The Hidden Archive: Part Three (Redeemer's Edition)

[ab-47]

Well, let's give this another shot.

The Hidden Archive Saga
PART 1
PART 2
PART 3

So, what happened to the original release? Truth be told, The Hidden Archive's Part 3 was a big flop, I was never satisfied with it, it felt more frustrating to design the mechanisms, and even more frustrating to play because things didn't flow as smoothly as I wanted. So, around eleven months later I decided to re-adjust the gameplay completely into a much more enjoyable experience, improving the mechanisms and adding newer mechanisms to the gameplay. Part 3 went from one of my most despised works to something I'm proud of, hence why I called it the "Redeemer's Edition". If anyone wants a comprehensive list of the changes, let me know.

The original part 3 will no longer be available and the thread will basically have a link to this one, so don't bother looking for it.

This is a beefy adventure, it's got 27 wlvs and 60+ dialogs, standing up to 5.88 Megabytes in size. This makes part 3 bigger than parts 1 and 2 combined. The average time it took for Cookie (my favorite lab rat *AHEM* playtester) was 2 hours and 15 minutes, that's almost 5 hours less than the original part 3, and he seemed to have enjoyed it a lot. This is probably the very first adventure that will feature the new custom sounds that we have in the new OpenWA update (Special thanks to Cookie for the new feature).

For those who are new to The Hidden Archive story, here's a quick recap from part 2: You continue venturing into the archives and then your progress gets interrupted by someone, and you get sent to an illusion place called The Seven Stars Hotel. Shortly after escaping the hotel you end up dying so the story takes off from that point.

There are little to no traditional WA puzzles here: The Hidden Archive doesn't take a traditional puzzle design but more of a point-and-click type. Elements used will sometimes have a different function from that they are known for, and hints will be placed all around the level for you to understand and attempt your playthrough.

Special thanks for all the custom content provided from the community, I'm too lazy to list who did what xd.

Recommended to play on widescreen for a better experience!
Recommended to download my audio pack for a better experience, I've updated it to Vol. 3.1! LINK HERE
Make sure you have the modded WA 10.5.0 to play part 3 Redeemer's Edition or the adventure might MAV / hardlock you!


Codenames: Limbo, Icebreaker, Frozen_Fame, Astral_Projection, Darkness_Falls

I'm happy how this turned out, enjoy your Halloween, everyone. I'll also try my best to get part 4 released sometime before this year is over, I hope!

DOWNLOAD PART 3 REDEEMER'S EDITION

[|Cookie|]

Extreme improvement upon the first version. Somehow you made pitch-black darkness very fun to play in.

Can't wait for the archives four.

[Jutomi]

Oh man. I cannot wait to play this.

Just note that my solution for it might take a little while. I'm already putting my current upload series partly on hold on account of being too busy... followed by getting sick again.

[Jutomi]

Well, it only took me almost two years but I finally got around to it

Great remake; definitely feels like an improvement. (Though the original wasn't half bad either!)

I did like the old recipe part, but aside from the one thing having a busted puzzle I could see why it was removed lol. Still, glad I could play both versions; even the original's moobot puzzles, dumbfounding as they were compared to these, were quite interesting.

Below are all of my video solutions. Note that everything after Part 7 was already recorded from the original, since that section wasn't changed at all.

New Recordings:
Part 1 - Darkness Falls Differently
Part 2 - New Light Blossoms
Part 3 - Stumped at the Magic Pump
Part 4 - Jumper Cables
Part 5 - Rerunning the Marathon: Disco Floor Edition
Part 6 - Charging Station
Part 7 - A Simpler Recipe for Disaster

Second Segment Recordings:
Part 8 (1) - The Monster's Collection
Part 9 (2) - The Ice Machine
Part 10 (3) - The Night Exhibit
Part 11 (4) - Xu 'n Vava
Part 12 (5) - Pillar **** *****, Part 1
Part 13 (6) - Pillar **** *****, Part 2
Part 14 (7) - Bonus Clip

(full hidden archive playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... Sflqr_Wc2f)

Thanks again for the fun. This series is absolutely insane and I can only imagine the pain that went into all of these. Good luck to your future endeavors.

[TwingleTheScraggler]

I would like a list of the changes, please.

[Jutomi]

I would like a list of the changes, please.

Pretty much every puzzle in the "new recordings" section of my videos was changed, even if the layouts are sometimes similar.

[ab-47]

I would like a list of the changes, please.

It's been a while since I released this adventure, so I'll try to write down everything I can remember, SPOILERS AHEAD:

CHANGES:

- Added a new introductory level showcasing how the creeping darkness mechanics work, providing better flow and clearer visualization of important elements in the dark.
- The first darkness section has been partially reworked to reduce clutter, improve object visuals, and add a new temporary light-up mechanic. Overall, the puzzle is 50–70% different from the original and more enjoyable to play.
- The second darkness section has been almost completely reworked in both the first and second halves.
> First half: Zapbot has been removed, bridge chains have been removed, and the puzzle now focuses solely on the magic shooters and Moobot.
> Second half: The rewiring puzzle has been completely removed, as it was confusing and tedious in the dark. The upper Moobot will be inactive from the beginning; to start it up, a brand-new puzzle element has been added: jumpstart cables. The layout for this half has also been streamlined to make it easier for players to navigate the Moobot.
- The third darkness section now includes a temporary light-up mechanic as well. The layout has been cleaned up, rewiring Moobots has been completely removed, and a sequence of light bridges has been added to the upper section. Overall, this improves clarity and helps players better understand the objective.
- The last darkness section has fewer changes, but Moobots can now be controlled with jumper cables. Additional colored light bridges have been added to provide better visual clarity.
- The Icebreaker puzzle is the major puzzle dialog where NPCs attempt to free the frozen player. Previously, this puzzle was hectic, and feedback indicated that some wording and codes were incorrect, which negatively affected the expected outcome. As a result, the puzzle now contains only three minipuzzles instead of five, and the dialogs have been revised to ensure there is only one correct solution.
- Minor adjustments were made to the Frozen Hall of Fame repository puzzle to improve organization.
- Minor adjustments were made to the pillar boss fight to make the battle less janky and more consistent.
- Fixed an issue where one or two Pillars of Destruction were accidentally destroyed during the boss fight.
- Fixed the tempo of the boss battle OGG track.
- Revised several dialogs.

If I remember anything in the future, I will add it to the list. Cheers!

[TwingleTheScraggler]

Thanks! But, I thought the original had the light-up mechanic as well?