by Alexander Tait March 2005

Prince Interactive Walkthrough

I’m not really sure what the real name for this game is. Is it Prince Interactive, Symbol Interactive, The Artist formerly Known as Prince Interactive, or just Interactive? I’ve opted for Prince Interactive for the purposes of this walkthrough as it is short and clear enough.

In 1994, at the height of the music industry’s move to experiment with multimedia packages, here is a true non-interactive adventure game that would not be uncomfortably called a Myst-clone. Earth, Wind, and Fire did it with Isis, Queensryche did it with Promised Land, and The Rolling Stones did NOT achieve it with Voodoo Lounge.

Be warned, this game takes a little getting used to. There is no true manual save. The game gives you the option to save on exit (press “Q” or “Space”) and records how many and which pieces of the symbol you have when you exit. When you return to the game, you are presented with the symbol and can return to the room where you found a piece of the symbol in. From there, you can make your way to other rooms.

The game must be played in 640x480 resolution to be completed. The puzzle in the Studio CAN NOT be completed on any other resolution.

There is little real story to the game. It is a quest to collect the five pieces of Prince’s symbol. To make things easier, there is one piece in each world. Here’s a map of the structure in which the game takes place:

FLYING APPROACH
You arrive in this strange world. Your craft disappears, only to reappear at the Circle Dome. Unfortunately, you will need to find the five parts of the symbol to repair the ship. There is a path leading up to a strange structure. Follow the path to the doors and enter the foyer.

FOYER
In the left-sided alcove, click on the key underneath the lit brazier. Then turn to the brazier opposite. In the alcove at right, click on the treble clef below the brazier. This lights up the room off the hallway. In this part of the room, there are three doorways. One door has a moon on it, one has a star, and one has a sun. Look around and click the corresponding symbols under the burning braziers to unlock all three doors.

The five pieces of the symbol are located in the Studio, the Music Club, the Candle Room, the Virtual Video room, and the Boudoir. The moon door leads down to the Studio. The star door leads to the Hallway and the star door leads to the Music Club.

THE CANDLE ROOM PIECE
In order to access the candle room, you will first need to enter the Hallway. Enter the door on the left. This is the Library. Sit down in the chair. Turn to the right and open the top of the red car sitting on the table. A secret door opens in the bookshelf. Follow the secret passage to the Candle Room.

Click on the unlit candle to light it. The painting above morphs and you receive the piece of the symbol.

THE MUSIC CLUB PIECE
Exit the foyer through the sun door. Click on the purple yang to take the elevator down. Exit to the door to the Music Club. Click on the yin/yang below the word “secure”. It changes to “come” and the door to the Music Club opens.

Turn right and walk up the stairs to a balcony. Turn right to an image of Prince holding his hand up. Click on the image and it will change into the piece of the symbol.

THE VIRTUAL VIDEO PIECE
Follow the Hallway to the end. Turn right and enter the Virtual Video Room. On either side of the room are alcoves. In these alcoves are an intricately beautiful area. Moving towards these areas you will find a video screen that is divided into six. Below this are six cards representing a part of a whole video. The numbered cards need to be ordered from 1-3 on the top row and 4-6 on the bottom. One video is “Gett Off” and the other is “Diamonds and Pearls”.

The simplest solution is to manipulate the number “1” to the top left space and then move the “4” to the bottom left space. Proceed to maneuver the other numbers in this order: “2”, “5”, “3”, “6” being careful not to move any of the cards that have been positioned correctly previously.

Once both are complete, you are presented with posters of Prince from different periods in his career. Match the date to the poster. It can be done by trial and error, but here are the answers:

“Parade” 1986
“ 1999” 1983
“ Lovesexy” 1988
“ Purple Rain” 1985
“ Diamonds and Pearls” 1992
“ Sign ‘O’ the Times” 1987

Watch the animation of a key opening a lock and receive the corresponding piece of the symbol.

THE BOUDOIR PIECE
Walk down the hallway to the end. Turn left and walk up the stairs. You are presented with a choice of women in lingerie. Click on the woman on the right. Enter the Boudoir.

Walk up to the bed in front of you. Turn to see the remote control. Press the round button in the center of the remote control and bed descends. This is the “love pit”.

Click on the cupboard engraved with the symbol in front of you. The doors open and you receive the piece of the symbol.

THE STUDIO PIECE
Exit through the moon door and follow a short corridor. This leads out into a space scene. Follow the spiral stairs down into the Studio.

The piece of the symbol in the Studio is located in a safe behind a red painting of Diamond and Pearl, Prince’s dancers. Click three times to reveal the safe and hear a clue: “Diamonds and Pearls”. In order to open the safe, you must turn the safe so that three symbols are locked in the correct order at the bar at right. This will repeat the song line.

The correct order is represented here:

The first is a “natural”, the second is a “sharp”, and the third is a “turn”.

Click open the handle and the safe will open and you will receive the piece of the symbol.

THE CONCLUSION
When you have all five pieces, the circle part of the symbol lights up. At this stage, return to the Hallway and follow it to the end.

Go through the door and cross another lit bridge corridor to an elevator. Click on the button and ascend to the Circle Room.

CIRCLE ROOM
Approach the craft and enter it. At the controls of the craft, click on the circle. You are treated to a short video sequence of the craft leaving the world and a video of a previously unreleased Prince song, “Endorphin Machine” plays…

…a suspiciously similar ending to Isis and Promised Land!