Fish Fillets Walkthrough
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. Introduction
B. Controls
C. General Strategies
D. Walkthrough
0. Fish House
a. How It All Started
b. Briefcase Message
c. Rehearsal in Cellar
d. Library Flotsam
e. Plants on the Stairs
f. A Mess in the Boiler Room
g. Under the Reef
h. Closed in the Closet
1. Ship Wrecks
a. Drowned Submarine
b. Picnic Boat
c. Great War
d. The Ship of Captain Silver
e. The Last Voyage
f. Altitude: Minus 9000 Feet
g. Bathyscaph
h. Amphibious Tank
i. Eight Vikings in a Boat
j. Return from the Party
k. The Gods Must Be Mad
2. Silver's Ship
a. The First Mate's Cabin
b. The Winter Mess Hall
c. Fire!
d. Ship Kitchen
e. Second Mate's Cabin
f. Captain's Cabin
g. Silver's Hideout
3. City in the Deep
a. House With an Elevator
b. Welcome to Our City
c. Independence Day
d. The Columns
e. Uneven Pavement
f. Mr. Cheop's House
g. A Bit of Music
h. Crab Freak Show
i. Another Elevator
j. And How It Was
4. UFO
a. Power Plant
b. Strange Forces
c. Brm... Brm...
d. Nothing But Steel
e. Guarded Corridor
f. Biological Experiments
g. The Real Propulsion
5. Coral Reef
a. First Bizarre Things
b. Labyrinth
c. Imprisoned
d. Closed Society
e. Sleeping Creatures
f. Cancan Crabs
g. One More Pearl; Please!
h. Telepathic Devil
6. Treasure Cave
a. Aztec Art Hall
b. Shiny Cave-In
c. Giant's Chest
d. The Hall of Ali-Baba
e. The Deepest Cave
f. What Would King Arthur Say?
7. Dump
a. The Deep Server
b. Almost No Wall
c. Plumbman's Refute
d. Adventure With Pink Duckie
e. Shredded Stickman
f. Real Chaos
g. Outraged Greenpeace
8. Secret Computer
a. Tetris
b. Emulator
c. Garden of War
d. Favorites
e. A Hardware Problem
f. Read Only
E. Frequently Asked Questions
Version History:
0.75 12/2/2004: first submission, all rooms except for six of the final rooms
solved.
0.90 9/28/2005: thanks to the helpful e-mails of Brian R., Undertaker, and
G.d.G., there are now solutions to Silver's Hideout, What Would King Arthur
Say?, and Read Only. I am now only missing solutions for The Real
Propulsion, Telepathic Devil, and Outraged Greenpeace.
0.93 10/4/2005: thanks again to G.d.G. for his solution to The Real
Propulsion. Only two more solutions to go!
1.00 3/6/2006: G.d.G. and Emma provided solutions for Telepathic Devil and
Outraged Greenpeace, so this walkthrough is now complete! Some of the other
rooms have had small updates as well, thanks to Peter
A. Introduction
Welcome to the Fish Fillets Walkthrough! This is my first ever walkthrough,
and it's mostly because there are currently no other FAQs for this game on
GameFAQs (although there is a currently unfinished pictorial walkthrough,
there is a link to that in the FAQ section).
If you're reading this, you probably know how fiendishly difficult a puzzle
game Fish Fillets is. If you haven't ever heard of it, then there are
several places to get it, all listed in the FAQ section. Note that I am
writing this walkthrough based on the original version, not the fanmade
remake. This is mostly because I had progressed quite far in the game before
finding out about the remake, and didn't want to redo the levels I had
already solved, and also because the Windows version of the remake is still
in beta at this time. So if there are any differences in solutions between
the versions, please let me know!
B. Controls
Fish Fillets has a decent Help/Instructions file, so I won't repeat it in its
entirety here. There are three control schemes you can use to move the fish
around: arrow keys to move and space bar to switch between the two, WASD for
the big fish and IJKL for the small fish, or clicking the mouse where you want
the fish to go and space to switch between the two. The first one is probably
the most popular, and it is the one I chose. Since you only have one save
slot, one little move can screw you up so you want as much control as
possible. The accelerating fish made me restart a few times too, so be
careful of that.
Speaking of the save slot, using it is a strategy all its own. I wish you
could remap the keys, since there were a few times when I went to save the
game and reloaded accidentally, or went to load and saved it accidentally.
Be careful!
C. General Strategies
The Help file for Fish Fillets covers the basic movement and rules for the
fish, but I'll cover them here too.
* You can move a fish left or right while supporting an object safely, so
long as the object itself does not move. If the object directly on a fish is
moved, the fish supporting it will die unless a) the object is now supported
by another object, or b) the object is moved entirely off the fish. Method
b) is often used to maneuver objects that are otherwise blocked. It's
covered in the "tutorial" in Briefcase Message.
* An object may never be moved directly *onto* a fish. However, if a fish is
supporting more than one object, the objects above the one directly on the
fish may be moved. Provided, of course, that an object never falls onto any
of the objects supported by the fish, which will then kill it.
* Steel objects can *only* be moved by the big fish. You can't really get
around that. The small fish *can* push an object left and right that a steel
object is resting on, however. In this manner the small fish can make a
steel piece fall, or move objects so the big fish can raise a steel piece
indirectly.
D. Walkthrough
It doesn't really make sense for me to post step-by-step solutions for these
levels, as everyone will do things different, and also since my solutions are
far from the most efficient. Besides, what with the high score tables I
don't want to cause hard feelings. Instead, I will point out how to pass the
various places in the levels where you are most likely to get stuck...the
"lynchpins" of the puzzles.
Since this is a walkthrough, I'm not going to have any spoiler
warnings...you're coming here for the solution, and that's what you get.
0. Fish House
The first series of levels, from which all the other series (storylines, if
you will) branch off from. Since it has no "true" ending like the other
series, I labeled it with the number 0.
a. How It All Started
Lynchpin: release the big fish before the small fish leaves.
I hope no one is stuck on this first room...really the only reason one would
fail it would be if they let the small fish leave without moving the chair to
let the big fish out. Actually, that's a good lesson, one that will come in
use in later levels: just because you think the way is clear, don't let one
fish (usually the small one) leave until you're sure the other one can escape
also.
b. Briefcase Message
There really aren't any lynchpins here, since the fish do most of the work
for you, and give hints along the way anyway. By the way, 8 things are
mentioned in the briefcase message, and all 8 will be addressed by the end of
the game.
c. Rehearsal in Cellar
Lynchpin: clear the teacup and the snail out of the way so that the
candlestick can fall all the way down.
This level pretty much walks you through it, except for this part (well, you
find out if you fail). It's a good lesson, as sometimes you do need to look
far ahead.
d. Library Flotsam
Lynchpin: the solution is extremely simple...you only need to move two
objects. Push the steel U to the left (move the small fish first!) and then
use the small fish to push the "prickly" to the right...not to the left as
you probably did on your first try.
You will see a few more levels like this as the game progresses...many
objects to move but most of them are red herrings (you would think they would
have put an actual red herring in a fish game...but I guess that is an
English saying and not Czech).
Finishing this level will open up the Bermuda Triangle series.
e. Plants on the Stairs
Lynchpin: the shell must be raised above the stairs directly to the right of
the ledge.
This level stumped me the first time I got to it...and I'm not alone, several
of my friends got stuck here too. Coming back to it, of course, it was
simple, but back then it was quite confusing. Use the small fish to lift the
shell up, then bring the big fish in to raise it even higher, then use the
small fish to push it onto the ledge to the left.
Finishing this level will open up the City in the Deep series.
f. A Mess in the Boiler Room
Lynchpin: get the broom down to the bottom by moving the wood over one
square.
You can't push the broom to the left immediately, since when it lands it will
kill the big fish. But when you push it to the right and back over the wood
pieces it's just big enough to fall in-between and kill the big fish anyway.
So push the left wood piece over only one space so that the broom won't fall
in the hole, and also so when it goes all the way off it doesn't hit the
steel bar on the way down.
Lynchpin: let the big steel bar fall onto the broom so that the big fish can
do all the sweeping.
Of course you'll have to move the big fish to the left so that he can let it
drop without being killed.
g. Under the Reef
Lynchpin: stack the snails and mattress in the order snail, mattress, snail.
Filling up a 1-space deep hole so that you can move other objects over it
without blocking the passage is something that you will be doing time and
time again, so get used to having to do it. At the end you'll have to raise
the mattress with the small fish so that the big fish can push the snail onto
the shell. Oh yes, you'll have to raise the L-shell with the small fish to
let the big one by also at the end.
Finishing this level will open up the Coral Reef series.
h. Closed in the Closet
Lynchpin: lift the toilet and then let it fall onto (well, exactly above) the
big fish when he is positioned correctly (i.e., safely).
This lets the small fish underneath the toilet. It should be obvious from
there.
Finishing this level will open up the Dump series.
1. Ship Wrecks
Why do ships and planes disappear in the Bermuda triangle? We'll find out at
the end of this series of levels.
a. Drowned Submarine
Lynchpin: push the mirror onto the bullet, so the small fish can raise the
mirror to get past going to the right, and then push the bullet and gear
underneath it on the way back.
You need the gear to push the bottle out of the way without being killed by
the star thing.
b. Picnic Boat
Lynchpin: near the end of the level, you can't push the goblets down in the
"obvious" positions.
Basically, you don't have enough goblets to support the steel bar if you only
worry about supporting the leading leg. You have to place goblets early
sometimes in order to support the other legs once they get there...you must
plan ahead that is.
Reading from the *left* (i.e., reverse chronological order), the positions I
placed goblets in were:
Section 1 (final section): farthest left, and 2 farthest right.
Section 2: empty.
Section 3: farthest left.
Section 4: farthest left and farthest right.
Section 5: space #3 (second from farthest right).
Section 6: farthest right.
c. Great War
Lynchpin: lift up the steel bar, have the small fish swim under and move the
moose head over a few squares so that the big fish can move down to let the
steel bar down.
Then move the head down a step so that the big fish can hold the steel bar up
while the moose head is pushed over, and then release it by moving to the
right.
d. The Ship of Captain Silver
Lynchpin: push the big hat off the small fish onto the octopus, "catching"
the shell in the process, which then gets pushed onto the big hat.
Man, this level really got me at first. I was trying so many crazy things
before I came upon the relatively simple solution. Make sure you push the U-
shaped steel piece into the pit before doing the lynchpin, of course.
Finishing this level will open up the Silver's Ship series.
e. The Last Voyage
Lynchpin: the second Viking from the right must be moved one square to the
left, so that the shell can be moved over without dropping it down early.
The L-shaped skull will help you move the rightmost Viking back to the right.
Lynchpin: the second Viking from the left must fall into the central area.
After the shield is pushed over by the big fish, the little fish can push it
into an opening, which moves the axe over enough for the big fish to maneuver
the Vikings.
f. Altitude: Minus 9000 feet
First some definitions, since three of the objects you'll be moving around
are very similar. The three airplane seats I define as: when the room
starts, the farthest left one is "the right-facing seat"; of the two on the
right, the one on the bottom is "the seat on its back"; the remaining seat is
"the left-facing seat".
Lynchpin: in order to get the eye into the small pit, it needs to be resting
on the highest point of the seat on its back.
You should see my solution for this one...all over the place. Get the seat
on its back onto the "lap" of the right-facing seat, and then slowly move it
over to the steel bars...basically one square at a time (have the small fish
push the seats to the left in order to lift the eye up, then the big fish
moves the seats over and then pushes the eye down). My solution is more than
twice as long as the best one, so obviously I am missing something, but this
will work eventually.
g. Bathyscaph
Lynchpin: the snail's final position is two squares to the right of where it
starts; one steel piece goes to the right of it, and the other steel piece
fits in its "U".
The only other important part is to push the blue phone over with the big
fish in one piece, and then push the top part onto the snail after it's in
position. This provides a ledge for the steel pieces to move on.
h. Amphibious Tank
Ah...the first really involved level! On this path, that is.
Lynchpin: you will need the 1-square bullet head on the bottom at the
end...don't start out badly and leave it in an unsolvable position.
Lynchpin: the "claw" thing is used to push the long steel bar over one square
so that the other pieces can fall. The ladder will stay in the central area
and is important later.
Lynchpin: all three 2-square bullets are needed, but you will use the first
two to push the L-shaped steel piece (and the two small steel pieces) over.
Use the small fish to keep the third 2-square bullet suspended...you will
need to keep it up there until the ladder is back in position in the center
of its area.
Make sure you find a safe place to put the claw when you're done with it.
*Note*
Anthony Thyssen helpfully pointed out to me that it is not necessary to fill
the 3 holes with the 1-square objects. You merely need to get one of the 2-
square bullets underneath the large steel piece on the far right, and you
will be able to push it over to the left more than enough for the big fish to
get out. It seems to be an unintended solution, unless those 3 1-square
holes are just red herrings. We may never know! Here are his hints:
Lynchpin: Forget all about the single square pieces. Use the claw to release
the three, two square bullets.
The ladder is not a tool, only an obstacle. Push all other released pieces
to the bottom left, out of the way.
Lynchpin: Use the claw to move one bullet across the gap. You need only one
bullet to prevent the gate from "locking".
i. Eight Vikings in a Boat
Lynchpin: let the steel pieces fall to the bottom. The top shield needs to
land on the bottom shield, so the dog can push it over and the small fish can
get both shields on the left.
Lynchpin: you need one shield all the way to the left in order to push the
hair onto it. You only need to move three Vikings over in order to escape.
j. Return From the Party
It looks like The Picnic Boat...but there are some tough differences!
Lynchpin: you need a goblet left over at the end that the big fish can use to
lift the top of the boat, so that the small fish can push it over safely.
Lynchpin: in order to conserve goblets, you will twice need to push a goblet
down, move the steel piece, and then reposition the goblet.
Reading from the *left* (i.e., the order in which you will do this, the same
order but opposite chronology of my solution for The Picnic Boat), the
positions I placed goblets in were:
Section 1 (first available): 2 farthest left
Section 2: empty
Section 3: second from farthest left, move steel 1 space past goblet, push
goblet to farthest left, then another goblet at farthest right
Section 4: empty
Section 5: 2 farthest left, then position #8 (3 spaces to right of small
pit), move steel 1 space past goblet, push goblet 1 space to the left
k. The Gods Must Be Mad
Woo-hoo, the first final level, and the first one I solved! Like all the
other final levels, the object is not to have the fish escape, but to get
some other object out of the room (by bringing it to an open edge of the
room).
In this room, you must get one of the gods out. Well, actually, you don't
have much of a choice...as I found out, you can get the yellow god almost all
the way out...but he won't fit. So the blue god it is! This is a bit
tougher...but does that really surprise you? Okay, let's get started!
Lynchpin: don't push the sneaker into the hole until you get the big fish
situated to the right of the yellow god.
See, in order to get the golf club out of the bottom, over to the left, you
need the yellow god to support it. But since we need to keep the blue god
available (and not shoved into the back corner), use the sneaker temporarily
and then you can push it over when you use the blue god to support the yellow
one.
Lynchpin: that 1-square steel piece needs to fall into its pit. That means
the big fish needs to push it in with the golf club.
This is a bit more complicated than it sounds...the bowling pin needs to fall
onto the yellow god, but you're going to need to get the blue god out of the
way first. I moved the blue god all the way over to the right before doing
the golf club thing.
Lynchpin: in order to get that long kinda-T-shaped steel bar out of the way,
you need to combine the bowling pin, yellow god, and golf club intelligently.
The golf club goes on the bottom, then the yellow god, and finally the
bowling pin goes in the upper left "notch" on the yellow god.
Use the big fish to raise the steel bar from the left side so you can move
this combo into position. Oh yeah, I pushed the blue god back down to the
bottom left before finishing this up; it might not be necessary but I just
wanted to be careful.
Lynchpin: get the blue god over to the right side before pushing the last
steel piece down.
Pushing that steel piece down will block access to some parts of the level
for the big fish, so be aware. After this it's pretty straightforward, the
domino/ping pong paddle appear to be red herrings, and just move the billiard
ball into its nice little hole and you're home free!
The ending is all in Czech text. There are several online Czech dictionaries
where you can attempt to translate it, but without knowledge of the grammar
it is difficult. In addition, there are suffixes (and possibly prefixes) on
words that I don't know how to deal with, and the dialect might even be
different than these dictionaries. Thus, I am not going to inflict my
translation upon you. From what I can tell it's more or less in line with
what the fish suspect, and what you can figure out from the objects, during
the final stage.
2. Silver's Ship
Where is Captain Silver's treasure buried? The FDTO would like to know
too...
a. The First Mate's Cabin
Lynchpin: push the skull down before the big fish moves the steel rod.
Honestly, this is a pretty easy level. However, its simplicity makes an
upcoming level which looks very similar much tougher.
b. The Winter Mess Hall
Lynchpin: push the snowman across the top of the small table.
c. Fire!
Lynchpin: just escape past the top right cannon; lift it to let the big fish
pass then swim above it with the small fish.
I really hope nobody spent hours on this level...as a red herring level I
think they could have made it less obvious.
d. Ship Kitchen
This level makes up for the simplicity of the previous three with a
vengeance.
Lynchpin: in order to free the big fish, you need to use the two sideways
tables (reverse their left/right order) and the scroll to lift them all up.
But you need to lift them up just one square in order to do that. The small
fish needs to make a contraption consisting of the upright table, the goblet
that starts on the table, and the mast in order to do so. The final order
will be table on bottom, then mast, then goblet at the far end. Push the
blue mug down also as a stepping stone for the mast.
The table should go into the hole so that it is the correct height for the
mast to be pushed onto it.
Lynchpin: you only need the sword, small mast, and couch to lift the
armchair. The small mast goes on the bottom, and is what the couch lifts up.
The sword goes on the mast and the tip goes into the chair.
Lynchpin: Lift up the whole set with the big fish (this is including the
chair) and support the chair underneath with the small fish so the big fish
can let the couch drop. Have the big fish push the small mast over all the
way and then support his end of the sword. Push the chair/sword combo right
into the passageway and move the small fish above the combo. Push the combo
out with the big fish, use the small fish to remove the sword from the chair,
and lift the chair up and out of the vertical passageway.
For the longest time I thought you needed that egg to solve this last
part...then I realized you didn't while writing this walkthrough. I think I
even restarted this level at the very end in order to get that egg in there.
Seems like there are even placebos in video games...
e. Second Mate's Cabin
Ah, this looks familiar, doesn't it? This level definitely took me many
tries.
Lynchpin: it's okay to push the steel rod to the bottom this time...that
skull is the only way you can push the treasure chest out of the way.
That's the biggest hint in the level...you need to push the skull onto the
treasure chest...with the big fish.
Lynchpin: use the lantern to push the octopus out of the way. You'll do this
twice...once with the small fish, and again with the big fish after you push
the skull down.
Since I'd rather not give step-by-step directions, I think that's the best I
can do. I did an intricate (and probably a bit unnecessary) dance of moving
the octopus, skull, lantern, and metal bar around in order to get everything
into position, and it wasn't easy. But once you have a goal in mind, and
realize what pieces you need, most levels fall into place (assuming you have
learned how to play and not simply followed walkthroughs all the way
through...).
f. Captain's Cabin
Oh, I was stuck on this level for a long time. I knew what needed to be
done, I just couldn't see how to do it. Finally while trying random things
one day I figured it out. Never underestimate random movements!
Lynchpin: you need that gem that starts on top of the small fish. It has to
go all the way in the bottom right hand corner (well, not *all* the way...one
square to the left) so that the scroll can land on it, since the small fish
needs to "hide" there twice when objects are pushed down there. (If you
don't push the gem down there the fish can only "hide" there once safely. If
it wasn't for this the level would be mostly trivial.)
Lynchpin: that goblet is a total red herring. Yes, you can "rescue" it by
pushing it to the left...but we don't need it. The steel bar the big fish
starts out supporting will go in the hole directly underneath the gem...and
the steel bar up on the large mast will go in the other 2-square deep hole.
Yeah, I kicked myself when I figured that out too.
Lynchpin: in order to get the hook down, stick the small fish in the armchair
and use the big fish to push the sword in two spaces. Then when you need the
hook the big fish can just push the table and sword out of the way and let it
fall.
Most of the other steps in this level are relatively obvious...you need the
smaller mast to fill the hole in the bottom, so don't trap it anywhere.
Probably the hardest part once the above lynchpins are figured out is what to
do with the large mast while everything else is happening. I used the
smaller mast to support it up high for part of the time.
g. Silver's Hideout
Welcome to the second final level! Like all the other final levels, the
object is not to have the fish escape, but to get some other object out of
the room (by bringing it to an open edge of the room).
In this room, you have to get Captain Silver's map out of the room. In the
previous version of this FAQ, I was convinced that the map had to go out on
the top-right part of the screen. Thanks to the helpful e-mails of Brian R.
and Undertaker, I was able to solve the room. They both provided me with
solutions, but I'll only list Brian R.'s set of lynchpins, which immediately
follows (with minor editing) along with my comments.
Lynchpin: both gems and the top cannonball can be retrieved. By
dropping them onto the pistol, they can be moved back to the wooden
"table", and transported up top as needed. I don't think anyone should
need much help with these objects.
(Editor's note: I used the table to move the gems and cannonball over,
instead of the pistol. But you will need to get the snails out first before
you do this.)
Lynchpin: of the eight snails stored under the wooden table, three
can be retrieved. Fill the two holes to the right of the snails
(e.g. with the two glass eyes). The big fish then pushes the steel
bars and the snails over to the right, dropping the right-hand steel
bar into the pit. From the right-hand side, the big fish then pushes
just the top row of snails left one space. This leaves a row of three
snails atop a row of five snails, with a space between the top-left
snail and the left-hand steel bar. The big fish can then use the
pistol to shove the steel bar back under the wooden table, making room
for the little fish to get in there and lift up the upper snail one at
a time.
*** Note: in the lynchpins that follow, I'm going to assume that the gems
and snails are used for specific purposes. This is done just to help
keep the explanations from getting too confusing. Obviously any
1-square objects can be interchanged with any other. ***
Lynchpin: The pistol can be used to push the map left. This leaves the
pistol stuck up top. To retrieve it safely, one fish needs to bring
the table up to the pistol. Then, the other fish can push the pistol
right and move back out of the way.
Lynchpin: The pistol can be used to push the map left again by first
depositing a gem on a wooden square, directly to the right of the
map. To do this, the gem must be placed atop the pistol, directly
above the barrel. The pistol in turn is placed atop the table. The big
fish then lifts this stack up, to the left of where the pistol was
lifted up in the previous lynchpin. The little fish pushes the pistol
to the left to move the sight out of the way, causing the gem to fall
onto the sight. The big fish lifts the table up so that the sight is
just above the line of wooden squares. The little fish pushes the
pistol to the right, and then to the left (dropping the gem onto the
square), and then to the right again (moving the gem out from under
the map). After the pistol has been safely lowered again (see prior
lynchpin), it can then be used to push the map one square left via the
gem.
Lynchpin: The pistol can be used to push the map left a third time by
depositing a second gem to the right of the map, in the same manner as
the first one. Note that when the map is pushed, the second gem will
fall back down, so make sure the other fish is safely out of the way.
Lynchpin: The pistol can be used to push the map left a fourth time by
providing a line of three 1-square objects to the right of the map.
Two gems are placed upon the wooden square as before. The third object
has to be provided by making a stack of three snails on the little
table, which can then be lifted up so that the topmost snail is
aligned with the two gems. Note that when the push is executed, the
topmost snail is going to fall off the stack. In order to avoid
killing any fish, the stack must be placed on the leftmost edge of the
table. This just barely leaves room for the pistol to be pushed to the
right. Because of the tight squeeze of everything involved, the little
fish has to be holding the table, and she has to be holding it from
the very bottom, so that she doesn't stick out on either side. The big
fish must therefore lift the table up beforehand, and the big fish
must take the table afterwards, since the little fish can't safely
drop the table.
(Editor's note: instead of using the table to hold up the stack of three 1-
square objects, you can also use the small fish to hold them up. Just make
sure she is positioned so that she doesn't get hit!)
Lynchpin: Finally, the map can be pushed left four more times by
essentially repeating the above sequence. One 1-square object is
irretrievable from the first four pushes, leaving you with five --
just enough to complete the eighth push. You will need to clear the
stack of snails off of the little table for pushes five, six, and
seven, and then replace them on the table for push number eight. Note
that it is possible to use the pistol to push the stack around as a
unit. (Though it's possible that this is actually less efficent than
just leaving them in a heap and then stacking them up again later.)
Like the first ending, this one ending is all in Czech text, and I won't
translate it for you. I'd rather not include too many spoilers.
3. City in the Deep
How did Atlantis sink? We'll find out at the end of this series of levels...
a. House With an Elevator
Lynchpin: the only objects beside the elevator that you need are the 1-square
objects...push them down after the big fish raises the elevator so that it
lands on them, let the small fish escape, and then bring the big fish around
to the right side to let him escape.
This is another simple level which has a very similar (but much tougher)
version later in the series. In that one, none of the items are red
herrings.
b. Welcome to Our City
Lynchpin: you need to stack every single one of the crabs in the space
between the two steel rods (and to the left of the stone head). Then the big
fish can push the left rod down and escape.
Once you realize what needs to be done, this level is not too difficult.
Look ahead so you don't trap yourself, and all of the crabs are easily
brought up to the correct place.
c. Independence Day
Lynchpin: the small skull needs to get in the hole in the ladder. In order
to do this, you need to get the big fish under all of the pieces of marble.
Lift the first one up with the small fish, put the big fish down there and
drop the object. Then lift that up with the big fish, lift the other one up
with the small fish, use the small fish to hold both of them while the big
fish goes down into position. Then you can lift all the objects with the big
fish and use the small fish to push the skull over.
This is another of the early "stumper" levels. Holding two objects at once
like this is a useful lesson.
Lynchpin: in the next section, push out the first rod with the piece of
marble, and hold the L-shaped steel rod with the big fish as the little fish
goes in and down to the bottom, where it will be safe when the big fish
pushes in the L-shaped steel rod. (So basically the two have switched roles
in this last section.)
Finishing this level will open up the UFO series.
d. The Columns
Lynchpin: all you need to do with that steel rod is get it onto the
background ledge. This is because the entire floor can be lifted by the
small fish (under the statue at the bottom right), but only if that steel rod
is gone.
It took me forever to see that this could be done.
Lynchpin: move the small skull into the 3-square wide hole on the top right
ledge so that column can be moved to let the big fish by.
Of course you need to lift the floor to do this.
e. Uneven Pavement
Lynchpin: the snail, octopus, and small skull are all red herrings. Ignore
them except to push the snail aside on the way to pushing the column over to
move the long steel rod.
Lynchpin: of course you need to fill up three of the 2-square deep holes with
the steel rods provided. I took care of the farthest left one first. I made
some "steps" with the two marble slabs near the top, as well as one of the
four stacked above the advice-giving head. (Get rid of the horizontal steel
rod...I pushed it on top of the long steel rod mentioned in the first
lynchpin.) I pushed the rod onto the "steps" from above...be careful to
leave 3 squares for the small fish to push the marble slab back.
This level emphasizes lifting steel objects with the big fish and pushing the
object they are resting on out of the way with the small fish.
Lynchpin: in order to push the final two steel rods down I stacked the slabs
I used in the "steps" part with the 4-square long one on the bottom, and the
two 3-square wide ones on it, leaving only one square on the left for the
rods to fall through. Then I pushed the other 4-square long slab with the
steel rods on it on top of those. This enabled me to have extra height for
the big fish to push the rods.
I realize that this might be a confusing description; e-mail me if you are
still having trouble and I will try to update this walkthrough accordingly.
f. Mr. Cheops' House
Lynchpin: the big fish can lift the pharaoh head by using one of the 2-square
long objects.
It's probably easier for me just to step through this room. Drop the 3-
square long mini-sarcophagus onto the steel rod. Then push one of the 2-
square long objects onto the pharaoh head. Use the big fish to lift the
steel rod and push the mini-sarcophagus under it. Lift the pharaoh head with
the small fish (when the 2-square object is positioned correctly) so the big
fish can push the 1-square scarabs to the left side. Push the 2-square
object down and move the head over to the right so the big fish can lift the
steel rod up, and then the small fish can push the head over so it rests on
the ledge. The two fish exit from different sides.
g. A Bit of Music
Lynchpin: don't move the large and complicated steel piece to the right at
all; lift the skull and column combination straight up to let the small fish
out, and use the crab to hold the long flat steel rod up so that the big fish
can escape.
Lynchpin: the first pit should just have the speaker pushed into it, while
the second pit needs one of the 1-square skulls underneath the speaker so
that the column can be pushed all the way over.
Don't let the small fish escape too early!
h. Crab Freak Show
This is another level that had me stumped for a long time.
Lynchpin: let the big fish stew for a while. You need the object that is
blocking him in his room, but the small fish need to use the crab to push one
of the balls down first.
So it obviously follows that once you drop the first ball you need to lift
the L-shaped crab all the way up in order to get the 2-square tall rock
piece.
Lynchpin: the 2-square long crab isn't used. Push it to the side so you can
get the 1-square rock in the wall of the chamber above it. You then only
need one of the balls the big crab is balancing on (either one, it doesn't
matter).
I finally figured this room out when I counted all the squares that could
conceivably be filled, and when the small crab is useless and you can only
save one ball from the big crab...well, it became obvious then.
i. Another Elevator
Looks familiar, eh? This was an evil level.
Lynchpin: use the cross to lift the green urn up to the top so the small fish
can prop the elevator up.
You're going to need to get the 1-square shell underneath the cross, and the
green urn on top.
Lynchpin: use the skull to prop up the elevator so that the big fish can lift
it from the bottom and let the small fish out.
j. And How It Was
Yes! I finally solved this level...the second final level I was able to
solve. Like all the other final levels, the objective is not to have the
fish escape, but to get some other object out of the room (by bringing it to
an open edge of the room). In this room, the only open edge is on the left,
so that's where the plug needs to be taken. Don't let it fall in the hole,
I'm pretty sure you won't be able to get it out.
Lynchpin: I found the tall column to be necessary in my solution. Get the
column on the upper middle ledge so the long L-shaped steel rod will fall on
it. I had to have both the column and the crab on the small fish at once.
Initially I thought that column was simply used to lift the crab up...then I
saw it could be useful...
Lynchpin: bring two of the 1-square objects stacked on the bottom right up to
the ledge where the long L-shaped steel rod started. These will fall all the
way down to the bottom and on top of that 2-square tall steel rod so that the
small fish can push the plug over.
In order to bring these objects up you'll need to use one of the crabs on the
middle ledge, and the other crab and the column on the upper ledge.
Lynchpin: push the plug over a bit and get the steel rods onto the very
topmost part of the plug. This will enable the small fish to push it
farther.
One of those things that is pretty obvious but you can make much more
complicated for yourself than it needs to be.
Lynchpin: stack the two crabs and the remaining free 1-square skull in the
hole the plug was in, such that when the plug is pushed over it doesn't fall
in the pit.
Ah...that felt good, didn't it? Again, this ending is all in Czech, and any
translation I do is going to be with online dictionaries and it will be
horrible, so I won't print it here.
4. UFO
How did that UFO fly? The answer, while it is out there, will probably not
be what we expect...
a. Power Plant
Lynchpin: push the cylinders into the pits so that one of the 1-square
objects can fall down to the bottom, where it can be used to bridge the gap
for the steel object.
This is a pretty simple level, really. The cylinder on the far right is a
red herring; don't touch it. Most of the cylinders go into pits of exactly
their height; the two 4-square tall ones go together, one of the 8-square and
2-square ones go together, and one of the 8-square and 1-square ones go
together. Trial and error should get this one pretty quickly.
b. Strange Forces
Lynchpin: the radio thing goes into the pit on the bottom right.
Get the small fish into position on the other side of the blaster gun first,
of course.
Lynchpin: the big fish needs to be on the right side of the blaster gun in
order to move the steel objects. Get the blaster gun on the top level, and
then use the big fish to push it off with the magnets.
That is, the big fish will need to move that steel object on the top all the
way to the right, and the small fish will need to position herself to the
left of where the blaster gun drops before the big fish pushes it down.
c. Brm... Brm...
Lynchpin: the key does indeed go in that depression on the bottom of the
level. Get a gear on the "blade" of the key (the part that was inserted into
the motor) before the key is pushed down.
More explicitly, when the big fish pushes the steel object over, don't let
the gear fall until the motor is pushed over enough for the key to "catch"
it.
d. Nothing But Steel
This is a hard room to describe what to do. I guess the hardest part is
figuring out where to put the small fish, so...
Lynchpin: the small fish should follow the big fish out until it gets "stuck"
below and to the left of the +-shaped object. Then it comes out and down to
the right of that object, and swims all the way over to the left to wait for
the big fish to clear the rest of the steel objects out of the way.
The rest is pretty straightforward...sure, there will be mistakes, but they
are easily accounted for and corrected.
e. Guarded Corridor
Lynchpin: yes, you *do* have to do the first half of this level in the dark.
The two steel rods fall on top of the light switch so that two of the non-
steel objects can be pushed off the far right edge. The two steel rods
should end up on top of the two steel rod columns.
The third non-steel object I pushed off to the far left; it might be able to
be used another way but I didn't bother trying to figure that out.
Lynchpin: in order to be able to drop the dog safely (the one on the right of
course), secure the flat object on top of the light switch on the upper
ledge.
Maybe this is obvious, but it took me several tries while solving it. Lift
the flat object with the small fish, push the light switch underneath it with
the big fish, move the small fish down again and then push both objects down
with the big fish and then swim him down and out of the way, and then with
the two of them lift the switch and flat object together and supported on the
ledge.
f. Biological Experiments
Heh...a room where it seems like half of the objects are red herrings. This
is also one of those where the solution seems totally obvious but it just
isn't working and so you do one thing slightly differently...and that leads
to another...and another...
Lynchpin: get that eyeball in the center of the 3-square wide pit on the
middle ledge. Then make sure you drop the 2-square or more wide objects onto
the middle ledge before all of the 1-square wide bottles, or else you won't
have enough objects to push the steel objects later.
You will need to do some fancy positioning with that big pink vial in order
to get the eyeball on the blue sideways vial, which was the only way I saw to
get the eyeball to the correct spot in the pit.
Lynchpin: the only other accessible 1-square object (the green blob on the
second ledge from the top) needs to go in-between the two steel objects on
that middle ledge.
Lynchpin: in order to lift the 1-square green blob, as you push the 1-square
wide jars onto the middle ledge, make sure the small fish is to the right of
where they fall. Leave room (by pushing the first several jars over with the
big fish) for the jar directly in front of the 1-square green blob to fall
onto another jar, so that the 1-square green blob falls down one square. You
also need a space for this last jar to fall down to when the small fish
pushes it over and lifts up the 1-square green blob.
At first I assumed, like many people I am sure, that both steel objects had
to fall to the bottom (oh yeah, move the crab thing and the dead fish out of
the way, to be safe). But no, we don't have enough objects to push them both
over. So that green blob object will make it so when the first steel object
falls, there will still be enough room for the big fish to swim past the
other one.
g. The Real Propulsion
I finally solved this room, thanks, once again, to a solution sent to me by
G.d.G. (this was the third one from him chronologically, even if it is the
first one in FAQ order). This is one of the easier solutions in theory, but
takes a very long time to put into practice, because those big steel bars are
quite unwieldy. As the fish surmise, the central cage is the most important
part, and is the only thing you have to get out.
Besides the overall goal of getting the cage out, there is one more
overarching concern: what to do when the cage falls down the path to the
left. If we don't put a 1-square object on top of the one currently there,
then we can't push the cage out after it drops down. There is only one
available, so this will be some of the reasoning behind some of the
lynchpins.
Lynchpin: the plant with the large head is very useful for letting the small
fish help with moving the straight and the L-shaped long steel pieces around.
The thin plant will go on the far left of the engine structure, and be used
to push it to the right from underneath.
So start out by pushing the cage to the left until the upside-down L-shaped
pipe falls down. Then push it back one square until there's a 2-square wide
hole by that pipe - this is a bit tricky, be careful that you can get
everything out safely! (But you will get used to this by the time the level
is done.) Then push the skinny plant into that hole.
Lynchpin: use the 4-square long glowing rod to support that steel piece on
the bottom so it doesn't fall and crush the big fish when he is using it to
move the engine parts around.
Lynchpin: get the cage on top of the thin plant. To do this, you will need
to push the plant to the right underneath it...but from the top, not the
bottom. Make sure something catches the 1-square object on the right (I used
the 4-square long glowing rod) and the L-shaped wire bundle on the bottom (I
used the boiler thing that was on top of the broken wheel)!
The twisty steel rod will lift up the cage, then the other two rods push the
plant from the left. Then you'll need to push the cage to the left again
before removing the twisty steel rod.
Lynchpin: the 1-square object needs to rest on something so that it can go in
the passageway to the left ahead of the cage. The wheel and the L-shaped
wire bundle, when stacked on top of one another and dropped in the far left
of the engine area, become the perfect height for the 1-square object and the
cage.
This part shouldn't be too hard for you by now. I first used the 4-square
long glowing rod to take the wheel and wire bundle over to the left, and then
used that rod as another stepping-stone type thing the small fish can use to
help support the long steel rods while the big fish is moving them around.
Then bring the 1-square object over to the left (the twisty steel rod is
useful here).
Lynchpin: push that cage all the way to the left. I used the straight and L-
shaped long steel rods until the very last push, when I had to use the twisty
steel rod.
Congratulations! You have another Czech-language ending!
5. Coral Reef
The escaped telepathic turtle has made his lair in the confusing coral
reef...
a. First Bizarre Things
Lynchpin: the white piece of coral will be the one in contact with the steel
object, then the smaller pink coral, then finally the largest piece.
Position the big fish accurately so he will be safe when things fall.
Lynchpin: use the crab to hold the steel object up, and keep passing the
coral objects back and forth until the way is clear.
This is pretty tough for the first room in a series, in my opinion...although
most of the Coral Reef levels are unique/tough so perhaps this is just a
warning.
b. Labyrinth
Lynchpin: the easiest way to think about this level is to make the blue ledge
escape the maze...once that happens the shell will simply fall out and can be
pushed into its waiting pit.
Well, make sure you do the final push with the big fish so the shell can be
moved by the small fish.
Finishing this level will open up the Treasure Cave series.
c. Imprisoned
A good deal of this room is unnecessary.
Lynchpin: push the long steel rod over two squares. Then push two of the
four 3-square tall steel rods into place.
Lynchpin: next comes the red piece of coral (the one the small fish started
in) and then the final two 3-square tall steel rods.
Lynchpin: finally, the 2-square tall steel rod drops in the pit, and the 1-
square shell goes on top of that to be pushed in by the big fish on his way
out.
Sorry for what was basically a complete walkthrough, there really aren't that
many steps but they are all important.
d. Closed Society
Lynchpin: the white, 2-square long crustacean needs to be positioned just to
the left of the long steel rod. First, push it and the seahorse over so that
it is on top of a hermit crab (but still supporting the long steel rod of
course).
The squid/octopus should be pushed into the long pit there after this step.
Lynchpin: in order to move the white crustacean, position the objects so that
the big fish lifts all four hermit crabs up one space (they all fit
together), without lifting the long steel rod, and the small fish can push
the white crustacean across them.
e. Sleeping Creatures
Lynchpin: push the 1-square shell onto the blue octopus, and put it into the
small pit to the right of the seven sea flower things.
Lynchpin: the big fish will be pushing all the sea flower things down. To
get him up there, you will "trap" the small fish with the L-shaped squid on
the left side (who can then escape easily once the big fish is past).
f. Cancan Crabs
Whoa boy, this is a long level. I am sure there are multiple solutions, but
this one I know works.
</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
Lynchpin: push only one crab down with the big fish, then move him down the
lower left and push the crab down with the small fish. Later it will be
pushed up and over the 1-square steel rod into the 8-square wide pit that all
the crabs go into.
Lynchpin: push down two more crabs, and then push them over slightly so that
they make a kind of staircase. Then push the third crab down. Lift the top
crab to the highest ledge it can reach (directly above where it falls from).
The next crab goes near the top of that kinda-L-shaped steel rod, while the
final crab goes past the piano playing octopus.
Lynchpin: the top crab is easy to push through. What I did was drop it and
the sea flower thing down to the bottom and to the left of the manta ray
(which I pushed all the way to the right) so that the big fish could later
push the crabs with the sea flower.
Lynchpin: the middle crab will be dropped by using the big fish to push the
steel rod to the right one square, then going underneath and lifting the
steel rod so the small fish can push the crab over one square. Repeat until
the steel rod is all the way over, and drop the crab on top of the other one
from the previous step.
Lynchpin: use the small fish to lift the L-shaped squid. One crab will ride
down with the squid, the other will continue to the other hole.
Lynchpin: lift the squid to let the 1-square steel rod drop into the hole,
then push the squid down with the big fish and make your way out.
g. One More Pearl, Please!
Argh, this level had me stumped for a long time. I was (of course) convinced
that it was impossible. That was before I saw the next level, of course.
And Brian R. tells me that my method is probably not the intended solution.
He provided some extra lynchpins at the end.
Lynchpin: you don't need to push any objects into the hole down there in
order to get the piece of coral out! Just push the two pearls on the bottom
to the edge of the pit, and the coral will make it across just fine.
Lynchpin: push the pearl in-between the two 1-square steel rods onto the top
tip of the coral, then lift it up and use the big fish to push it off to the
left.
(See the * below for another method that begins here.)
If you were utterly stumped, this next lynchpin is going to kill you. As you
can probably tell, you need that tall steel rod to not fall into that pit.
Of course one would think that only pearls can fill up the pit. However...
Lynchpin: the 3-square long shell is the bottom layer of the objects that the
steel rod will land on. And you'll need that 2-square tall shell to push it
into place.
Right now I'll leave it to you to work out how to get the objects in place
with the piece of coral...realizing what you need to do is the toughest part
of this level.
* Update! Here are two extra lynchpins from Brian R. that go after my first
two lynchpins.
Lynchpin: Push the pearl on top of the tall shell (on the uppermost
shelf) off to the left. This needs to be done by the big fish by first
pushing the tall shell (along with the third steel square) rightwards
into the hole. The smaller fish should the push the shell down to the
lower area. The tall shell needs to end up to the right of the coral
for the next part....
Lynchpin: Bring the coral all the way over to the right, with the
small fish underneath it. This involves some careful maneuvering with
the tall shell and the pearls. Push the coral onto the tall shell and
push them both to the right, with the two pearls just to the left of
the shell. When you reach the first hole, push the shell into the hole
by pushing the two pearls, so that the coral remains supported by the
pearls. Alternate pushing the coral and the pearls until the coral is
all the way to the right, and no longer directly above the first
hole. Then, push out the pearl from under the tall shell, so the
leftmost pearl falls into the hole as well. The small fish can then
swim under the coral, pushing the two remaining pearls into the second
hole.
Lynchpin: Make a stack of three pearls on the shelf of the coral by
having the big fish sweep out all of the pearl on the topmost
shelf. The small fish can then bring this stack back over and lift it
up so that the big fish can push the topmost pearl off to the
left. This gives you the third pearl necessary to fill the pit on the
left, allowing the big fish to push the steel pipe out of his way.
h. Telepathic Devil
I finally have a solution to this level, thanks once again to G.d.G. I am
extremely busy these days, so I haven't solved it yet myself, but am writing
this solution based on the movie that he sent me.
Lynchpin: the small fish cannot get on the left side of the room, but that
doesn't mean she can't help at all. She will be able to manipulate coral
from two places: the alcove in the bottom center of the room, and the long
serrated coral on the upper right area. Note that the passages on the very
bottom and the very top seem to be red herrings.
I know I spent a lot of time trying to get the small fish on the other side,
so hopefully I can save other people from that particular headache.
Lynchpin: get the big fish into the center by pushing the L-shaped steel rod
to the left 1 square, lifting the long steel rod up, and then pushing the 2-
square tall steel rod down. You don't want to move the turtle over just yet,
and you want space for the 2x2 steel rod to fall.
Lynchpin: there is one coral that pretty much stays in the same place the
entire solution. The smallest piece in the upper left area, which looks like
an L with a small piece sticking out to the left, can be pushed down to the
center area. The small fish can raise things up to two squares with this
coral piece.
I'll also mention now that in this solution, the extra pearl was pushed down
to the very bottom in an attempt to create a way through for the small fish.
Since this is impossible, it may be that the pearl can be used to make the
rest of the level easier. But it can be done without it, so if you want, you
can just push it 2 squares to the left and get it out of the way.
Lynchpin: the brown piece of coral in the far upper left corner, that if you
draw an outline around it might vaguely look like the U.S. state of Texas, is
used to lift the turtle out of its initial enclosure. You will need to stack
other pieces of coral so that the small fish can lift the entire section and
the big fish can push it from the right. In order to get the big fish on
that side of the brown coral, you can lift it up to the ledge near the plus-
shaped steel rod. Then the small fish can push it down from the right.
Lynchpin: once you get the turtle out of its initial area, you just need to
get it over to the left down the only passage that will take its width. The
lynchpin is, you need to be able to push it to the left once it has fallen
down there! You can't do this with a piece of coral; you need to get the big
fish on the right side of where the turtle will fall and have the turtle
pushed down by the small fish from the far right. There are more than enough
pieces of coral to accomplish this, the challenge is just setting them up
correctly.
Lynchpin: one solution is to place the very long coral that was blocking the
vertical passage to the left of the upper pearl on the upper right next to
the plus-shaped steel rod. Next comes the coral piece with the flat top, and
two protrusions pointing down, the one on the right longer than the other (it
starts in the upper left, under the brown coral and the smallest coral).
Finally comes the brown coral again. The other pieces are unnecessary and
can be stacked on the upper left, unless you are having trouble with this
configuration and just want to be safe, in which case it should be possible
to include them in the solution.
Once the turtle is pushed down by the small fish to the left of the big fish,
it is only a matter of seconds to push it off the screen and finally solve
this room and get your Czech ending text!
6. Treasure Cave
What happened to the Holy Grail? The answer may be hidden deep in this
treasure cave...
a. Aztec Art Hall
Lynchpin: you do need to push all of the urns (and that seahorse) to the
left, so that the last urn falls into place and the steel rod can be held up.
The rest of the level is pretty straightforward, I feel that this is the only
lynchpin since when I played it I wasn't sure if I really wanted to do that
or not.
b. Shiny Cave-In
Lynchpin: you're going to be leaving from the upper right corner. The small
fish can go up at the 3-square wide hole, and move to the right after that
where the opening is (pushing the jewels out in the process).
Lynchpin: the big fish moves to the left at the 2-square tall opening, and
then up at basically the same place as the small fish, who will have to push
the jewels to the left in order to give the big fish room to move up.
c. Giant's Chest
Personally, I found this to be the only really difficult level of this
series, not counting the final one of course.
Lynchpin: since there's a steel rod at the bottom of the chest, only the big
fish can lift it at first. In order to set it down on a ledge, the big fish
needs to use two objects to lift the chest, so that the small fish can push
it to the side without killing the big fish.
Lynchpin: the crown on the right side of the screen does *not* go right next
to the chest. I tried to use it in the solution for the longest time; it
shouldn't be moved at all (perhaps just one square to the right).
Lynchpin: I "liberated" the steel rod from the chest by lifting it up with
the large goblet and using the small fish to push the jewel underneath it.
Then fancy finwork got the rod up and out of the chest and permanently stuck
in the only ledge on the right hand side of the screen that could hold it.
Lynchpin: the only way the big fish can get out is along the left side of the
chest. Once you get the steel rod out of the chest the small fish can lift
it from underneath and the big fish can move it so he can get around the
side.
d. The Hall of Ali-Baba
Lynchpin: the first two 2x2 objects can be moved over without any extra
objects to fill the pits; you only need one 1-square object in each pit in
order to not have the 2x2 object fall in.
Lynchpin: the third 2x2 object is a bit tougher. You need to push in some 2-
square long jars to fill in the pits. No matter what, that 3-square long
object will go first, so when you get that far just lift the steel rod with
the big fish to give the small fish more room to push the jars into the pits.
After that just escape to the right; don't worry about the final pit section.
e. The Deepest Cave
This level is really tough to explain. I am sure that there are many ways to
do the final part.
Lynchpin: you need both of the objects on the top to help you move objects on
the bottom. The strange red creature on the bottom should fill the pit in
order to help you move things around.
Lynchpin: I stacked the 1-square shell, the stalactite, and the bat in order
to create a column that was exactly as tall as the white crustacean that has
to be moved to free the steel rod. You can then push the bat down to let the
big fish past the steel rod.
Lynchpin: the rest of this was the trial-and-error part for me. I had the
big fish support the steel rod while the small fish cleared the way, and
stacked the rainbow creature on top of the 3-square tall jar. Doing this
allowed the steel rod to drop and still have enough room for the big fish to
get underneath it.
Peter writes with a more elegant lynchpin for the final part:
"Once the small fish has pushed the bat to the left to let the rod drop, the
big fish can get under the rod at the left to lift it one square up. Then
just reconstruct the snail/stalactite/bat column: lift the bat up with the
small fish, use the big fish still supporting the rod to push it right to
drop on the other side of the stalactite. Get both fish over to the right,
have the small fish rebuild the tower so the big fish doesn't have to support
the rod any more."
f. What Would King Arthur Say?
I finally solved this room, thanks to a solution sent my way by G.d.G. This
is a long, involved solution, and there are so many parts to the room, so I
apologize if the lynchpins are confusing. I'll start with some generic ones
and then get more specific.
Lynchpin: yes, you do need to get every single grail out. Even though the
fish argue about it at first, once you see that the golden grail and its
"halo" are separate, the small fish agrees with the big one. So, don't do
anything that makes a grail unmovable!
Lynchpin: many of the grails around the edge are possible to get out right
away. This doesn't mean that you should do so! Sometimes removing them has
repercussions that you can't deal with right away. For example:
* In the upper left hand corner, you can get two grails out right away, but
doing so will drop a steel rod. If you do this too early, it will block off
the passage for the big fish, which is bad.
* Moving clockwise, the grail in the middle-top can be removed early (first
even), but you need to make sure to keep the 1-square steel rod on top of a
grail.
* The three grails on the right hand side of the screen are important. You
need the middle one in order to get the top one out...but if you do it too
early then it becomes a one-way passage for the big fish, which is annoying.
Also, the top grail must, I think, be the final grail removed. Since these
grails aren't in your way, best to save them for the end.
* Finally, in the lower left corner, you need an extra grail in order to get
them all out without losing a fish. Stack two grails in the lower left
(staggered) so that you can push the one supporting the steel piece without a
fish dying. But early on, grails are at a premium. So best to wait until
later, since both fish can pass through, as long as you think ahead at
certain times.
Now for my solution. I am sure there are many ways to solve this room in its
entirety; this is just the way I did it (very much inspired by G.d.G.'s
solution, but with my own touches of course).
Lynchpin: most of the grails are going to go out the bottom right. The only
problem is there are two small pits that are in your way. The first one will
be filled with the 3-square long steel rod in the bottom center of the
screen. Push out two of the grails from underneath the golden one, and then
push that 1-square steel rod to the right out of the way. You can use one of
these grails to push the 3-square long steel rod over. Use the other one to
support the L-shaped steel rod so that it can be pushed into the center of
the screen, allowing the big fish to swim past it. The other pit will be
filled by the halo, so make sure you leave space for it to get down there!
Lynchpin: the main concept of the first half of the room is to get a 1-square
steel rod underneath the large one in the middle of the screen that that
golden grail + halo are on. This is so the top row of grails is nice and
flat and can be pushed to the right. The only 1-square steel rod available
is the one in the top center. In preparation, push the grail in the middle
left of the screen to the right, so it falls a bit. Another grail will be
falling on this one soon enough.
Lynchpin: have the big fish push the 1-square steel rod and grail to the
left, and line of the 1-square steel rod with the 1-square wide platform
above it. Go all the way around with the big fish and raise it up so that
the small fish can push the grail to the left one square and still support
the 1-square steel rod. Then the big fish can push it over one more square
and then lift up the 1-square steel rod into that conveniently placed alcove
in the ceiling. The small fish can then push two of the grails back to the
right and down. (Two of the three grails in the upper left will need to me
moved closer to their exit before or while this is being done.) Next, put
the two grails you just pushed down on top of one another so that the big
fish can push the 1-square steel rod to the left on top of them. Then he can
push both the steel rod and a grail down to fall on top of the grail you
moved over in the previous lynchpin. Then push the other grail up top down
so it falls on top of the steel rod.
Lynchpin: now comes a tricky part. You need to have a grail supported
exactly right so that the big fish can push the 1-square steel rod below the
large steel rod supporting the golden grail. G.d.G. did this by stacking a
large number of grails in a tilted column. I did it by pushing the L-shaped
steel rod over, which is exactly the correct height to support the two grails
you just dropped from above and the 1-square steel rod on top of them.
Getting the L-shaped steel rod out again isn't that hard, you just need to
lift it with the big fish, push a grail under it with the small fish, and
have another one nearby to push it over to the right without it getting
stuck. You'll need it soon enough.
Lynchpin: once the 1-square steel rod is under the large one in the center,
you can use the small fish to push out the remaining grails, with the big
fish supporting the large steel rod until she can come back and down next to
the 1-square steel rod (which should be pushed to the right as far as
possible). Then the large steel rod can be dropped without killing the small
fish. All the grails on the upper ledge can now be pushed to the right,
along with the halo, which needs to make its way all the way down to the pit
in the lower right, as I mentioned before. This shouldn't be too hard.
Lynchpin: the second half of this room involves getting out that one grail
left in the center section. You will need to get that L-shaped steel rod up
into the pit to the right of it. You will also need to get a 1-square steel
rod into the "crook" of the L-shaped steel rod so you can push them to the
left, then back one square, then to the left again to get the extra distance
to push that grail to the bottom. Again, G.d.G was able to do this by piling
a lot of grails up underneath the L-shaped steel rod until it was near the
top. You can also just raise it up directly with the big fish, once it's
lined up directly with the hole it needs to get through. I also pushed the
1-square steel rod at the top of the room into the "crook" of the L-shaped
rod while it was still at the bottom, right before lifting it up. If you do
it my way, you'll need the small fish to support the steel rods after lifting
them up, and then you'll have to do about half of the procedure to get the
grails out of the upper right area, so the big fish has room to maneuver.
Once you get that last grail out of the center, the rest is pretty easy. The
outlying grails were covered at the beginning of this section. I realize
that this is a really long solution, so please e-mail me if anything is
unclear!
As always, the ending text is in Czech so I am not sure what it says exactly.
7. Dump
Here we can solve the mystery of the dumped radioactive waste. Curse you,
Mr. Burns!
a. The Deep Server
Lynchpin: put the L-shaped pipe in-between the monitor and the CPU. (It will
have to fall on the corkscrew in order to do this). Lift up the
monitor/steel object with the big fish and use the small fish to push the
pipe in after him, for the monitor to land on when the big fish moves onward.
Don't let the big fish escape until he keeps the monitor aloft so the small
fish can escape under the CPU.
Finishing this level will open up the Secret Computer series.
b. Almost No Wall
Lynchpin: once the hook is supporting the steel rod, use the big fish to push
the horseshoe to the right.
The rest should be pretty obvious...
c. Plumbman's Refute
I think this level is probably meant to be "Plumbman's Refuse", as in
trash...a better translation would be "Plumber's Refuse" but I just put what
it's called in my game.
Lynchpin: get the toilet paper from the upper right of the level on the tip
top of the toilet so that it can be pushed over the steel rod and into the
pit.
Lots of moving stuff around to accomplish this but it's really not that
difficult.
d. Adventure With Pink Duckie
Lynchpin: the steel rod fits into the "U" of the pink duckie. The soda can
falls on the left side of the pit; the smallest L-shaped pipe falls just to
the right (not all the way down of course) and will be lifted up by the small
fish to let the big fish pass.
e. Shredded Stickman
Lynchpin: ignore most of the puzzle pieces. The first necessary piece is the
one directly down and to the left of where the small fish starts. It should
go up on the ledge above the small fish to hold the steel object when the big
fish moves it over.
Lynchpin: the other necessary piece is the one directly below where the small
fish starts. It has the little slot on its left side for the small fish to
lift with. Once the steel rod is out of the way, use the small fish to lift
the puzzle piece/pink blob combo so the big fish can get underneath. Then
push the blob out of the way and there you go.
f. Real Chaos
This is one of those levels that looks really hard and confusing, but isn't
really that bad...whenever you make a mistake it's pretty obvious in general
and can be fixed.
Lynchpin: make sure the green urn is off to the side after you move the
axe...you don't want the alarm clock to fall on it when you push it off the
big fish.
Lynchpin: move Charon's ship over one square so it catches the anchor.
Lynchpin: don't move the goblet holding the accordion up until the second
pass through.
Lynchpin: the chain falls in the pit, the anchor falls to the left of it.
Use Charon's boat intelligently.
The last part is stupidly simple; I wonder if there was supposed to be an
actual puzzle there?
g. Outraged Greenpeace
I finally have a solution to this level, thanks to Emma for sharing her
solution with me, which I then shared with G.d.G., who once again made a
movie for me to write up. I've been sitting on this solution for over a
month now, but I am finally going to write it up and publish the first
completed version of this FAQ!
Lynchpin: that big waste drum does indeed have to go down the right side,
across the bottom, and up the left side to the exit.
The small fish is going to have to hide in the alcoves on the right side
while the big fish arranges objects underneath the drum and manipulates it
from the left side. Don't worry, I'll go into more detail soon.
Lynchpin: you're going to use pretty much everything on this board except for
the big puffy object in the bottom left, the steel object at the very top,
and the L-shaped steel object on the bottom right, which you should push into
the nicely shaped hole right away. Use the rubber ducky to lift up the flat
pink object, and move it up under the crab (we'll see why later). Next, get
the huge purple eel thing all the way over to the right side, and then drop
the smaller eel and then Simpsons-like 3-eyed fish down from the waste drum.
Lynchpin: use the crab and the pink flat object to help get the flat orange
object and the shark down from the top of the screen. Drop the eyeball off
on the third opening from the top. The foot with eyes and the small eel can
both be pushed through the 2-square wide hole in the center of the central
"cage." Do so.
Okay, the next part is just a lot of preparation for the hardest part of the
level, which is getting the waste drum down the right side and still being
able to push it to the left. Let me explain how that is done first:
Lynchpin: see that place in the center of the right wall that is 2 squares
deep? The small fish will go there. What you will have to do is position
the waste drum so that its second ledge from the bottom is resting on the
right edge of the central cage. Then you lift it up and get her in that
alcove. Then the big fish pushes the drum to the right and it can only fall
2 squares. That lets the small fish push the drum to the left again. Then
the big fish can remove some objects from below the drum so that it can fall
2 more squares. And so on, and so forth, "ratcheting" the drum down to the
bottom.
I know this is really hard to explain with words, and I apologize for that.
But those are the limitations of this format. Unfortunately, I am just going
to have to tell you what you have to do, but not necessarily how you can go
about doing it (much like the rest of the FAQ).
Now that you hopefully realize what you have to do, there are still a few
more things to do first.
Lynchpin: in order to get the drum positioned to get down the right side, you
need to get the small fish in the upper-right hand corner, and the drum down
the right side but suspended up high. Use the big fish to lift the drum and
then the small fish pushes it 1 square to the right. Then the small fish
moves left 1 square and down 3 in preparation. The big fish now needs to
push the drum 1 square to the right, and it can only fall 2 squares so the
objects underneath it need to be perfectly spaced! Once this is done, the
small fish can push it to the left and then move around to the niche that I
mentioned in the previous lynchpin. Well, first you can have both fish work
together to get the creatures ready for the "ratcheting" part.
How do we accomplish the above? Here is how G.d.G. used the objects:
Lynchpin: the very long and strangely-shaped eel, the long (horizontally)
two-headed eel, the 3-eyed fish, and the toothy green creature go underneath
the waste drum (fewer objects each time, of course). There are probably
several ways to arrange them. Up in the cage, we have the far left part of
the orange creature resting on the far right part of the shark, which is in
turn resting on top of the foot-with-eyes. This is positioned such that when
the pink flat object is pushed in from the left, it will be able to push the
drum exactly 1 square to the right.
There are many ways you can do this; Emma, for example, used the two-headed
eel to push from the left. But G.d.G. made the movie, so I am using his
solution preferentially (although I will point out again that Emma was first
to give a solution to me).
Okay. I apologize for the odd order of those lynchpins, but I think it is
easier to see what they mean when you know the final result. Now, once you
have the drum ratcheted down, you need to push it over to the left. So:
Lynchpin: once the drum is all the way to the bottom, you can push it to the
left by getting the right head of the two-headed eel underneath it and then
pushing the drum to the left with the small fish from the alcove.
Lynchpin: now you don't need most of the creatures anymore. The green guy
with teeth can be tucked in nicely to the right of the pink spongy thing, the
3-eyed fish above it, and the big long purple eel above that in the alcove.
The two-headed eel can go in the far upper left, and any of the other objects
still in the left area can be pushed into the cage. But you'll need one of
the objects soon...the blue shark to be exact, because the big fish will be
able to push it to the right when necessary.
Lynchpin: hide the big fish just above where you pushed the big long purple
eel. He should just barely fit once you push the drum to the left with the
small fish so that it can be raised up. But...oh no! The drum can't get all
the way to the top because it hits the two-headed eel! Notice the small
alcove below that eel...hide the small fish there, then lift the drum with
the big fish. Now you can push the blue shark to the left from the cage to
hold up the drum.
Lynchpin: finally, you need to do just a little more "ratcheting" action.
Push the drum to the left with the big fish so the top ledge of the drum
rests on the two-headed eel. Then lift the drum from beneath with the big
fish 2 squares, and then push it to the right with the small fish. It should
now be resting on the bottom right of the cage structure. Now push the blue
shark to the right with the big fish, and then you can finally lift the drum
out of there!
Okay, I know I'm going to get tons of e-mails about this level. It is
definitely the hardest one in the game, and it is almost impossible to
describe, so please understand that I probably won't be able to do much
better by e-mail. If someone wants to write up a better solution, though,
that would be much appreciated. Many thanks again to Emma and G.d.G.!
8. Secret Computer
Now it's time to find the top secret plans hidden in the computer. It won't
be easy; in my opinion this series of levels is collectively the hardest in
the game.
a. Tetris
The only lynchpin I can really see is where the first few pieces go...
Lynchpin: the first piece, the 4-square long one, goes in the exact middle,
with 3 squares on either side.
Lynchpin: the second piece, the 2x2 one, goes on the far right in the corner.
Lynchpin: the third piece goes on the left of the first piece, fitting
against it snugly.
After that the rest shouldn't be too hard to figure out. If anyone is
interested, I started out just randomly placing the first few pieces to solve
this level. Eventually I realized that what was really hanging me up were
the final three pieces. Once I realized that the two L-shaped pieces had to
fit together, I built the rest of the puzzle around them, working it out on a
piece of paper, and found the solution relatively quickly.
b. Emulator
Whoa boy, this level is a doozy. It's long, but it was very rewarding when I
finally beat it.
Lynchpin: okay, that Zone 30 box has to be lifted up from underneath. The
top of the rocket obviously must be the highest part of the column of items,
and the 2-square wide objects right next to where the fish start must
obviously go next. Stack those up first.
I'm not saying this is easy...I messed up many times and had to reload a lot.
Lynchpin: in my solution, the next object was the spaceman dude. Underneath
him went the purple fireball, and the bottommost object was the long blue
platform.
Lynchpin: be careful when you pass the Zone 30 box: only push the yellow
alien thing just into the pit...you need to push the grey object down below
so the big fish can get out!
c. Garden of War
Lynchpin: you need the left-facing orc pawn to free the small fish. But you
need a way to lift it up as well. This is found in the right-facing orc pawn
up on the top. Push the castles over so the right-facing orc pawn drops on
the leftmost castle, push the left-facing orc pawn on top of that, and then
push the castles out of the way so you can push the pawns over and lift the
correct one up.
Lynchpin: you will be escaping through the right hand side (the "Exit
Program" and "Surrender" buttons are hints). The spear is the main thing
blocking your way. Free the rightmost orc pawn in that area and lift him up
to above the spear (remove the ballista from that location first of course)
and use him to push the spear aside.
d. Favorites
Oh man, this level gave me fits. I will warn you right now: in my
installation, saving the game after finishing the "retro" section caused both
of my fish to disappear upon a load, and I could not move them at all. So I
had to save the game within the retro section and do all the last part of the
level without saving again. And actually, when watching the solution they
disappeared after leaving the retro section too, so I had to re-solve it for
this walkthrough...
Lynchpin: in order to free the fish initially, lift with the small fish until
the big fish can push the small window (under the Notepad icon) to the right
one square. Thus when the small fish lifts more, the Notepad icon and the
small window will be right next to each other.
Lynchpin: you need the "My Computer" icon above the big fish to lift the
retro section up (in my version it says "Tento Pocitac"), so keep that in
mind. Because of the bug with the saved game after solving the retro
section, I put this in place before starting it. I also moved the Columns
icon around with it, as I used that to hold up the retro section later. (I
remember that I did, but because of the bug I can't see exactly what I did,
and I solved it later without it.)
Lynchpin: in the retro section, get the candle on top of the wood-nail-hook
object, and use that to push the steel rod aside with the big fish.
Lynchpin: next, in the retro section, push the book down to the bottom and
put the candle on top of it. Then push the book into the pit and lift the
candle up so the big fish can push it aside. The big fish can now escape;
save the game before the small fish does!
Lynchpin: situate the small fish in the upper right hand corner, so that when
the big fish lifts the retro section, the small fish can push that bird thing
over.
Now here is where I have a few different solutions. I can only really put
the most recent one, which relies on what may be a bug: when the retro
section is lifted, the book falls out. It seems like this would be an
obvious thing to catch, so I assume it is meant to happen. If it doesn't
happen in the remake...let me know.
Lynchpin: push both the Confirm window and the bird thing off the side of the
retro section. Lift it all with the big fish, and push the book and the
Altar window over. Push the bird thing onto the book and then push them both
to the other side of the My Computer icon. Now the big fish can push
everything to the right. Then the small fish can swim around and lift the
color palette for the big fish to push over onto the objects to let the retro
section rest.
e. A Hardware Problem
This can be a *long* level. It's not that hard, really...it just takes a
long time to move each card, and you have to move them a *lot* if you don't
plan the ideal solution out.
Lynchpin: each card matches up with each steel "key" exactly. (The upper
left corner will be empty). Really, the only solution I can give you is to
plan everything out in advance. Figure out how to move the cards around to
get them in their proper positions. I got the rightmost column done, then
dropped the keys, and then worked on the rest of the objects together.
I ended up having to cut out small pieces of paper with labels on them and
shuffling them about to even confirm that a solution was possible, and then
do it again writing down my steps. I have over 3500 moves in this level but
I know it is possible to cut that down greatly (the high score is only 759
moves).
f. Read Only
Thanks again to G.d.G. for supplying the hints, as well as some helpful
screenshots, to me so that I could solve this room and write up the
lynchpins.
In this room, you need to get the disk out the upper left hand corner. This
is easier said than done (of course!): everything you do in the solution is
just getting the disk pushed over to the right so that you can lift it up!
You start out able to push the disk to the right with that crank. But in
order to get the steel cross out of the ground, you'll need to push the disk
one more square over, so you'll need to build a contraption to be able to
push the disk to the right once more.
Lynchpin: the first order of business is to get that chip out of its
enclosure on the right side of the room. We need to use that crank on the
disk, the 3-square tall film strip, and one of the 1-square "computer
viruses". You'll want to lift the crank up to the small platform to help get
the steel "staircase" all the way up, and get one of the viruses. Then stack
the filmstrip and the virus on the right edge of the crank, and lift up the
chip with the big fish. That 2-square wide, tall block thing (not sure what
it is) can help you with the positioning.
Lynchpin: once the chip is free, you need to get the crank, all three 1-
square objects (including the steel one), the steel rod that was on top of
the chip (I'll call it the "cactus steel rod"), the chip itself, and the
filmstrip on top of the disk. There are too many steps, and likely too many
ways to do this, for me to enumerate. The important thing is the final
configuration.
Lynchpin: the configuration you need is: crank on the bottom left, all three
1-square pieces in a row underneath and to the right of it (one will stick
out), the filmstrip on top of the left of the crank, the cactus steel rod on
top of the upper right of the crank, and finally the chip on top of it all,
arranged such that the middle of the chip is resting on the filmstrip, and
the right pin of the chip is inside that small alcove of the cactus steel
rod. Essentially, the crank will fall to the left of the disk, the chip will
have both the filmstrip and the cactus steel rod in the center of it, so that
the big fish has enough space to push the disk to the right. The 1-square
objects are there for the cactus steel rod to rest on so it doesn't fall.
Lynchpin: before you can move the disk, though, you need to get rid of the
steel cross object. Once the disk-moving objects are situated, move the disk
all the way to the right and drop the steel staircase onto it. Then move
everything to the left, keeping the big fish at the bottom right of the disk.
If done correctly, the staircase will fall around the big fish, and your
other objects won't be disturbed. (I had to make a minor adjustment to the
1-square objects so that they wouldn't fall off the right edge of the disk
with the big fish; he was able to get out with the help of the small fish.)
Lynchpin: pick up the steel cross and push that 2-square wide, tall block
thing underneath the staircase. Push it over to the right. You can then use
the big fish to put all three steel objects up where the chip used to be.
Push the 2-square wide, tall block thing into the bottom right corner.
Lynchpin: getting all your disk-pushing objects in place actually gave me a
bit of trouble. I had to pick the chip up and put it on the cactus steel
rod, push them all over a bit, and then push the chip back down into
position.
Lynchpin: once the disk is moved over a bit, you can lift up almost
everything on it to that small ledge in the middle of the room. I dropped
the steel 1-square object into the small hole left by the cross. Push the
disk over to the ledge, get under it with the small fish, lift it up, and
push something (anything) under it with the big fish. The rest is easy and
obvious: push both things all the way to the left and then lift it up to the
exit!
This ending screen, which of course is still in Czech, actually has two
things to read. I'm quite curious what it says...
E. Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How can I get Fish Fillets?
A: Not sure why you'd be reading this if you didn't already have it, but...
Fish Fillets was created by Altar Interactive, and they still have a short
page on their website dedicated to it:
http://www.altarinteractive.com/pages/fillets_en.html . The original game
can be downloaded from FilePlanet:
http://www.fileplanet.com/files/110000/117536.shtml . Finally, the remake of
Fish Fillets for Linux, Mac, and PC has its homepage here:
http://fillets.sourceforge.net/index.php .
Q: Are there any other walkthroughs for Fish Fillets?
A: Besides others that may show up here on GameFAQs, the only other one I
know of is a pictorial walkthrough here:
http://emhsoft.net/fillets/index.html .
Q: When I exit a level, I get some File Not Found error and the game crashes!
What do I do?
A: This happened to me twice (sorry, I don't remember the exact levels). I
found that if one fish left first, it would crash, but when the other left
first, I went to the next level as normal. Don't ask me why...in both cases,
the fish that left first was the one you would expect to go first. Hopefully
if this happens to you, this solution works.
Q: On the Favorites level in the Secret Computer, when I reload my game the
fish have disappeared and I can't make them show up again! What do I do?
A: Unfortunately, the only solution I could find was to not save the game
after finishing the "retro" bonus level. Save it right before the last fish
leaves (it was the little fish for me) and you'll just have to do the rest
without saving.
Q: How can I contact you?
A: You can e-mail me at
[email protected] if you have corrections or
additions to this walkthrough.
This work Copyright 2004-2006 Neil Frederick.
