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I. WALKTHROUGH [WLKT]
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Book of Watermarks is a two-disc FMV adventure released in Japan. Outside of
subtitles, it's almost entirely in English, making it an interesting find for
fans of Myst-style gaming.
[0.1] CONTROLS
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Like most point-and-clickers, the controls are of a simple variety. The d-pad
buttons control the character's (first-person) POV, with up and down acting
as moving forward and backward, respectively. The latter is mostly used for
exiting "dead-end screens", such as inspecting pedestals.
Select button toggles the chessboard inventory screen. To use items from it,
direct the cursor to an object and press O-button. X-button functions mostly
as a 'cancel' button.
[0.2] PREFACE
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This game is based loosely on Shakespeare's "The Tempest" play, with the main
goal being Ferdinand (the player) finding all twelve of the Prospero's lost
magical tomes. The acts/chapters are all named after the book that needs to
be found.
As far as the game world goes, the first disc occurs on Ceres Island, which
contains an outdoor colonnade courtyard and a multi-story library. The second
disc takes place on the Iris Islands, and contains a palace and several other
mansions.
There's little else to do during investigations. The Book of Watermarks is
itself found in the library (1F hall) and can provide vague hints at where to
go. To its left is another book for saving to memory cards. There's no save
prompt at the first disc's end.
[1.1] NAVIGATORS
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Players begin in the courtyard. There's currently little of relevance here,
other than the statues in each corner, which factor into the puzzle. The
actual solution is found inside the library's center, near the staircases.
Each statue here has a plaque; their positions correspond to those out in the
courtyard. Simply change the outdoor statues' plaques to the first letter of
those inside. (So, nearest to the bridge on the left is 'G', nearest to the
bridge on the right is 'M'. Continuing clockwise, 'V' and 'R' are placed.)
If done right, players will hear a special 'puzzle complete' SFX and the book
is automatically collected. This will commonplace throughout the game.
[1.2] ARCHITECTS
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Players begin in the courtyard, near the stone hut that held the Navigators
tome. Take the stone pyramid from within.
There are two other geometric figures to collect before continuing with the
main puzzle. A sphere is also in the courtyard, on a pedestal along the
central pavilion's northern exterior. (In other words, opposite the bridge.)
Finally, the octahedron is inside the library, in an unlocked 1F room behind
that tier's right-hand stairway.
Return to the courtyard pavilion and approach its main door to find another
puzzle: a 4x4 "magic square". In other words, all numbers (1-16) are placed
in the square once without repetition, and adding up any given row or column
should equal the same number. In this case, each row should add up to 34.
The controller buttons allow one to change a single number in each row; all
others are locked. Starting in the left column and working right, input these
entries: 9, 15, 2, 8. The door opens if done correctly.
Inside the pavilion are eight altars, each labelled with a letter. Approach
the ones below and place the given object on them to earn the book.
M: sphere
S: octagon
T: triangle
[1.3] ELEMENTA GEOMETRIAE
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Take the cog from the altar and note the zodiac symbol for Virgo underneath.
Visit the library's second-floor balconies and move to the end (above the 1F
entryway) to find a strange machine. Advance towards it and put the cog into
its innards - this allows the various other machines -- marked by 'x' on the
map -- to function.
_______
| |
| (\_/) |
_| |___| |_
|x x x|
¯| |¯¯¯| |¯
_| |___| |_
|x x x|
¯| |¯¯¯| |¯
_______| | | |_______
| _______| |_______ |
| |___ ___| |
| ___|<- Stair ->|___ |
| |_______ _______| |
|_______ | | _______|
_| |___| |_
|x x x|
¯| |¯¯¯| |¯
_| |___| |_
|x x x|
¯| |¯¯¯| |¯
| (/¯\) |
|MACHINE|
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Operating the machine displays a 4x3 peg-and-hole array. Switching between
zodiac symbols changes the configuration. Players may have already noticed
the number of holes and the number of operable devices on this floor are the
same.
Change the configuration to Virgo and note the placement of the six pegs that
pop up. These correspond to the switches one must flip around the balconies.
So, continuing toward the other side, players would hit the middle switch
and nothing else, then skip north and do just the two side ones, and so on.
The device at the balcony's other end displays which switches are currently
active, ensuring players are on the right track.
When all switches are flipped properly (i.e. the pointy part of the triangle
faces upwards), the book is automatically found.
[1.4] LABYRINTH
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Open the bookcase where the Elementa Geometriae was and take the key. Descend
to 1F and enter the left-hand passage, revealing a staircase to the basement.
Before going below, turn to the right and take the lantern on the table.
Into the basement! Halfway through, players can look on either side to find
a globe sculpture ('orbis' inscription) and a pedestal with a sun plaque. The
latter will only have use in the next mission, though taking it now affects
nothing. Unlock the far door with the bookcase key to find a new library.
Enter the main hall, turn to the right, and approach the dark reading table.
Place the lantern to illuminate a book containing this symbol:
_
/|\
___|
| _____
| | _ |
| | | | |
| |___| |
|_______|
Approach the corridor's opposite side to find a locked door. Its puzzle has
a circular design and a bunch of letters. The solution to this, if the globe
design didn't give it away, is O-R-B-I-S. Once done correctly, the labyrinth
door is accessible.
Players will enter the near-lightless labyrinth automatically. The only way
through is mentioned in the spiralling symbol earlier. To proceed, one must
go the set distance, turn to the right, go the set distance, and repeat until
the end. (There are no 'wrong solution' SFX in this part, giving it more
challenge than some books. Those who want to backtrack out and get bearings
should keep turning to the left rather than right.)
So, the solution to this is: 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 2. There's a right
turn after each advancement, other than the final movement ('2') where one
turns left and moves toward the tome.
[1.5] DE HVMANI CORPORIS FABRICA
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_______ Back in the labyrinth library, return to the lantern-lit reading
| _ | table and check the book to learn another solution (hinted at in
| /|\ | intro video).
| _| |
| | _ | Return to the labyrinth and proceed this time using the following
| |_|_| | solution: 2, 1, 1, 2, 2, 1. As before, do a right turn after each
| | | advancement, other than the final one, which requires a left turn.
|_______| This time, players can obtain a moon emblem, rather than a tome.
Exit the labyrinth area back towards the spiral staircase, taking the sun
emblem (on hallway pedestal) if not previously taken. Exit the library and
revisit the courtyard pavilion, where the geometric shapes were placed a few
missions earlier. Place the sun and moon tokens on the 'J' and 'B' pedestals,
respectively, to finish. (The solution for those tokens is scrawled on the
pillars opposite the pavilion entrance.)
That's the end of disc one. Swap at the prompt. (It's possible to revisit
this area after entering the Iris Islands, but none of the puzzle solutions
or remaining tomes are hidden in the library area, so it's unnecessary.)
[1.6] THE TALE OF ROSES
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Players begin in a circular courtyard with four inspectable plaques and a
few offshooting paths. The goal is to open the locked door -- at the palace's
foot -- opposite the starting point. Move the sun and moon to 3 o'clock and
2 o'clock position, respectively, to get in. (The solution is noted on actual
clocks in the courtyard.)
Inside the small house, there's an old-fashioned organ with four keys that
correspond to controller buttons. To solve the tonal lock, operate the keys
in this order: 1-3-2-4-4-2-3-1. The door to the right leads to the palace in
a lengthy FMV. (It plays every single time one takes that route, sadly.)
Within the palace's statuary hall is the Tale of Roses tome, in the central
1F display. Players must circle around and acquire it from behind to finish
up, thanks to some obstacles.
[1.7 & 1.8] NECRONOMICON / ASTRONOMICON
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The next two books are a pair, though this chapter's easier than most. Take
the glass eye from where the Tales of Roses once stood, then turn around and
advance toward the palace's farthest corner. Use the glass eye on the skull
found there, then operate the four-character puzzle below it.
The solution is M-O-R-T (Latin for 'death') and ends the segment. Curious on
how to find the solution in-game? On either side of the skull platform are
5x5 checkerboard pictures with letters/symbols on 'em. Position on one will
correspond to position on another. Visiting downstairs by the Tale of Roses'
platform leads to a large metal plaque with 4 symbols carved on it. If one
deciphers it using the checkerboards, it gives the solution.
[1.9] AESTHETICS
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The two newest books were held inside astrolabes on either side of the Tale
of Roses' platform. Approach and check them -- one contains an artist token,
the other a clue ('COMPOSITUS').
Backtrack to the island's lower courtyard and enter the mansion nearest it.
Approach the double doors leading back to Ceres Island but, instead of going
forward, turn right and proceed down the windowed corridor. Use the artist
token to unlock the door, then continue through the room to the Aesthetics
volume. The key is to walk only on tiles that spell out 'COMPOSITUS' (an easy
feat, as they're in huge font).
[1.10] POLYCRONYCON
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Before leaving Aesthetics' room, take the copper globe from its holder on the
right. Another orb with a triangular design is opposite it; take it too, as
it'll be used soon. Revisit the palace and continue straight toward the Tale
of Roses' old platform, descending the stairs when able.
In front of the plaque that gave the 'MORT' solution earlier, take a right
down the next stairway. Advance into the shadowed room, hang a left, and put
the copper globe on the pedestal. The door opposite the pedestal is now open,
and leads through a creepy passage to the sought-after tome.
[1.11] LE VIANDIER
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Before leaving Polycronycon's crypt, take another triangular orb from the
left alcove. Backtrack to the courtyard mansion from before and take the last
two orbs from the 2F twin stairwell balcony (they're hidden inside globes).
Return to the lower foyer and enter the 1F passage opposite the corridor that
lead to the Aesthetics puzzle.
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\__/ /\ /\ \ •/
\/ /• \ /¯¯\ \/
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The game's final puzzle is placing the four triangular orbs in a pattern
around a larger globe. The courtyard inscriptions list the correct order, but
I'll mention them here as well. Place the first (leftmost above) orb on the
pedestal closest the entrance door, then work counterclockwise to complete
the rest. Or do 'em in any order, so long as it's the correct one.
[1.12] SILENCE
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Just approach the nearest platform to obtain it automatically.
[1.13] THE BOOK OF WATERMARKS
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There's no search here. Just listen to Prospero's epilogue. The end!
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II. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS [FAQZ]
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[Q] - Is this game worth seeking out?
[A] - Yes, it's quite enjoyable. Although not a seminal work like Myst, it's
a step above many of the point-and-click adventures on PS1, including
(in my opinion) Myst itself! Part of the charm is its warm, inviting
atmosphere, rather than the dour ones often encountered.
[Q] - Does this game work on NTSC consoles?
[A] - Nope -- for all the heavy English voice acting and text, it's still a
PAL game. Players will generally need a PAL console or a modded NTSC
console, on top of other hardships (like finding this extremely rare
game in the first place).
[Q] - How many save slots does Book of Watermarks use?
[A] - Just one. It's not like other short games (City of Lost Children) that
use all fifteen, thankfully.
[Q] - Is this an edutainment game?
[A] - Not really, though some passing references to the magical tomes may
stick in players' heads. Daedalus of Crete built labyrinths?
[Q] - [Architects] How do I put items on the pedestals?
[A] - Approach the pedestals as close as one can go, enter the inventory to
select the geometric shape, then press Circle.
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III. UPDATES & CONTRIBUTORS [UPDT]
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3-13-2017 --------------------------+ Started walkthrough
3-15-2017 --------------------------+ Finished walkthrough
THANKS TO...
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• Sailor/Ceej, for hosting my crap
• Prospero, for giving some sweet narrations
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IV. LEGALITY [LGLT]
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This document is intended for private home use ONLY, and may not be reproduced
through electronic or commercial means without the expressed consent of the
author (P. Summers). It cannot be hosted, edited, or distributed for profit,
and may not be given away as an add-in/gift to bought items. All rights are
reserved to respective parties, even those not explicitly stated herein. Those
who find this document on sites not listed below should e-mail the author (me).
Thanks for reading this, and thanks for respectin' FAQ authors.
