number 4.

Padlock

Examine the padlock, and pay attention to the 4 symbols at the top: rooster, television, torch, airplane. Set the combination to 7534, then open the padlock.

Level 5

Wind and Flags

Ally should look at the weekly wind predications sheet at the bottom left, and Old Dog look at the semaphore code at the bottom left. Ally must read out the pairs of directions for each day, and Old Dog can convert them to letters. This will give you HUCK HMS. Look at the back of Ally's sheet to see that this ship corresponds with the number 9 and a triangle.

Jigsaw Puzzle

Both players need to solve their own jigsaw puzzle at the bottom right. Old Dog will end up with one extra piece: a walkie-talkie, and this corresponds with the number 8 on Ally's puzzle. Ally will end up with one extra piece: a torch, and this corresponds with the square on Old Dog's puzzle.

Musical Badge

Both players should look at the sheet music at the top right. Old Dog has instructions for people on how to read music, and Ally has a sequence of notes. Between the two of you, you can work out that the music reads out BAD FACE. Old Dog has a series of police badges on the left, and the one that says BAD FACE also shows the number 8 as well as a diamond.

Maze Box

Both players should examine the box at the top left. Turn the dials until the four corners of the box allow the lid to be opened. Now you both control one moving piece in the maze. One player should move their piece to the bottom of the 4th column. The second player should move their piece just above this one, The first player should then go around again and land on top of the other one, before sliding to the right. Now the second player can move to the bottom right goal. Count all of the blue eyes that light up in the corners of the box to get the number 5. There is also a blue circle in the box.

Slide Puzzle

Both players should examine the box in the middle. You need to both solve the same puzzle, sliding the silver piece all the way to the left. This will reveal a new puzzle that requires a 4-digit combination. Pay attention to the 4 symbols across the top: triangle, square, diamond, circle. Set the combination to 9885, then press the HOLD button.

Old Dog should now back out and talk to the prisoner Tick Tock.

Now both players should hold the first eject button to reveal part of the first symbol, then change their component of the symbol to match. Repeat this with the other two symbols:

• First Symbol: V-shape, left and right edges
• Second Symbol: X-shape, top and bottom edges
• Third Symbol: Diagonal line from bottom left, bottom and right edges

Now both players should press and hold the Disarm button Kaboom. You will also get these achievements depending on your character:

• Disarm the bomb as Old Dog Old Dog New Tricks
• Disarm the bomb as Ally Awesome Ally
• Complete the game with both characters Dynamic Detective Duo