AR-K Walkthrough and Achievement Guide (Chapters 1 & 2)

Overview

Welcome to the AR-K! This guide covers 10-step walkthoughs for each chapter so far, guide for all the achievements and several tips.

Tips

The 10-step walkthough for each chapter is meant for a speed-run to be successful (under 10 minutes if you keep pressing Escape to leave the dialogue). However, please enjoy the game & dialogue. I have tried not to spoil the overall story-arc (pun intended).

General tips:

• This is a point&click adventure game – click on anything that has a name and try to combine everything 🙂
• Don’t rush past dialogue or you’ll miss hints.
• Check the backpack / inventory in the upper left screen often. To USE an item, click and drag outside of backpack (lower left corner of the screen seems the easiest way) to make the backpack close/ disappear while you’re still holding an item and then click on what you intended to use it on. Patience is needed, try it around if it doesn’t seem “reasonable”. Also, note that items may be combined inside the backpack when needed.
• After you meet people/NPC, they appear in your agenda (left-uppermost corner of the screen). You can USE these icons to bring topics up in conversations with other NPCs (just as you would with regular backpack items).
• If you get stuck (e.g. can’t find a marker for the exit back to subway, etc.), exit the game to the menu then click Continue. This will force the game to redraw the area.
• The game is not 100% linear, though there are stages to go through that you can’t skip. Sometimes, while trying to speed run, you may do things your character is not aware of via conversation.
• Achievements may not pop until you finish the chapter. Some may not pop if you skip conversations or endings. It’s only fair, don’t you think?

Oh, and go ahead and rate it up if you like this guide or drop a comment if you want something added 😉

Chapter 1 – Gone with the Sphere

10-step walkthrough

Step 1 – Fresh morning. Alicia’s Room: Wake up, check the wardrobe, notice the post-it with the sphere, go to the shower, enjoy cut-scene (nope, it’s not what you think). Go outside, notice the Bollizei, the sewer in bottom left, the subway station middle left. Go to the bar (Franky’s).

Step 2 – A Friend in Need– Notice Nuno/roommate sleeping at the bar. Talk with Franky, he’ll tell you of the corpse reviver. Ask him about the person you were with last night, but only if you don’t want the 8-bit achievement first.

Step 3 – Check out the University – Notice the phone next to the entrance (see Joker achievement). Go inside, talk to William, go upstairs, go right, click on nametag to get the professor’s phone number (thanks@Queen of Blade), click on door, talk to the professor. Go back downstairs, buy Super-skunk, go to street outside Franky’s and use yellow skunk on sewer, get booze, go back to Wallruce, talk to him about coffee, offer booze to relax. Get the bag and notice the heavy brick in your inventory and the camera we will need later on. Pick up Wallruce’s keys from his belt.

Step 4 – Corpse Reviver Quest – you can do them in any order, give all 4 ingredients to Franky once done.

• First, get tabasco from Franky (left of him) – that’s something that warms up.
• Second, go to the University, buy Skunk Cola and Skunk-u-Nancie (blue and red), combine them in the inventory, go up and use the mix on the robot breaking him, take the can – that’s something that cleans one’s pipes.
• Thirdly, go downstairs, use brick on coffee machine, enjoy cut-sceen, get glasses, use on coffee machine – that’s something that awakes one.
• Fourthly, tell Franky you have a hangover, then ask him for a burger with everything (with the works), go out, give it to your dog (Ambar), get what he spits – that’s disgusting indeed.

Step 5 – Helping a Friend Try to give the drink to Nuno, Franky will tell you you’ll spill everything. Go back to University, go upstairs to the professor’s room, get in (with Wallruce’s keys/keycard), get the funnel from the water machine (left) and go to the laptop screen to advance the story. Go back to Franky’s, use funnel on Nuno, then drink on Nuno. Enjoy cutscene.

Step 6 – Breaking and Entering Go outside/street. Click subway (leftmost upper), arrive at warehouse, try to talk to the guy, go back to the subway, go home, get dress from wardrobe (you see where this is going, right?), use dog on poor guy to take his magazine and sneak in.

Step 7 – Golden Surprise – Click left on the shelf, the vehicle will get away, get stick from left of the entrance and bar the door, get string from left of the entrance, use string on shelf, use Ambar on string, get what’s in the box. Surprise.

Step 8 – Enlisting Bollizei’s help – Franky will suggest to ask the policemen/Bollizei, go outside use picture on Bollizei, ask “No. Why not?”, choose “Pity. My father…”. Now you need to search for 3 clues – go to university, go to bulletin board on left, see post-it from Otto (that’s his name), talk to Franky, Wallruce’and Bob ask them about Bollizei (drag Bollizei’s picture from inventory to them). Try – Away from donuts, hard worker, Otto (choices 2, 1, 1). Show him the picture again and he’ll point you to a list of places.

Step 9 – Get Invited – Go in the first screen and check the statue to the right of the screen (Leopold). Go to phone use Leopold’s image on phone. The professor will come down and move the red bike from the entrance. Go upstairs, talk to Nuno, get him to pretend he’s going to jump then use Ambar to scare him. Go back downstairs, outside, and steal tickets from Bob’s booth. Go to subway.

Step 10 – Indiana Girl – Go straight untill you reach the truck, jump, click on the window, choose dialogue that implies you need help TWICE to get the dog to help you, use the rope with the lock, use the rope with the streetlights, go in the lorry. Surprise again!

Watch the ending. Definitely don’t skip the ending if you’re on a speed-run 😉

Chapter 2 – The Girl that Wasn’t There

Step 1 – Checking out new places – You wake up in Blaine’s apartment. go to upper floor, check the two bookshelves, check the telescope & robot, go downstairs, check waste management bin in the right corner, go back upstairs and get the glass egg from the left bookshelf, get down and use it on maglev train in the left corner to derail it, get magnet, use magnet on the books in the right bookshelf and voila – an ID card. Go to the exit and enjoy cutscene.

Step 2 – The city has changed – Check the generic man for an epic easter egg, activate the terminal in front of Blaine’s apartment (Apart. Blaine 013248) then go left to the residence halls and check the terminal in front of Franky’s (inactive), then left again to get to the University, get the branch under the purple tree and activate the terminal (Univ Edward Leopold 058213), then move up to the university. Ignore Blaine, check the phone if you like and enter.

Step 3 – University = cheating – Talk to the girl on the stairs and accept, check the right board to see the Professor failed you, go upstairs, go to the toolbox in the left-lower corner and get the wrench, check the grademarks (A++ in your backpack) then check the search (magnifying glass) in the backpack – you’re gonna cheat. Go downstairs then outside to the student in the booth that replaced Bob, talk to him then use the magnifying glass as a topic, a new topic will appear in your inventory (guy with long hair), check it. Go back to the street outside of your apartment and check the rat. Go to your apartment (Alicia’s room) and use the wrench on the doll in the right-lower corner (indeed, she knows how to use the wrench) to find a mic and a sound chip. Check Nuno but he can’t be helped right now. Exit then go to the bar to find the warehouse guard in episode one as bartender – he’s the one who can help you. Get the cutter from under the right table. Go outside and go left to the Alley to find Franky and a “Rising warriors” sign on the wall. Try to get in the backdoor, then get back and walk in the front door. Talk about rock&roll, use the name from the sign in the alley, choose any answer except admiting you’re lying and he’ll become your … friend. Give him the sound chip and get a burger, use his icon to ask about cheating and he’ll ask for a special magazine (right, we saw a bunch in episode one).

Step 4 – Spying – Go out and back with the subway to Blaine’s apartment, use mic on jacket. To get him to change jackets, go back to the student selling burgers, give him the burger from Franky’s, after Blaine leaves get the glasses from the ground and use stick with it to create a trap. Go back to the street outside Blaine’s apartment. Add 1230 to the piece of paper makes 1230 turn into 2460 (doubling it). Go to Bollizei, say you’re tired from walking. Check the code 2460 in the backpack, then use it to ask Bollizei and he’ll slip and you’ll get the entire code (082460 as the district code for district 8 is 08 to make it 6 digits).

Step 5 – Get the rat – Go back to Alicia’s room, click Ambar but he’s carefully protecting the sphere and won’t come out. Go outside and talk to Nuno (through the door) about the CILF magazine. Click exit and you’ll see Ambar exiting with you and going to the alley (but he appears in your backpack as well). Place the trap on the rat, get Ambar to bark at the rat, click the scared hamster to get him inside. Use the rat icon in the backpack on Bollizei to get his help on traping the rat (OMG scene), then pick the glass up. Go back to Nuno and use the rat on his door. Watch Bollizei at work again. You are now free to steal a magazine from Nuno and give it to the guy in the bar to get the cheat sheets. Talk to Bollizei about Ambar being disobedient to get a whistle icon. Go back to the University and give the hamster back to the girl and she’ll trade you a magnetic bracelet. Go up and fetch the crowbar from the hallway to the right.

Step 6 – Conspiracy – Go back to Blaine’s apartment, upstairs and use the bracelet on the table far left. Use wrench on telescope, then click it to spy (Warning – District 4). Go outside, use crowbar on CINCO letters. Go up to the square and see that the glass you broke cleared it. Ask Bossman about radiation leaks. He will retreat while speaking Basilisk in his watch, making the whistle icon orange. Talk to the man making photos and get a copy of Bossman’s speech. Activate terminal (Ziusudra Plaza 015369). Go left and back to Alicia’s room.

Step 7 – Home made tools – Back in your room, check the big letters. Drag CIC to the lit part of the table and rotate it to look like a wrench )-( . Grab the pants from the wardrobe. Check the heat mark where the sphere stayed on the floor. Go to the alley and use orange whistle icon on Ambar to get the sphere. Go to the University and use the golden sphere on the broken terminal (yup, just throw safety out of the window, surely the engineers placed safeguards against overcharging it). Go back to your room and use the charged sphere on the letters to create an actual wrench, which of course you store in your … pouch. Leave the room and get Blaine’s gift (sweets or chocolate?).

Step 8 – A friend in trouble – Go to the alley and give Franky the home made wrench. Btw, he’s called Frank F Franky and F stands for Frankie. Now, you got him into trouble but the terminal in front of his bar will get repaired (Too Fast Too Foodious 056321). Check the terminal to the left of Bollizei (Res Edward Leopold 053426). Now use the code 082460 on all 5 terminals to break them (irony is there’s not much walking involved as all 5 terminals are in consecutive screens). Optionally talk to Bollizei to get his opinion.

Step 9 – Saving yet another friend in trouble – Go to the University and use wirecutters from the bar on the coffee machine to get yellow tape. Go upstairs and use Blaine’s sweets behind the Professor. Go back downstairs. If all 5 terminals are hacked, you can use the useless card on the bird (Wallruce’s helper). Enjoy the slow-motion scene. Give the disc to Wallruce and surprise, you just saved someone.

Step 10 – Concealment – Go upstairs in the University and get the boots and gloves from the open locker to the right. Go to Blaine’s apartment and go upstairs. To the right, you’ll find a helmet, use the crowbar to pry it off. Use the yellow tape on the helmet in your inventory. Use the golden sphere on the dusting robot to distract the guard outside. Go downstairs, change temperature (left of the big screen). Go upstairs, use Ambar on the police jacket. That is one trained dog. And you’ve got yourself a camouflage costume. Almost. Go to the alley and use the white paint on the extra pair of pants you’re carrying around in your backpack. Now you’re teleported to the exam. Notice one of the footballers in the upper rows has a laptop. While the Professor turns away facing right, use the cheat sheet on the footballer. Now that he moved them in the first row, click Nuno (leftmost) and enjoy. The cliffhanger.

Achievements

There are 9 achievements in chapter 1:

• Gone with the sphere – Complete the first chapter – Main quest: just finish the first story 🙂
• Observer – Read tons of descriptions – Literally try to click and read a lot of objects/descriptions. It will unlock in less than half of the episode.
• Sociable – Keep talking! Be sociable! – Try to explore all paths of conversation with the first 3-4 persons you encounter. It will unlock in less than half of the episode.
• Dressing properly – Put on the seductive dress – Main quest: Get this by changing Alicia’s clothes in her dorm before going back to the warehouse.
• Trial and mistake – Combine 100 objects incorrectly – Randomly combine anything you have for 100 times. Any two items repeatedly interacted in the inventory will do.
• I love that drink! – Buy 10 cans of Skunk – Buy cans of Skunk (all 3 types if you like, only Super-Skunk needed), go upstairs, use the yellow one to interact with the robot. He’ll clean it up 🙂 Go back, buy more. Careful, this will not work if you already broke the robot 😛
• 8 Bits – Find the retro video – Note: For some this did not work after you talk to Franky about missing handbag, so if this doesn’t work, try it again WITHOUT talking to Franky. In the beginning, go to the University, buy Super-Skunk (yellow), go back to the outside of dorms (Bollizei/entrance to Franky’s), drop the drink from the inventory to the sewers (bottom-left corner), take the booze from the ground, go to University, go upstairs and to the left and talk to professor, go downstairs and ask William about coffee, then give booze from inventory to William.
• Joker – Tell at least 3 jokes – Get a shower then go to the University, go in, get upstairs and to the right. Click the nameplate on the left of the door to get phone number. Go outside and check the phone on the right of the entrance. Choose the first two dialogue options with the professor to play two jokes (a prank to make him say he’s an idiot and a fake quiz on the inventor of the phone). Last joke after you come back from the warehouse, go to the phone, use the first option (mom joke). Warning (credited to @Whyyawannabringmedown): The point is that you have to make the joking actually COUNT, which only happens when the game saves – leave and return between calls. e.g. grab the telephone number besides the prof’s door and prank call for the first time. Then, enter the university hall and return to the phone for the second call. Same procedure on the third call.
• Fast girl – Perform a speed run – Move fast (use 10-step walkthrough). Should take under 10 minutes. Warning: Don’t skip the ending.

There are 3 achievements in chapter 2:

• The girl who wasn’t there – Complete the second chapter – Main quest: just finish the chapter
• Hacker – Unlock every terminal code – There are 5 terminals in 4 screens: one in the square, one outside of Blaine’s apartment, one outside of University’s Residence Hall, one in front of Franky’s place (needs to be fixed first), the road to the University near the nerd opposite of the purple tree. See the walkthrough for tips.
• Law abiding citizen – Behave, Citizen! – Hack all the five terminals and after the police roam the streets, talk to Bollizei. Ask him why there’s so much police around and he’ll spill the beans. But since you promise you’ll be alert …. 🙂