Overview
Behind the Frame is a puzzle solving adventure game developed by Silver Lining Studio.
I’ll go ahead and say it. It’s a masterpiece.
It is the story of a painter’s love and life. It seems to heal my tainted heart (who’s tainted?). It may make some people depressed in a sense, saying, “I wish I could have lived like this,” but I think it’s hard to find a game with such a carefully crafted, high-quality atmosphere and emphasis on storytelling.
Even though it’s a puzzle solving adventure, it’s not that difficult. Basically, by sketching and drawing (or painting), you get items and the story progresses. It’s more of a game where you share the emotions of the main character.
It’s also a game that makes me want to eat bread with my coffee so badly.
The following strategy chart is a complete spoiler, so please be careful.
Chapter 1
First is the tutorial. Let’s click on the bottom right corner. The left side of the screen shows the paints you currently have, and the right side shows the rough sketch of the painting you are working on. Click on the close symbol to close it.
Trace the canvas with the mouse to apply colors. You don’t necessarily have to paint every corner of the canvas, but once you have painted a certain amount, the rest will be painted automatically.
Follow the rough drawing and paint the areas of yellow paint. This is the bottom half and the area slightly left of center.
Pick up the brush when you are done.
Click on the boom box on the right. Click on the leftmost button on the boombox to open a place to insert a cassette tape, then drag and drop the cassette tape in the lower left corner.
There is a computer in the lower right corner of the screen. By clicking on the keyboard in the screen, or typing the actual keyboard at random, you can write a letter to “Sedrain Gallery”, an art gallery in New York.
Just to the right and around to the right, by the kitchen counter, are notes with a list of things to do: background music, breakfast, apply for open positions (resume (paperwork), coffee, drawing.
Click on the kitchen to cook your food. Drag the eggs to the top of the pan and the bread to the toaster. Let’s have breakfast.
When you have finished your breakfast, click on the coffee server and drink your coffee. Drag the bag of coffee to the coffee server. Once the cup is placed on the saucer, pour the coffee.
Let’s go to the canvas. You will then proceed to the scene where you sketch the older adult men who lives next door.
Click on the paintings on the wall, the older adult men, and his cat, and sketch them one after another.
When you finish sketching a painting, you will get the information, “I may have found a similar painting in my room.
Click on the picture in the upper right corner from the window and paint the sun yellow.
Then “J’s Sunflower Memo” will appear.
When the pieces are glued together, a picture of a sunflower appears.
Turn around and examine the picture that has fallen beside your bag.
Check the picture of the sunflower you just made, and click on the dark green leaves to get “green paint”.
Click on the canvas to paint it. Paint the green color while checking the rough drawing. It’s okay if you make mistakes.
The perspective changes. Click on the cat nearby, the sunflower picture through the window, and the canvas. Finish Chapter 1 by drawing a picture of a sunflower.
Chapter 2
There are cat footprints all over the room (lovely😊). Let’s catch the culprit.
Following the cat’s footsteps, you see a radio lying on the floor. When you put it back, you get a piece of paper of some kind.
Put a cassette tape in your boombox and play some lively jazz.
The cat’s footprints are going to a different place. Follow them and click on the kitchen.
Let’s put the toaster and pan back where they were. There is again a piece of paper of some kind under the toaster.
Let’s make breakfast and eat. As I finish eating, I see another set of cat tracks going somewhere else. When I followed them, they seemed to have gone to the computer.
Place the cup on top of the saucer. There is a piece of paper under the cup.
You will have to write your resume again. Let’s type the keys.
Then again, the cat’s footprints are going somewhere else. This time, they seem to have gone to the coffee server.
Put the saucer back in place and you will get a piece of paper. While you’re at it, make some coffee and drink it.
There you are! This is the neighbor’s cat.
A cat jumping.
Let’s start sketching.
Get the last piece of paper at the window.
You will get information that there is a picture similar to this one.
Turn around and click on the tiles that have fallen to the floor.
Click on the white area while referring to the piece of paper you just obtained, “Sketches of Cats and Streets”.
Then you will get “Red paint”.
Furthermore, “J’s Notes on Cats”.
Let’s go to the canvas. Using the rough sketch as a reference, we will put the red color on the canvas. This is the upper part and a part of the right side.
The perspective switches.
Click on him as he is about to put up a poster on the wall.
Click on the cat.
Click on the young lady on the right.
Click on the tile to go to Chapter 3.
Chapter 3
Play background music on a boom box as usual.
Have a good meal and go to…
The data has been lost again, so she wrote another resume…
Let’s make some coffee.
The older adult men next door is looking at some pictures. He has an IV bag and doesn’t seem to be feeling well. Click on the picture to sketch it.
Click on the older adult men to sketch him.
Click on the picture on the side of the kitchen.
Draw an umbrella in red for the woman on the left and in yellow for the man on the right.
Then you will get the “Shop Sketch”.
Click on the painting by the window.
Paint the sign area above the entrance of the store in green. Then, paint a yellow umbrella in the lower right corner of the man.
Get “Sketches of the Road”.
Turn around and click on the picture on the wall by the lamp.
Use yellow to draw the sun and the man’s umbrella, and red to draw the woman’s umbrella.
Then you will get “J’s Umbrella Memo” and a small picture.
Rearrange the pictures in the following order: rainy day, billboard, rain stops.
Get the Red and Yellow Cup Sketch.
Let’s color the picture that is set up by the window again. Draw a yellow half circle and a red half circle in the center of the sign.
Get the Blue Paints.
She goes to the canvas, but her mind is on J, her older adult men, and the woman, so she begins to sketch.
Now that we have the blue paint, let’s paint the picture blue, referring to the drawing. Paint the space between the red and green with blue.
The perspective switches.
The encounter between them will be described. Let’s click on the man.
She was also looking for a place to take shelter from the rain so that her painting would not get wet.
Then they both went under the same billboard…
Click on the cup sign.
Their conversation never stops, even when the rain stops.
Click on the picture for a series of stories.
Go to the next chapter.
Chapter 4
The older adult men has collapsed.
Click on the older adult man, and something will happen. Let’s turn on the lights for now. Click on the lamp next to the door.
Then, click on the door to get a “scrap of an old photo”.
There is a green arrow under the saucer by the coffee server.
There is a red arrow behind the plate in the kitchen.
There is a blue arrow on the notepad by the computer.
There is a yellow arrow near the boom box.
Solve the puzzle next to the computer.
The arrow clues we have collected so far show you which points to connect. The blue arrow is ↓→↑←, so start from the blue dot and draw a line to the black dot below, then draw a line to the right. Then draw a line up and to the left. Draw lines in the same way for the other colors.
Blue:↓→↑←
Red:↗↓↓
Green:↖→↙→
Yellow:↑↑↙
You will get the password number “1618”. Enter it into your computer. Click on the print confirmation dialog, and you will get a piece of paper from the printer.
Click on the door with the collapsed shelf.
Enter “AMBER”.
Click on the picture of the cat on the left as you enter the room. Paint it yellow, referring to the piece of paper and the picture you’ve gotten so far. Paint the area around the left eye, the left paw, and the tip of the tail.
Get “Amber’s Memo (Red)”.
Next, let’s paint the sunflower on the left side of the cat’s picture. The sunflower on the left is missing the upper left petal, the leaf a little below the center, and the leaf on the upper right, so paint those.
Get “Amber’s Memo (Yellow)”.
Paint the picture that is placed next to the door.
Draw a yellow umbrella on the left, a yellow sun in the center, and a red umbrella on the right.
Get “Amber’s Memo (Blue)”.
Click on the puzzle that is lying in the middle of the room.
Click on it and make the bottom circular part blue and the center rectangular part red. Let’s make the rest of the image yellow.
Get “White Paint” and “Kitchen Sketch”.
Let’s paint the picture of the kitchen on the wall. Using the sketch we just got as a reference, paint a square on the right side wall in green and paint inside it in white and yellow.
Go to the kitchen and you will see a puzzle that was not there earlier.
Let’s make the top left a sunflower, the middle an umbrella, and the bottom left a cat.
You will get the last piece of paper.
The picture of the boom box from the hidden room earlier has fallen down, so let’s paint it. Paint a white square on the left side of the boombox stand.
When you are done, go to the actual boom box and a white cassette tape will appear.
Play to go to Chapter 5.
Chapter 5
Click on a shiny painting to enter its world.
Let’s click on the object.
Through the window that appeared, you could see…
Click on the computer.
Click on the table under the board.
Click on the table with the hat and cassette tape.
She goes back to her memories.
The most important paints…
Get the Purple Paints.
Come back to the room. Complete the unfinished picture.
“It was really wonderful to have a friend with the same interests…”
When you complete it, you will return to the original world. Great direction.
The door that was closed is now open.
She thought about the days she had spent in the past even more.
Jack’s paintbrush.
Proceed to Chapter 6.
Chapter 6
Click on the yellow area near the window. Write the name JACK in mirrored letters. Only the last K is slightly more difficult to judge.
The world seems to have changed.
Click on people one after another.
And then…
We were sharing a wonderful life through her paintings.
This is the ending.
Presumptuous impressions
I haven’t written about my impressions so far, but I was very moved by this work, so let me write a little about it.
The story itself is not that new, but the way the story is portrayed through direction and atmosphere without unnecessary explanations is very careful and beautiful. I almost cried when I was reminiscing about Jack, and the ending of the story left me with a pleasant aftertaste of sadness, thanks to the way the story was told without using too many words. I watched the movie to the end without skipping the staff roll, which I usually skip.
I’m grateful to Silver Lining Studio for creating such a masterpiece. It’s wonderful. Recommended! 🙂
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