Secret Files 2: Puritas Cordis ... Help with Max at door

Playing as Max and am in the jungle at the door where the inscription says to place 6 objects: I think they are the Venus flytrap at the top, next left the fireflies, next right the peacock feather, next left the fish, next right the frog and finally the honeycomb. But nothing happens so where did I go wrong? I'm totally stumped, but trying to do as much as I can without a walkthrough. Once I start using one I give up too easy, and so far for me, this has not been an easy game to get even this far. If I didn't like the character (Max looks to me like a cross between Alan Ladd and Brad Pitt and sounds just as good!) so much, I would have given up a lot sooner.

Alan Ladd - I have not heard that name in ages. You're right he does look like Alan Ladd.




Back to regular program:
After the fish - the clue is - something about homeless.
Better look for a homeless one.

That's a neat photo of Alan Ladd for all those that never heard of him. He looks just the way I remember him.

Back to the game, I thought the frog was the homeless one because it doesn't have a shell like a turtle. Also I didn't spot any other animal, not counting the monkey who seems to be gone except for the red footprints which took me ages to solve as I kept trying to use the hard hat with a red, blue, or green light. The papaya solution took me completely by surprise, but I was desperate so trying all sorts of weird things, I thought.

Check the vegetable garden at the camp.

Who knew a slug was an animal? I thought it was just a creepy-crawly thing. Turns out it's a mollusk, an invertebrate animal. Surprise, this game is so educational!

I'm with Nina again and have the propeller but how do I lift the boat? A tidal would help, but that's not an option.

Hi sierramindy,

A life vest or two would help.

The vests worked perfectly (another surprise, never would have found that solution) and now I'm back with Max in the jungle, inside the temple behind the ugly face, and with Sam on the other side. Trying to scare the guard but haven't come up with the combination to make the face scary enough. Sam tried to get the guard to eat the white berries, but no luck there. I've traded inventories back and forth through the hole, but nothing worked. Totally at a standstill for now, rescue me!

You have to hide that white berry in a fruit that he would eat - especially if Sam goads him to eat it.

Back now with Nina at Gatineau and enjoying Nina's comments which are often quite funny. That is I was, but now I'm stuck with the laser beam pointing at a molehill under the information stand, which no longer gives any information about Gatineau since someone stole the batteries, guess who?

Do you have something shiny - something you got when the snack bus-cart left?

I hope I haven't goofed but I don't remember picking up anything shiny after the snack bus left. I do have aluminum foil and a cup covered with aluminum foil, but I've had that for ages. I do have the parking lot sign, which might be shiny. I've tried all 3 with the laser beam at the molehill but nothing works. When I try the foil Nina says she can't stand there all day, so I tried to get David to help, but he is really grumpy about being interrupted so I don't think he is part of the solution. Only other things in inventory are the sketch, the letter, and the knife. Nina has rigged up the mirror to the hook and when I try to change it she won't let me do anything, so she seems to be happy with it. I don't know why.

Ah - you already have the foil - use that then.
Check your inventory and see you still have some left.

From what you wrote Suerramindy you do still have aluminium ffoil in your invetory.you said that you used it from inv."with the laser beam at the molehill but nothing works".
Im guessing but maybe you have to place the foil as a sort of mirror on the molehill BEFORE you shine the laser beam into it? Maybethe game thinks its too late to put it there afterwards?
I dont know, its only a guesswork.
Have you tried that and if so does it work?

I had a little trouble at this spot, too. It took several tries with the sheet of foil, but eventually it accepted me placing the sheet against the molehill directly beneath the sign, and the beam deflected - so the laser beam was definitely on while I did this. Keep trying, sierramindy.

Strange, I dont remember having any trouble at all there. I wonder if theres a tiny glich there.

Thanks for the extra help, harhan3 snd Rushes, but I didn't need it after following MaG's hint. My problem was that I just didn't use the foil correctly. I clicked it on the laser bean instead of on the molehill. Once I did that Nina put the foil down in place (she no longer needed someone to hold it, so David's help wasn't needed, that was all only in my head) and the beam went straight to the rubble. Everything went fine after that but now I'm having a hard time getting the 4 blue stones. I'm stuck at the bridge, Metro, and jail. I know there is a blue stone in the second cell to the right, but can't get in there. I need to pass as a drunk is my guess, but haven't figured out how. Thought maybe the smelly teddy bear would help somehow? At the bridge I think I need to get the red car to ride over the puddle, but the guy at the Metro stop is in the way so Nina can't get the car or fix the scratch or whatever she needs to do? I also think I need more coins for the bubble gum machine, have 5 cents, need 10?

Laser beam/foil - that must have been what I was doing too.

In the metro tunnel, take a close look at the clock window. Figure out what to do here and that will open up lots of options.

Did the clock thing and got the blue stone from the bridge, but now I'm stuck at monkey business. I got the monkey to go through the tire when Nina went though the hoop. Now I think I need to get the monkey to throw the ball and peanuts out of the cage, but all I have been able to do so far is to put the stick in the hole and put the dented soda can on top of it, how in the world is that supposed to help? I know where the ducks are and I'm guessing the peanuts will be needed to get the ducks to the zoo? Oh, just now I got the idea maybe the peanuts are needed with the elephant? I have the 10 cents so I will be going back to the metro scene for now.

I need help with the bubble gum as Nina won't chew it and I can't say that I blame her.

Yes - peanuts for elephant.

Yes - need peanuts. You need to get the monkey to topple the peanuts. The soda can is the peanut can counterpart.

No - Nina does not need to chew the gum. You'll need it later.

I'm still stumped with the monkey as I can't get it to do anything after jumping through the tire. When Nina puts the stick in the ground and the can on top of it she stands in such a way that the monkey can't see what she is doing. However, after that I can't get Nina or the monkey to do anything else. I can get Nina to put the stick and can back in the inventory so maybe I need to do something before I use them? Maybe even something in another scene before I get here?
I have the blue stone from the bridge, there's one by the crocodile and one in the jail cell, but haven't been able to get them yet. I don't know where the fourth stone is but I'm thinking it is in the ceiling at the metro station, which is why I thought the bubble gum was the answer there, but that isn't going the way I thought it would. My devious mind doesn't seem to be on the same wavelength as the devious minds of those who made this game.

After you've gone through the hoop you need to throw something to hit the can off the stick, so that the monkey will copy you.

Back at the metro station, you need to get that fountain working somehow.

The reason I couldn't get anywhere with the monkey was because I didn't have the tennis ball in my inventory as yet. I tried some other things, like getting the alcohol from the homeless man and I think I found the tennis ball somewhere around there. Went back to the monkey and Nina became a great role model! Got the stone from the jail cell where I found out how the bubble gum was used so no need to chew it, thank goodness. Used the peanuts with the elephant and got the stone by the crocodile. Then went to the fountain and got it working with the single jet stream so found the last stone. Now I'm trying to checkmate the black king and once again I need help as I'm hopelessly moving the chess pieces and getting nowhere. I know the rook can only move in a straight line but that's about all I know about chess and obviously that isn't enough to solve the puzzle. The map on the wall and the sign next to it about Provence and Navarre is over my head, no help there. I have a feeling I'm near the "end game" (chess term, I believe) and I must say it has been fun, thanks to all the great hints here (and great hinters, of course) as well as the game itself.

Oh no, how could I? I forgot all about Max, my Alan Ladd lookalike, back in the jungle, sheesh, how careless of me!

You got through tougher puzzles in this game by yourself.
This one just needs a nudge.

No chess move needed.
Study the clue on the sign.
All your chess pieces are in that 'poem'.
Remember that the white king is in Navarre.
So start there.

You can make the boxes empty so that you can place your chess pieces in the square you think they should be.

I still can't get it. All I can think of is that the black pieces should be somewhere in the north and east squares, while the white pieces are in the west and south squares, but there are too many squares and I don't know how to line anything up. The map clues don't tell me anything really. There is no Brittany and it says the king is in Provence which is to the east where the enemy is so I'm totally baffled. The forces from Navarre are the good guys, I think, so that would be the white knight but what to do with him I have no idea.

My mistake - The White King is at Provence - so he should be placed at bottom right.
Note that the provinces or states are positioned similar to the chessboard on the floor.
The white knight is as you say at Navarre - so he's at bottom left.
There's fortress blocking the white knight from getting to the king - so there's a black tower.
Brittany is Bretagne.
The Paupers are above the white king.

Woe is me, I'm going from bad to worse. I placed the white king in the lower right corner, the knight in the lower left corner, the black king in the upper left corner. But nothing I do with the pawn or the tower seems to work. I've noticed that the Roman numerals to the left seem to be upside down, at least the 4 is, so is that some kind of clue?

I don't think I used that Roman numeral.

The tower is immediate right of white knight.
The pawn is immediate above of white king.
Place the black king, white king and white knight.
Then all the rest are white squares.

I finally got it just as I was about to ask for yet another hint, like the exact locations of the pieces. Back to playing as Max, have the antenna connected to the TV, trying to distract the guard to get into cell to rescue Nina, but don't know where to put TV. I did try the shelf in the storeroom but guard didn't stay away long enough. Have photo of bench. Trying to make cheese soup with cheese and wild garlic in vase, but need liquid. Wait, just had a thought, maybe I simply need to heat it so cheese melts?

Oops, I thought the stove was in the storeroom, forgot it's where the cells are, and Max can't get in there as yet. Have wood pieces from the dog house, but no matches, so maybe that's not a viable plan after all.

TV: Remember that the guard mentioned soccer game to Nina.
Also see soccer magazines in the store room.
Place the TV at the lectern by the window where he sees it during his pass through.
And of course he will watch his favorite sport.

So now poor Nina is in a sack and Max is at his wit's end trying to get back into the prison, why I'm not sure, maybe to sound the alarm? Tried the shovel on both guards, but Max hesitates to use it. No luck making cheese soup.

The aim here ultimately is to get that guard standing by the tower door away from there.

To do that you need to smuggle Nina in the sack into that building - think coal hatch....
Once you have smuggled her in - Nina can fix that cheese soup for Max. As well as getting more items for Max and doing more actions.
This will lead then to getting in that prison.
Have fun.

Nina is in the control room at the computer with all those buttons to push! The security alarms have been deactivated, at least I think that is what the middle button did. Also changed the frequency, but that will maybe send the wave somewhere else? I have the card from the computer in inventory so none of the buttons work for the present, a safety measure? The game doesn't leave the panel so I have to do something, but what?

Did you self destruct? Red button?

Sheesh, Nina is supposed to self destruct? Good heavens, what are these games coming to? No, I have very carefully AVOIDED hitting the RED button, but will do so now with my fingers crossed. It's only a game ... it's only a game ... it's ...

Nina contacting system administrator for the code.

Which code? The last one? If it's so the answer is Is it the right answer?

Thanks, Paola.

Thanks for the code, Paola Croft, it was the right answer. Now poor Nina is in a loop going around trying to keep from getting shot, and I'm slowly going crazy. This is not fun. There is a scene with scales that I think are to be used in some way, but haven't found it. Can't find anything to do with the world map and the blinking lights. Totally stumped and why isn't Max coming to the rescue?

I'm not sure if you noticed - no matter how slow you are (esp me), Nina will save herself. She will jump down or climb up the cable.

Now there is only one item that you can pick up after going up-down. An oil can at the level with red door.

It will be best used at the main control center level.
If you need more - holler.

Max finally came to Nina's rescue, making me totally happy! Yes, I did notice that Nina always saved herself, what I didn't know was that she could get to the control center level, that made all the difference. I had her in a loop between the door level and the map level and there was actually nothing to do there except get the oil canister which I had and tried to get it to work with the scales or the crates or whatever.
The game took me 2127 minutes = 35 hours, 45 minutes. Not a short game for me at all. Worth every penny and every minute.

You did a good job on this game.

Glad you finished and enjoyed the game, sierramindy!

I'm glad, too

It was a great game and keeps replaying in my head. I can still hear Nina singing "What do you do with a drunken sailor?" as I enjoyed it so much that I used up quite a few minutes right there just to listen to her. Then there was the line when Nina asks, "Do you think I'm the kind of person who picks up anything that isn't nailed down?" which really tickled me so I clicked a few extra times there. All in all, it was the right size for me, and the best game I've played so far this year.