Plundered Hearts (Walkthrough)
Plundered Hearts: Part I
Ahoy, mateys! How'd ye like to sail the Spanish Main with bold and brave pirates? Ye would? Then why in tarnation are ye playin' Plundered Hearts? Grin.
Plundered Hearts is a frothy game of rank improbabilities and mostly-simple puzzles, with a gloss of even more improbable romance. Captain Jamison may look handsome and dashing, but as a hero, he comes up way short. Especially when you save his life three times in the game, not to mention doing his job of rescuing your father. A neat turning of the tables on the old romantic pattern of hero rescuing damsel in distress, but not really something to gain one's respect. Ah well, it's only a game.
One thing to keep in mind here is that several actions can be performed in different orders. For instance, you can rescue your father either before or after attending the ball. Also, the crocodile can be handled in one of two ways, depending on whether or not you visit Lucy. It isn't mandatory to visit her, and so that is left out of this walktheru. You might want to try it sometime on your own.
So here you are aboard the Lafond Deux one balmy night in the West Indies when suddenly pirates attack the ship. You're quickly hustled into the officer's cabin, where a few nasty remarks are made before Davis and the other rush out.
Well my lady, you won't be able to do much on the bed, so stand up and look under it. Aha, the coffer! Too bad it's locked. Just wait around now, as there's no place you can go at the moment. You won't be lonely for long, however; company's coming in the person of Andy Crulley, who bashes in the door.
Obviously, he is no gentleman, and his intentions are probably less than honorable. Defend your virtue by giving him a couple of sound smacks in the head with the coffer. Good thing he's not entirely sober, or it wouldn't have been so easy to put him down (he's a big 'un).
Around about now the infamous Falcon, Captain Jamison, arrives. Now, he's more of a gentleman, even if he doesn't knock before he enters. Good-looking, too; you'd never guess he's as incompetent as he turns out to be later on. In the meantime, do anything you like to pass a move, then Jamison will give you a letter from your father. You might as well read it, to get a better idea of just how treacherous our boy Lafond (French for "The Bottom") really is.
The Big J will then offer his protection; you don't have much choice but to accept (and besides, it furthers the plot of the game). You'll have to do a bit of waiting over the next few sections, but don't worry, you'll get to the real action soon enough.
So off you go with Jamison at your side, and who should come popping out of the bloody mayhem on deck but Davis. He leaps to your side and puts a knife at your throat. Fortunately, Jamison yanks you away while skewering Davis on his rapier (amazingly, you come out of this with nary a scratch!). You promptly faint (don't worry, this is the last time you'll be displaying such weakness in the game).
You wake up in Jamison's quarters, which he has considerately turned over to you for the duration of the voyage. Actually, you've already been there for a couple of days, pretty much bored, although protected from the lechery of the crew. Jamison is dressed up to kill, notably Lafond. A ring on Jamison's hand attracts your attention; ask him about it, and you'll understand why Lafond is not on Jamison's "Best-Loved List".
Wait a little bit, and Jamison will leave. Get out of bed, and wait a little more, because Jamison returns shortly to give you a broken brooch and dump the coffer. Ok, now at last you're ready to move! Get the coffer and open it. Inside is Davis' invitation to a ball Lafond is holding that night. Get that and put it into your reticule (that reticule, by the way, must be a direct ancestor of the aunt's thing; it holds an amazing, although not unmlimited, number of items).
Squeeze fore past the cupboard, then open it. Step inside and get the clothes. No one's looking, so remove your frock (just a Britishism for 'dress'), then put on the breeches and shirt (good thing your friends back home can't see this!). Now rip a piece from the frock, and drop the frock. You can also drop the missive here, if you haven't already.
Exit the cupboard and squeeze back aft into the captain's quarters. You'll notice a rope ladder is dangling in front of the window, which can't be opened. Of course, breaking a window would shockingly unladylike behavior, but these are desperate times, so throw the coffer at the window. Crash!
Now you can climb out the window, and suffer a hard climb up the ladder to the Poop Deck (no, this is not where they walk the dogs!). Since you're dressed in the cabin boy's clothes (wonder where he is during all this?), no one pays you any attention (all cabin boys, of course, carry reticules attached to their wrists and have long, flowing tresses).
From the Poop Deck, walk fore until you reach the Forecastle (or foc'sle, as they say on ship). You may have noticed that the reefs are somewhat closer than they were before. This is due to the perfidy of our old friend Andy Crulley, who recently cut the sea anchor of the ship. We will not, at this time, hold an inquiry as to why any of the experienced sailors on board don't notice the ship is moving. After all, it gives you something to do.
What you do is push up the lever on the mooring winch. This drops the main anchor, and prevents the ship from breaking up on the reefs. However, our boy Andy wasn't trusting to the reefs alone; he had something even nastier up his sleeve. So, hop back to the Main Deck, and soak your rag in water (you must specify water).
Now move the canvas, allowing you to go down into the hold. The first thing you notice is a large cage-like affair, which protects the ships supply of food and ammunition from pilfering by the crew. It is also protecting a thin line of fire that is slowly approaching the gunpowder. Let's not think of what might happen should the powder go off.
No time to try picking the lock or climbing the fence; just throw the sopping rag over the gate. Whew! It came down in the right place, the fire is out, and the ship is saved.
With both threats to the ship removed, it's almost time to remove yourself to the delightful island of St. Sinistra (just from the name, you can tell it's not a healthy place). Go fore into the crew's quarters (lovely, eh?), pick up the mirror and bottle, stuff 'em in the reticule, and make your way topside again.
Visit Cookie in his shack on the foc'sle, listening carefully to what he says about the signal that will bring the pirates if there's trouble (and you can bet there's gonna be plenty of that!). Pick up the dagger stuck in the floor, then head back to the Quarter Deck where the casks are tied down, somewhat shakily.
A quick examination shows that one cask is open, and also that the rope running over the cask is badly frayed. Well, ya gotta get to the island somehow, and you can't swim so.....enter the cask. A slab of rock-hard pork is stuck to the side of it (we won't think about the food you must have been eating the last few days). Take that, then cut the rope with the dagger. Splash!
You're floating in the waters off St. Sinistra. Just wait awhile, and the cask will drag along into the shallows, where you can safely exit. Nearby is Jamison's skiff, which you don't need for anything (although handy for going back to the ship in case you'd forgotten something). Once out of the cask (which will float away; nothing to worry about), head west to the beach. It's rescue time!
Plundered Hearts: Part II
Now we start getting into the exciting stuff! From the beach, go north to the lawn and then east to the Folly (alternatively, you could go the other way and have a chat with Lucy, but we're skipping that here). A nice little spot, although one of the benches needs a little repairing. With a bit of effort, I'll bet even you could pull that slat away (Vandalism, of course, is not taught to ladies, but these are desperate times, and no one will tell on you).
Around about now the great pirate lover shows up again. He'll get romantic, but you don't have to kiss him if you'd prefer not to (I preferred not to, myself). After he leaves, pop through the hole and you're in a hedge. From there, sneak along north and you're next to the house by a closed window.
Luckily, no one is in the room right now, and it's perfectly safe to open the window and scoot inside. Hmmm, pretty fancy library, eh? Of course, that giant sized portrait of Lafond may not be in the best of taste, but then you'd expect something like this from your typical villain.
Naturally, there is more here than meets the eye. Take a look at the bookshelves, for instance. Lafond doesn't seem to be much a reader, eh? None of the books show any wear and tear, except for one, titled (not surprisingly) "Treatise of Power".
There must be a reason for that; try pulling out the book. Aha! It only comes part way then snaps back, while mysterious sounds issue forth from somewhere behind the books. However, there is no secret passage there, and things are a little more complicated than they seem.
Now, get the fancy hat from the knob. Strange vibrations from below! Whatever could be going on here? Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough! Put the hat back on the knob for later, then wander over to that enormous globe. I'll bet that's here for a purpose, too.
Let's see what happens if you push St. Sinistra. Voila! The portrait suddenly opens up! There's the secret entrance! Guess where it leads? Of course! So head north behind the picture and then down the stairs (ladies are not supposed to go snooping around other people's houses, especially when they haven't been invited, but these are desperate times).
From the bottom of the stairwell, go east twice into the Guard Room. Fortunately, no guard is around, but you do find a key and powder horn. Take both, and put the horn in your reticule for later. Return to the stairwell, and go south.
Eeeeek! A giant crocodile sits in the middle of a pool. Even though he's chained, he looks like a nasty customer, and I wouldn't want to try slipping past him just yet. Neither would you.
Here's where we (or rather, you), take out Mr. Jaws in a ladylike fashion. Get the bottle from your reticule and squeeze some laudanum onto the pork. Then (using the dainty underhand motion approved for ladies in distress), throw the pork into the crocodile's mouth. After a short wait, he will go sleepy-bye and you can skip past him south into the dank dungeon (what would a romance be without a dungeon?).
Ease along west to the door, which you can unlock with the key (you can drop the key after that). Open the door, and who do you suppose is inside? Daddy, of course. He sounds a trifle senile, perhaps, but I suppose the time he's spent in this cell is a contributing factor.
After you explain the current circumstances, Daddy dear will follow you out of the dungeon, thoughtfully waking up the crocodile on the way out. You may feel like pushing him into the pool at this point, but really, that would be a trifle inadvisable right now.
Continue on to the library, where Daddy will hop it to go looking for his darling Lucy. You need to hop it, too, as there's a ball you must attend. Slip out the window, make your way back through the Folly to the lawn, west to the forest, then northeast to the Clearing.
Some conveniently-placed vines afford access to the second-floor bedroom, where you find a conveniently-placed gown on the bed. Change clothes, stuffing the breeches and shirt into the reticule. Get the invitation, go north and east down the stairs to the Foyer (it's really a good thing that your actions will never be known back home, as no one would ever speak to you again if they ever found out!).
Give the invitation to the butler, and proceed south into the ballroom, where (who else?) Jamison is waiting to sweep you into the dance floor. Tell him about Daddy, and anything else you care to mention. While this is going on, you'll notice a certain bewigged man watching you closely (the villain, naturally).
Eventually, Jamison will leave, and suggest that you head back to the ship. Hah! After all you've done so far, not likely! However, to keep things moving, pop briefly into the supper room east, then return to the ballroom. This time, your partner is the notorious (not to mention, lecherous) Lafond.
By all means dance with the scoundrel. You'll be able to get a glimpse of a ring that looks rather familiar. No doubt about it, he really IS the bad guy of the piece. However, don't let his boasting or arrogant attitude get to you. All in good time, he'll get his just deserts.
When he's finally done and and takes his leave, get the mirror from your reticule. This is about the time a commotion starts up, and you see Jamison being dragged away by dragoons. Guess he wasn't as careful as he should have been. Tch!
You can't worry about him now (as if you'd bother!); you have a little supper date with Lafond to attend. Go back to the Foyer, up the stairs, and east to the door of Lafond's bedroom. Being a lady, you politely knock first.
Once inside, Lafond will press some wine on you. By all means drink it, as well as noting which color goblet you have. Suddenly the door slams open and Jamison bursts in!
Unfortunately, that's about all he does, as Lafond's minions rapidly and efficiently knock him out and drag him away. The Falcon looks less like a hero every minute.
Meanwhile, with the disruption over, Lafond turns to his wardrobe to slip into something comfortable, ordering you to pour more wine as he does so. Of course, you know what your expected to do here, right? Hehehe.
First, pour wine into both goblets. Then squeeze some laudanum into your own goblet. The butler makes a quick reappearance with a nice little supper of cold chicken and spices, then departs.
Lafond is no fool, and he saw you do something with the goblets. He switches them, and forces you to drink from his. Since it's perfectly harmless, this is no problem. However, he apparently has a better respect for your brains than Jamison does, and calls in the butler to drink from your (original) glass.
Dear me, what now? Lafond is starting to get, shall we say, hot to trot? And speaking of hot, those spices are very hot, indeed. Just what you need to save your virtue. Get some of the spices and blow them at Lafond. ATTCHOO!!!
His eyes start to water, he can't see very well, and goes blundering out of the room. However, he won't be gone for too long, so you had better hurry and do what needs to be done before scooting off.
Plundered Hearts: Part III
With Lafond out of the way for now, put the mirror in the window. Its reflective surface catches the moonlight and sends a signal to the ship (this, by the way, is the only room from which you can send the signal). While you do this, a noise comes from outside the room. It sounds like someone collapsing. It is. The laudanum has taken effect on the butler, and you are now free to leave, which I heartily recommend you do.
The question is, where to now? Well, lover boy is down in the deep, dank, dungeon, but you really can't go alone this time. However, you can at least set things up for later on, so trek on over to the library.
Everything is back in place again, so go through the routine that will open the secret passage. This time, you don't have to bother replacing the hat, you can just drop it. Then (preparing for the actions to come), switch from the gown to the breeches and shirt. Get the brooch and smelling salts from the reticule. By this time, the pirates have arrived, and the action is picking up again.
Go to the Foyer, where you'll run into Cookie. Good old Cookie! A quick nod, and the two of you are off to the dungeon. As you go, you may be wondering what to do about the crocodile, but no need to worry with the stalwart chef at your side.
As soon as Cookie sees the croc, he'll bravely leap into the water and keep it occupied while you slip around and into the dungeon, where you see...Crulley! Yep, our boy Andy is still with us, and is whiling away the time by giving Jamison a few lashes with a whip. Horrors!
Not only that, but Crulley has decided you could do with a lash or two, as well. And he's forcing you towards the open trap in the floor, from which there is no return. I guess he hasn't quite forgiven you for that headache back on the Lafond Deux. Definitely, not a gentleman.
You can't let this happen (after all, if you go, who will rescue Jamison?). Luckily, the hero's (?) rapier is nearby. pick it up, much to Crulley's delight (he didn't learn from last time, either) and stab him with it. Twice. That's enough to send the vermin down into the well.
Unfortunately, he doesn't go all the way down. His hook catches on the side, and with appropriate curses, he begins climbing up again. Shut the trapdoor to make his life a little more difficult, then use the smelling salts on Jamison. Chat with him if you like, but do make it brief, and then pick the manacles with the brooch (you must say brooch, not pin, and I'll bet you've been wondering all along when you'd get the chance to pick a lock with it).
Jamison grabs the rapier from you, and as all dimwitted heroes both before and after him, runs off to do battle with the villain when he is not in shape enough to take on a mosquito. Love is not only blind, it bears a striking resemblance to senility.
Ah well, I suppose there's nothing for it but to go and save his hide yet again. So don't just stand there (after all, Crulley is still on his way up), hurry on back to the library. Cookie is still keeping the crocodile's attention, although he'll leave that when you pass by.
As you step into the library, the sounds of a furious duel can be heard coming from the ballroom. Obviously, Jamison and Lafond have found each other. Cookie rushes off that way, but you have better things to do.
Nip out and up the stairs to the second floor. Go around east and south to the Gallery, where you see the chandelier and the rope system. Untie the rope. Now, just watch the fight, and wait until Jamison is helpless (a condition he seems to be in a lot of the time).
At this penultimate moment, what do you think you should do? Lower the chandelier? Nope, much too heavy for you. Throw the powder horn onto the candles? Nope, you'll just miss. Drop something on Lafond's head? Nope, you'll miss there, as well.
No, my dear, you get to play Tarzan! Yes, you too, without any practice or special training, without (probably) having ever exercised in your life, can swing with the best of them! So swing on the rope!
(Just imagine the typical Tarzan battle scream here; it doesn't translate all that well into text). Crash! You barrel right into Lafond, just as he's about to stab Jamison in the heart. Once again, you have come through in the nick (Nick?) of time!
Whoosh! Lafond lies sprawled on the floor, while others restrain Jamison from coming over and finishing the job (after all, Jamison is supposed to be a gentleman; not allowed to hit a man when he's down). Speaking of gentlemen, Cookie comes over and helps you to your feet, after which everyone (Jamison, Cookie, Daddy, and Lucy) takes off through the verandah door, expecting you to follow them. Some days, you just don't get any respect.
Well, no use brooding over it; hop out the verandah door yourself, and make your way to the beach. Somewhere along the line, take the powder horn from the reticule.
As you wade through the water, you step on a sharp stone. Presumably, this is what you're supposed to use as ammunition in the pistol you'll be picking up shortly; however, you don't really need it and the stone can be safely ignored.
Just about now, Lafond, Crulley, and a bunch of dragoons appear at the top of the cliff. Big dramatic moment! The final showdown is almost here! Crulley takes aim with his pistol, but devoted Cookie throws himself in front of Jamison, taking a wound in the shoulder.
Then, in the best heroic tradition, Jamison offers to duel with Lafond one more time. Lafond agrees, provided he gets you if he beats Jamison (note that you havne't been consulted about this little arrangement).
Now Jamison looks at you, and asks simply, "Yes or no?". Of course you understand he means do you love him or not. By this time, you're probably tempted to say no. However, there's that duel coming up, and the poor idiot needs some sort of sustenance to see him through, so just nod.
The exciting finale is now here! Jamison and Lafond go at it once more, the villain leaping to the attack and dropping his pistol as he does so. Pick it up, because Crulley is frantically re-loading his own weapon, and you can be sure it isn't for any good purpose.
Load your own pistol from the horn. Meanwhile, wonder of wonders, Jamison, in spite of everything, has finally managed to put an end to Lafond. Certainly took him long enough. However, now Crulley is taking aim again, and you'll have to save Jamison one more time (getting monotonous, isn't it?).
Shoot Crulley. How about that, you actually hit him! He falls off the cliff, putting an end to him, too. With both of them gone, there are no further obstacles, and you all get safely away from St. Sinistra.
And so, as the Helena Louise sails happily ever after into the sunset towards America, you can only wonder....how many times will you have to save Jamison from the Indians....?
Plundered Hearts is copyrighted 1987 by Infocom, Inc.
