In your quest to find your father in Enigma of Fear, you’ll stumble upon the haunted Strach Mansion. Here, you’ll face your first major challenge: the Advanced Lock puzzle. This puzzle is designed to truly test your determination and sleuthing skills, requiring you to have sharp observation and analytical thinking.
Solving the Advanced Lock may appear daunting, but skilled detectives know that careful attention to detail is crucial. The mansion is filled with clues to help you, and uncovering these secrets methodically will lead you to the satisfying solution instead of relying on random attempts.
How Does the Advanced Lock Puzzle Work?
The Advanced Lock is located in the Storage Room on the first floor of the Strach Mansion, situated towards the left side of the room. Upon entering the mansion, you can use your UV flashlight to reveal hidden splash marks on the floor that will guide you directly to it.
Caution: Blood Zombies Ahead
Be on guard for the Blood Zombies lurking in the mansion. These undead creatures are blind, and you can deal with them quietly by sneaking up from behind and pressing the interact key when prompted.
Once you locate the Advanced Lock, you’ll encounter a mechanical lock with three discs, each displaying eight symbols. To unlock it, you’ll need to select the right symbol on each disc to create a specific pattern. The essential clue for solving this puzzle can be found upstairs, specifically in a rolled-up map in the Storage Room that reveals key information under UV light.
The Storage Room also features a radio that allows you to communicate with Agatha and Samuel, who provide helpful tips. Keep an eye out for significant items linked to the Strach family’s dark past, as they often elicit useful commentary from your allies. Don’t forget to check on Lupi, your loyal dog, in this room for a morale boost during your terrifying journey.
Where Are The Clues for the Advanced Lock Puzzle?
The map in the storage room serves as a starting point, highlighting four rooms associated with Strach family members and three clocks on the upper floor. It also marks a location for the altar room on the first floor, though that information isn’t necessary for now.
The Sketches in the Master Bedroom
Begin your search in the master bedroom, located in the bottom-left corner of the upper floor. As you approach, be aware that an alarm clock will sound, which attracts nearby Blood Zombies. Make sure to neutralize any threats before you enter, as you’ll likely face another zombie inside.
Within the master bedroom, you’ll find various items, but the crucial discovery lies in the sketches on the desk by the door. While there’s a rolled-up blueprint relating to the Advanced Lock, you should activate your UV flashlight to uncover hidden illustrations on three sheets of paper.
These sketches feature images of clocks and symbols, along with the phrases "Time of Rise" and "Rise of the Unhaunted One." One notable drawing places a large question mark in invisible ink over a grandfather clock.
You can find this grandfather clock in the hallway. Interacting with it while using the UV light will reveal symbols next to their corresponding numbers, offering insight into the lock’s function. Each disc represents hours, minutes, and seconds, with the symbols tied to their respective numbers. The last piece of the puzzle is figuring out the precise time when the Unhaunted One rose.
The Diary, Watch, and Alarm Clock
Next, head to Yuri’s bedroom in the bottom-right corner of the upper floor. There, you’ll find a crumpled piece of paper outside the room. Examine it to discover more about the Rise of the Unhaunted One, which is linked to a vision by a Strach family member.
To delve deeper into this vision, head inside Yuri’s room and turn on your UV flashlight to read his diary. It reveals that the hallway alarm clock rings every night at a specific time, prompting Thiana, Yuri’s mother, to play music. During one such occasion, Yuri experienced a vision and dropped his cherished watch.
To determine the exact moment of this vision, investigate:
- The alarm clock
- Yuri’s broken watch
- The music room
You’ll find the watch in the drawer of a toy castle, and you’ll notice its second hand is stuck on XI (11), which gives you the second input for the lock. In the hallway, tinkering with the alarm clock reveals it chimes at precisely four o’clock, supplying four as the hour input.
The Vinyl Disc in Thiana’s Music Room
The last clue is hidden away in Thiana’s music room, but the door is blocked. To gain access, enter Goliath’s Room next door. Use your crowbar to break through the wall marked "Like Music" to create a small passage into the music room. Although the gap is too small for Mia, you can switch to Lupi, who can fit through.
Once inside, avoid the ghost that’s seated in the room, as getting too close will make Lupi run in fear. Instead, move the chair blocking Thiana’s door. After unlocking it, switch back to Mia and enter the now-vacant space.
Look for the Memoria Timoris music sheet near the piano, illuminated under UV light, which will show another crucial detail. You’ll also find three vinyl discs scattered on the floor.
One disc, located by the wardrobe, shares the same title as the music sheet. While you can ignore the "13 minutes" note on it, examining it with your UV flashlight unveils a clock hand pointing to 3, marked with the Roman numeral III. This gives you the minute input for the lock.
How to Solve the Advanced Lock Puzzle
Once you have the numbers 4, 3, and 11, it’s time to match them with the corresponding symbols from the grandfather clock. The number 4 links to a hexagon, 3 connects to a concentric circle, and 11 corresponds to a circle with a downward-pointing triangle.
Head back to the storage room and input these symbols on the lock in the proper order. Once completed correctly, the lock will finally click open.
This grants you access to the basement where you’ll confront two Blood Zombies. Defeat them to unlock a shortcut at the far end of the basement, then exit through the door leading to a hallway with a room covered in cryptic writing.
In this room, you’ll find another Blood Zombie resting next to a piece of paper. Dispatch the enemy and examine the paper using your UV light.
When you interact with the paper, be aware that the screen might glitch intentionally—this is part of the experience, so there’s no need to be alarmed. The paper will display the next three symbols required to enter on the sigil screen, which appears after selecting "Begin" from the start menu.
By doing so, you’ll travel back in time to the events leading up to Mia’s arrival at the Strach mansion. This time, you’ll navigate through the same eerie basement as Verity, Mia’s father, unraveling the dark history that awaits.
