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Low-Spoiler Guide to Exile


Welcome to my Exile hints page. (-: If you're new to this series of low-spoiler computer game walkthroughs, the idea behind them is to point gamers towards things they might not have tried in each game rather than giving step-by-step instructions or divulging puzzle solutions. There's not much point in playing a puzzle game if you know the solutions in advance, after all.

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So these pages are as close to spoiler-free as possible while still providing some valuable Exile hints and tips. If you are looking for the solution to a particular puzzle, I recommend the UHS site--due to the way their pages are set up you can only see one hint at a time, so you can get the answer to one pesky puzzle without ruining all the others for yourself. Here's a link to the UHS site if you're interested. My site, meanwhile, focuses on exactly the things UHS and other traditional walkthroughs don't: the non-critical parts of the game, little detours you can take, extra details you might miss if you did only what was strictly necessary to complete the game. If you want even fewer spoilers--you're considering whether or not to buy the game, for example--please try my Exile Review page to find all the pertinant information in one convenient spoiler-free package.

Now, on with the game!

Exile Hints and Tips
Exile Walkthrough
Exile Cheats and Links
The Backseat Game Designer: Exile Critique

Exile Hints and Tips



I did not encounter any bugs in Exile (other than an inability to alt-tab between windows while it was running, which is only a problem if you're trying to take a screenshot, really). However, there is one pseudo-bug that drives a lot of new players crazy (I admit to being confused by this myself). What happens is that suddenly--usually in the elevator shaft on J'Nanin--the screen locks up and you seem to be turning at a truly glacial pace. Saving and restoring does not help. You may even panic briefly at the thought of having to complete the game like this. Never fear: just right-click your mouse. The problem is that you still have "read inventory" mode on, and you can't move normally again until you turn it off.

Movement: The Myst engine has been switched to a limited sort of 3D panning in Exile. This eliminates the frustration of not knowing whether you're about to turn 90 degrees or 180 when you click to the right (something that gave me a headache in the first two games). On the other hand, there's no indication from the interface as to which areas are navigable and which aren't. So you'll need to waste an inordinate amount of time clicking around the scenery. Don't let this disorient you.

Inventory: For the most part you cannot pick up objects in Exile, so don't waste any time trying to (even when something looks like it ought to be an extremely useful object). The exception is books and journal pages, which you can pick up and put back into Saavedro's journal once you're carrying that. On a few other occasions you will be able to pick up an object and move it somewhere else on the same screen; click on it until the cursor looks like the object, then move it where you want it to go and release it. It's more intuitive than it sounds.

Interface: Your only method of interacting with the gameworld is by clicking on it. There will be no indication as to whether an object is clickable or not; you'll just have to use trial and error (which is frustrating since if you try to click something non-clickable, the game usually assumes you're trying to step forwards or rotate a random amount). In my mini-walkthrough below, I list everything clickable that is optional (and therefore you might possibly be in danger of missing). On some occasions you will need to click something and then pull it in the appropriate direction, but this was usually intuitive (pulling a lever down and so forth).

Time Management: Time does not pass in Exile, and you can take as long as you like exploring any part of it you choose in any order you want to. The only exception is on Narayan during the endgame sequence: if you go out onto the dock with Saavedro and wait there too long, he will get impatient and take a new course of action (one you probably won't appreciate), so that's a bad time to go get yourself a snack.

Problem Spots: There are really no pitfalls in Exile; there is only the one realtime sequence (detailed above) and no potential dead ends. Until the final endgame, there is no way to lose the game and no alternate paths to take. Unlike other Myst games, Exile has optional subtitles, so even the hard-of-hearing or audiocard-impaired can play this game.

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Go on to the walkthrough!
Go back to the Adventure Game Reviews
Check out my Longest Journey review

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