Obduction Exploration Guide
Intro
Getting Started
You find yourself in what might be a familiar wooded area by a lake. This is Earth, and as you wander around you’ll realize that this is just one place that people have been taken from. There are signs and picnic tables and a camp fire… oh, and some kind of crazy light that shoots out of the sky and seems to get closer as you explore around.
Use the area to pick up a bit of the story, and become familiar with moving around. You’ll be taken from here soon enough — when the light catches up with you.
Story Bits
The red bar above means you’ve reached a Help section — proceed with caution. Anything after the red bar has the potential to be a spoiler. If you want a more pristine experience you can jump ahead to the next green bar.
This story is about you. The intro in the forest represents your experience of being taken far from home by an organic looking artifact that interrupted your life. You don’t know where this artifact came from, or why it came to you. But this will be your story now.
The Help sections all have this Story Bits section where you can get some revelations about the story . . .
Gameplay Hints
. . . and this Gameplay Hints section where you can get some hints about Gameplay. These hints assume that you’ve done all the exploring you can stand to do, and you need a bit more to get you over a hump. If you haven’t explored, you really should — you may come up with a solution, and you’ll feel really good about yourself. But if you’ve explored, and slept on it, and didn’t have any brilliant insights in the shower, then you’ve come to the right place.
Welcome to Hunrath
Far From Earth - Battened Down
Red Rocks
This entire place seems to be from southern Utah or somewhere in Arizona. There are definitely a few things that seem out of place.
Welcome Message
If you weren’t welcomed to Hunrath, you weren’t paying attention. Whether you were welcomed or not, this place seems not very welcoming. Seems kind of deserted.
Farley's House
Yep, there’s that house with the white picket fence. But it’s locked up tight. Maybe later. But at least check out the mailbox, and oh yeah, another strange message kiosk in the yard.
Graves and a Wall
To the right of Farley’s house is a strange graveyard, but beyond that is a strange border or edge. Seems like you could walk right out into that crazy alien landscape… worth a try.
Downtown Ghost Town
Now you’re getting somewhere. Downtown Hunrath, with people everywhere… or maybe not. As you tour this metropolis, make sure you catch one of the highlights…
The Tree
To the right of downtown Hunrath is a fairly large tree. Seems important, you should go check it out, as much as you can.
Red Beams and Blue Blobs
If you haven’t seen the red beam yet, you just aren’t paying attention. And the red beam has a blue beam nearby, and a blue blob. Good thing you don’t die easily in Obduction because the blue blob looks menacing.
Compound with a Waterfall'
If you walked past the blue blob, you have a compound of sorts to explore. Make sure you see everything, but note that the power lines lead to a small shack - don’t forget that fact, or what you find in the shack.
Gates and Flow
Beyond the compound and the windmill and garden is a lovely little river area. And the river flows under some kind of crazy rigged-together structure. And the power lines run to the
other side… just saying.
Story Bits
Welcome to Hunrath — some kind of kludgy home for abductees. Hunrath appears to have been a functional community that has recently been evacuated for some kind of battle — with the Mofang — whoever that is. Mayor Josef’s kiosk messages seem a bit weird — like he takes his position a bit too seriously, maybe. And the imagers themselves are a strange conglomeration of old earth technology melded with some advanced alien stuff.
Caroline Farley seems interesting. She has a nice house, but it’s locked up tight. And she’s managed to leave you a snippet of a warning about the battle — and not trusting people. It was her voice during the intro in the forest by the lake.
The old Hartnell mining town was scooped out of Arizona one night, with the town, the people, and the mining equipment — including the rails. And a graveyard came along as well, and it appears to have been used and reused; this place has been here for a while.
The only live person you meet is a southern gentleman, behind a huge vault door, in a compound whose gate is guarded by a strange blue blob. He seems honest enough, if a bit crotchety, and he’s intent now on going home. Can you trust him? For now, you don’t have much of a choice.
And beyond the crazy desert landscape lies a bizarre, purplish, alien landscape. But you can’t seem to get there right now. And there’s a giant tree in the center of everything that is the lifeblood of this place.
Gameplay Hints
Wait! You’re using the hints already? Might we suggest you take one last look around this area. There are lots of details around that connect together. If you’ve had coffee, or a carrot, or a good night sleep, and you’re clueless, and frustrated, and ready to give up, then please proceed…
Subtle Nudge: Do you know what your goal is? Perhaps you forgot what the guy behind the door wanted you to do. Go check with him again.
Gentle Push: Power and power lines. Seems like the key to that is beyond that strange gate on the river.
Loving Shove: That strange gate is the key. The corrugated metal panels can be moved down into the water. Would they catch any current?
Body Check: That gate can be moved — it rotates around the central pivot point. And the force of flowing water can make that happen.