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Cat hair mustache puzzle

January 01, 1970

The "cat hair mustache puzzle" is a colloquial name given to a puzzle in the 1999 adventure game Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned. The puzzle involves disguising the protagonist Gabriel Knight with hair from a cat, in order to steal a man's motorcycle rental. It was created by the game's producer, Steven Hill, after a puzzle designed by the game's lead designer, Jane Jensen, was cut due to budgetary reasons. The designers disliked the puzzle, but because of time constraints, it had to be left in.

Gabriel Knight, wearing the cat hair mustache and trying to pose as Detective Mosely on the passport

The puzzle received generally negative reception. It has frequently been identified as one of the worst puzzles in the adventure game genre, with one writer going so far as to call it partly responsible for the decline in overall popularity of the genre.

Puzzle and solution edit

The puzzle appears in Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned, during which the eponymous character is required to impersonate another man, Detective Mosely, and take his motorcycle rental. To do this, Gabriel must collect a variety of items.[1]

One of the requirements of the puzzle is to create a fake mustache using cat hair. The cat hair is acquired by first attaching a strip of masking tape to a small opening at the bottom of a shed door. Then a water bottle sprayer (or 'spritzer') is used to spray a cat, causing it to run through the shed door opening, leaving some of the cat's fur stuck to the tape, which Gabriel then retrieves. Gabriel then uses a packet of maple syrup to attach the cat hair to his face, creating a fake mustache.

Gabriel must also steal Mosely's passport to use as ID. A piece of candy is used to distract Mosely, allowing Gabriel to steal his passport from his pocket. Using a magic marker, Gabriel then draws a mustache onto Mosley's passport photo, since Mosley lacks a mustache. Gabriel then heads to Mosely's room to steal his gold coat and don it, along with a red cap he finds in the lost and found to hide that he is not bald like Mosely. He then returns, disguise complete, and is given Mosely's motorcycle rental.[1]

Concept and creation edit

The puzzle was created by Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned producer Steven Hill. It came as a result of a puzzle created by the game's designer, Jane Jensen, needing to be removed due to budget concerns.[2][1] The cat hair mustache puzzle was unpopular with the game's lead technical designer, Scott Bilas, as well as other members of the development team, but was included due to time constraints.[2] Jensen attributed the difficulty of the cat hair mustache puzzle to both the length of the puzzle and the lack of hints, though felt it was overblown, even though she did not like it herself.[1]

Reception and legacy edit

 
The puzzle was criticized for the differences between Gabriel and Mosely, particularly the lack of a mustache on Mosely.

The cat hair mustache puzzle has received negative reception from critics, coming to be known as shorthand for "obscure and illogical actions" players may need to take in adventure games.[2] PC World writer Hayden Dingman called it an "infamous" puzzle and emblematic of how difficult Sierra games can be.[3] Kotaku writer Kirk Hamilton identified it as an icon of terrible puzzles in adventure games, and felt that no one would be able to solve it without a strategy guide.[1] In their review of Gabriel Knight 3, Computer Gaming World writer Tom Chick identified it as the most notable aspect of the game, despite finding puzzles later in the game more difficult. They explain that the earlier appearance of the puzzle caused a greater impact as a result.[4] Gamasutra writer Christian Nutt felt that the puzzle was obtuse, stating that it was not something a player would ever think to do.[5] Hardcore Gaming 101 writer Kurt Kalata called it the game's most "infamous" puzzle; he felt that such an "odd" puzzle would be appropriate for a more cartoony game like Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle, but that the Gabriel Knight series is more firmly grounded in realism, making the puzzle seem "absurd."[6] A puzzle in the video game Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse requires players to make a goatee and mustache using adhesive strips and stuffed dog fur, spurring IGN writer Chuck Osborn to speculate whether it was a reference to the cat hair mustache puzzle.[7]

Jane Jensen took some blame for the decline in the popularity of adventure games due to Gabriel Knight 3, with game designer Erik Wolpaw placing blame on her for the puzzle's poor design.[2] Wolpaw was critical of the puzzle for requiring people to make a fake mustache in order to impersonate someone without a mustache, and described the actual process of constructing the mustache as "deranged".[8] GamesRadar+ writer Charlie Barratt included it in their list of the "stupidest puzzles" in video games, suggesting that the puzzle was "illogical and irrational" and that the puzzle contributed to adventure games dying out.[9] Despite the blame laid on the puzzle for killing adventure games, author Grant Bollmer disputed this notion, instead placing blame on corporate restructuring, "meddling in the creative process", and an "increasing scale" in video games' popularity.[10]

The puzzle has also been criticized by other game designers. Campo Santo designer and programmer Nels Anderson felt that adventure games from the 1990s were good in spite of their gameplay, claiming that no one plays them for their "obtuse puzzles", citing the cat mustache puzzle specifically.[11] Anderson was critical of the puzzle particularly due to the game expecting players to don a fake mustache to impersonate someone who does not have one.[12] Frictional Games co-founder Thomas Grip identified the puzzle as a "shining example" of what gameplay designers should not do.[13]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e Hamilton, Kirk (April 21, 2012). "How We Survived Adventure Gaming's Most Hair-Tearingly Ridiculous Puzzles". Kotaku. from the original on June 19, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d Salter, Anastasia (2017). Jane Jensen: Gabriel Knight, Adventure Games, Hidden Objects - Influential Video Game Designers. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-1501327452. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  3. ^ Dingman, Hayden (October 21, 2014). "Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers 20th Anniversary review: Haunted by the past". PC World. from the original on November 5, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  4. ^ Chick, Tom (April 2000). "Third Time's a Curse". Computer Gaming World. No. 189. pp. 74, 75.
  5. ^ Nutt, Christian (September 9, 2011). "SpyParty And The Indie Ethos: Chris Hecker Speaks". Gamasutra. p. 3. from the original on June 18, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  6. ^ Kalata, Kurt (November 22, 2010). "Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned". Hardcore Gaming 101. from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  7. ^ Osborn, Chuck (December 24, 2013). "Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse Review in Progress". IGN. from the original on November 20, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  8. ^ Wolpaw, Erik (September 11, 2000). "Death of Adventure Games". Old Man Murray. from the original on April 5, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  9. ^ Barratt, Charlie (September 29, 2008). "The Top 7... Stupidest Puzzles". GamesRadar+. p. 4. from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  10. ^ Bollmer, Grant (April 18, 2019). "The Kinesthetic Index: Video Games and the Body of Motion Capture". InVisible Culture. from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  11. ^ Ore, Jonathan (February 13, 2016). "Explore Wyoming forest and uncover a mystery in Firewatch". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  12. ^ Anderson, Nels (May 5, 2009). "Without Readability - The Decline of Adventure Games". Gamasutra. from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  13. ^ Grip, Thomas (April 29, 2014). "4-Layers, A Narrative Design Approach". Gamasutra. from the original on June 19, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2020.

January 01, 1970
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The cat hair mustache puzzle is a colloquial name given to a puzzle in the 1999 adventure game Gabriel Knight 3 Blood of the Sacred Blood of the Damned The puzzle involves disguising the protagonist Gabriel Knight with hair from a cat in order to steal a man s motorcycle rental It was created by the game s producer Steven Hill after a puzzle designed by the game s lead designer Jane Jensen was cut due to budgetary reasons The designers disliked the puzzle but because of time constraints it had to be left in Gabriel Knight wearing the cat hair mustache and trying to pose as Detective Mosely on the passport The puzzle received generally negative reception It has frequently been identified as one of the worst puzzles in the adventure game genre with one writer going so far as to call it partly responsible for the decline in overall popularity of the genre Contents 1 Puzzle and solution 2 Concept and creation 3 Reception and legacy 4 See also 5 ReferencesPuzzle and solution editThe puzzle appears in Gabriel Knight 3 Blood of the Sacred Blood of the Damned during which the eponymous character is required to impersonate another man Detective Mosely and take his motorcycle rental To do this Gabriel must collect a variety of items 1 One of the requirements of the puzzle is to create a fake mustache using cat hair The cat hair is acquired by first attaching a strip of masking tape to a small opening at the bottom of a shed door Then a water bottle sprayer or spritzer is used to spray a cat causing it to run through the shed door opening leaving some of the cat s fur stuck to the tape which Gabriel then retrieves Gabriel then uses a packet of maple syrup to attach the cat hair to his face creating a fake mustache Gabriel must also steal Mosely s passport to use as ID A piece of candy is used to distract Mosely allowing Gabriel to steal his passport from his pocket Using a magic marker Gabriel then draws a mustache onto Mosley s passport photo since Mosley lacks a mustache Gabriel then heads to Mosely s room to steal his gold coat and don it along with a red cap he finds in the lost and found to hide that he is not bald like Mosely He then returns disguise complete and is given Mosely s motorcycle rental 1 Concept and creation editThe puzzle was created by Gabriel Knight 3 Blood of the Sacred Blood of the Damned producer Steven Hill It came as a result of a puzzle created by the game s designer Jane Jensen needing to be removed due to budget concerns 2 1 The cat hair mustache puzzle was unpopular with the game s lead technical designer Scott Bilas as well as other members of the development team but was included due to time constraints 2 Jensen attributed the difficulty of the cat hair mustache puzzle to both the length of the puzzle and the lack of hints though felt it was overblown even though she did not like it herself 1 Reception and legacy edit nbsp The puzzle was criticized for the differences between Gabriel and Mosely particularly the lack of a mustache on Mosely The cat hair mustache puzzle has received negative reception from critics coming to be known as shorthand for obscure and illogical actions players may need to take in adventure games 2 PC World writer Hayden Dingman called it an infamous puzzle and emblematic of how difficult Sierra games can be 3 Kotaku writer Kirk Hamilton identified it as an icon of terrible puzzles in adventure games and felt that no one would be able to solve it without a strategy guide 1 In their review of Gabriel Knight 3 Computer Gaming World writer Tom Chick identified it as the most notable aspect of the game despite finding puzzles later in the game more difficult They explain that the earlier appearance of the puzzle caused a greater impact as a result 4 Gamasutra writer Christian Nutt felt that the puzzle was obtuse stating that it was not something a player would ever think to do 5 Hardcore Gaming 101 writer Kurt Kalata called it the game s most infamous puzzle he felt that such an odd puzzle would be appropriate for a more cartoony game like Maniac Mansion Day of the Tentacle but that the Gabriel Knight series is more firmly grounded in realism making the puzzle seem absurd 6 A puzzle in the video game Broken Sword 5 The Serpent s Curse requires players to make a goatee and mustache using adhesive strips and stuffed dog fur spurring IGN writer Chuck Osborn to speculate whether it was a reference to the cat hair mustache puzzle 7 Jane Jensen took some blame for the decline in the popularity of adventure games due to Gabriel Knight 3 with game designer Erik Wolpaw placing blame on her for the puzzle s poor design 2 Wolpaw was critical of the puzzle for requiring people to make a fake mustache in order to impersonate someone without a mustache and described the actual process of constructing the mustache as deranged 8 GamesRadar writer Charlie Barratt included it in their list of the stupidest puzzles in video games suggesting that the puzzle was illogical and irrational and that the puzzle contributed to adventure games dying out 9 Despite the blame laid on the puzzle for killing adventure games author Grant Bollmer disputed this notion instead placing blame on corporate restructuring meddling in the creative process and an increasing scale in video games popularity 10 The puzzle has also been criticized by other game designers Campo Santo designer and programmer Nels Anderson felt that adventure games from the 1990s were good in spite of their gameplay claiming that no one plays them for their obtuse puzzles citing the cat mustache puzzle specifically 11 Anderson was critical of the puzzle particularly due to the game expecting players to don a fake mustache to impersonate someone who does not have one 12 Frictional Games co founder Thomas Grip identified the puzzle as a shining example of what gameplay designers should not do 13 See also editThe Goat Puzzle another infamous puzzle from a 1990s adventure game Le Serpent Rouge puzzle another puzzle from the same game References edit a b c d e Hamilton Kirk April 21 2012 How We Survived Adventure Gaming s Most Hair Tearingly Ridiculous Puzzles Kotaku Archived from the original on June 19 2020 Retrieved July 5 2020 a b c d Salter Anastasia 2017 Jane Jensen Gabriel Knight Adventure Games Hidden Objects Influential Video Game Designers Bloomsbury Publishing USA ISBN 978 1501327452 Retrieved July 5 2020 Dingman Hayden October 21 2014 Gabriel Knight Sins of the Fathers 20th Anniversary review Haunted by the past PC World Archived from the original on November 5 2016 Retrieved July 5 2020 Chick Tom April 2000 Third Time s a Curse Computer Gaming World No 189 pp 74 75 Nutt Christian September 9 2011 SpyParty And The Indie Ethos Chris Hecker Speaks Gamasutra p 3 Archived from the original on June 18 2020 Retrieved July 5 2020 Kalata Kurt November 22 2010 Gabriel Knight 3 Blood of the Sacred Blood of the Damned Hardcore Gaming 101 Archived from the original on December 5 2019 Retrieved July 5 2020 Osborn Chuck December 24 2013 Broken Sword 5 The Serpent s Curse Review in Progress IGN Archived from the original on November 20 2018 Retrieved July 5 2020 Wolpaw Erik September 11 2000 Death of Adventure Games Old Man Murray Archived from the original on April 5 2020 Retrieved July 7 2020 Barratt Charlie September 29 2008 The Top 7 Stupidest Puzzles GamesRadar p 4 Archived from the original on June 3 2020 Retrieved July 5 2020 Bollmer Grant April 18 2019 The Kinesthetic Index Video Games and the Body of Motion Capture InVisible Culture Archived from the original on June 22 2020 Retrieved July 5 2020 Ore Jonathan February 13 2016 Explore Wyoming forest and uncover a mystery in Firewatch Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Archived from the original on December 7 2019 Retrieved July 5 2020 Anderson Nels May 5 2009 Without Readability The Decline of Adventure Games Gamasutra Archived from the original on June 20 2020 Retrieved July 5 2020 Grip Thomas April 29 2014 4 Layers A Narrative Design Approach Gamasutra Archived from the original on June 19 2020 Retrieved July 5 2020 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Cat hair mustache puzzle amp oldid 1225391523, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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