Walkthrough of the first puzzles of Lisssn

This is a "getting started" walkthrough of the first few puzzles of Lisssn. If you find yourself stuck early on, this guide will give you just enough of a nudge in the right direction to enjoy the rest of the game.

Intro

Lisssn is a game co-written by Knut Müller (of the Rhem series). The first few puzzles may seem hard to people unfamiliar with the Rhem universe. This is a brief walkthrough of the first few puzzles to get you started, and give you an idea of how to approach the game. Needless to say, there are a few spoilers ahead.

Here are some general hints:

• Touch and look *everywhere* -- this is the general rule in Rhem-like games.
  
• Sound is more important that vision -- pay attention to the sounds around you.
  
• Stereo hearing is important in Lisssn -- some puzzles require you to tell the direction a sound is coming from.
  
• The toughest part of the puzzles is figuring out what you are supposed to do -- most have no directions whatsoever (see the three below).
  
• The musical puzzles might be hard for the non-musically trained. But there is a logic to them, and with a little determination (mixed with some guessing) all are do-able.

First three puzzles:

• Entrance Room Paintings
  
• Crow Alley
  
• Brick Hunting

Please Touch the Paintings

There is a sign here, "Please do not touch the pictures on display." In order to progress, you need to touch all of them.

Turn all the way around so you are facing the glass mosaic of La Musica. There are paintings of famous composers, two each to your left and right. If you touch them you will get a verbal clue. What is confusing is the accent of the speakers is difficult to understand. (EDIT: Subtitles added in June game update, but here are the verbal clues)
(left to right)

Vivaldi: "As long as La Musica is trapped in her prison, the world is dictated by the curse of the Queen of the Might that keeps people from making music."

Handel: "The Queen of the Might has kidnapped La Musica, thrown her into a dungeon and taken away her golden magic flute."

Purcell: "Please, help us find the two parts of the magic flute and bring them to the dungeon. This is the only way to liberate La Musica and break the spell of the Queen of the Might."

Bach: "The Queen of the Might has hidden the two parts of the magic flute in a system deep down underneath the Earth."

You need to touch the paintings in this order: Handel, Bach, Vivaldi, Purcell.
If you touch them out of order, it's not a problem. But you can't access a given painting's clue until you have touched the ones before it.


After you have heard all 4 paintings, walk up to the La Musica mosaic and knock on the glass. This will reveal the next area.

Large... Black... Crows!

(with apologies to Nigel Danvers)
You will walk down a long path and see and hear crows. In order to progress, you have to touch the direction you heard a crow. If you hear a crow on the left, then touch the crow on the left. Same with the right. If you did not hear a crow at all, then touch the path in front of you to go forward.

This is no more than a children's hearing test, but since it's in a game format and there are no directions it might not be obvious.

Find the Loose Brick

At the end of the path a gate opens in front of you, and there is a closed door. Enter the gate and turn to the right to see a path curving back in the direction that you came from. If you walk down the path you will see one of the lights flicker. (HINT: Listening to the insect noises will give you a clue that something important is nearby) Walk up to it and look closely. When the light flickers you will see a loose brick that you need to replace in order to open the closed door.

Final Thoughts

This should help prepare you for the puzzles ahead. Some puzzles require items/hints that are all the way on the other side of the game world (so an "impossible" puzzle might just need something you'll get later in the game). Subtle differences can be important. Sometimes the visual part of a sound puzzle is irrelevant (like the crows). It can help to close your eyes as you listen to the clue (something unique for video games!) These first few puzzles have minimal instructions, and rely on the player to not only solve the puzzle, but also to figure out just what the puzzle is in the first place!

Enjoy!

Bonus: Hints for the experienced explorer (spoilers)

Bonus Hint #1

When you enter new areas, look left, right and behind you. Sometimes a key item or clue is hiding in plain sight (but if you don't look around you'll never see it).

Bonus Hint #2

Look at the back of every door. In the Rhem series this is a favorite place to hide clues.

Bonus Hint #3

As you collect the La Musica cards, keep track of where you find them. Their location is given on the map, but it much better if you note where you got them. This will save you headaches when you are trying to get the last few cards.