In the series, the plot involves a family who moves into the castle after the father accidentally sent a critical television satellite to the wrong orbit altitude, rendering all television broadcasts in Sweden useless. What's more, the satellite lies directly on Santa's path and if not moved by Christmas Eve, Santa will crash right into the satellite as moving out of the way will must surely make Santa unable to deliver all his presents on time. In the game, however, the satellite plays a key role as it contains a clue on how to get to the kitchen. The problem is that in order to play the satellite mini game, you must enter the living room and it's locked when you start the game. Once the two ghosts (named Jean and Staffan) glide through the door, I first make my way to the opposite side of the entry hallway and try the door, only to find the gear handle has gotten loose. I store it in the inventory for later before turning my attention to the door to the living room. There's no handle, however there is a lamp right next to the door. I move the light bulb on top of the lamp to the empty hole where the handle would have been and watch in amazement as the door swings open. I then move over to the telescope and begin the satellite mini game. Here, the satellite dish on the house must send a signal to the satellite six times before the clue is revealed. Not only must you adjust the angle by moving up and down, you must also adjust the strength by moving left and right. The satellite constantly moves, so you have to anticipate where it's going to be. There's some leeway as you don't have to aim for the satellite's dish, just at the satellite itself. I do this six times before closing the mini game to receive a fuzzy broadcast of the girl who plays the little sister in the series who says the following words:
Läs en bok.
Once the very short broadcast ends, a text appears at the top of the screen that helpfully translates the message into English:
Read a book.
The living room has a book stand, so I move over there, grabbing the battery next to phone, and I press in three books that activate hidden switches. The order doesn't seem to matter, just as long as those books get pushed in. With that, the door to the kitchen hallway gets unlocked and I enter.
The next mini game is in the kitchen, but when I get there, I find it locked. No matter, I think to myself, I'll just grab the decorative seahorse and put it in the inventory. Why, I hear you ask? Well, I think it looks pretty. I move back to living room when I hear the phone ring. Wondering who could possibly be ringing, I enter the living room. Noticing a robot head on the opposite side, I move to it and I put it in the inventory for later. I then rush to the phone and pick up the receiver to hear a strange voice.
Pizza time!
Believing that the caller simply dialed the wrong number (They didn't. It's a clue that refers to the information pizza that tells you in pictures your four goals to complete the game. You have to pick up the left over pizza in the kitchen and a peculiar ice cube from the freezer, put the pizza in the microwave and put the ice cube on top, wait three seconds and then you can see what you need to do. The pizza isn't required in the any% category, so I skip it.), I put the receiver down and move back to the kitchen hallway and I find the door to the kitchen has opened. I move there and open the second door that was behind the first and enter the kitchen. Now that I'm in the kitchen, I move to a peculiar door on the other side. It's locked with combination lock with symbols instead of numbers. As this is a TAS, I already know the correct combination, ❤️, @ and *. The door opens to reveal the clock room. I step inside and start the clock mini game. In this mini game, you must click on the analogue clock that is the closest to match the digital clock on the wall six times. There is leeway as you can click on the correct clock even if the hour hand is on 7. I must have been granted good RNG as I was able to complete the mini game with very minimal waiting. The reward for completing the mini game is a alarm clock in the inventory.
No, you didn't read that incorrectly. The next mini game is a version of the classic game Pong located on the computer in the living room. However, the computer doesn't work, so I have to make it work again. But first, I move to the kitchen counter for a short game involving saffron buns in various shapes. Here, you must remember the shape of the saffron bun that disappeared. Click the right shape and all of the buns of that shape vanishes. Click the wrong shape and you start over from scratch. Two tools available in a TAS is the ability not only to frame advance but to also rewind, so in effect, I can have perfect memory and breeze through the saffron bun game and get myself a saffron bun in the inventory. I move again and I notice a spare light bulb on the kitchen counter. I put it in the inventory for later and I move to the kitchen table. I put the key that lies on table in the inventory and I move back to the kitchen hallway.
Once there, I move to the locked door opposite the one that leads to the living room. I open the inventory and select the key I picked up in the kitchen. I must wait a while, otherwise the game thinks that I want to examine the item I clicked on and waste time, not to mention it would have been a bit annoying for the viewer. I put the key in the lock and unlock the door to reveal a new room.
In this room, there are two latches on either side and a lever behind bars. Let's call it the lever room. I turn to the latch on the left and I notice a engraving of a alarm clock. I open the inventory again and select the alarm clock. I put the clock on the ledge and the latch opens and reveal a flashlight. I put it in the inventory. I then turn to the latch on the right and I notice that this latch has a hole shaped like a saffron bun. I open the inventory again and select the saffron bun. I put the saffron bun in the hole and the latch opens to reveal a robot body with a missing left arm. I put the body in the inventory for later and turn towards the lever. I can't pull the lever with the horizontal bars in the way. That's when I notice a small button on lower right hand corner. I press it and watch as the horizontal bars move downwards. I wait until a large gap appears and press the button again. The bars stop moving. I then pull the lever. After it is turned, a mysterious green light shines, indicating that it's active.
I then move backwards out to the living room and I notice that the mounted deer head has a shining red light in it's left eye. I press it and now it glows green and seems to making digital noises. The light stops shining and I move to the computer. Now it seems to be working, so I click on it and start the Pong mini game. In this mini game, your objective is to hit the two ghosts one after the other ten times before the ghosts can score ten points. Why, I hear you ask? Well, in one of the episodes of the series, the ghosts accidentally get themselves trapped inside the computer and becomes reluctant players in a game of Pong. Anyhow, you control both padels with the mouse by moving up or down and the ghosts can score points on either side. The ghosts can also make extra balls appear to make it more difficult. Well, more difficult for the average player anyhow. This is no problem for me and I win the mini game with 10 points to nothing.
Once the ghosts disappear (in the series, the ghosts were rescued by the little sister by printing them out), the computer says ”Login confirmed”, and gain access to two clues and most importantly, the ability to turn on the stairs to the second floor. I do exactly that and turn off the computer. I then move to the entry hallway and I climb the stairs.
The next thing to do is to assemble the robot named Sprak and the last two things I need are in the treasure room. I move there, picking up a large battery and put it in the inventory for later. I've hardly entered the treasure room when suddenly the skeletal remains of the cruel count appears. He moves right past me despite the fact he doesn't have any muscles. He locks me up in the treasure room when I hear the little sister yell ”Ivar! Ta kistan!”. That's the cue to begin solving the treasure room puzzle. Before I get to it, however, I first move backwards one step and turn to the right. There, on a shelf, lies the robot's left arm. I pick it up and put it in the inventory. I then pull the lever to reveal the treasure chest. Now I turn my attention to the puzzle which is really simple. All you have to is click on the grey switches on the floor in the following order: low left, high left, middle, high right and low right. Once the treasure chest has moved forward, I step towards it and open it. Inside is the final piece of the robot, a stone of alien origin. I pick it up and put it in the inventory. I turn back and move forward one step. Clicking on the lightbulb on the user interface, I begin assembling the robot, starting with the head, putting the small battery I collected in the living room inside it. Next, the body I picked up in the lever room. Then, the left arm I picked up earlier. Next, the light bulb I picked up in the kitchen goes to the right arm and finally, I open his chest and put the alien stone inside. This is Sprak and he is the servant of the alien princess. Now, he is active again after being forced into deconstruction by the cruel count when he imprisoned the princess. He flies by himself and unlocks the door before flying towards freedom.
What needs to be done next is to find a ladder in order to reach the top of the tallest tower. The only place that you can find a ladder is in storage and I can't reach it because the drawbridge to it has been pulled up and I need power in order to put it down again. Fortunately I already have everything I need to make the drawbridge work, now all I need is to fix the electrics. I move out of the treasure room and move downstairs.
I enter the living room and then I move into the kitchen hallway. There, on the sofa is a instrument, specifically a lute, I need to pick up in order to access the music room. Why, I hear you ask? Well, in the music room, there's a key to the master bedroom I need to get. Anyhow, I put the lute in the inventory and I move back upstairs to the music room.
Inside the music room, there's a music puzzle where you have to identify a piece of music to it's continent of origin. The puzzle is not necessary in the any% category, so I turn towards the fireplace. It's locked with a musical lock. The correct combination is given to you on the piano if you complete the music puzzle, however I already know the combination. It's five notes in the following order: Lowest right C, H, G, E and highest left C. The door to the fireplace opens and I can see a key protected by the flames. I press the button above the fire. But nothing happens. That's when I remember that there's a second fire burning in the living room, so I leave the music room and head downstairs to the living room.
Sure enough, when I examine the fireplace here, the fire has been put out and I see a button that was behind the fire. I press it and head back upstairs to the music room. Looking into the fireplace again, the fire has been put out here too, so I grab the key and put it in the inventory. I move out of the music room and the door opposite leads to the master bedroom. I put the key from the music room into the lock and unlock the door.
I step inside and turn immediately to the right. There on the floor is three bottles of
hydrofluoric acid ordinary soda pop. And not just any soda, it's
julmust. I put a bottle in the inventory for later. I then look for the hidden latch that leads to the tallest tower. I quickly find it by pulling a rope beside the bed and a curtain is pulled to reveal the latch behind a grill. I crawl into the short vent and I open the latch.
Now I am in the tower room. I move to the opposite side and I put the bucket in the inventory for later. I then move to the framed picture of an anchor. I click on it and it moves up to reveal a real anchor. I press it and watch as the picture moves back down. I move to the bookcase and I push it. The bookcase swings open, opening a direct path back to the upstairs hallway. I leave the tower room and move back downstairs and head to the kitchen hallway. There I see a model ship has come out from behind a painting. I move to it and I put the little anchor in the inventory. I move back upstairs and I use the small anchor to unlock the door to the children's room.
Once the door opens, I open the inventory and select the large battery before I step inside the children's room. Up on the left, there's a slide that leads to under the stairs. I ride it and once I hit the bottom, I see electric outlets. I plug in a loose electric plug into the only empty outlet and a secret door back to the entry hallway opens. I step out to the entry hallway and I turn to the button that controls the drawbridge. A large battery and two loose electric plugs lie on the floor. I put the large battery that I picked up from upstairs beside the other one and I plug in the electric plugs into the batteries. The button is now active, so I press it.
Now it is finally time to rescue the princess and launch the rocket, but first, I need to collect the ladder in storage, so I move to the front door and I exit into the night. Outside the castle is the longest distance you have to travel in the game, twelve steps forward. And in case you are wondering, no, you can't use the flashlight from the lever room out here. If anyone can shed a light on exactly what the flashlight is for, please let me know.
Anyhow, I walk all the way to the storage and I move two crates to better reach the ladder. I then put the ladder in the inventory and I move backwards all the way back to the castle and go inside. I then move upstairs and move to the tower room. I put the ladder in the middle back against a large hole and I climb up. Here, I meet the skeletal remains of the cruel count. He has a key hanging in a necklace to the room beyond where the princess is locked away. I open the inventory, select the bucket and then I put the bucket on the floor. I then open the inventory again, select the julmust and I pour the julmust in the bucket. Then, in one swift move, I tip the bucket over the count's head before he has any chance to move. The julmust splashes down at the count and his bones melt away.
The key necklace lies on the ground now, so I take a step to it and I put the key in the inventory. I then put the key in the lock (I can't use the key until after I put it in the inventory.) and I unlock the door. I open the inventory and select the gear I picked up all the way back in the beginning of the game. I then step inside the rocket and I see that one of it's gears is missing. I then put the gear to it's rightful place and I turn towards the three levers. I push forward the red lever on the left, then pull forward the yellow lever on the right. I have hardly touched the green lever in the middle when the rocket comes back to life.
I was about to leave when the princess wakes up and and tells me that she is indeed a princess and I must find the lever that launches the rocket back into space. I hardly need to be told twice, so I move backwards out of the rocket and climb back down to the tower room. I then move downstairs and head to the living room. There beside the television, is a lever with a sign that flashes the word Launch. I pull it and watch as the rocket launches, taking the princess back to her home planet.