Ratcheteer
Released on 2022-07-04 | ||
Made by Shaun Inman, Matthew Grimm, and Charlie Davis | ||
Download: Season One, Catalog, Week 12 | ||
79.9 MB. |
Your master mechanic is abducted during some unplanned maintenance, setting off a lo-fi, top-down, action-adventure that finds the young Ratcheteer exploring the interconnected tunnels below the surface and a vast snowcean above to rescue friends, foes, and strangers alike.
-Ratcheteer's game page[1]
Ratcheteer is a game developed by Shaun Inman, Matthew Grimm, and Charlie Davis.
Plot
The story is set in a planet that has received a comet impact, provoking what is known as the Impact Winter. 7 generations have arrived since this event. Humanity has split into two factions, the Lifers and the Freezers. The Lifers endeavor to survive in the cold surface, while the Freezers decided to freeze themselves cryogenically until the planet warms. The Freezers live underground and have built Cryo Colonies and industrial plants, to hold the frozen people and provide the required power and water supply. The Freezers are woken up each 10 years to perform maintenance tasks.
The protagonist is a Freezer orphan that works as a mechanic and lives in the underground Mechanic Town, that is in charge of the Power Plant. When he wakes up, he is informed by the Master Mechanic that there has been a power outage and needs him to reactivate the plant. When the boy succeeds, he discovers that the Master Mechanic has been abducted by some creatures and decides to chase them through the caverns.
In the tunnels next to the surface he encounters a group of Lifers that have rescued the Master Mechanic from a group of aliens called the Astrals, that run away. The Lifers explain that their children have been kidnapped by some Freezers that took them to a near Cryo Colony, and informs that they will not release the Master Mechanics until the children are freed.
The mechanic visits the Cryo Colony and frees all the frozen children that have been apparently kidnapped by the Astrals. As the children join the Lifers, the Master Mechanic is also released.
While visiting the Lifers' village in the Surface, the protagonist is informed that some Astrals have burrowed into the Greenhouse, and is asked to have a look. After finding the Astrals, who have been stealing vegetables to avoid starvation, they ask you for help and meet the Elders that live in an outpost in the middle of the Snowcean.
The mechanic finds a catboat and sails into the Snowcean to meet the Astral Elders. During the visit, he discovers that the aliens developed a technology in their own planet called the Astral Intelligence to preserve their culture. This Intelligence reached the core of the planet and destroy its core. Some of the Astrals managed to escape in a piece of their planet, that was identified by the Humans as a comet, and hit the current one, bringing with them inadvertently a robot called the Destroyer that was part of the Astral Intelligence. The Destroyer is now slaving the Astrals to extract ore from the Mines and take it to the Impact Crater, where the Destroyer consumes it to sustain itself. The Astrals expect that the Destroyer will end up destroying this planet too. The Astrals are also concerned by the Freezers using advanced technology as cryogenization to imprison themselves, as it happened to them. The group of Astrals within the Outpost are a group that escaped from the Mines.
They tell the ratcheteer about their exiled leader and that he is the only one that knows the direction to the mines. He is found living as an hermit behind a waterfall, and explains that he preferred to be a sea explorer than remain in the island, and provides the directions to the mines.
In the mines, the protagonist frees the miners and knows that the Destroyer is ready to find its way into the planet core, destroying it in the same way it did to the previous planet. He also gets an Astral laser that is equipped in a Steam Mech built by the Freezer Smith in Mechanic Town.
Piloting the Steam Mech, the mechanic confronts the Destroyer in the Impact Crater and destroys it, saving the planet and provoking a small eruption that he escapes by gliding with a sail.
Gameplay
Mechanics
Tips
Tools
The Ratcheteer uses tools in the same way Link in Zelda gets objects.
The tools featured in the game are, in order of appearance:
- Crank Lantern
- Hand Lens
- Wrench Sword
- Jump Spring
- Drill Shield
- Snow Sail
- Roll Armor
- Steam Mech
Steam Mech parts
Steam Mech parts, in order of appearance:
- Gate Valve
- Trunk Piston
- Knuckle Joint
- Exhaust Fan
- Laser
Walkthrough
The original author Shaun Inman published some hints on his personal website. They are based on the feedback from players writing on this Reddit post.
The hints contained on the link above should be enough to let you pass the game without getting stuck. Sometimes you'll need to take a break and resume it again before coming up to the solution. You can also use the walkthrough below, but probably you'll ruin much of the fun.
Mechanic Town
The first two areas are covered in this video walkthrough by thrillhouse.vanhouten.
You wake up inside the Apprentice Barracks in the underground Mechanic Town, during an outage. Talk to the Master Mechanic. Open the treasure next to where you wake up to get the Crank Lantern.
Take the stairs on your left to go to the cellar. You will find there Wren's Hand Lens in a treasure on the right.
Go back to the ground. Talk to the Master Apprentice in the outside. He tells you you need to find a wrench.
Go south and find the Mechanictown square. Talk to all the characters; Chess will tell you that you should find the wrench in the Master Mechanic's house.
If you go south you'll find the Metalsmith. The smith tells you that to get a Steam Mech you need to collect its parts and ore.
Go north twice to reach the Gopher Crossing. You need to scare them with a lantern. In case they're blocking your way, move away and then shine them again, and they may change their position. In this way, make your way to the west. Keep going to the west, avoiding another gopher. Then jump from a platform to the south. You will reach the Master Mechanic's Mill. Read the books, go up and keep reading them.
You can conclude that you belong to a guild of mechanics that should provide power from a Plant for the Cryo Colonies. They are placed in an underground so people can be frozen with the hope of surviving to an comet collision that has provoked what the called the Impact Winter, that freezes the planet surface.
Now open the treasure, where you will find the Wrench Sword. Leave the mill. Use the wrench to destroy the cones and find your way to the south. You can start collecting life and ore by killing enemies or destroying small rocks.
Go south and keep killing the enemies, then go to the east. Jump from the platform and you will go back to the smith. If you talk to the smith, he'll ask you about something that happened in the square. Go north and talk to Wren, that will inform you that creatures kidnapped the Master Mechanic.
Go to the east and talk to Chess, next to the bridge. He will give you the Power Plant Key. If you read the sign next to the bridge, it'll inform you that you need power from the plant to activate the bridge. As the creatures live beyond the bridge, you need to cross the bridge to find the Master Mechanics. Because of this, you need to find the Power Plant and reactivate power supply.
Go north. Go north again but taking the route on your right. Go north again. In this cell, you will find bats that are attracted to the light. You can switch it off to let them sleep or kill the bats as they approach you. Follow the path to leave to the west. You will find the Power Plan on this screen. Use the key to unlock it.
Power Plant
Go to the north twice. Avoid the balls hitting you, as you cannot kill them. When you get the boss door, use the wrench to break the box and then use it again with the crank to change the switchable path to a horizontal position.
Go to the west to find a door that you cannot open. Take the stairs up.
Come closer to the L structure that is up and use the crank with the wrench to change its position until you can find your way. The treasure cannot be reached for now. Go to the east twice. Break the boxes with the wrench to clear the way. Leave to the west. Avoid the ball and get the treasure, that contains the rune E. There is one Astral Rune for each letter of the Latin alphabet, and you need to collect all of them to understand the Astral language.
Go back to the previous screen, and now break the boxes to get the stairs to the east.
Back in the ground floor, go to the east twice. You will reach a treasure that contains a key. If you may remember, there was a door with a normal key in same cell where you are. Jump from the platform and reach the door to open it.
Open the lock door. Then use the wrench with the crank to move the platforms to make your way to the treasure. You will find the boss key.
Go back twice to get the boss door and unlock it. You will need to move the platform to its vertical position. Open the boss door.
The Power Plant boss can be defeated by blinding him with the lantern time enough to force it to leave the whole, and then hitting the eyeball with the Wrench. Avoid being caught by the tail shots. Hit it 3 times to kill it.
Go north. There is a giant switch that is activated by hitting the wrench and the crank. Once is activated, all the light will come back to the Power Plant and Mechanic town. In this screen, the light will activate the bridge. Open the treasure to get the the Gate Valve, that is the first of the Mech parts.
Go south and take the teleporter to the Power Plant entrance. Leave the Power Plant and go back to Mechanic Town.
Back to the Mechanic Town
Talk to the Metalsmith in the entrance, that will inform you to bring him the Mech parts to be able to repair the Steam Mech.
Go back to the Gopher Pathway and in the second screen where the lonely gopher is go north to find a cell where there is a railway (cell E3). There is a treasure that can be accessed by breaking the cone with the wrench. You will find 10 pieces of ore.
If you go to the Metalsmith, he'll ask you for 25 pieces of ore to start working on the Valve. You may need to collect more in the mines, but just ensure you give each Mech part you get to him as you will need the Steam Mech at some point to complete the game.
Go back to the bridge, to the west of the square. Use the lantern to activate it and cross it to enter the Greater Caverns.
Greater Caverns
When facing the flame enemies you can kill with the wrench, but just be aware that they split into lesser instances when hit. Beware also of the hole tiles. There may be many areas that cannot be explored because we're missing the tools to access them. The galleries are quite labyrinthine and we need to take a big detour to take where we want. As the area is plenty or small rocks, take advantage to collect ore.
While exploring, you may find the Water Treatment Plant, but we need a key to open it.
To get the Water Treatment Plant key, stay in the entrance of the cavern and go north, east, east (this is the turtle cell), north, jump down from the platform to go west, north, east, east, south, south, south and then west. You will find an where rests an illuminated abandoned house, that is Community Center.
Enter the Community Center and read all the books. You can use the lens and lantern to ensure you don't miss any of them. You'll discover that there are two factions: the Freezers, that are already frozen in the Cryo Colonies and may wake up only once each 10 years, and the Lifers, that are not frozen. You'll also learn that the Cryo Colonies need power and water supply, so accessing the Plant Power Plant to ensure that it works may be of your interest. Exit the Community Center.
Go to the west and enter the Relay Station. You are inform that its inhabitants had to be abandoned recently due to the creatures raids, that there a trail south the Community Center and the next tool, that is the Jump Spring.
Go to the west to find the Astral Rune W within a treasure.
Go back to the Community Center, slash a cone in the south and find the alternative exit to the east. Go north, north, north, west and enter the gate. You will find here the exiled Water Treatment Plant mechanics. Talk to the Master's husband to receive the Treatment Plan Key.
Go to the west, reach the end of the tunnel and go south. Jump from the platform, and then go south, east, south and east the reach the Water Treatment Plant entrance. Use the key to unlock it.
Water Treatment Plant
Go to the north and find a room with jumping platforms. You can aim your direction while jumping. Go to the east. Jump up the platform to reach the other side. Switch off the lantern and go north. Avoid the bats and go west. Avoid the eyeballs and go west. Open the treasure that contains a key.
Go back to the bats' room and take the north exit. Go west. Jump over the jumping platforms and get the door to the north. Use the key to open it. Go to the north of the room and descend to the right of the treasure. You will find there the Jump Spring.
Go back to the jumping platform room and head west, then south. In this room you need to get the lateral platform before reaching the south part. Exit to the south. In the turtle's room, go to the left and find a treasure with a key. Then jump over the turtles, slash them with the wrench and repeat the process to kill them.
Go back to the room to the north of the bats' room (cell 4F). Descend from the platform and then jump right to get the treasure. It contains the Astral Rune N.
Go south, south and east. You will find a door in the south that can be unlocked with the key. In the crab room, go to the right to find a treasure with the boss key. Now jump over the crabs and kill them with the wrench to unlock the door.
Go back to the bat's room (cell 5F) and use the wrench and spring to kill the bats while they sleep. Jump next to the light sensor and active the bridge. Go to the east. Reach the south exit. Open the treasure to get a heart fragment.
Come back to the room and reach the boss door to the north. Unlock it using the key.
The boss is a robot that creates a double wave on the floor when it jumps. Jump to avoid the wave. It jumps 3 times and then walks some steps. Take advantages when it takes the steps to reach the head by jumping and using the head. Remind that the tools swap position while jumping, so it is enough to press the A button twice while the spring is the primary tool and the wrench is the secondary to slash while jumping. Hit the robot 4 times to destroy it.
Go north. There is another giant switch. to connect the Water Treatment Plant. Jump over the button and walk towards to on position to switch the Water Treatment Plant on. Open the treasure to find another Steam Mech part, the Trunk Piston. Go to the south and take the teleport to go back to the plant entrance.
In the first room of the Treatment Plant, jump over the hole with the Spring and push the moving block to the west to get the treasure. It is the Astral Rune S.
Leave the Water Treatment Plant.
Back in the Greater Caverns
Now you have the Spring, you may explore some part of the Greater Caverns that were unexplored before. However, not all places within the cavern have been unlocked yet, as other tools are still necessary.
Go to the east twice and get the Community Center. You will find here the water treatment plant apprentice, that will tell you that he opened a new tunnel. Take it and go north and east to find the Water Treatment Plant Master and her husband. Talk to them to find out that the creatures moved north, so that will be your next move to rescue your Master. Take the exit south.
Jump on the platform to go to the west. Open a treasure that is on the left. It is Astral Rune T. If you enter there you will get the Tunnels area. Before entering we must take some treasures that can be reached now with the spring.
Go back to the east, to the south exit of the Water Treatment Plant mechanics hideout. Jump south to take the west exit. Go west, west, south, west, south and jump the platfotm down. Go east, kill the gophers, west, pass the turtles and take the upper exit to the west. Jump over the hole, jump down the platform and keep jumping to the right. You will reach a treasure that contains the Astral Rune X.
To go back to Mechanic Town from there, head north, west, jump down the platform and go west, west, south, jump the platform down, west, west, south then east.
Go to the square to talk to Wren and Chess. Go to the north, north, kill the gophers or take the cone shortcut and go west, south and jump down the platform and go south. In this place (cell 6E) you can jump the hole and find a treasure. It contains a second Heart Fragment.
Go to the Power Plant. Remember that from the square you need to go east, north, north and west. Avoid the portal, go north, north, west, west and go upstairs. Go east, east, east and jump over the holes to take the stairs down. There, you will find a treasure that contains 25 pieces of ore.
In your way back, stop in the room where there are two L platforms (cell 2E). Put the L piece down facing east and south. Jump up to reach the platform and get the treasure. You can push the darker stone north to get the stairs down. You will find here a third Heart Fragment. There are no more treasures in this plant.
Visit the Metalsmith, to the south of the square, and give the Piston and 50 pieces of ore to keep repairing the Steam Mech.
Now go back to the Greater Caverns and head for the Tunnels. The quickest way from the Greater Caverns entrance is heading north, east, south from the east exit, east, east (reaching the Relay Station), east and take the Apprentince's tunnel. Go north, east and south. Jump to go to the west and take the tunnels entrance.
Tunnels
Go to the west, north, east, east (there are 3 crabs in this room) north, north, north all the way to get a campament of Lifers. Talk to all of them, and you will find that they have already rescued your Master from an Astral raiding party. It is confirmed that the "creatures" so far are alien faction called the Astrals.
They also informed you that some Lifers' kids have been kidnapped by Freezers and taken to a nearby Cryo Plant. They are also retaining your Master until they are freed. After you know about the kidnapping, talk again to the Master so he tells you that you must talk to the Metalsmith back in Mechanic Town to get the Cryo Plant.
Enter the tent and read the 3 books.
To go to the Metalsmith, jump into the well. Go south and then east to find a treasure with 50 pieces of ore. Jump down from the platform and take a portal that takes you right to the Metalsmith. Talk to him and he'll give you the Cryo Colony Key.
Go to the square to the north to tell Wren and Chess that you found the Master.
Unfortunately, you cannot use the well to go back to the Tunnels directly with the current tools, so you need to the Tunnels via the Greater Caverns again. Follow the previous directions to reach the Tunnels from the Greater Caverns.
Go to the west, jump the holes to the west and go to the north, reaching cell 7F. Jump in diagonal twice with the spring to get the treasure, that contains the Astral Rune Z.
Go to the west and north. In this room take the treasure to the left. It contains 10 pieces of ore. Jump to the east and take the north exit. Go to the west and north. You can jump in diagonal to reach the platform. Go north to find a cascade. Find a hidden entrance behind the cascade.
This is the house of an Astral hermit. Talk to him and read the books, but you will find that is mostly incomprehensible at this part of the game. The runes that we have already found will be automatically converted to Latin alphabet. Open the chest to find Astral rune V. Remember this place as you'll have to come back later in the game. It will be marked in the map with a waterfall icon.
Go south twice and take the southwest exit. You will find a treasure here with 25 pieces of ore. Go back to the previous room and take the east exit. Then go to south, south, east and south to almost come back to the Tunnels entrance.
Go back to the Lifers camp and talk to your Master. From the camp site, go south, then southwest, west and jump down from the platform. Go to the west to find a room full of bats. Go to the north to find the Cryo Colony. Use the key to unlock the door and enter.
Cryo Colony
Go to the north and get flush by the pipes. Go to the west, jump down and take the exit to the north, then go to the east. Jump on the stairs north and go to the west. Take the exit to the north.
You'll reach a room full of crabs. Open the treasure to find a standard key. Kill all the crabs with the spring and wrench to unlock the door closed behind you. Leave the room.
Jump down the platform and exit south. Go to the west. Find your way to the lock door to the north and open it with the key. In the next room, take the stairs up.
In the dark room, jump down and open the treasure. You will find a new tool, the Drill Shield. Move the crank without clicking any button and then move forward with the D-pad to break the cracked wall to the east, and use it again to find your way back to the stairs.
Downstairs, use the drill to protect yourself while you sidewalk and avoid being flushed by the water. Break the east wall.
Go to the east. Break the east wall to get a treasure, that is the Astral Rune A.
Go back to the west, then south and take the stairs to the left. Then go downstairs and leave west. Use the Drill Shield to reach the east exit.
Protect yourself with the drill and reach the first trampoline while holding the shield to start side jumping. Go to the north to find a treasure with 25 pieces of ore.
Back in the pipes room, go back to the start point and take the path in the north instead the trampolines and go north. You'll find an enemy that can be killed using the drill and the crank. Go upstairs. Break the wall to the west and protect yourself with the drill to get through the pipes and leave to the west.
You will find a room where the kidnapped children sleep. You need to kill 2 enemies with the drill to unlock the doors. Instead of going to the south, drill the wall to the north and go there. Use the lantern and the drill to drill all cracked walls. You will find the Astral Rune O. Take the stairs to the right.
In this screen, use the drill to block the stream while you move to the trampoline behind you. You will find a treasure with the boss key.
Go back to the cryo children room and go south. Drill the wall to the east. Move the L platform to the right position and go back to go to the west. You will get to the boss door in cell 8C, but before entering drill the wall to the south to open a shortcut to cell 8C. This will be helpful in case you need to restart the fight.
The boss skips before attacking with whirlings. The way to hurt it is using the drill with the crank during some seconds. Then it will start whirling and stones will start falling from the ceiling. Ensure you keep moving in one direction while they fall to avoid getting hurt. Hurt it 4 times and you'll kill it.
Go north to the treasure room and drill the north wall. Open the chest to get another Steam Mech part, the Knucle Joint. Talk to the Lifer girl and boy that just woke up. Take the portal to the entrance and go back to the tunnels.
Back in the Tunnels
Revisit the Tunnels. Go south to the bats' room, then east, then north through the left entrance. You will find a cracked wall. Drill it, and also the other cracked wall within the same room. Leave to the east. You will find a chest containing Astral Rune K.
Go to the right of the screen, and leave to the south, then south to find cell 7H, where the 3 crabs are, and drill the south wall. There is a chest there that cannot be collected for now.
From the crab's room, go to the west, west, south, go to the left of the screen and go north, then west and start jumping over the platforms. You will find that there is a cracked wall to the south. Open your way to the south. You will find here a friendly chirpmunk that only speaks Astral (and though you don't know it know, it just ways "chirp, chirp". It will follow you. This is optional, as its "chirp" may be annoying.
Go to the Greater Caverns. From the entrance to the Tunnels, jump to the bottom of the screen, go east, east, then east. There is a cracked wall to the north. Drill it to find another entrance to the tunnels. The first room is full of chirps. There is a chest but you cannot get it. Go to the west and you will find another room you cannot visit. Go back to the Greater Caverns.
There is another cracked wall to the east. There is a chest you cannot get there yet. Go to the south to find a chest. It contains 25 pieces of Ore.
Jump down the platform and drill the cracked wall to the East. This is just a shortcut. Go to the east, then south, jump down the platform and go to the right, go to the south and then east to find the Treatment Plant.
You can get the Treatment Plant from the first (or east) entrance to the Tunnels going to the east, take the tunnel north, then west, south and south to exit the tunnel. Go to the east twice.
Get into in the Treatment Plant, go to the north, east, north (bats' room), north, west and west. Once you get the northwest corner (cell 4D), use the drill to open the cracked wall. The treasure contains 50 pieces of Ore. Trace back your steps to head back.
Head to Mechanic Town. Talk to your friends in the square. Go to the Master Mechanic's Mill and talk to the Master. He will tell you to ensure that the Lifers got their way to the surface. Visit the Smith to give the Knucle Joint and 100 pieces of ore to keep repairing the Steam Mech.
Jump the well next to the Smith. You can go to the west, then drill the wall to find a portal to go to the Greater Caverns. In the screen where you drilled, go to the bottom on the screen and then go to the east. You will find that the wall is cracked to the south. Drill it, though this room cannot be accessed for now. Instead, go north and take the portal to go back to the camp in the Tunnels.
You will find that the Lifers are no longer camping there. Go to the west and use the shield to block the pipes. Go to the west again to find a treasure. It contains the Astral Rune H (cell 4F).
Go back to the previous room and go north, west, south, go to the left of the screen and take the exit north. Use the drill shield to pass the pipes, then jump over the holes and exit to the east. Break the cones and jump the whole to get a chest. It contains a Heart Fragment, and its location in cell 3G. You can drill the east wall to find a room with a chest that isn't accessible yet.
Jump down the platform, go west, then south to revisit a room. This time, break the cone with the wrench and go west. In this room, you can drill the west wall to open a shortcut. Instead of taking this way, go to the north. You will find the Lifers here, talk to them. They explain you that they have sent the Master back to Mechanic Town. Drill the north wall to get to the surface.
Surface
Go to the east to find the Lifers' village. Talk to the children that are building a snow astral. Go to the west and talk to the Tracker. Enter in the house of the Archive, and open two chests. You will find Astral runes U and I. Read all books with the magnifying glass; some of them are in Astrals and cannot be read for now. You will read about an island in the ocean where there are the creators of this world, that is a hint to an easter egg.
Go to the north. Talk to the Wife's Major and the Astral Deputy. Enter the Tracker's house. If you go to the north, you will find 25 pieces of ore. Drill the wall to the east 3 times. You will find another chest containing 50 pieces of ore. Go back to the entrance and go downstairs. You fill find another treasure here. It contains 10 pieces of ore.
Visit the Deputy's house. Read the books, then go downstairs and read the books there. Exit the house.
Go to the the east. Talk to the Major. He asks you to check the Greenhouse because some Astrals has burrowed into it. Talk to the Major's wife. Visit the Major's House. Go downstairs and open the chest that contains the Astral Rune R. Read the shelf. Exit the house.
Go to the north and then west, north, north, north and drill the cracked wall to the east. You will find a chest containing 10 pieces of ore.
Go back west, south, south, south and drill the cracked south wall. Take the stairs up and head north. Jump down and go south. There is a cracked wall to the left. There, there is a treasure that you can't get yet. There is another cracked wall to the west, drill it. It just gives you the hint of another treasure in a place where the wall has no cracks but can be drilled. Go back to where you took the jump down (east, east, north) and go west. You will reach the village. Talk to the rescued children.
Go to the east and talk to the Tracker. Enter the Archives. You will find Astral Runes I and U within their chests. Read all books; one of them can be read only with magnifying glasses. There are also books in Astral that cannot be yet read, but that will provide good hints as we pass the game.
Exit the Archives and drill the slightly cracked wall to the south. Go to the south. This cell was already visited and seen from the distance, but was unreachable. Jump over the snow to reach a chest with 10 pieces of Ore. Go back to the North.
Go to the north. Talk to the Lifer Deputy and the Tracker's Wife. Enter the Tracker's House. Go downstairs. Open the chest and read the shelf next to it. Go back upstairs and go to the north to find a treasure. Drill the east wall to go to the east, there is another chest there. Leave the Tracker's House.
Enter the Deputy's House. Read the shelves and go downstairs. Read all the shelves and leave the house.
Go to the east. Talk to the Lifer Major. He informs that some Astrals got into their Greenhouse and asks you to investigate it, giving you the key to the Greenhouse. Talk to the Major's Wife. Enter the Major's House. Go downstairs. Open the chest to the left and read all shelves. Leave the house.
Go south, move to the right and go to the north. You will find a cracked wall to the north. You can drill it but you cannot get the chest for now. Go to the east instead, then north. Use the key to unlock the Greenhouse. Enter there.
Greenhouse
Go north. Rabbit ghosts stay still while you jump, so use the spring to move to avoid to get caught when there is one of them. Go west, then north. Drill your way to the west. Go north. Move the platform so it heads north. Go to the north. You could drill your way to the west, but go north instead.
The Greenhouse map is heart-shaped, and ypu would have get the top left screen (cell 3D). There are two streams. Push the blocks next to the streams to block them and be able to get the chest, where you will find a key.
Go back south (pass the locked boss door), south, west and drill your way to the west to reach the locked standard door. Behind this door there is a treasure, where you will find another tool, the Snow Sail. Stump to get rid of the flies. Use the sail to exit the screen.
Go back to the west, then north, north and now drill the west wall. Open the chest to get another standard key. Leave the room. Go south, then south. Go back to the north. Move the rotating platform to be horizontal and manage to use the sail and leave the screen to the east. Jump and stump over the creatures to reach the chest. It contains a Heart Fragment. Leave the room.
Go to the south. The only way to pass is by jump in diagonal and drift with the sail to the next trampoline until you get the top platform. This chest contains 50 pieces of Ore. Leave the room to the east.
Go to the south and then east, reaching cell 7F. Lure the rabbit ghost to a corner of the screen, then get the chest by jumping with the sail. You will find the Astral Rune D.
Go to the east. Jump next to the stairs and stump to unlock the Shutter Stairs. Go north to find the way blocked. A mysterious creature, actually an Astral, is on the right.
Go back south and west to find the Lifer Major. He tells you the Astral may have excavated a tunnel from the East, and that he's been seen in the cliffs near the shore. Go south and leave the Greenhouse through the south.
Leave the Greenhouse through the main entrance and go to the east using the sail. Go to the south, jump down the platform and go to the east. Drill the cracked wall to get a chest that contains the Astral rune L. Go to the east to find a side entrance to the Greenhouse through a dark tunnel.
When you find the first rotating aisle in cell 6G, use the sail to get the chest that contains Astral Rune C Leave the rotating aisle in vertical position.
Go north and move the rotating aisle to leave it in horizontal position. Then go north again.
Reach the top part, rotate the platform to horizontal position and go to the east. Glide in diagonal to reach the platforms.
If you go north (cell H3) you will find a room with a treasure. You can get it by pushing the rock, and when while being pushed by the stream jump and glide before falling on any of the holes. When trapped by the stream, use the drill to cover yourself. The treasure contains a standard key. Use the drill to cover yourself while coming back.
You are back to the diagonal jump screen. Now go to the south (cell H5) and stump the enemies to get the doors open. Go to the west.
When you go to the west (cell G5), you can access the standard lock door you couldn't reach before. Use the key to unlock the door.
In this room (cell F5) there is a treasure that can be reach by gliding through the platforms. One time you will have to glide in diagonal. The treasure contains the Greenhouse Boss Key.
Come back to cell H5, where you stumped all crabs. When you find the rail tool in the next stages, you could take the rail on the east that faces north and get to open the standard lock door on cell H4.
Go back to the cell where you found the Tracker. Go to the west, north, west (replenish life with these crates), north and north. Stump to unlock the Shutter Stairs. Unlock the boss door and leave east.
The boss is in a platform in the middle, with a small size. Stump on him and reach the platform to the east, when the boss takes its final gigantic form. Each time you stump on him, it will split in lesser forms but spikes will emerge temporarily from the central platform, so ensure you come back to the side platforms as soon as possible. The least forms may even suicide themselves while you try to attack them.
Go to the west and stump on the floor to open the three freezer doors. Talk to the Tracker that was caged by the Astrals inside the right freezer. He tells you that the Astrals headed to the Snowcean. Open the chest and get the Mech piece, the Exhaust Fan.
Go back to the east and take the portal. You will be teleported to the entrance, where the Lifer Major is waiting for you. Talk to him. He'll tell you to chase the Astrals through the Snowcean. He's blocking the way to the exit, so you'll have to find your way to the east to the side entrance.
Back to the Surface
You will find two Astrals in the entrance of the tunnel. Talk to them many times. The one that speaks English will ask you to meet the the Astral Elders and give you indications in Astral about how to get the Outpost from the open Snowcean. If you have obtained letters, you should be able to understand him without issues.
east, north, west, north, east, north, east, north
Go back to the village by jumping down and going to the west, west, south, west, north, jump down the platform and go south. There should be a path to the west that you already drilled; if you didn't, then do it. Use the sail to get the treasure on this cell 7D. The chest contains 25 pieces of ore.
Get the surface village by going back to the east, north, jump down and west. Talk to all the villagers.
There is a treasure to the north of the village you (cell 4C) that can be obtained now we have the sail. To get there from the cell where the children and snow astral are, move the the right and go north. There should be a hole in the north wall that you opened before; if not, just drill it. Use the sail to get the chest, that contains 10 pieces of ore.
Drill the cracked wall to the east. Use the drill shield to pass through the pipes. Then use again the drill with the crank to destroy the block in front of the blocked pipes on the top of the screen. Then use the drill to get yourself to the second stream from the top of the screen and take advantage the momentum to jump and glide while facing towards the end of the screento the left of the screen. Remember to press left while jumping and gliding. It may take you a few tries to get it. The treasure is a Heart Fragment. Use the bottom pipes to get back.
Go back to the east, south and south, where the children are (cell 6D). Jump inside the well. There is one treasure in this room to the right, just using the wrench to break the cones. It contains 100 pieces of ore. Then go to the right part of the screen by jumping to the trampoline and gliding to the top part of the screen. Go to the north.
There is another treasure in this room. To get the chest, go west, then pass the stairs and go east, use the sail to stomp the stairs and access the treasure containing 100 pieces of ore. There are portals within these tunnels that are shortcuts to previous stages where there were wells.
Go to the east and take the portal to get the Metalsmith in Mechanic Town. Go there to give the fan and the 250 pieces of Ore required by the metalsmith. He will keep working on the Steam Mech.
Go to the north and talk to your friends. Go north, then west and enter the Master's Mill and talk to the master, that encourages you to meet the Astrals.
Go to the Tunnels. From the Mill, go east, south, east and east. From the Tunnels entrance, go to north, north, east, north and find a hole in the west side that you drilled before. If you didn't, drill the cracked wall. There is a treasure inside this room (cell 4C). It contains 50 pieces of ore. Leave the room to the east.
Go to the east, east, east, east and south to reach cell 5H. There is a treasure there that can be reached with the sail. It contains a Heart Fragment.
Go to the right entrance of the Tunnels. You can reach it from cell 5H going north, then east. In this room , you can drill a shortcut in the cracked wall to the south. Then go to the east and find the entrance to the Tunnels on the north wall.
In the Tunnels, go to the room that is full of crabs in the north of the southeast corner (cell 7H). To get there from the entrance, go west, north, east and east. Stump on the crabs to kill them. Use the drill to break the south wall, in case you haven't done it before. Use the sail to jump over the holes. You will find a treasure with 50 pieces of Ore. Leave the room.
Go to the Cryo Colony. You can reach it from the crabs'room going to the north, north, move to the left and then go south, east, jump down and go west and north.
Go to the room that contained the Cryo Colony boss treasure (cell 2G). You can get quickly by taking the teleport in the first room to the right and then going north. Once you're in this room, jump and drift to the east. Drill the east wall. You will find a room with a treasure that contains 100 pieces of Ore. Go back to the boss room.
Go to the room that is in the southwest corner in the map (cell 9C). To get it from the boss room, go south, south, south and south. Use the sail to jump and drift over the holes. You need to run in and avoid the streams. Open the chest to find a Heart Fragment. Leave the room.
Leave the Cryo Plant. From cell 8C, take the stairs to the left, take the stairs to the right, go east, break the boxes and go to the south, jump down, break the box and jump to the exit to the south.
Go back to the Surface. To do so from the Cryo Plant, go south, east, south, east (crabs' room), north, north (old basement), west (pipe's room), north, west, south, west, north and north.
Go to the north, then west. In this cell 6H, before reaching the Snowcean, you can drill a block to the south to find a treasure that contains 10 pieces of Ore. Leave this room.
Go to the west to reach the Snowcean.
Snowocean
Go to the north twice and then to the east to get the missing cell in the Surface. You will find a treasure here that you can get by avoiding the holes. It is 10 pieces of Ore.
Go back to the Snowcean and get the treasure by jumping and gliding over the water. It is the astral rune F.
Go to the south through the shore. You will find another treasure that you can get by jumping over the water. It it the astral rune M.
Go back to the entrance of the Snowocean. Jump and glide on the raft. You move it using the crank.
Take a random route (for example, going to a direction and then back) to get lost and get a treasure with the Astral Rune B.
Back to the start, once you are in the open sea take this route:
west, west
You will find a treasure with the Astral Rune P. Once you get the treasure, take back the rift and go anywhere to come back to the start.
Back to the start, once you are in the open sea take this route:
east, east
Then jump over the water with the sail to get a treasure that contains the Astral Rune Y. Once you get the treasure, take back the rift and go anywhere to come back to the start.
Back to the start, once you are in the open sea take this route:
south, south
You will find a treasure that contains the Astral Rune G. Once you get the treasure, take back the rift and go anywhere to come back to the start.
Back to the start, follow the directions told by the Astral by the Greenhouse exit to get the Astral Outpost:
east, north, west, north, east, north, east, north
You will get the Astral Outpost. Talk to all the Astrals in the Outpost entrance. Go to the north and enter the igloo. Read all books within the shelfs. Talk to the Astrals. One of them will explain you that there is a robot called the Destroyer that is enslaving the Astral and will slave Humans too, and ask you to visit the Mines where the enslaved Astral live. He gives you the Mines Key, but ignores how to get there. The other Astral gives you the hint that their leader knows how to get to the Mines, so you have to find another Astral that was not there and that is fascinated by the water. You may remember a Hermit Astral that was hidden behind the waterfall and you couldn't understand at that time, but now you know better Astral he's worth a visit.
Before looking for the Hermit Astral, drill the wall to the east. Jump and drift over the holes to reach the end of the tunnel. On the surface, break the cone to get a treasure. It contains a Heart Fragment. It also gives the clue that there is another treasure in the same cell, but unreachable from where you are.
Go back to the shore where the raft is. Jump on the water and move to the east to get the treasure you just saw. It contains 10 pieces of Ore.
Talk again to the Astrals outside in the Outpost. There is a well entrance that allows you to get portals back to previous stages. Jump into it. Stump to get the ladder to the north. Go to the east to find a treasure of 100 pieces of Ore.
Go to the south and find the portal that takes you to the Greater Caverns. Head north to find the Tunnels, where the Astral Hermit lives.
If you take right entrance to the Tunnels from the Greater Caverns, head west and jump a lot of platforms to get the waterfall. Go behind the waterfall and talk to the Astral Hermit. If you have been taking the Astral Runes, the directions to the mine must be very clear:
south, east, south, west, south, east, north, east
To go back to the Snowocean, take the rift and follow the directions to get to the Mines:
south, east, south, west, south, east, north, east
Drill the cracked wall and go east. Unlock the door and enter the Mines.
Mines
Go to the north. You can drill the north wall in the second room you visit in the Mines. There is a treasure here with 10 pieces of Ore. Also talk to the Astral and look the froghorn. Leave this room.
Go to the west to find the boss door and a lamp that can be destroyed using the wrench. Stump to unlock the shutter stairs. Drill the cracked north wall and enter there. Go north (cell 4E) from where you will glimpse from the distance another old miner and a froghorn. Go back to the previous screen (cell 5E) and drill the cracked wall to the west. Inside this cave, you will find a treasure with a standard key. Leave the room.
Go back to the central room by going south and east, and now choose the east way. Reach the north wall,drill the crack and enter the gate. Drill the east wall and enter the gate. Glide through the platforms, breaking the stones to be able to run up. Go north. Drill the central wall and go west, then south. Go downstairs.
Drill all walls and kill the gophers to exit this room to the east. Do the same in the next room, that also has bats. In this case, the exit is to the north. Glide and take the trampolines to get to the left part of the screen, ignoring the stairs for now. Unlock the standard door.
In this room (cell 7H) you will find a treasure that contains the Roll Armor. From now on, everytime you find a friendly froghorn you must dash him to unlock the rails. Leave the room.
Take the stairs up, then go west and take the rail using the Roll Armor. Go east, south, then west until the rail ends. Go east, then south. Take the rail to the west until the rail ends, then go north. You will find in this room the miner and froghorn you visit earlier. Dash the froghorn to unlock a rail. Leave the room.
Go to the west, then north, then west and reach the room where you found the standard key (cell 5D). There is one part of the room that is only accessible by using the roll armor. Once you get there, go downstairs.
This room is full of crabs (cell 8C). Use the sail to stump and kill them all. From the room where there are many rails.
The first and fifth (last) rails are interconnected. They take you nowhere.
The second rail takes you to find a treasure in cell 7C, that is Astral Rune Q.
The third takes you to find a treasure, that is a Heart Fragment.
The forth rail takes you to a stairs that you must take.
Go to the left part of the screen and talk to the miner. Dash the froghorn with the Roll Armor to unlock the rail. Drill the west wall. In this room you will need to equip both the sail and the armor, jump and glide in horizontal and use the roll armor to get the rail before you fall. The treasure in this room is a standard key. Stamp to unlock the shutter stairs, jump down and leave the room.
Go to the north. Drill the wall to the west. Take any of the rails with the roll armor and remove it in the only platform where you can stop. Jump and glide to get a treasure, that is the boss key. Leave the room.
Go to the east. Roll until the end of the rail (cell 3H). You will find here a treasure containing the Astral Rune J. You should have collected all Astral runes and master the language by now.
Keep going to the south west corner of this room. You can drill the west wall from there. In the next room, roll and dash to pass through the streams. Unlock the standard key door and go to the south. Talk to the miner 3. Dash the froghorn to unlock a rail.
Now you need to go to the final boss door that you saw before (cell 6E). To do jump down and glide to go to the south. Jump down again and glide to take the stairs down. Revisit the rooms until you find the stairs up. Jump down. Go south, west, south and take the rail to the west, then go west. Unlock the boss door and go north.
Talk to the Miner 4. Dash the monster to unlock the rail. Dash to go across the rails to get the boss room.
To beat the boss, use the wreck with the crank to hurt it once, and then dash the part of the wall where it is shaking.
Once it has been beaten, go across the rails to find an empty chest. Take the side rails to go back to the Snowcean.
Heading to the Crater
Talk to the Astral to take the Laser Emitter part. Take the rail to the west to go back to Mechanic Town.
Talk to the Master in the mill and the Impact Orphan fellows in the square.
Jump into the well next to the Barracks. Open a chest that contains 50 pieces of ore. Take the rail to get a treasure. It is 500 pieces of Ore.
You will also find the message in a bottle that you can read by using the magnifying glass. It says in Astral:
west, north, east, north, west, north, west, south, west, south, east, south
You will also see in the distance a character that you cannot reach.
Take the portal and the raft. Then from the raft, take the route in the bottle. It is the S. Island. Enter the hut. You can volume the music up and down by moving the crank. The characters represent the team behind Ratcheteer and their families, so this is a kind of easter egg.
If you go into the well, you won't see the character you saw before in the distance. Get lost in the Snowocean to go back to the starting sailing point. Go to the east to visit the Surface.
Go to the Greenhouse, in the Surface. Take the path to the east, then all north, then east and south, and find the room with the crabs (cell 5H). Stump on the enemies and take the rail on the east using the Roll Armor. Open the standard key door. Jump and drift over the holes and drill the east wall. You will find a treasure with 150 pieces of Ore.
Visit the lifers' village and talk to the Tracker and the Lifer Deputy, the Lifer Major and the Majors Wife. Take the well in the Lifers' village. Go north, then north. Take the portal to the Tunnels.
From the Tunnels' well, go west, north, west, south, east, and east (drilling the cracked wall if not done before) to reach cell 3H. Use the roll armor to use the rail. Open the treasure to get 100 pieces of Ore. Leave the room.
Go back to Mechanic Town. To go there from your current position, go back to the well going to the south, east, south, east. Inside the well, go south, west, jump down and take the portal to the Smith. In the cell where the Metalsmith's Forge is (cell 7F in Mechanic Town) you can drill the east wall to find an unvisited cell. Use the sail to jump and draft over the holes. Use the roll armor to take the rail. You will find a treasure of 250 pieces of Ore.
Go to and give the Metalsmith the laser emitter and 500 pieces of ore. Talk to him again and you'll be able to take the Mech. Jump into the Mech to use it. Use A to fire the laser and use the crank to aim it. Press B to dismount.
Leave the Mech for now and go into the well next to the Metalsmith's Forge. Take the rail to get 250 pieces of Ore. Take the portal back to the Smith.
Take the Mech. Go north, then to the east to get the Greater Caverns. Go north, north, east, north and take the gate to the north for the side entrance to the Tunnels. This is the chirpmunk's room, where you can get a treasure containing ore in the right hand side of the screen. Go to the west. You will have to take a rail, activate a light sensor, go back quickly and cross the bridge.
Go to the north and destroy the lava blocks with the laser. Before leaving the room, use the drill to open the cracked wall tho the north. This is just a shortcut, so you don't need to go there. Then go west. You will get the Snowcean, where you can melt the stone blocking the Impact Crater. Enter there.
The Crater
In the first screen there are plenty of rocks to crush to get life, in case you need to replenish your lifebar. Go north.
In the next screen, leave the Mech Armor and push the blocks in your way toward the wall to clean the way for the Mech. Go north.
In this screen there are drones attacking you. Use the laser in circles to kill them. When you have kill one very fast after it emerges, leave the Mech and push the block toward the hutch to avoid more drones emerging and opening the doors. Take the door to the left with the Mech.
Use the laser to destroy the lava block that is blocking the way to a treasure. Go back to the previous screen and leave the Mech next to the small door. Cross it, and get the treasure. It's the boss key.
Go back to this screen with the Mech through the big door and open the boss door.
Defeat the boss, that is the Destroyer. You just need to point the boss with the laser and when he's set in the middle, dash it with the Roll Armor. You have to repeat this many times. In the meanwhile, you will have to destroy lava blocks that protect the Destroyer and the drones that circle you.
Once it is killed, you will get the final credits.
Astral Runes
In this section, you can find how to get the astral runes that are located in treasures spread across the map. There are 26 astral runes, one for each alphabet letter.
A
You can find it in a treasure in the Cryo Colony, in cell 7D. You need the Drill Shield to get it.
B
You can find it in the Snowocean, by using the raft and following these directions (or probably just getting lost):
west north east north west north west north
C
You can find it by accessing the Greenhouse from the side entrance, to the east of the main house. This chest is located in cell 6G. You need the sail to access this tunnel and the treasure.
D
You can find it in the entrance of the Greenhouse, just in the screen to the north. You need the spring and the sail to get the treasure. Keep in the air to make the ghost move towards you.
E
You can find this rune in the Power Plant, in cell 2G. You just need the lantern and the wrench to get the treasure. This is probably the first rune that you can obtain.
F
You can find it in the Snowcean, in cell 4B. Jump and glide to get the treasure.
G
It is found in the Snowocean, by taking the raft and navigating south and south. Then get a treasure that contains the Astral Rune G.
H
It can be found in the tunnels, in cell 4F. You need the drill shield to get it.
I
This Astral Rune is in a chest within the Archives house, in the Lifers village in the Surface.
J
You can find it in the Mines, in cell 3H. You need the roll armor (and other tools, like the sail) to get to this room. You can access it taking the west route from the start, and going to the very end.
K
Revisit the Tunnels. Go to the cell that is to the east of the Cryo Colony, and to the west of a treasure (cell 5G). This cell can be access only from the south. You will find that there is a cracked wall to the east. Use the drill to break it, and then use it again in the next crack wall. Then you will visit cell 5H, where there is a treasure. This treasure is Astral Rune K.
L
This Astral rune is located in the Surface in cell 4G. You need the sail to get it.
To get this cell from the main entrance of the Greenhouse, go to the east using the sail. Go to the south, jump down the platform and go to the east. Then drill the cracked wall and get the chest.
M
You can find it in the Snowcean, in cell 7B. Jump over the water to get the treasure.
N
You can find it in the Water Treatment Plant, in cell 4F. You need the Jumping Spring to reach it.
O
You can find it in the Cryo Plant, in cell 3H. You need the Drill Shield to get it.
P
You can find it in the Snowcean, taking the draft and once you are in the open sea going west and west.
Q
You can find it in the Mines, in cell 7C, by taking the second rail from the left in the previous room.
R
This Astral Rune is in a chest in the cellar of the Major's house, in the Lifers' village in the Surface.
S
You can find it in the first room of the Treatment Plant (cell 7E). You must jump over the hole by using the Spring and push the moving block to the west to get the treasure.
T
It it in the Greater Caverns, in cell 4F. You can reach it from the Water Treatment Master hideout, taking the south exit and then going west. You need the Spring to reach it.
U
This Astral Rune is in a chest within the Archives house, in the Lifers village in the Surface.
V
This rune is located in the Tunnels, in the Astral Hermit's cave in cell 3D. You need the spring to get it.
W
It can be found inside a treasure in the Greater Caverns, cell 7E. You just need the wrench, but you need to take a big detour to the Relay Post to reach this cell from the east. If you have the spring, you can access it directly from the Water Plant Treatment in the west.
X
It is located in the Greater Caverns, in cell 6G, pass the turtles' room. You will need the spring.
Y
It is found in the Snowocean, by taking the raft and navigating east and east. Then jump over the water with the sail to get a treasure that contains the Astral Rune Y.
Z
You can find it in the Tunnels. From the right entrance from the Greater Caverns, go to the left until you get to cell 7F. You need the Spring to jump in diagonal and get the treasure. You can also use the spring and the sail to jump straight twice.
Trivia
Developers[1]
• Shaun Inman (Design & Development)
• Matthew Grimm (Music & Sound)
• Charlie Davis (Illustrations)