Cat hair mustache puzzle facts for kids
The cat hair mustache puzzle is a famous challenge from the video game Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned. In this puzzle, the main character, Gabriel Knight, needs to create a fake mustache using cat hair. He does this to disguise himself so he can borrow a man's motorcycle. This puzzle was made by the game's producer, Steven Hill. It was added after another puzzle by the game's creator, Jane Jensen, had to be removed because of money issues. Even though the game designers didn't really like this puzzle, they had to keep it because they were running out of time.
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Solving the Cat Hair Mustache Puzzle
In the game Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned, players control Gabriel Knight. At one point, Gabriel needs to pretend to be another man. His goal is to take that man's motorcycle. To do this, Gabriel must find and use several different items.
Steps to Create the Disguise
- First, Gabriel makes a mustache base using masking tape. He sticks a piece of tape onto a shed door.
- Next, he sprays a cat sitting on a fence with a hose. This makes the cat run through the shed door.
- As the cat runs, some of its fur gets caught on the tape. Gabriel then collects this fur.
- To get the man's passport, Gabriel needs to distract him. He uses a piece of candy to make the man bend over outside his room. This allows Gabriel to quickly grab the passport.
- Gabriel then goes to the man's room. He takes the man's gold coat and puts it on.
- He also finds a red cap in the lost and found. He wears this cap to hide his own hair, since the man he is impersonating is bald.
- Finally, Gabriel uses maple syrup to stick the cat fur onto his face. This creates his fake mustache.
- He then uses a magic marker to draw a fake mustache on the passport photo. This helps to hide the differences between his face and the man's face.
- With his disguise complete, Gabriel successfully takes the motorcycle.
How the Puzzle Was Made
The cat hair mustache puzzle was created by Steven Hill, who was the producer for Gabriel Knight 3. It was added to the game because an earlier puzzle, designed by the game's creator Jane Jensen, had to be removed. That puzzle was too expensive to include in the game.
Why the Puzzle Was Included
The lead technical designer, Scott Bilas, and other team members did not like the cat hair mustache puzzle. However, they had to include it because there wasn't enough time to create a different one. Jane Jensen felt the puzzle was difficult because it was long and didn't give many hints. Even though she didn't like it herself, she thought people made too big a deal about its difficulty.
Reception of the Puzzle
The cat hair mustache puzzle received mostly negative feedback from players and critics. Many people found it confusing and frustrating. Some even said it was an example of why adventure games became less popular. Game designer Erik Wolpaw was very critical of the puzzle. He mistakenly blamed Jane Jensen for it, even though she wasn't involved in its creation. This led to some people unfairly criticizing Jensen's game design skills, even if they hadn't played the game themselves.
