Prodigal Walkthrough
By:
Benjamin Johnson

Well, the worst thing about adventure games is getting stuck and wandering around the same areas over and over again. So Im including this file to help you out if you get stuck.

Note, I will ALWAYS refer to the TOP of the screen as North, the right as East, etc. So if the view switches from one angle to another, so does the polar direction!

Be sure to watch the intro movie the first time you play! Without watching it, you arent going to have a clue of what is going on.


ACT 1: The Light in the Woods.

As the game begins, we find Jacob deep in a pine forest near where his brothers car was found. These first few screens are a good place to familiarize yourself with the controls.

Walk NORTH from the starting screen. You will arrive at a strange, massive cabin built in the middle of the woods.

Walk NORTH to the door of the cabin.

USE the cabin door, and Jacob will try knocking. No answer.

Walk SOUTH again.

LOOK around the area, and Jacob will notice that there is something beyond the yard light.

Walk up to the NORTHEAST, and you will arrive at the woodpile. After a brief cutscene, a piece of paper will float down out of the tree.

PICK UP the paper.

LOOK at it in your inventory. AHA!

USE the woodpile, and Jacob will get the front door key of the cabin, left by Mike.

Return to the cabin door and USE the CABIN KEY on the door to unlock it. Jacob heads inside.



WHOA! Jacob is locked in!

LOOK around the area. Lots of goodies here.

PICK UP the BOOTS and the BROKEN FISHING POLE.

LOOK at the smear of blood. USE it if you wish, then walk SOUTH.

After a brief cutscene, you will find yourself in a hallway of the cabin.

Walk EAST through the door.

LOOK at everything in the bedroom! There are some pistol rounds in the lamp stand, and a black shirt in the dresser.

LOOK at the TV. USE the TV SEVERAL TIMES!!!

Walk through the closet door on the Northern side of the room.

LOOK around the closet.

PICK UP the bow out of the boxes to the left

LOOK at the section of wall that is out of place. Hmm

Walk back to the hallway and head north one screen. You will find yourself in another section of hallway. There is a doorway to the north, and the hallway branches off to the east.

Walk down the east branch of the hallway.

Walk into the door on the west wall.

After a short cutscene, LOOK around the bathroom.

PICK UP the shard of glass.

PICK UP the Note from Mike.

Go into your inventory and read the note by LOOKing at it.

Return to the hallway and head through the northern door, into the living room.

LOOK around to room, especially at the couch and the bookshelf on the north wall.

PICK UP the note out of the couch. (dont forget to read it!)

USE the bookshelf and Jacob will approach it giving you a close-up.

PICK UP the feathers out of the vase.

Click anywhere around the edge to exit the close-up, then walk through the door on the east wall.

LOOK around the kitchen.

LOOK at the kitchen sink.

PICK UP the knife out of the kitchen sink.

Walk into the dining room through the south-east corner of the kitchen.

LOOK around.

PICK UP the pants that are hanging on the back of one of the chairs.

USE the plate cabinet to get a close-up.

USE the top drawer and Jacob will grab a plastic bowl out of it.

Return to the bedroom.

USE the KNIFE on the TV. Jacob will repair the power cord.

USE the TV to turn it on. AHA! It wasnt a TV at all!

Walk into the closet.

USE the now open, pitch-black secret door.

After a short cutscene, exhaust all dialogue topics with Mike, from top to bottom.



ACT 2: The Ancient Underground.


Jacob wakes up in an old stone passageway. After a short cutscene, youll have control again.

PICK UP the Note from Mike off the ground. (Read it)

If you want to return to the cabin, walk south to find a ladder. If youve been following this walkthrough, you wont need to, however.

Walk north into the ancient ruins.

After a short cutscene, LOOK around at everything.

LOOK at the small pile of rubble on the ground near where Jacob entered.

PICK UP the duct tape out of the rubble.

LOOK at the symbol on the back wall. Jacob is on the right track!

LOOK at the door on the east wall. Either walk over to it, or USE it to get a closup.

Now how can we open a door with no lock or knob?

USE the AEGIS on the door.

Walk east through the door.

In this stone hallway, walk north to reach the LONG CAVE.

After another brief cutscene, youll find yourself in the long caves western side.

There isnt anything we can do here right now, so well just have to walk through.

Walk east until you reach

HOLY COW!!!

If youve been following this walkthrough, youll have what you need to deal with this monstrosity.

In your inventory, COMBINE the Glass, Broken Fishing Pole, and Feather.

Now COMBINE the Duct Tape of the Arrow youve made.

Finally, combine the Arrow with the Bow.

USE the Bow and Arrow on the monstrosity.

Whew! Walk east to the long stairway.

Not much to do at the stairway, were going down!

At the bottom of the stairway, walk east.

After an ishy cutscene, walk east again.

Walk east down the stairs.

At the bottom, youll hear the bubbling lava. Walk through the east door onto the lava bridge.

As you start to cross the bridge, youll get a cutscene. Mike is down there! Jacob has to get down there fast!

Walk east across the bridge, through the door.

In the power room, youll see a small elevator on the north wall.

USE the elevator.

After a short cutscene, youll be in the elevator shaft. Head down until you trigger another cutscene.

Yikes! With the elevator broken down, youre trapped in this tiny cave.

LOOK carefully around. Youll see an unlit torch on the west wall.

PICK UP an old dirty rag.

LIGHT the rag in the lit torch.

QUICKLY light the unlit torch before the rag burns up and Jacob has to drop it!

Much better. Now you can see! USE the power box. Hmmwe need to get that open.

Pull the lever on the west wall. AHA!

USE the toolbox. A wimpy lock keeps you from accessing it.

PICK UP a rock off the ground.

USE the rock on the toolbox. Jacob will break the lock.

LOOK in the toolbox, then PICK UP the screwdriver.

USE the screwdriver on the powerbox.

It was just a tripped circuit breaker! Flip it, and Jacob will automatically get back in the elevator.

Continue heading down the elevator shaft until you hit the bottom.

LOOK at the corpse.

SEARCH the corpse. Jacob notes that the hood is in pretty good shape.

PICK UP the hood off the corpse. Yuck!

Head south.

At the end of this long hallway, there is a left turn. Head down it.

Youve made it to the lower lava bridge! Head across! Mike is somewhere up ahead!!!

Blast it! A rockslide dashes your hopes of finding Mike.

PICK UP and read the final note from Mike.

Defeated for now, head back across the lava bridge and back up the elevator to the upper elevator room.

Walk through the east door.

If youve been following this walkthrough, the game will automatically continue. If you missed any part of the Demelza costume, its time to backtrack!

After a short cutscene, Jacob will change into the Demelza costume and approach the guard.

There isnt much you can do here except try to continue on. The guard will stop you and ask to see the Aegis. Jacob will automatically show it to him. Afterwards he will continue walking into the main Cliff Dwellings map.

There are A LOT of places to go and things to do in this area. This main map acts as a sort of hub for the next part of the game. For the sake of clarity, Im going to label the doorways in order as they appear onscreen from left to right:


	1		2				3
Arch lords	Guarded storage		Sleeping quarters
quarters


Additionally, if you continue east past the sleeping quarters, youll reach the watchtower. This is a good place to start in here. So head there.

Walk into the doorway of the tower.

After a short cutscene, youll be able to hit the stairs.

Finally at the top! LOOK around.

Of great importance is LOOKing through the windows. Through the western window, youll see the pool, and then be given access.

TALK to the depressed looking Demelza.

Exhaust ALL dialogue topics with him. Especially important is to ask all the Demelza about Mike.

He lost his key, huh? Sounds like a quest!

Walk back down the stairs, then back out through the door.

Walk west to reach the underground pool and prison cell.

USE the door of the prison to get a closup.

LOOK through the bars. Could that be Mike???

We need that key! Click on the edge of the screen to exit the closup.

Walk into the sludgy, oily water. Yuck!

Walk south, deeper into the pool.

On the east side of this room are a bunch of large rocks that have collapsed from the ceiling. LOOK at them for a closup.

Something is glinting between the rocks! Try to PICK it UP, but Jacob cant reach it.

Click on the edge of the screen to exit. Admit defeat for now, and walk north out of the pool, then north again to return to the base of the watchtower. Walk north from here to return to the main map of the Cliff Dwellings.

Walk through door number two, the middle door. After a brief cutscene, Jacob ends up back outside. Try it again and the guard will get mad and threaten Jacob.

Now walk through door number three, the right door, into the sleeping quarters.

Jacob doesnt want to wake up the sleeping Demelza, nor does he want his book, at least for now.

Walk through the northwest door into the fallen plank room.

TALK to the Demelza guarding the kitchen. Exhaust all dialogue topics with him. We cant get into the kitchen, at least, not right now.

If you want, try walking through the door on the north wall. Jacob can see it leads back into the guarded storage room, so he wont go in.

Walk up the plank to reach the upper stairway.

LOOK around. Of particular interest is the crack in the north wall.

Walk through the crack, and youll end up walking on the ceiling of the guarded storage room.

Walk over until you are above the grumpy guard.

What do we have that could take him out?

DROP the stone you picked up in the elevator shaft on his head! Jacob strikes a pose subtly reminiscent of the hero in Quest for Glory. Good job!

Return through the crack in the wall. Then walk back down the plank.

Walk north through the doorway into the guarded storage room.

You can LOOK around here, but there isnt much of interest.

Walk south and youll enter the room with the K.O.-ed guard.

SEARCH the guard if you wish to get the gun. (If you dont, youll get it later.)

LOOK around the area.

PICK UP the candlesnuffer off the east wall. Hey, that scoop on the end would make a dandy grabber!

Return to the oily pool, and USE the candlesnuffer on the glinting object between the rocks. Its a sludgy key!

Return to the close-up of the prison cell door.

USE the sludgy key on the lock.

Hmmthe door didnt open! What else could be needed?

Remember how we opened the other door down here?

USE the Aegis on the door.

After a somewhat shocking cutscene, Jacob will pick himself up. Head into the prison.

LOOK at the corpse. This isnt Mike! Whew!

SEARCH around if you desire, then head back to the Cliff Dwellings.

TALK to either of the Demelza, and ask them again about Mike. Theyll suggest that he has continued on to the dig sight. Looks like that is our next destination.

Return to the fallen plank room and walk up the plank. Then head south-west up the stairs.

Continue up the stairs to the north, and youll end up in the dining room.

After a brief mistaken identity, LOOK around at everything.

Walk over to the Arch-Lord and TALK to him.

Exhaust all dialogue topics with him. He wants BBQ chicken.

Leave the Arch-Lord, then go look at the portcullis on the west wall.

The sludgy key doesnt work here. This must be the door Linus talked about, the one he lost the key for. Exit by clicking on the edge of the screen.

Walk back down the stairs, and down the plank.

TALK to the kitchen guard, and keep begging him for access to the kitchen until he tells you about his missing Aegis. You can offer yours, but he wants his own!

Return to the main Cliff Dwellings map, and enter door number one. (The left door.)

This is the Arch-Lords private quarters. LOOK at everything. Of particular importance is the shelf on the east wall, and the large trunk near the stairs. Nothing we can do with either of these for now, so walk up the stairs.

The Arch-Lords private study. Looks like hes put a guard up here. If you try to talk to him, hell kick you back downstairs. See the book on the table? Thats what we need.

When the guard turns to look out the window, PICK UP the book. If you time it right, youll have JUST enough time to grab it before the guard turns back and sees you.

LOOK at the book in your inventory. (ha,ha!) The missing Aegis!

Return to the kitchen guard and give him his Aegis back. BUT WAIT! It isnt time to go into the kitchen just yet!

Walk south into the sleeping quarters. PICK UP the book under the sleeping Demelza, and youll get the BBQ chicken recipe.

NOW you can go into the kitchen. USE the recipe on the stove.

Jacob looks around and finds he needs a can of onion soup. Remember reading about one somewhere?

Return to the Arch-Lords quarters, and PICK UP the onion soup off the shelf on the back wall.

Again, return to the kitchen and USE the recipe on the stove.

After a long cutscene, youll have the BBQ chicken. Yum!

Walk back upstairs to the Arch-Lord, and offer him the food. Hell want it in a bowl.

Put the chicken in your bowl.

Offer the Arch-Lord the food again. Still not good enough for him.

Exit the close-up of the Arch-Lord and LOOK at the shelves on the south wall of the dining room. Keep LOOKing at them until Jacob notices a silver platter that isnt too dirty.

PICK UP the silver platter.

Put the bowl of chicken on the silver platter and offer it to the Arch-Lord again. Finally he takes it, but not without complaining first.

As a reward hell tell you the combination to the trunk in his quarters. (A tiny nod to Spaceballs?)

Return to the Arch-Lords quarters and open the trunk, grabbing the metal detector.

Remember the long cave? Way back where we met that horrid creature? Time to go back there!

USE the metal detector in the long cave.

The brass key is under the first torch, for those of you who are too lazy to look. ;)

With key in hand, return to the Cliff Dwellings.

Return the Arch-Lords metal detector if you so choose, then head up to the portcullis.

USE the brass key on the lock. Nothing happens

By now you should be used to this. Use the Aegis on the door to open it. Walk through into the next area! If Jacob wont walk in, look back through this section and make sure you searched the prison, found that it wasnt Mike, AND talked to at least one Demelza about it. If Jacob thinks Mike is in the cliff dwellings, he wont leave them.

Youll get a cutscene where Jacob remembers his childhood



ACT 3: Revelations and Questions.



The first thing to do here is NOT to walk up the stairs. Youll hit a dead end anyway. If you look closely, youll see you can walk west along the railing. Walk along until you reach a new door.

Head into the door for a LONG cutscene that raises a lot of questions, and makes Jacob realize there is much more going on here than a simple kidnapping. (This part is designed to look like a Public Television history program. If the framerate lags terribly in this part, Id recommend lowering your resolution to 320x240 and turn OFF anti-aliasing sprites. After this cutscene you can turn em back on for the rest of the game. Anything below a 2GHZ Pentium 4 will probably be brought to its knees by this cutscene. Even my 2.8GHZ stutters a bit at one point.)

If you didnt already have the gun, the Scholar will give it to you. Hell also turn on the tram lights.

After the cutscene ends, you can walk back into the scholars room if you wanthmmm, where did he go? Not much else here, but look around to see his taste in reading material.

Return along the railing to the stairway and ascend.

There isnt much to do in the overhead view area except head through the door into the small chamber in the west.

The bloody handprints tell you you arent in Kansas anymorebut there isnt anything else to do in this room, except head through the darkened doorway to the northeast.

The tram rests here, but if you try to use it, youll find it isnt powered up. The console to the east, behind the tram holds the answer.

PUSH the lever on the console, and the tram will jump to life.

Walk onto the tram, and bid the Cliff Dwellings goodbye!

After a short cutscene, youll discover you need to turn the tram to continue on your journey.

Walk through the red-lit door.

In this pile filled hallway, there isnt much but another door. As you approach it, however, youll get another cutscene. YIKES!

Hurry and try to help that guy! But the doors locked?

USE the pistol on the door and Jacob will shoot the glass out.

USE the door and Jacob will unlock it and walk in.

The monster is long gone, and the body has decayed.

LOOK around the room. USE the center area of the control panel, and youll find the tram turning controls. Jacob doesnt know the combination, though.

SEARCH the body, and Jacob will gingerly push it aside revealing an air duct cover.

USE the screwdriver on the duct, and Jacob will remove the panel.

LOOK at the open vent shaft and Jacob will look in and see the solution to the tram controls.

Return to the tram controls and punch in the pattern. When you get it right, youll automatically get a cutscene showing the tram rotating. Good job!

Head back to the tram and mount up for the final ride.

The cave Jacob arrives in pulsates with evil energy (literally.)

Walk east until you find another of the hideous beasts.

Armed and dangerous, USE the gun on the beast.

Continue east through several caverns. Everything around Jacob gets more and more frightening.

At last, youll get a long cutscene as Jacob approaches the portal to Ulisigi Ela. When the cutscene ends, you cant do anything but reach out and touch the portal.

Youll have another conversation with Mike. Again, exhaust ALL dialogue topics from top to bottom.



ACT 4: Ulisigi Ela



Jacob awakes to find himself in a new and frightening world. After a quick change of clothes, He is ready to explore.

LOOK around, then walk east through the stone archway.

Walk west. YIKES!!! Walk west again.

Jacob will arrive at a hot, windy cliff. Look around, and then walk east.

This area makes Jacob dizzy. Basically, Jacob will walk the opposite way you tell him to. So click on the left side of the path to make him walk to the right.

When you arrive at the door, Jacobs head will clear and the controls are back to normal.

LOOK around, then approach the door.

The closup of the door reveals that the lock is flickering several images.

Basically, you can use ALL your keys, PLUS the Aegis on this door, and each will take you to a different place.

Lets start with the Aegis. Use it on the door, and youll step through into an alternate version of the park

LOOK at the stick stuck into the ground behind the bench.

PICK UP the stick. Ahah! A Spear!

Walk south to appear back at the cliff door. Ulisigi Ela doesnt play by the normal rules.

Next, use the sludgy key on the cliff door. This will lead to an alternate version of the prison cell. Not much here, but search the cot to find a few rounds for your pistol.

If you havent already, reload the pistol.

Walk south to appear back at the cliff door.

Next, use the cabin key on the cliff door. This will lead to an alternate version of the cabin. Weird.

First, LOOK at everything in the bedroom. The bed has blankets and pillows now. USE the pillow, but you cant get it open.

USE the knife on the pillow and Jacob will slash it open and grab another feather. Dont worry if you already put the knife on the pillar, just go back and pick it up.

Though it is a little hard to see, you can walk into the closet again. Do so now.

There is a small fishing rod leaning on the wall. Grab it. Starting to feel a bit familiar?

Click on the edge of the screen to exit back into the bedroom.

Walk east to reach the hallway of the cabin, albeit from a different angle.

You can reach the bathroom again, but there isnt anything there, so just walk south to reach the front room of the cabin again.

LOOK around at everything again, then USE the corner of the fireplace. 

At the close-up of the fireplace, USE the knife on the vines to get a length of vine. If you already dropped the knife on the pillar, you can just go pick it back up.

PICK UP the glittering stone off the mantle. An arrowhead!

Exit the screen by clicking on the edge.

Back in the front room, walk through the door to the kitchen to arrive back at the cliff door.

Finally, use the brass key on the cliff door. This will lead to the Ulisigi Ela prison.

LOOK around the room.

Poor girl! Try to help her!

YIKE! She was a Tsvsgino! Dont hesitate! Shoot it!

With the Tsvsgino dead, you are free to walk through the doorway to the east.

This overhead room is the crossroads. LOOK around first, the try to walk north.

Hmmwe cant walk north yet. Walk west into the biggest gross out scene of this game.

After Jacob finishes tossing cookies, look at the plaque on the east wall. (Note, all of these Jacobs have been killed by various means possible with the weapons you now carry. Extra gross!

Walk back through the west door. Whew!

Once you are back in the crossroads, walk through the east door.

LOOK around, and then head to the east.

LOOK at the pedestals, and remember what the plaque said. Weapons of war, eh?

Regretfully, you must put all your weapons on the pillars.

Place the knife, spear and pistol on the pillars. Why wont the bow work? Use it several times to get a clue.

COMBINE the fishing rod with the feather and the arrowhead. Jacob will automatically use the vine to lash it together.

COMBINE the bow and arrow, and then put them on the pedestal. Success!

Walk back west to the crossroads. You can now go north!

Youve almost made it! The good news, Mike is behind that door. And the bad news? That Mantis Tsvsgino from the tram control room is guarding him!

With no weapons, this isnt going to be easy.

Walk north to arrive at the stairway.

Walk north again up the stairway.

After a cutscene, Jacob will arrive at the catwalk above the prison cells.

LOOK at the support beams under the catwalk. Youll get a close-up of them.

The second one to the right looks loose.

USE the screwdriver one last time, and Jacob will free the heavy plank. SPLAT!!!

Mike and Jacob are proud of that one! The end is in sight!

Walk back down to the prison door, and then USE it to talk to Mike.

Exhaust all dialogue topics, from top to bottom.

Congratulations! Youve beaten Prodigal!


If you enjoyed this game and would like to see a sequel, drop me an email to let me know! And dont forget to let others know about the game! Thanks for entering my little world!
