Still Life 2

Still Life 2

(A Walkthrough by Zurreen Zubairie)

Copyright © 2010.  All rights reserved.

Please, note that this walkthrough is
copyrighted.

Any attempt to reproduce anything from this
walkthrough

will be severely punished to the maximum
extent of the law.

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The Walkthrough

GENERALLY:

           
Please, disregard anything that you might have heard or read to the
contrary.  This is in fact a very easy point-and-click game.  It is
also what I would call a “fair” game.  I am sure many of you
have played games where the solutions to puzzles were quite
“counter-intuitive.”  The developers of these games do not seem
to realize that the use of such “techniques” makes the puzzles hard
only because their “solutions” would never work in real life. 
Thus, instead of being fascinated by the developers’ ingenuity, the gamers are
only aggravated by the trickery.  I am happy to tell you that Still Life 2
is not such a game.

THE
MANUAL:

           
As I mentioned, the game is actually quite easy, mainly because everything
flows so logically.  All you have to do is put yourself in the position of
the main character and you will realize what you need to do.  But while
the game is pretty easy in that sense, the game play can be somewhat
complex if you are unfamiliar with the basic “mechanics” of the
game.  It would be a good idea, therefore, to at least skim through the
manual to become familiar with those basics.  You will find that manual on
the DVD itself.  Here is how to get to it.  Click on START;
then, go to

ALL PROGRAMS > MICROIDS > STILL LIFE 2
> STILL LIFE 2 MANUAL

           
You need to skim through only 10 pages actually (pages 4-13, according to the
numbering in the toolbar at the top of the screen), starting with the section
called “The Story” and ending with the one called
“Dialogs.”  Feel free to just print out pages 4-13, to make it
easier to refer to them, as needed, as you play the game.

BUILT-IN HELP:

           
To be perfectly honest, I did not turn this feature on.  I just love a
good challenge, you know!  So I cannot tell you just how helpful it really
is.  But you can read about this feature on page 11 of the Manual. 
You can find the feature in the game itself as follows.

Click on OPTIONS
in the Main Menu.

Click on GAME
in the top-right corner of the Options menu.

The “HELP
SYSTEM ACTIVATED” is the second item on the Game Menu.

Please, be sure to check what the default
setting is on Help.  I believe that it is actually “yes.” 
So, if you would rather not have any help, you need to click “no.”

SAVES:

           
Game manuals and walkthrough-writers will often tell you that you must save
your game frequently.  That might not be a good idea in this
game.  I hate to tell you this but the developers were extremely unwise in
this respect.  For one thing, it is a long game.  It is also quite
complex, just full of rich graphics and sounds.  The downside is that each
saved game therefore takes up a lot of space on your hard drive, anywhere from
8-10 megabytes.  So, depending on how many games you save, you can easily
clutter up the available space on your hard drive.  In other words, depending
on how large your hard drive is, it can really slow down your game… If that
was not bad enough, the developers did not provide an option to simply delete
an old game from the ones showing on your Load Menu.  While you can “overwrite”
an earlier game by saving a new one on it, the computer still retains the IMAGE
of the overwritten save.  Frankly, I have no idea why the developers
considered it important to save the image of a game on your computer even after
you deleted the game itself.  But the bottom line is that, depending on
the number of times you overwrite, the images of the overwritten games still
linger on, taking up unnecessary space on your hard drive, and possibly slow
down your game.

           
Now I know how useful it is to save frequently, and how painful it can be to
have to go back a long way if something happens and you have to resort to your
last save.  And believe me, as easy as it is to play this game and even
though you do get more than enough time to beat the timed sequences, it is
still possible to fail.  In that case, it is Game Over, of course; and,
unlike some games which automatically start you off from the point where you
ran out of time, this game requires you to reload an earlier save. 
So, yes, that can be a pain, especially if that save was a long way
back.  It can also be rather confusing, trying to remember what you had or
had not already done before you had saved the game.

           
In short, the lack of foresight on the developers’ part has created quite a dilemma
for the gamers.  I would definitely not encourage anyone to fiddle
with the saved games in the Programs folder of your computer, especially if you
have little or no experience in that respect.  The best advice that I can
give you is: do save as frequently as you feel comfortable, but just make sure
you have plenty of space on your hard drive.

THE STORY:

           
If you have played Still Life, then you might recall how that story was divided
between two characters: Victoria Mcpherson (the heroine) and her grandfather,
Gus Mcpherson.  As you might also recall, the grandfather’s story was
already wrapped up in that game, but the heroine’s ended up in something of a
cliffhanger.  We never found out who the killer was!

           
Now I don’t want to spoil anyone’s fun.  So I will not give anything away
about the plot of the present game.  Rather, my intention is just to
introduce you to the structure of the story itself, so no one will get
confused in any way.  Basically, this game is also divided between two
characters: Victoria Mcpherson (our old heroine again) and Paloma
Hernandez (a reporter).  Both their stories take place in the same
timeline: the present.  From time to time, however, the heroine Victoria
(or Vic) will have flashbacks from an earlier time: 2005.  In order
to avoid any confusion, therefore, I have divided up the following walkthrough
into sections according to the two characters as well as the different time
lines for Victoria.  You will get a better idea of what I mean as you read
the walkthrough.

           
Well, that’s all I can think of by way of any general instructions.  So
let’s get on with a more step-by-step walkthrough of the game.  Hope you
will enjoy it.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * *

Prologue/Los Angeles (Victoria: 2005)

           
The opening cutscene is actually the final cutscene from Still Life, which is a
great way to start the game, reminding us of how that first game had
ended.  That final cutscene from the first game is followed by another
cutscene, the beginning of the present game.  We are told that we are in
Los Angeles, and that the date is January 2, 2005.  This is actually a
flashback.  The real story, i.e., that of the present game, begins
in 2008.  The flashbacks actually serve as fillers, to help us understand
how we got from the end of the previous game to the present one.

           
The cutscenes are immediately followed by a phone call from Claire.  As
you will recall, she was the coroner in the previous story, and also a friend
and one-time teacher of our heroine, Vic.  Exhaust all topics of the
conversation with her.  At the end of the conversation, a box entitled
“Objectives” will pop up in the upper-left corner of the
screen.  If you listen closely, you will also notice a short pause in the
background music at this point.

           
Check your Objectives.  Then, check your messages: you have two, both from
Richard.  Just click on the Envelope icon in the lower-right-corner
of the phone screen, as explained above.  The next phone screen will show
two envelopes, on the left; and the name of the person who sent the message and
the date that the message had been sent, on the right of each envelope. 
Click on these envelopes, one by one, to hear each message.  When you are
done exploring everything you would like to explore on the phone (or in the
inventory), click on the right mouse button again to return to your game.

           
Click on the bed behind Vic, to get a close up.  There are a lot of papers
strewn about, but only 4 are of interest: The Los Angeles Murders File, A
Newspaper Clipping, A Brochure of the Ackerman Exhibit, and A Newspaper
Article.  Note the Phone icon that appears on each of these
documents the first time you click on them.  Each time you click on a
document, you will hear a tone sound and the image of a large “T”
in will appear in the upper-left corner of the screen.  The Phone icon
indicates that the information will be transferred to your Smartphone. 
The “T” image indicates that the information has been
transferred.  The first time you click on such documents, you will be
automatically presented with the information you are collecting.  If you
would like to refer to the information later in the game, just go to your
inventory, click on your Smartphone, and then click on the Documents folder, as
described in the yellow text box above.  Note:  Be sure to
click on the “>” in the top-right corner of the document
(right of the page number), if any, in order to read the rest of the pages in
that document!

           
After you have clicked on the Phone icon, and the information has been
transferred to your phone, the next time you look at the item in the game, it
will have a simple (what I will call a “White Eye“) icon on
it.  Click on the four items on the bed again, and Vic will tell you only
what they are.  In order to read the documents themselves, you will have
to refer to them in your Smartphone, as described above.

           
Step out of the close-up on the bed, to hear another tone sound and receive
another notification in the upper-left corner of the screen.  You have
received a text message from Claire.  So click on your right mouse button
to open the inventory screen, click on your Smartphone, and then click on the
Envelope icon in the lower-right corner of the screen (unless you already have
that page showing on your phone).  Note that Claire’s message appears as a
closed envelope, while the other two messages that you have already checked
appear as open envelopes.  Click on Claire’s envelope.  She has
texted us the code to the FBI database: 96Ha)7Mn.

           
Without moving the heroine around just yet, move your cursor around on the set
of brown drawers in the upper-left corner of the screen.  A hand icon will
appear along with the words “Transformer With Cord” and the
words “2 case(s)” under it. Click on the hand icon to pick up
the Transformer.  Your inventory screen will automatically come up showing
the Transformer there. 

           
Close up on the papers on the floor on the left of the bed.  You will see
a White Eye icon on each of the two colored paintings, which are of Ackerman’s
Victims.  No information will be transferred to your Smartphone, however.

           
Click on the magnifying glass icon on the grayish picture in the lower-right
corner of the screen, to get a close up of a black-and-white picture of a
mask.  Click on the picture to hear Vic’s comment.  Step out of the
close up on the picture, and into the one on the computer.  Click on the
computer to learn that you need to learn that its power is dying.  Note
the Tool icon on the power outlet in the wall, which is down left of the
table.  Bring out the Transformer with Cord and attach it to that
power outlet.  It will be automatically attached to the computer as
well.  So just click on the Gear icon on the computer, to start your
research.

           
As you start the computer, you will be presented with two possible
searches.  Do the Internet Search first.  Exhaust the four
topics, one by one, but note that a fifth topic will be added after you have
checked out the first one.  Note that none of this information is
transferred to your Smartphone and, therefore, will not be available for
reference later in the game.  So read as carefully as you like, but try
not to miss anything.  The information is really not that critical, which
is why it is not recorded for you.  But it is still useful, to help follow
the story line.  As always, don’t forget to click on the “>”
to the right of the page number to read the information on the succeeding
page(s).

           
After exhausting the topics in the Internet search, do the FBI Database
Search.  You need to provide a password, and three choices will be
automatically presented to you.  Pick the first one, which had been texted
to you by Claire: 96HA)7MN.

           
As the access is granted, you will be presented with 6 topics.  READ THE TOPICS FROM TOP TO BOTTOM,
because a cutscene will automatically follow as soon as you step out of the
close up on the information given for the topic at the bottom of the list of
topics, i.e., on Henry Allen.  So be sure to read everything
you would like to read (either in the Internet Search or the FBI Database
Search) before reading the information on Henry Allen in the FBI
Database Search.  Note the vertical scroll bar on the right of the only
two topics on which you will find any information.  Just click at the
arrowhead at the bottom of the scroll bar to scroll down the page.  After
you finish reading about Henry Allen, and step out of the close up, a series of
cutscenes will follow that will eventually bring you to the present time
(2008), and switch the story now from the point-of-view of the other character,
Paloma Hernandez.

Killer’s House (Paloma: 2008)

The Bedroom

           
Exhaust all topics of the conversation.  Another cutscene will
follow.  It is time now to explore the room.  Start by looking at the
camera in the upper-right corner of the ceiling.  Close up on the broken
mirror on the gray table on your right, to learn about the collar on Paloma’s
neck.  Step out of that close up, and close up next on the drawer under
the mirror.  Pick up the NAIL FILE.  Step out of this close up
and click on the lower-right corner of the screen to bring Paloma to the
fireplace, further down that side of the room.  Note the box icon on the
wardrobe on your right.  This icon indicates Storage Space.  [As
explained earlier in the yellow text-box entitled “Inventory Space
& Storage,” you can use Storage Spaces to deposit some items from
your inventory to allow you to pick up more items from your surroundings.]

           
Click on the “entryway” (the gray panel with the red light on top),
which is to the right of the Storage, to hear Paloma’s comment.  Click on
the right of that entryway to learn the purpose of both the collar and the
entryway.  Don’t worry though.  Even though Paloma’s collar will give
her some kind of an electric shock, all that means is that she cannot go past
that entryway.  She will not get hurt badly enough to require any
first-aid.

           
Go to the left, to approach the television set and the bed.  Click on the
television, but it is not working.  Pick up the RUSTY TELESCOPIC
ANTENNA.  Before doing anything further, click on the bottom-center of
the screen to bring Paloma in front of the door.  Use the RUSTY
TELESCOPIC ANTENNA on the light switch left of the door, to turn on both
the television on your right and the lights in the left part of the room. 
Click on the television now to get a cutscene and hear another comment from
Paloma.

           
Click on the electrical outlet on the wall left of the television to unplug the
cable from the television.  Paloma will refuse to touch that cable (for
now), because the other end of the cable is still plugged into the electrical
outlet.  Click on the entryway left of that outlet, and then close up on
the plate at the bottom of that entryway.  Click on the plate to learn
about the screws.  Use the NAIL FILE to remove the four screws, one
by one, from the plate.  Right-click on the mouse to put away the nail
file; and then, click on the plate to remove it.  Click inside on the
circuit board.  Step out of the close up, and click on the cable coming
out of the electrical outlet.  Paloma will attach the live wire to the
entryway’s circuit board, thus short-circuiting all three entryways in the
room.  You can move freely around the room now.

           
Click on the lower-left part of the screen to bring Paloma to the door. 
Click on the door, but it is locked.  Note another electrical outlet under
the light switch, to the left of the door.  We will need this outlet
later.  For now, move further left along the wall.  Click on the
stove, and then close up on it.  Pick up the POKER.  Then,
click on the half-burnt flyer in the stove.  Step out of the close
up.  Click on the wedding dress and the camera on the ceiling above it.

           
Click on the boarded window on your left.  Use the POKER to remove
the boards.  Close up on the window.  A short cutscene will follow
and Paloma will comment.  We will need to use the mattress from the bed,
but that will take up our entire inventory space.  So put all of the items
currently in your inventory into the storage/wardrobe.  Go to the bed,
pick up the mattress, and return to the window.  Bring out the mattress
from the inventory and click on the tool icon on the window.  A longer
cutscene will follow.

Outside the House

           
Note another storage space (some kind of a dumpster) next to the house. 
Click on the footsteps icon to go up the stairs.  Try the front door, but
it is locked.  Click on the two windows left of the door, but you cannot
enter the house from there either.  Come back down the stairs and click on
the icon just left of Paloma, to learn about the tire tracks. (See picture
below)

           
Click on the tree indicated in the above picture to go to the left side of the
house.  Note: it is okay if you accidentally click on the gear icon
that appears around that area.  Doing so will also bring you to the left
part of the house and, although Paloma will get an electrical shock from the
fence there, she will not be hurt enough to require first-aid.

           
As you arrive on the left side of the area, click on the fence gate in front of
you, to find that there is an electric current running through that gate as
well.  Paloma will get a shock but, as mentioned earlier, she will not get
hurt enough to require first-aid.  Click on the wooden plank lying
diagonally on the ground left of the fence gate.  Paloma will identify it
as a “Railway Tie” with the letters B-A-R on it.  Pick up the WOOD
BEAM from the pile of logs stacked up on your left.  Then keep
clicking at the bottom-center of your screen until you bring Paloma down to the
area where you can see the truck parked on your left.  NOTE: 
You can double-click to make Paloma run.

           
Close up on the back of the truck.  Click on the box, but it is
locked.  Step out of the close up and click on the truck’s door on your
right.  Paloma will comment.  Try to open that door, but it too is
locked.  Use the WOOD BEAM to break the window in that door, and
close up on the window.  Pick up the DISCHARGED CELL PHONE from the
driver’s seat.  Paloma comments, and a “New Objective” will
appear in the upper-left corner of the screen (but we do not have the means to
check out such objectives just yet).  Pick up the SMALL KEY from
the space between the two seats.  (See picture below)

           
Step out of this close up and into the one on the back of the truck
again.  Use the SMALL KEY to open the box there.  Click on the
red & white can (labeled “Motor Oil”) on your right, to learn
about the receipts under that can.  Pick up the CHARGER &
DICTAPHONE lying left of the can.  Finally, click on the black purse
on your left.

           
We need to go back up to the room on the second floor, but the window we had used
to come down is too high.  You must have notice a ladder by the stacked
logs in the left side of the house, but it will take up the maximum space in
our inventory.  So go to the dumpster/Storage on the right side of the
house (under the window we had used to come down from the second floor). 
Deposit all the items from your inventory into that Storage.  Now go to
the left side of the house, pick up the LADDER, and return to the right
side of the house.  Bring out the ladder from your inventory and click on
the tool icon that appears on the second-floor window.  Retrieve the items
you had deposited in the Storage and then, click on the gear icon that now
appears on the second-floor window, to return to the room on the second floor.

           
Feel free to retrieve the items you had deposited earlier in the wardrobe, but
note that having these items does not seem to affect the storyline in
anyway.  You will have to rearrange the items already in your inventory to
accommodate those recovered from the wardrobe.

Go to the door (by clicking a couple of times
in the lower-left part of the screen).  Separate the Charger from the
Dictaphone by clicking on CHARGER & DICTAPHONE in your inventory,
and then on the “Separate” icon on the right of the inventory. 
A New Objective will appear in the upper-left corner of the screen. 

Note: You can
now check your Objectives in the Dictaphone.  Click on the Matrix on the
right if you would like to bring up the inventory again.

Combine the Charger with the Cell Phone by
clicking on either one of these items, then on the “Combine” icon on
the right of the inventory, and then on the other item with which you are
combining the first item.  Attach the resulting CELL PHONE &
CHARGER to the electrical outlet under the light switch left of the
door.  A cutscene and a dialog will follow. 

Note:  You will be able to cover
only three of the five topics before you are interrupted.  So be sure to
give Victoria the maximum possible information you have collected:  Flyer,
Gas Station Bill, and the Railroad Tie.

           
A cutscene will follow, and the story will switch to Victoria’s point-of-view.