Submachine 5: The Root

Origins
The Submachine (meaning "submerged machines") games is a series of point and click, "escape from the room" puzzle games where the player must find objects and clues scattered throughout various settings, figure out what to do with them, and apply them to certain objects and circumstances to open up more areas of each game and to hopefully eventually beat the games.

Basically all the player (who is never shown onscreen) has to do is use the mouse to search for onscreen items and clues and click on them in order to place them somewhere or store them into their inventory for later use, or to press a button or move a lever, switch or other device to perform a function that will help the player solve the mysteries of the game.

The Root
This chapter of the series starts off not long after the player is accepted by Mur (a mysterious person the player has been following since the very first Submachine game) to begin working with him at the end of Submachine 4: The Lab, although it looks to be 23 days later since the player arrived, due to marks on a wall. This could mean it has been 23 days since the player took up residence for wherever it is they are stationed (or perhaps this is from an earlier team, since a message from Mur states he hopes you slept well, meaning possibly only one night has been spent at this place), as there is a bathroom and bunking quarters in the area.

Upon searching around, the player will come across a computer with notes from Mur instructing them they need to find three Wisdom Gems (a source of power found in several previous Submachine games), and the player is reacquainted with the teleporter (which was first introduced in Submachine 4). After a jump to "The Root", the majority of the game appears to take place in a series of caverns. With a certain notation (notes are automatically written, a feature in the game), there is a mention of (Submachine?) experiments that were conducted in the 1950s, as this note comes about in an observation area with a rusted machine, although it does not appear to be functioning.

Due to sparse facilities, the player must get the power working again (one machine will crudely provide temporary power to an object) in order to advance through the game, and two cipher plates are introduced in this installment, which are used to teleport the player to new areas of the game unreachable through the cavern corridors.

Once all Wisdom Crystals have been found and all areas of the game have been opened up, what appears to be an entire room (or is it?) separates from its building and starts moving to who knows where...to set up the sequel to Submachine 6: The Edge.

Links

 * Official site
 * Play the game at the Stage Select arcade

This article uses material from the Submachine series article and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License.