RETURN TO THE GAME OF SENET

Level by PedroTheGamer

Walkthrough by Phil Lambeth

Slide down into a dark room.  Shoot the vases for flares, step into the shallow SE pool for a small medipack, then move the pushpiece onto the three marked tiles to open the N door and another door elsewhere.  Slide down two slopes to trigger a cut scene of a patrolling assassin and two mummies.  Shoot the former while avoiding the latter. Use the ceiling monkey bars to get past the apparent spike trap N (although the spikes did not trigger in my game). Slide down to find a floor hole blocked by a closed trap door.  Open it by activating the jumpswitch high up in the N wall.   

Climb partway down the ladder and back flip into a room where two assassins attack.  Watch out for the holes in the floor while you engage them. Each one drops a CARTOUCHE PIECE.  Find a TORCH near the burning E plinth and light it (although I never found any use for it other than providing a little extra light).  Drop it near the closed W door and shoot the vases for a small medipack.  Climb down the ladder to the bottom floor and use the S reach-in switch. There's no indication of what may have happened. Also, this switch can be used twice, and I have no idea if it's good or bad to use it a second time. Anyway, go to the W door and push the two buttons on either side to open it.  Enter for a large medipack.  Go across the room, combine the two pieces and insert the completed cartouche in the receptacle to open the E door. Enter for another cartouche named the EYE OF HORUS.

Use the ladder to get back up to the next room.  Move the pushpieces onto their corresponding marked tiles to open the W door.  Enter with your lighted torch (the door closes behind you, so you can't go back to get it) and toss it aside momentarily to deal with two jackals. Go down the S passage you opened up earlier for flares and a small medipack, then go back and push the two buttons flanking the W door to open it.  Pick up your torch, go on through and hop up left.  You can hear the sound of a trap door opening, so toss the torch S through the hole and jump down after it to trigger a flyby through the Senet game area.

Before doing anything else, hop over to the NW ledge and climb the ladder into a short passage for SECRET #1.  Step forward and take the small medipack from the plinth.  Get back to the ledge and safety drop to the floor of the main room. 

On the side of a column against the S wall is a button. I advise that you not push it now.  Doing so will raise three cages on certain ankh squares on the Senet board (one such cage, the one at the end, is already raised). If you win the game, those cages will be raised automatically.  If you lose the game, which is actually essential as explained below, you can raise them later.  In the middle of the E and W sides of the room are openings leading to hallways.  Nearby, on the E side are two blue floor tiles which are closed trap doors.  There is another closed trap door tile on the W side, but it's in a dark area and requires a flare to detect it.  Go ahead and enter the E hallway and push the two wall buttons to lower a ceiling trap door. You can climb the ladder now to investigate if you wish (and find a small medipack on the ledge opposite the stairs), but the area at the top of the stairs is for later.

Cross the main room, enter the W hallway and push the two wall buttons to lower the ceiling trap door.  Climb the ladder and back flip into the room where you will now play the Senet game (and play to lose, as explained below).  Save your game before you begin.

The rules of the game, as set forth in a pickup you'll find much later when it's no longer helpful, are as follows:  "To win the game, get all your pieces off the board by landing them on the final ankh square. On your turn spin the sticks. Your throw is the number of white sides showing. If no white sides show, your throw is a six.  If you throw a six or land on an ankh square you get an extra turn. If you land on an opponent's piece, it [your opponent's piece] is returned to the start." Begin by stepping on one of the colored tiles to move your piece with the corresponding color.  When your unseen opponent has moved, spin the sticks and proceed until the game has been won or lost according to the foregoing rules.

If you win the game, three cages rise on the Senet board below.  However, the three floor trapdoor tiles remain closed, blocking your way to an essential pickup, and I could find no way to open them after winning the game.  Therefore, if you happen to win the game you must reload your earlier savegame, start the game again and keep playing until you lose.  When that happens, you'll hear the sound of the floor trap doors opening.

Safety drop down into the hallway and locate that column against the S wall with the button on one side.  Be sure that you don't fall into the open trap door near the SW corner on the way there (light a flare so you can see it), for if you do so you won't be able to get back out. Push the button to raise three cages on the Senet board. Reverse roll, run along the E wall next to the Senet board and jump over the first open trap door.  Continue N to the second open trap door and climb down the ladder.  Hop down and slide W, pick up the CARTOUCHE PIECE, turn around and get back out the same way you came.  The other two trap door openings are red herrings, so avoid them.

Exit the main Senet room via the E opening, turn right in the hallway and go up the S stairs to the upper hallway.  Enter the N opening and use the raised cages to get across to the other side.  Go through the opening into the far hallway and turn left to find a closed door. Go right down the stairs and drop down at the far end. Follow the dark hallway to large double doors on your left that can be opened by pushing a button on either side.  Enter and shoot two jackals. There are two receptacles in the S wall, one of which is already occupied. Insert the Eye of Horus in the other receptacle to open the NE door. Climb up there, enter and activate the jumpswitch in the N wall.

Return to the receptacles to find that a trap door has lowered beneath the one on the left.  Drop down into the hole and pick up a CARTOUCHE PIECE.  Exit this room, loop around left and go up the stairs. A block has lowered at the top, allowing you to climb the other block and jump N to the next flight of stairs.  Before turning the corner, push the button to open the doors ahead. You emerge in the hallway at the N end of the Senet room. Drop down into the Senet room and exit E into the hallway.  Climb the ladder past the open trap door, pull up and ascend the stairs to a small room with three crystal receptacles on your right (two of them already occupied) and a cartouche receptacle on your left.  Combine the two pieces in your inventory and insert the completed cartouche in the receptacle to open the door.

Run down the passage and hop down twice to trigger a flyby through a new area.  When camera control is restored, deal with an assassin and pick up the EYE OF HORUS he drops. You can see the cartouche receptacle near the NW corner.  But first, approach the flaming reach-in switches in the N wall.  Stand in front of the one on the far left, wait for the flames to subside and run forward to reach in.  Quickly side flip right (if you catch on fire there is safe water nearby).  The flames protecting the middle switch have gone out, so reach into that one.  The switch on the far right is a dummy.

A cage has been raised on the W side of this room, but first, use the Eye of Horus in the NW receptacle, shoot the jackal and enter the opened doorway. Light a flare so you won't run off the ledge and fall to your death, jump up to grab the ceiling and monkey swing along the channel until you can drop down onto a ledge.  Hop down E and use five reach-in switches (the sixth one does not respond to the action key).  Climb out E, hop into the shallow pool and locate a small medipack near the SE corner.

Pull out S, push the button and shoot the jackal that meets you in the opened doorway. You're in a familiar room, so go to the W side and locate the raised cage. Use the nearby block to get on top of the raised cage and jump SE to a ledge. Go around to the opening, wait for the flames to subside and use the reach-in switch at the end of the passage. The flames go out, so go to the E end of the ledge, look left and jump to another raised cage.  From there jump W to grab the ladder, and shift right around several corners until you can pull up into an opening.  Take the CARTOUCHE PIECE from the plinth and climb down the ladder so you can drop to the room below.

Go all the way down the S ramp where the flames have been extinguished and take another CARTOUCHE PIECE and the RULES OF SENET (too little, too late) from the plinth.  Reverse roll, run back up the ramp, turn slightly right in front of the reach-in switches and go N into the next room.  Loop around right, combine the two pieces and insert the completed cartouche in the receptacle.  Go through the opened doorway and follow around to a plinth where you'll find the BA CARTOUCHE (I could have sworn it was a crystal of some kind).

Exit to the previous room, loop around left to the larger room with the raised cages, pull up S and follow the passage to the crystal receptacles.  Insert the one in your inventory to complete the trio, and the level ends.