How to Avoid Immediate Game Over

In Double Switch, there is a lot to do, and there are many opportunities you may miss that will result in an immediate game over.
This guide will try to help you stop that from happening.
This is not a step-by-step walkthrough, just a guide on how to avoid an instant game over.

Introduction

Double Switch originally released in 1993 on the Sega CD, and it was one in a long line of FMV games for the platform.

Starring Corey Haim, your job is to help him escape the basement of the apartment building, while also trying to protect the other tenants from intruders. Of course, because it's a video game, nothing is as it seems.

And because this was 1993, the game can be fairly difficult. There are many instant game over scenes, and because this is an era before checkpoints were really a thing, the game will not save your progress until you complete the act, so if you've spent 20 minutes getting to the end of act two, only to miss a trigger, you'll be right back at the beginning of the act. This guide will help you avoid that.

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS NOT A STEP BY STEP WALKTHROUGH

This guide will only tell you when to be in rooms when failing will result in a game over.

Avoiding Game Over

General Tips

Before I break the game down act by act, one thing to keep in mind: ALWAYS CHECK THE STORAGE WHEN YOU SEE A PURPLE OR BROWN INDICATOR

I say this, because the storage room is the number one source of an immediate failure, because someone can pull the power box, which disconnects the power to the entire building, including the camera and trap system. If the power gets shut off, at any point, your game will end.

In addition, always swap rooms during this act, even if it means you'll miss a trap, because missing a code means you won't get the full password, meaning Eddie will be trapped in the basement, and therefore game over. Once you receive a digit, you're free to try to trap that person.

You'll also want to ensure that you never lose power, and that all the tenants are saved whenever they're in danger. You'll also want to keep your captures higher than your escapes. Aim for 10 to 15 more captures than escapes and you're good.

Whenever you see a red or brown bar in a room with a green bar, you'll want to be here. This is either important dialogue, or a main character is about to be attacked. Lyle (the handyman) will generally be marked as a brown bar (sometimes purple), so even though he's considered a bad guy, you'll still want to view his scenes.

And one general tip: memorization. The scenes that play for most of the intruders will repeat. If you see the intruder enter storage, and she's wearing green pants with a white shirt, you know she'll avoid the first elevator trigger, but loop around and step on the second trigger. Is the guy in the lobby tap dancing? He'll always land on the same column trigger. If you memorize the scenes, you'll know where they'll trigger and when to hit it.
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Act 1

Feel free to trap Lyle as much as you want in this act
After the introduction, go to Alex's room and save her. If you do not leave the basement, or wait too long and hear Alex scream, you will fail.

FIRST CODE: Brutus' room.
SECOND CODE: Either the band or grad room (opposite of this code will be code three)
THIRD CODE: Either the band or grad room (opposite of this code will be code two)
FOURTH CODE: Alex's room

There will be a scene with an intruder in Brutus' room threatening him. Trap the intruder, or Brutus will be shot.

Act 2

DO NOT TRAP LYLE AT ALL IN THIS ACT: You need him to show you additional traps, otherwise you can't learn how to use them
Eddie will enter Alex's room. You can trap him in the fireplace, or not.

Lyle will enter Brutus' room and show him a new trap: Cage. You don't need to watch the whole scene, but make sure you see the trap part so you unlock it.

DO NOT TRAP the talent scout when he enters the building.

Lyle will enter the Grad room and show her a new trap. Same as before: make sure you see the trap, but you don't need to watch the whole scene.

When you see an intruder enter the band room (usually right after the Hand trap), go and arm the lamp. If you miss, the intruder attacks the singer, and game over.

When Alex returns to her room, arm the window trap: a green intruder will come in. Failing to capture him is game over.

Intruder will appear in the grad room and will arm the coffin trap. You need to DISARM it by right-clicking it. Then, arm the Hand Trap. Capture the mummy in the new trap. Failure is game over.

Lyle will enter the basement. Watch the scene to learn a new trap.

Lyle will enter the band's room and show you another new trap.

Enter Brutus' room where he'll be attacked by the same intruder as the grad room. Quickly disarm the Cage, then re-arm it and capture the intruder. Letting Brutus get captured is game over.

A few scenes later, swap to the basement. A green suit intruder will be there. Trap him in the elevator, otherwise he'll jump over to the computers and turn everything off: game over.

Lyle will enter Alex's room. Again, watch the scene to uncover a new trap. Immediately swap to the band room, disarm the cage trap as the intruder approaches, immediately re-arm the cage trap. If the band member gets trapped, game over.

Lyle will enter the basement. Watch the scene to get a new trap, the Phone Box.

Eddie will soon thereafter enter the basement and go to the phone box. Trap him with it, otherwise game over.

Intruder will enter Alex's room and will arm the chair trap. Disarm it so you save Alex, then re-arm it and capture the intruder. Enjoy the plot twist. Act finished.

Act 3

First business will be the storage room: stop the intruder from turning off the power.

In the lobby, Eddie will chase after the girls once they try to open the door. Trigger the column trap on Eddit. Failure is game over.

Lyle will appear in the basement with a hammer, and Eddie will enter through the conveyor. Trigger the belt, otherwise Eddie will trap Lyle, then disconnect you, and game over.

Eddie will go to Alex's room. Get him in the chair trap before he gets her.

Intruder will be in the basement. Send him down with the elevator, or game over.

Eddie then goes to the grad room. Use the hand trap after he attacks, otherwise game over.

Intruder will be in the storage room. Arm the phone for when he jumps over the middle, otherwise bye bye.

Eddie will go to the band room. Use the cage trap.

Credits roll. Good job. Game over, but in the good way this time.

Contact, Connect, Credits

Thanks for reading! Feel free to connect at the following places, or get in touch if there's any issues with this (or any other) guide.



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CCG Group: https://steamcommunity.com/groups/CoffeeChatGaming
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[Conina]

Some corrections/additions:

After the Eddie-Alex scene at the beginning of Act 2: go to STORAGE and stop the female greenie with the POWERBOX trap.

The trap in Brutus' room is called BASKET, not CAGE.

The PHONE BOX trap is in STORAGE, not in the BASEMENT room.

Immediately after getting the PHONE BOX trap, switch to BASEMENT and trap Eddie with the CONVEYOR.

The cage trap in the band room ain't the finale! After that you have to trap Eddie again with the BASKET in BRUTUS' ROOM.

Hope that helps.

[john doe]

this guide doessnt help since there are so many bugs in this game the traps dont even work.