Encyclopedia of Elementals by Adam Holbrook

You can't sleep, and there's a special part of the castle you've always wanted to explore. Find the hidden secrets of the castle and embark on an adventure spanning two kingdoms, in which you will slay evil creatures, cast magical spells, help find love, and save the world.

Take note that this game has never seemed to work properly in the online player. Timers just break the game completely, it seems. For the best experience, and quite probably the only complete experience, please use the offline player.

Entered in the currently ongoing Spring Thing 2013 competition!

Play online

Comment Eclipse square2

13 Sep 2022

Bruh how do i find my slippers

Comment Exellinor

13 Apr 2022

Help, I'm trying to fight the goblins but whenever I try to fight them(parry, lunge, slash defend, those things), it just says. "You want to do what now?"
Is there some kind of software glitch or something or what's going on?
Please help!

Comment Exellinor

12 Apr 2022

Never mind, I figured it out.
:-)

Comment Exellinor

27 Mar 2022

I'm stuck at the part where you find out Sheila's favorite gemstone. Any help would be appreciated.

Comment KittyKat1415

24 Oct 2021

@MysteriousSpiritGirl you need the offline player 'Quest' to play games offline. Once you download it, press the download button on the desired game, and then it should automatically bring you to Quest, and with it the actual game. The offline player is free as well. If you need a link, let me know.

Comment MysteriousSpiritGirl

23 Oct 2021

No rating, but a question; how on earth do I enter offline player? LOL
I wanted to follow the advice, but I can't see a button to go offline, so I tried online and it indeed doesn't work and causes me to have to start over again and again, so I want to play offline, but I don't quite know how to do that.
Thank you in advance ^^

Comment _xXMidnight

29 Jul 2021

I would like to know, in visiting the castle again and it is in ruins, what do you do with the metal beams? I'm stumped.
I've tried inspecting the rubble, lifting the rubble (which definitely doesn't do anything at all), inspecting the beams, using the shards to cut the beams, using the sword to cut the beams for absolutely no reason, lifting the beams, pushing and pulling the beams, even touching the beams(!) and a bunch of other stuff.

Oh, and I like to look everywhere and take everything so that I can just snap use it later. Gosh, finding the pot in Hephaestus' house was-

the solution to finding the pot was just dumb, I didn't even know looking under the bed was an option!-

Comment _xXMidnight

28 Jul 2021

more specifically, a hint page or something.

Comment _xXMidnight

28 Jul 2021

owo
<w<
>w>
owo
can I make a walkthrough for you?

Comment _xXMidnight

27 Jul 2021

uhhh... help.
what do you do with the rock?
why can you interact with the cobwebs but not the dust and walls?
whAt?
bro my brain hurts
not many text adventures do that to me
poggers

Comment Qpalzmfj

28 Nov 2020

Never mind. I found out how to get past the start.

Comment Qpalzmfj

28 Nov 2020

I need help with the time you find the secret passage and have lighted it up.

Comment Qpalzmfj

09 Nov 2020

I need help. I can't find my way past the start

Comment shinycrystalshard

21 Jul 2020

Where is the crank?

Comment sikehawk

19 Aug 2019

how do i play offline

Comment Galactic_Comet

07 Dec 2018

Never mind, I figured it out.

Comment Galactic_Comet

07 Dec 2018

Hello, how do you make Sheila's shoes exotic? I already have the feathers, but idk how to give it?? Help???

Comment deathfox707

13 Jan 2018

what do i do with the loose rock in the secret passage

Comment deathfox707

13 Jan 2018

how do i use the glow powder

Comment Indigo Mystic

07 Nov 2017

How do you use the glow powder?

Comment Flyingmojo

05 Oct 2017

How do I cross the gap in the eastern hallway? I've repaired the cracked board, but still can't cross it. I am now going from room to room to room, to see if there's anything I've missed, and am now feeling quite desperate!

Comment Flyingmojo

29 Sep 2017

LOL Nevermind

Comment Flyingmojo

29 Sep 2017

I can't figure out how to load a saved game. I've tried "Load" but that does nothing.

Comment Whispers_inTheDark

26 Aug 2017

spoiler alert

the game ended when I was in the forbidden library );

Comment Tallennar

08 Jan 2017

It's a great game, but I have two bug reports and a question (spoilers ahead):

1. If the rope is not used on the washtub after the boy is put in it, you continue to carry the washtub around, but the boy is still in the well.
2. If you look under the smith's bed, it always says the cooking pot is there, whether you've taken it or not. If you try to take it, the game says you already have it.
3. Question: WHERE THE HECK IS THE CRANK?!

Review Yoloswaggins1408

02 Jan 2017

Dude, this thing is freaking awesome. Best text adventure I've played.

Comment Yoloswaggins1408

01 Jan 2017

Hey, so I think I found a bit of a bug. I'm at the part where the prison of my hometown has been destroyed, and I'm trying to recieved my things. I was able to pick up most of my things, but I wasn't able to pick up my amulet which I got when I banished the Light Elemental. Whenever I try to, it says that I "Retrieve your missing amulet", but when I look around, it's still in the safe, and it's not in my inventory. Anyone know what to do?

Review De Philster

11 Aug 2016

This game has a great storyline, with some amusing moments. There are some interesting puzzles, and the game cleverly uses some real-time trials, like hiding from moving guards, or dodging acidic missiles. The ending was phenomenal. Play it. Right now.

Comment De Philster

11 Aug 2016

Nevermind, I didn't try everything, it seems. I'm just gonna stop asking.

Comment De Philster

10 Aug 2016

So, once again, a problem I have been stuck on for a while. Whenever I try to make a bridge across the gap, it mentions needing a carpenter. Do I need to get a carpenter to go further? Is he the guy from the very beginning who was trapped under some rubble? Or is it something else?

Comment De Philster

09 Aug 2016

Nevermind again. Hint: If you're in the well with no light, you're too late.

Comment De Philster

09 Aug 2016

Here's another problem: How do I light up the well? I read through the comments, and all I got were some seemingly useless riddles, so yeah. Please help.

Comment De Philster

09 Aug 2016

Nevermind, I figured it out. For anyone else having trouble, it has to be very specific. You can only say: "give iron to man/Hephaestus". Saying "give man/Hephaestus iron" or anything like that won't work. The same applies to anyone else that you are giving things to. It's annoying.

Comment De Philster

09 Aug 2016

Does anyone know how to give Hephestus the iron? Whenever I try, it says I can't give it.

Comment Pancakie

12 Nov 2015

How can I pull the boy out of the well? I already tied the washtub to the rope , but when I pulled the rope, the game "told me" to find a more controlled way of raising the washtub from the bottom of the well. Do I have to find a crank or something? Can anyone give me a hint?

Comment Evil Flower

08 Aug 2015

I'm stuck at the part where you have to find the pot to cook the roast. I've looked everywhere and still can't find it, so I would be grateful if someone could help me.

Review AgFusion

29 May 2015

Beautiful Game!

Comment Giggling_Kiste

13 Oct 2013

Help, I always die in the main hall and I can't go outside.
I looked in the comments because I thought that might be the end but people type about goblins and stuff :D So there must be a way to get out of the collapsing castle. I can't find it :(

Comment GreyOwl

12 Oct 2013

Nevermind about that last question, but now I have another one:
How do you "find a more controlled way to lift the washtub out" ?
PLEASE HELP, AND TRY NOT TO BE TEMPTED TO GIVE ME A REALLY BAD HINT OR THE ACTUAL
ANSWER. THANKS!

Comment GreyOwl

12 Oct 2013

Uh...how come I put the boy in the washtub, then when I get out of the well, I find that the boy isn't in the washtub? How the heck else am I going to get him out?

Comment ShadowStigma

07 Sep 2013

and now I feel like an idiot, not even 60 seconds have passed, I did not even think of using those items that way (and in my opinion the end result shouldn't be that effective)

Comment ShadowStigma

07 Sep 2013

starting to get annoyed with myself on the whole "If it weren't for these beams you could get through. If only you had a way to cut through them." part, I can't seem to think of a way to cut them, not even a 'cut' command, so if you have any tips that might help without ruining the game for others, could you tell me them?

Comment Adam Holbrook

04 Sep 2013

There are two steps to get out of the secret passage. The first is to light the way.

Comment legoman

21 Aug 2013

under your bed goliat. how do you get out of the secret passage?

Review goliat101

21 Aug 2013

where are your slippers? that's all I have to say

Review tarichar

31 Jul 2013

Game was really fun and easy to use. There were some new things that made it more difficult but in a fun way. I was never stuck for long and the puzzles made sense. Its the best one I have played on this site. It seemed like a couple items I never used and I don't understand what your color did the the game but aside from that it was good.

Comment tarichar

28 Jul 2013

haha everytime I ask for help i figure it out by myself right afterwards. nevermind!

Comment tarichar

28 Jul 2013

This is my favorite text so far. Does anybody know how to fix the board so you can cross the gap in the castle with the goblins? I feel like I have tried everything

Comment Adam Holbrook

12 Jul 2013

You aren't being kept from going into the mysterious wing, you're in the mysterious wing right now by the looks of it. There are no windows in the hallway because the torches are providing light, which is why you don't need the glow powder for anything. You need to interact with the torches in order to move on.
Just ask if you need anything else.

Comment Darkrider

12 Jul 2013

"From outside appearances, it appears to be like any other hallway in the castle. But there has been too much rumor about this place to go without investigation. The torch light is bright enough to give one doubts about the secrets this place could be hiding, but you're intent on finding something.
You can go to the main hall."

"~ use glow powder on floor
You don't want to waste glow powder on that.

~ use glow powder on ceiling
You don't want to waste glow powder on that.

~ use glow powder on walls
You don't want to waste glow powder on that.

~ drop glow powder
You can't drop it."

It says I can't go in because I'm intent on finding something. What?

It also says the torch light is providing the light, so I'm no longer convinced by the 'no windows' thing.

And even so, my main problem is that I can't see:

A: What the game wants me to do

B: Why I can't go into the mysterious wing

or C: What glow powder has to do with it all

Help please?

Comment Adam Holbrook

09 Jul 2013

Well, if it's dark, then you have something that provides light.

Comment Darkrider

09 Jul 2013

Light's coming from the glow powder, right?

How does that help?

Comment Adam Holbrook

07 Jul 2013

I've been away on vacation for a while, and I was surprised to find my destination did not offer internet access! Much thanks Mr. Ninja Pineapple for his help!
For all those who are stumped in the mysterious wing I'll make an effort not to give it away, but you can always PM or email me if this doesn't work (to avoid someone seeing the answer that might not want to). You've probably examined every surface in the mysterious wing, but there are no windows. You can't see without light, so where is the light coming from?

Comment Darkrider

30 Jun 2013

I'm having the same problem as grey owl: I have the glow powder but I can't do anything - I've been to the mysterious wing but it says I'm looking for something but I don't know what.

Can someone help?

Just a walkthrough for the first few steps or something please!

Comment GreyOwl

21 Jun 2013

Nevermind!

Comment MrNinjaPineapple

21 Jun 2013

Focus on getting into the mysterious wing. The way through is quite cryptic (had me stumped for quite a while) but use your knowledge of fantasy-esque castle clichés and you'll soon be through. Hope that helps, just comment again if you need more help :D

MNP

Comment GreyOwl

21 Jun 2013

Okay, I guess I'm not the brightest here in this game, but I am at the very start, I'm in the main hall, and all I have is the glow powder. I have NOOOOOOO idea what to do....?

Review MrNinjaPineapple

19 Jun 2013

Haven't finished playing yet but its definitely the best text adventure game I've ever played! The puzzles are tricky but its so satisfying when you complete one that you soon forget about the 3 days you spent hunched over your computer screen in anguish. Would recommend this game to anybody interested in a well made adventure game with fantasy elements! Can't wait for the sequel!!

MNP

Comment MrNinjaPineapple

18 Jun 2013

Can't believe it took me this long to get it but I have now! Thank you so much for the hints, I'll carry on playing and rate and review afterwards :)

MNP

Comment Adam Holbrook

18 Jun 2013

Alright, how's this one (if this doesn't work, I'll find you on the forums and tell you): Don't use the glow powder on anything INSIDE the well.

Comment MrNinjaPineapple

17 Jun 2013

Hmm... Still nothing I'm afraid. I didn't start again, just took a break haha! I think I need some more help :(

MNP

Comment Adam Holbrook

10 Jun 2013

Whoa, hopefully I'm not too late to help. Here's a hint: think about where you are in relation to the well, rather than where you're trying to put the glow powder.
Thanks for playing, let me know if you need any more help!

Comment MrNinjaPineapple

01 Jun 2013

Ok, now I'm at the bottom of a dark well and can't use glow powder to light my surroundings because it just fizzles out in the water on the floor. Apparently I have to 'get in a position to distribute the glow powder around the room without all of it going in the water'. Considering the fact that I've been stuck on this puzzle for a few days, I'm just about ready to give up and start all over again. Any help?

MNP

Comment MrNinjaPineapple

27 May 2013

Disregard my previous comments, I've found my way through. :D

MNP

Comment MrNinjaPineapple

26 May 2013

Oh and all I have in my inventory is glow powder.

Comment MrNinjaPineapple

26 May 2013

Hi, I'm a novice when it comes to text-adventure games. So much so in fact, that I haven't completed a single one all the way through yet (bit embarrassing I know). I just wondered if anyone could help me. I can't seem to enter the mysterious wing no matter what I do. I've tried 'verb guessing' with 'enter mysterious wing.../walk into.../investigate... etc. but to no avail. I would really appreciate any help with this.

Mr Ninja Pineapple

Review sarah4

13 May 2013

Hi Adam, thanks very much for sending over the 5.3 version of EOE, it was very gratefully received, sorry I hadn't replied sooner but I have been away. I appreciate you going to the trouble of helping me to complete this excellent game.

I have now completed the game, the timers did not pose much of a problem for my screen-reader because I have the reading speed set so fast, but, as I have said previously, Sapi, Quest's in-built speech synthesiser, reads at what is, for me, a torturously slow pace and so makes timer-related puzzles very difficult so I'm sure I couldn't have finished this game in 5.4, especially given the high-paced magical siege with the necromancer towards the end of the game!

Anyway, I was very impressed by the game's scope and concept and enjoyed the sections in the castle at the beginning, the town and the druids' village which provided a much-needed respite between the more action-packed sequences of the game. I thought the battles, chases and puzzles were very well-executed and, given the size of the game and the amount of programming that must have gone into it, it is unsurprising that there are some bugs in some parts of the game. I will not go into these here because I believe you have addressed them in the updated version and so they are probably no longer an issue!

All-in-all, a very exciting and enjoyable text adventure with a great deal to recommend it, there are, perhaps, a couple of aspects which could have been handled better, it would have been good to have the opportunity to scribe spells more often, for example.

I very much look forward to your future games!

Thanks again for all your help.

Comment Adam Holbrook

09 May 2013

Hello, Sarah! I only just noticed that I hadn't responded to you on this page! I sent you an email as soon as I noticed you had commented, but I haven't heard from you since. Any trouble? Should I have said something sooner?

Comment sarah4

28 Apr 2013

Hi Adam, thanks very much for getting back to me, sorry for not replying sooner. I don't know if or when Alex is likely to update Quest so it will work with my screen-reader again, it has an in-built speech programme, but I personally find it very slow, and, given that your game has timers, it makes many parts of it impossible to get through and also seems to cause the game to freeze during many fight sequences. If you would be at all willing to let me have the 5.3 version of the game that you still have please then I would be extremely grateful, I don't mind playing back through from scratch as it's the only way I can finish the game currently and I would very much like to complete it. If this would be a possibility then please could you e-mail the file to [email protected]

Thanks again for your help!

Review Candacis

24 Apr 2013

Despite some bugs, I had lots of fun with this game! I liked the story, the puzzles worked smoothly together, the fight system was new to me as were the sneaking around guards. I liked the mechanism. I wish I could've done a little more with the elementals, but maybe in a second game? ^^

Comment Adam Holbrook

22 Apr 2013

Well, geeze, this is just an unmitigated disaster, isn't it? In all my personal tests, I never had a problem when I cast Gust at the top of the tower (it knocks both guards off). But, since I think you said you don't have Gust prepared... and I accidentally converted the game to 5.4 while trying to figure out the problem last night...
I dunno. I really don't. I do have one version of the game left that's still in 5.3, and it has developer commands (you could use them to get back to where you were) but it'd still be kind of a pain.
I'm really sorry. I feel like I reeled you in and cut you loose.

Comment sarah4

22 Apr 2013

Hi again Adam, right, I have now tried getting rid of both the guards at the top of the tower using a variety of verbs as well as using a variety of verbs on the guards at the home gate but everything leads to the same stalemate fight with the guards at the traffic gate. I really can't figure out what else I can do so if you could just tell me what specific thing I have to do to get rid of the guards at the top of the tower in order to progress the fight with the two guards at the traffic gate please, then I would be very grateful. Hopefully this won't be too much of a spoiler as it appears to be a specific problem with the version of the game I am playing, judging from what you have said. Unfortunately I can't download the new, updated version of the game and start over because there is a problem with Quest 5.4 which means it is completely incompatible with my screen-reading software. Thanks again for your help.

Comment Adam Holbrook

22 Apr 2013

Okay, I'm glad you're in a good position to deal with the problems that arise from making my first text adventure such a big one!
If at any point you want to initiate a fight with one of the guards you can "attack," "fight," or "punch" the guard. You do have to be prompted to scribe spells, as it is a time consuming process that requires concentration.

As for the choice between Tess and Sheila, there is no right answer! You seem to have figured out the reward you got for helping Tess, and the reward for helping Sheila is different. Sheila's side of the story also changes depending on your gender.

You should be equipped to deal with this on your own whenever you have time, but if you would like me to send you a version of the game with that walkthrough for any reason please let me know!

Comment sarah4

21 Apr 2013

Sorry, I meant testing, not proof-reading!

Comment sarah4

21 Apr 2013

Hi Adam, thanks so much for your speedy response. Just to clarify where I am in the game, I have saved when I arrived at the fort and before I began battling any of the guards, so I can easily go back to any point of the game between then and the guards appearing at the gate to my home. The only spells I currently have scribed in my spellbook are 'full health' and 'entangle'. I do not know how to scribe any new spells, I assume I have to be prompted to do so. I have picked up the potion from the shelves. I have tried both killing the sleeping guard and pushing the patrolling guard first, but neither of these seem to cause the fight with the guards downstairs to function properly. I have tried casting entangle on one of the guards upstairs, but this then means that I can't figure out how to initiate the fight with the guards at the home gate. Am I missing a vital spell, and, if so, do I need to restart and scribe it when I'm in the hut, or is there another way to scribe spells at other points in the game?

In answer to your other questions:
Name: Christmas
Gender: female
Aspect: light
I helped Tess rather than Sheila, which earned me the magnetic armour, was this the right thing to do? Thanks so much again for your help, and if I can help with any proof-reading then please let me know!

Comment Adam Holbrook

21 Apr 2013

Well, Sarah, I'm very sorry to say that it looks like you've found an extremely specific bug. I can't recreate your problem, but I looked at the code and there's a lot wrong with it. I can't tell exactly what happened to cause your problem, but there are enough mistakes that I can safely say that you were unlucky enough to find something that me and my testers all missed (you get what you pay for, right?).
Now, I've fixed what I found to be wrong with the code, but that doesn't help you, so I'll post some stuff for you on the Encyclopedia of Elementals topic in the forums and we'll figure out a way to get you back on track. Worst case scenario I can quiz you a bit and make a walkthrough to get you back to where you were; I know for a fact that the walkthrough won't mess up because I had to make one for Spring Thing to demonstrate the game's completeability.
Thanks for finding my bugs! I'll be sure to find good testers like you in the future!

Comment sarah4

21 Apr 2013

Hi, I hope you will see this comment here as I am unable to post in the forum at the moment.

I have really been enjoying this game so far, a really well-paced storyline and lots of interesting puzzles. However, I am now at an impasse, and I cannot tell if I have encountered a fatal bug in the game or if I have failed to solve an important puzzle. I am visually impaired and use screen-reading software, so, there is also the possibility that there is some visual clue on the screen which I am missing. If I tell you where I am in the game and what problem I am having I would be extremely grateful if you could help me please!

I have been escorted to the fortress by the villagers, distracted the guards and entered the gate, fought my way up to the top of the tower and attracted the light elemental, fought my way back down the tower to the traffic gate where the crates and shelves are and it is here where I have reached a metaphorical brick wall. The guards have appeared at the gate to my homeland and I assume I am meant to get past them in some way. However, if I cast entangle at one of them it leads me into a fight with the other guard in which neither of us seems to be able to injure the other one in any way, and, since it's impossible to extricate myself from the battle, I am placed in an unwinnable position. I am not sure if there is something else I am meant to do before doing battle with the guards, I am told I need to find a quicker way of searching the crates and I have still not been able to enter the south hallway or the closet, so I don't know if my solution hides in one of these locations or if it really is a bug I have encountered. One last thing, I become invisible when the fort is lit up and this has allowed me to evade the guards in the tower, but it doesn't allow me to escape through the gate home or to attack unseen. Any help you could give would be greatly appreciated as I would love to complete this excellent game!