Dink Smallwood Full Release is Copyright (c) 1999 RT Soft, Inc.
This Walkthrough is Copyright (c) 2005 GameJunkieJim (James Triche)
It is not to be Altered or Sold, in whole or in part. It is intended for use as
a gameplay guide only, and may be Reproduced at will providing it is complete,
with this notice intact.
0- Intro to the Walkthrough
1- The Premise
2- The Interface
2.1 The Inventory Menu
2.2 The Status Bar
2.2.1 Stats
2.2.2 Magic Slot
2.2.3 Life Bar
2.2.4 Coins
2.2.5 Experience Points and Level
2.2.6 Action Box
2.3 The Menus
2.4 The Map
3- Controls
3.1 Keyboard controls
3.2 Joystick/Gamepad controls
4- All the Stuff
4.1 Items
4.2 Weapons
4.3 Magic
5- The Walkthrough
5.1 Stonebrook
5.1.1 A Single Mom, and a Lost Duck
5.1.2 Nuts to your Farm!
5.1.3 Burning Bridges
5.1.4 Those Men aren't Merry!
5.2 Terris
5.2.1 There's No Place Like Home...
5.2.2 What's yours is Mine
5.2.3 Bustin' Out!
5.2.4 Oh! THAT'S what it's for!
5.3 Kernsin
5.3.1 They're awful shady...
5.4 Windemere
5.4.1 Famine Fortune
5.5 The Edge of the World
5.5.1 Pathways
5.6 The Darklands
5.7 The Showdown
5.8 Epilogue
6- Side Quests and Secrets
6.1 What kinda herbs are these?
6.2 Joppa Isle
6.3 Koka Isle
6.4 Burn, Baby, Burn!
6.5 Ice, Ice, Baby
7- Tips and Tactics
8- DinkMODS
9- Acknowledgements and Credits
Hello and Welcome! This is my first attempt at a walkthrough, so I decided to
do it on a shorter game. I will be slightly vague with details, so that you
will still get the benefit of exploring the game and filling out the plot. One
thing I don't like about some walkthroughs is that they get so verbose with the
descriptions you might as well not play the game. I try to be detailed with the
actions, without describing the full effects. I do this in order for the player
to still get a good experience out of the game.
Please excuse my quality, as I said before this is a test ground.
I invite criticism and pointers, and indeed that was part of the reason I chose
this game to do my first walkthrough on. Dink Smallwood is availiable as
Freeware now, from the creators themselves at http://www.rtsoft.com. It's the
full version, and it's only missing the CD soundtracks and the intro movie. The
soundtracks that are missing were removed for space constraints, but have been
replaced by wonderful MIDI tracks. The intro movie was really cool, but didn't
have anything to do with the story anyway, and was also removed for space
constraints.
So, download the game and test out the walkthrough, then write me and curse me
out or laud me. Whichever.
Robinson Technologies Software is an indie developer, and their website
(http://www.rtsoft.com) has not only the full version of Dink Smallwood, but
many other games availiable for download.
Dink Smallwood is a Zelda-esque RPG/Adventure game that offers between 9 and 15
hours of play. Of course, you can stretch the game out quite a bit longer if
you wish, and the graphics are wonderful and I would suggest taking your time.
The game is not intended for children, and while it doesn't have any wanton
sexual innuendo or graphic nudity, it does have some violent aspects that are
not appropriate for younger audiences.
Dink Smallwood is played with the Arrow Keys for direction, the CTRL key for
Actions (including Attacks) and the SHIFT key for Magic. The ENTER key brings
up an Inventory Screen, in which you can assign Magic and Actions. Examinations
and Dialogs are brought up with the SPACEBAR. All menu choices are made with
the CTRL key, which means be careful when interacting with others, or you may
give them a cheap shot. The fighting is action based, so no menu driven
battles. The environment scrolls one screen at a time.
2.1 The Inventory Menu
MAGIC WEAPONS/ITEMS The inventory menu has spaces for 8
magic spells, and 16 "Action Items"
+-------++---------------+
¦ · ¦ · ¦¦ · ¦ · ¦ · ¦ · ¦ The items in the Magic section are
¦---+---¦¦---+---+---+---¦ non-expendable, and are all used in
¦ · ¦ · ¦¦ · ¦ · ¦ · ¦ · ¦ the game with the SHIFT key.
¦---+---¦¦---+---+---+---¦
¦ · ¦ · ¦¦ · ¦ · ¦ · ¦ · ¦ The items in the Weapons/Items area
¦---+---¦¦---+---+---+---¦ are expendable, and are used in the
¦ · ¦ · ¦¦ · ¦ · ¦ · ¦ · ¦ game with the CTRL key.
+-------++---------------+
You must equip what you want to use in the ENTER menu, by highlighting it with
the Arrow Keys, and pressing CTRL to set the item or spell.
*NOTE* The game designers were ambitious, and there are more magic slots than
you will need for the game. Don't worry about having missed anything if you
don't fill it up. Only one spell is not required to complete the game, but
we'll get into that later.
2.2 The Status Bar
+----------------------------------------------------------+
¦ Attack ## +---+ Life ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ +---+¦
¦ Defense ## ¦ M ¦ ¦W/I¦¦
¦ Magic ## +---+ Coins 99999 Exp.Points Level +---+¦
+----------------------------------------------------------+
This friendly neighbor sits docked at the bottom of the screen.
2.2.1 Stats
Attack, Defense and Magic rating on the far left all reflect on the
effectiveness of Dink in any given situation.
Attack most directly reflects on damage dealt when fighting monsters, generally
the higher the rating, the more pain you bring.
Defense reflects on the ability to soak physical damage.
Magic affects three things; the refresh rate of your magical energy, the
effectiveness of your spell, and the ability to absorb magical damage.
2.2.2 Magic Slot
The first box shows what magic spell you currently have ready. This slot is
surrounded by a colored bar that reflects the current charge time for the
spell. When casting a spell, the border will drain of color, and refresh based
on the strength of the spell, and the Magic Stat.
2.2.3 Life Bar
This handy dandy device shows you just how long you have until the Big
Adventure in the Sky. This will extend with the gaining of levels, and
power-ups located throughout the world.
2.2.4 Coins
Yeah, it's money makes even Dink's world go round. Gold is scarce early on, so
spend wisely.
2.2.5 Experience Points and Level
The experience point counter shows your current total for the level, and the
ceiling you must reach to go up to the next level. This will reset with a new
ceiling after each level.
2.2.6 Action Box
All weapons and items are equipped in this box. Pay attention to this box! If
you use a one time item, the box will remain blank, and you will have to
re-equip your weapon or hand to do any damage to anything.
2.3 The Menus
The dialogue and Main Game menus are all controlled by using the UP and DOWN
Arrow Keys, and pressing CTRL on the choice you want to make.
2.4 The Map
The map (once you get it) is called up by pressing the 'M' key. It will show
your position as a flashing cross.
Now that the interface has been explained, here is a concise chart. I will
include the default gamepad buttons, for those of you that have one (I don't).
3.1 Keyboard controls
ARROW KEYS Makes Dink walk/push
CTRL Attack/Use equipped item/Select option
SPACE Talk/Examine/Manipulate
SHIFT Use equipped magic
ENTER Inventory Menu
ESC Main Menu
M Display map (if you have one)
Inventory Menu
ARROW KEYS Highlight Item/Weapon or Magic
CTRL Select highlighted Item/Weapon or Magic
ENTER Exit inventory screen
3.2 Joystick/Gamepad controls
D-PAD Makes Dink walk/push
BUTTON 1 Attack/Use equipped item/Select option
BUTTON 2 Talk/Examine/Manipulate
BUTTON 3 Use equipped magic
BUTTON 4 Inventory Menu
BUTTON 5 Options
BUTTON 6 Display map (if you have one)
Inventory Menu
D-PAD Highlight Item/Weapon or Magic
BUTTON 1 Select highlighted Item/Weapon or Magic
BUTTON 4 Exit Inventory Menu
Pig Feed - Feeds Pigs In your house
Alk Nut - Regenerates a tiny bit of health East of Stonebrook
Elixer* 25-100 Regenerates lots of health Any Clinic
Bomb** 20 Blows shit up. Terris
*The word Elixir is misspelled in the game, so I presented the spelling here as
it was in the game. Don't yell at me.
**The Bomb is theoretically a weapon, but the fuse ensures that you won't be
hurting anything with it without anticipation, timing and luck. It really only
has one use.
4.2 Weapons
Name Buy Effect (Damage) Where
Fist - Hits things (Attack+0) End of the forearm
Long Sword 400 Pokes Things (Attack+4) Terris
Bow* 1000 Flings pointy sticks (Attack+0) KernSin
Claw Sword 2000 Stabs Things (Attack+13) Windemere
Throwing Axe 3000 Chops Real Fast (Attack+0) Ranged Joppa Isle
Light Sword 4000 Impales Things (Attack+25) Edge of the World
Massive Bow 5000 Hurls pointy Sticks (Attack+8) Edge of the World
Flame Bow 25000 Catapults sharp sticks (Attack+15) Koka Isle
Herb Boots* 500 Sprint, rabbit punch (Attack+0) Northeast Plains
Bow Lore** 1500 Allows you to use Bows (Attack+0) Southwest Beach
*The Herb (or Hyper) Boots are listed in with the weapons because they allow
for you to attack when equipped. The provide no bonus to the attack stat, since
you are using your fists, but they allow you to make multiple attacks in the
time it normally would take you to make one.
**Bow Lore is not a weapon, but without it a Bow is useless.
4.3 Magic
Name Buy Effect Charge Where
Fireball - Burn stuff (Single Hit) Quick North of Stonebrook
Acid Rain - Melting Fountain (Multiple Hits) Medium Kernsin
Scroll* - Pass Magic Barriers Quick Abandoned Mine
Hellfire 1500 Incinerate Stuff (Multiple Hits) Slow Edge of the World
*The Scroll is not a combat spell, and only useful in one area.
Talk to Mom for a bit. She gave you a job boy! Get to it. The Feed is in the
Upper Right corner of the room. You can eat the pie now, but I suggest waiting
on that.
~ Item : Pig Feed
Go to the Pig Pen and equip the bag of feed. Feed the pigs. Now who's this?
What a jerk! Oh well, time to tell Mommy that your chores are done. Ask her
about the town. Now, find the old lady. A duck? Are you serious? Well, since
you can't leave the town yet, the duck must be around here somewhere... Once
you find the duck, DON'T hit him. Talk to him. Yeah, ducks don't understand
politeness. Life Lesson. Go back to the old woman and receive praise. Bask in
your Glory. See Mom.
5.1.2 Nuts to your Farm!
Mom needs Nuts for dinner. First go and talk to the Farmer, ask to see his
daughter. Denied! But he needs help with his farm. See if you can help! You can
leave the town now, so leave. A funny little man wants you to come to his
cabin. Ignore the advice your parents gave you and make your way to his cabin
(east then north) You gotta kill somethin' for him to teach you, so go
exploring. You may see a man in a duck field being accosted by a couple guards,
but ignore them for now. Start beating up on the gigantic Pillbug things. If
you get hurt much, bash open some barrels and grab some hearts. To the
southwest there is a small plot overrun with pillbugs. Most of them are normal
critters, but one is an obvious ringleader. Stay away from his charge and ping
away at him. Once they're all dead, go back to the farmer's house and he'll
thank you and let you see his daughter. Groovy.
Continue to venture out and kill a few things, grabbing hearts and whatnot to
stay alive, and make good use of the Save Point just north of the village. You
should be able to gain a level or two fairly easily. If you're hurt really
badly, eat the pie on the table. Go to the southeast to the odd looking tree.
~ Item: Alk Nut(s)
Apparently your mother is a Squirrel. As you're bringing the nuts back, look in
on Milder and Co. This guy is so sweet! Time to go home.
******************************************************************************
* SPOILER! *
* Son of a bitch! The house! Mom! Oh whatever shall Dink do?! *
* Well, talk to the guard, then grab your mail. In it is - a *
* Map! Now you can see roughly where you are. *
* *
******************************************************************************
5.1.3 Burning Bridges
Despite the note from your Aunt, you cannot cross the bridge yet. That dude is
awful greedy! Oh well, maybe the Wizard's quest will work for now.
If you've made it to level 3, then jaunt on up to the cliff face and shove that
oddly positioned rock. Inside is a T shaped cave, to the Left, Prizes! To the
Right, certain death! Not really. Go in to the creature and sock him in the jaw
a few times, dodge away from his tail, then repeat. Once he dies, grab the rest
of the stuff and be careful on the way home. Go north to the Wizard's shack.
Hmm! He's buggered off! Oh well, he left a note and some loot.
~ Magic Acquisition: Fireball
5.1.4 Those Men aren't Merry!
Now that you have the fireball spell you can attack enemies from a distance,
and burn dry trees. Test it out just south of the Wizard's shack. There is a
path there to a Life extending Heart. Once you're healthy and confident in your
guerrila tactics, you can keep running through the west path until you see the
man being accosted. Help him out if you want to, it's a big experience boost,
and sometimes you get lucky and they attack each other (although if they get
the death blow on the other, you don't get the XP), you will receive a piece of
gold from the grateful (but really poor) farmer.
******************************************************************************
* SPOILER! *
* Those two gentlemen in the armor were your first encounter *
* with The Cast. I think they look like guards because of the *
* limited sprites in the game, but they worked it into the *
* story, so it's all good! *
* *
******************************************************************************
Pay the man his exorbitant toll, or the game will be very short.
5.2 Terris
5.2.1 There's No Place Like Home...
Use the map to find Terris. Explore a bit until you find your Aunt's house.
Ignore the Redneck for now, if you pick a fight with him he'll likely stomp a
mudhole in your ass. Go upstairs and save, then search for some things to do.
The gossip at the bar is your first lead to a quest! Talk to Nadine, and she'll
ask for help. Search the countryside and build up levels.Hmm, Mary isn't
anywhere! Search all you like, the tot has up and vanished. Well, maybe that
one will be put on hold for now.
5.2.2 What's yours is Mine
Continue to build levels, and then venture down into the abandoned mine. The
mine introduces a new feature to your gameplay experience, the Screen Lock.
This means that before you can leave the screen, you gotta whack all the
critters. Go to the East and you'll see a dude in a tiny cell. Your Fireball
Spell isn't up to the task, so head up to town. The Bar is your best bet for
help, so ask around about magic. Find the guy, and he'll teach you a new spell.
~ Magic Acquisition: Acid Rain
5.2.3 Bustin' Out!
Make your way back into the Mine, and use your spell to bust the guy out.
You'll have company when you try to leave. Whatever this guy was trying to do,
it ain't gonna be done unless you do it.
~ Magic Acquisistion: Scroll
5.2.4 Oh! THAT'S what it's for!
******************************************************************************
* SPOILER! *
* The Scroll is only useful for one thing, passing the shield *
* behind Goodheart Castle. This area is full of critters, and *
* the screen lock is on each screen. Make sure you've gained *
* some levels before going through here. Work your way around *
* to the northeast path and spy on a truly freaky ceremony. *
* Looks like there's a new recruit! Lo and behold! It's the *
* missing girl! Break up the party, and their attention turns *
* to you. The cultists show their true colors, and it's up to *
* you to take them out. Watch for Nelson, he's tough. After *
* the baddies are vanquished, you'll automatically go back to *
* Nadine's house. Nadine is grateful, but more importantly... *
* You have a reputation! The passage to Kernsin will be open *
* as well, and they're planning a parade! *
* *
******************************************************************************
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
¦ SPOILERS ¦ Most of the rest of this walkthrough is ¦ SPOILERS ¦
¦ SPOILERS ¦ hard to do without spoilers, so from here ¦ SPOILERS ¦
¦ SPOILERS ¦ on out, assume there are a few major plot ¦ SPOILERS ¦
¦ SPOILERS ¦ spoilers in the general text. Be Careful! ¦ SPOILERS ¦
¦ SPOILERS ¦ But I will do my best to avoid Spoilers. ¦ SPOILERS ¦
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
5.3 Kernsin
5.3.1 They're awful shady...
On the road to Kernsin are a few unsavory types. Eavesdrop on their
conversation. You gotta tell someone! Finding the necessary people to notify is
easy enough, the hard part is getting proof. Well, it looks as if you'll have
to get Mog to talk. Hah, easier said than done. The guard won't even let you in
to ask for Mog without a bow. Why a bow? I don't know. The bow is entirely
useless without the Bow Lore skill, so go look for that. Remember to burn the
dry trees. The guard will let you in now. The guys inside the sanctuary aren't
really friendly, they won't attack you unless you hit them first, but any
contact with them is apparently so repulsive it hurts. Grab the loot in the
northeast corner of the sanctuary, it will make it easier to deal with the 4
guards outside of Mog's house. Mog is most easily dealt with by using hit and
run tactics. Once you finish him, he'll turn stool pigeon.
******************************************************************************
* SPOILER! *
* Time for a little espionage! However, you aren't really a *
* very good spy. Time to beat up on a few more Cast members. *
* Once you are done, show the plans to the young woman and to *
* the Mayor. Enjoy the parade. The bridge to Windimere should *
* be rebuilt by now, so saunter on over there. *
* *
******************************************************************************
5.4 Windemere
5.4.1 Famine Fortune
On your way back to the bridge, stop in the Terris store and buy a Bomb. Cross
the bridge and try to visit a few people. This Cult of the Duck really needs to
work on their priorities! Very well, venture around and look for something to
do. They all want food, but the ducks are sacred, and unlike your mother they
don't have squirrel genes - so the nuts won't work either. Well there is a lot
of ground to cover. Explore and build levels. Careful, because the clinic here
is expensive. Look for the Apple Tree. The townsfolk won't eat apples either
(they sure are picky for starving people!) but the Apple tree gives you a
cryptic message. You know what to do with the Bomb now? There's a couple of
chests next to the statue, so grab the loot first. You know you're tempted to
start the bloodbath.... Do it.
******************************************************************************
* SPOILER! *
* Once you've finished the slaughter, the townsfolk will soon *
* adopt a new false idol to worship. Now you have made a name *
* for yourself, and the King will grant an audience. It looks *
* like the douchebag Milder has gotten himself into a bit of *
* a pickle. Well, looks like you have a new quest. And it's a *
* biggie. *
* *
******************************************************************************
5.5 The Edge of the World
5.5.1 Pathways
The golems here are some tough SOBs, so try to keep your best sword equipped.
******************************************************************************
* SPOILER! *
* The Axe is completely useless against the Golems. *
* *
******************************************************************************
Your ultimate goal is the Mansion and Church to the East. Drop a coin or two
into the font at the church, if you'd like, then take a sip. Ahhh!
******************************************************************************
* SPOILER! *
* In all the other sections I've let you make your own weapon *
* decisions, but go in the house, and BUY THE MASSIVE BOW!!!! *
* (Unless you have a better Bow already) *
* *
******************************************************************************
She said she got that stuff where? Hmm. Let's go check it out. Shiny! I wonder
what happens if I push...
5.6 The Darklands
You can wander around, there are plenty of baddies around. Be careful of the
brambles, they hurt. There is mad loot to be had, but the screens lock so be
careful. Dragons hang around here as well, so dodging won't always work, they
fling magery. You will find a stairwell down. Make sure you're locked and
loaded, this is it.
5.7 The Showdown
******************************************************************************
* SPOILER! *
* The final confrontation. You'll have to have a Massive Bow *
* to harm the final enemy. Hellfire Magic also helps. *
* *
******************************************************************************
5.8 Epilogue
Finish looking around and talking to people. Save the King for last.
NOTE: The word Secrets implies that this section is one big spoiler, in one
sense or another. Nothing here is essential to the game, or the plot, but most
of it helps in some way (some are actually almost indispensable), and some of
them could allude to the plotline.
6.1 What kinda herbs are these?
To the northeast of Stonebrook, in the fields there is a man in a lone house
selling a pair of boots. The boots make travel much quicker, and give you the
ability to rabbit punch.
6.2 Joppa Isle
To get to Joppa Isle, you must go through the basement in the house in
Windemere. There's a family here being terrorized. Save them. The man has an
axe he can sell you. It's a neat toy, and wicked fast, but relatively weak.
6.3 Koka Isle
Getting to Koka Isle is a trick. Search the Southern beaches for an odd
configuration of seashells. Once you find them, walk south through the middle
of them. Looks like there's a sandbar there! Once you're there, you can meet
the inhabitants, play a game with the bookie, and see the Bowyer outside of the
town. He's got a REALLY nice bow for sale (After you've talked to the King).
There are a few critters along the island as well, and all the way on the
northernmost key is much loot.
6.4 Burn, Baby, Burn!
There is a small staircase along the southern edge of the cliff plateau in The
Edge of the World. The gentleman inside offers a bit of Arcane knowledge for a
small fee. Pay it. It's not necessary to have this to complete the game, but
it's a damn sight harder without it. Try the spell out on the Golems.
6.5 Ice, Ice, Baby
There isn't much to be had at the Ice Castle, but the true completist will want
to go anyway. To get there, follow the southern edge of the plateau all the way
to the west. Ease north and you'll see a cave. That isn't it. Burn all you can
to the west then sneak through whatever path you make. There's some critters in
there, and a man that gives you a lot of plot filler.
There is hidden loot to be found in a lot of places, explore thoroughly.
Talk to everyone.
The AI is basic for the enemies, practice hit and run tactics.
Improve your statistics to reflect your play style.
Don't rush, enemies may be easy in one section and brutal in the next.
Try to average 2-4 levels per area. The more you gain, the easier the rest of
the game will be.
Try different choices when talking to people to see the various responses.
Whenever you see a new weapon, save up for it. Having better weapons is never a
bad idea.
If you're having issues staying alive, buy a few elixers. They're great in a
pinch.
SAVE, SAVE, SAVE! Save at every opportunity. Even if you just saved 3 screens
before. You can die abruptly, and it sucks doing the same thing over again.
Make use of the multiple slots in case you're thinking about doing something
different.
This game literally has infinite replayability, due to the DinkEdit tool and
the multitude of budding programmers making new adventures for Dink. There are
multitudes of these "DMODS" availiable, so making a walkthrough for each would
be a career. Instead, follow the general Tips in section 7 and when in doubt,
remember the multiple save slots.
If you're decent with C++ you should give the editing tool a try.
Warning! This game may have a few sly snickers and jokes, but some of the DMODs
availiable are downright raunchy. (Those are the ones I like!)
