Explanations and solutions to the full Crime Scene: Vienna 1824 game.
Puzzle A B C D E F G H I Endgame
Puzzle A
You have read Part 1 of the story and revealed the Evidence card marked “Start”. You have found a ‘fabric screen’ on the stage in cell 7 of the Investigation Image. Now, take Evidence Card 7 and start solving Puzzle A.
Evidence Card 7 has a black-and-white string on it with the number two next to it. That means you need to find two extra cards to solve puzzle A. The string comes from the picture of an eye, so let’s look for eyes in the Investigation Image. The only visible eyes in the image can be found on the two cherubs on the mural in cells 2 and 3. Take Evidence Cards 2 and 3, and you are good to go.
Card 2 shows you a list of what you may realize are poisons and some of the symptoms they cause, and it tells us (in the form of a question mark) that the answer we are looking for consists of a single number. Card 3 gives a number value to each poison, and card 7 shows us close-ups of the deceased’s eye, skin, lips, and fingers. By comparing the symptoms on card 2 to the pictures on card 7, we can rule out 4 of the poisons, and get confirmation for the fifth one.
We can see straight away that at least the skin is not cherry red, so Cyanidum is out. Neither the mouth nor the fingers look especially rigid, so Strychnos nux-vomica is out. The pupil looks normal, and the lips do not look blue, so Morphinum is out of the question, too. The skin does not look irritated, and we see no evidence of hair loss, so Hydrargyrum (mercury, also called quicksilver!) is also out! Oops! I seem to have skipped one, Arsenicum, what about that one then? Well, the lips do have small ulcers on them, and we can see cracks on the fingernails, especially on the nail of the middle finger. That’s the one we want!
So, we easily find the Arsenicum bottle as bottle number 1 on card 3, so that is our solution: 1.
Follow the cipher to the storybook. Next, find the ‘sun’ in cell 5 on the other mural behind the stage. Take Evidence Card 5.
Puzzle B
You followed the cipher and found the ‘sun’ in cell 5 of the Investigation Image. Now take Evidence Card 5.
Evidence Card 5 guides you to search for ‘music sheets’ in the Investigation Image. You’ll find them on one of the music stands in cell 14, so take Evidence Card 14 and start solving puzzle B.
The three lines in the bottom right corner tell us the solution to this puzzle consists of three letters. Very soon we can see that there are altogether fifteen notes that have letters connected to them. If we have some basic knowledge of musical notes, it helps, but it is not a requirement. We may realize that each note is also represented by a letter, but now we should try to find three notes that somehow stand out.
Looking closely at the notes, we can find that three of them have been marked with a dot above the stem of the note: the fourth note on the first line, the eleventh note on the second line, and the fourth note on the fourth line. However, none of these notes are marked with a letter. Studying the original letters we found, and the notes connected to them, we can see that some of them exactly match the notes with dots we found. The first one is easy, since we find the same note on its right side, this time with the letter A above it. We see that the note head of the second one is situated just below the bottommost bar line. When we scan the notes with letters, we see that we just need to go two letters to the left from where this note is to find an identical note associated with a letter. That letter is D. And to our great joy we realize that the third note is identical to the first one! So that one is also an A.
When we string those three letters together, we get the solution: ADA.
Follow the cipher to the storybook. Next, find a ‘mirror’ on the column in cell 6 of the Investigation Image, and take Evidence Card 6.
Puzzle C
You followed the cipher and found a ‘mirror’ in cell 6 of the Investigation Image. Now take Evidence Card 6.
Evidence Card 6 guides you to search for a ‘seating chart’ in the Investigation Image. You’ll find it in cell 24. Evidence Card 24 has a black-and-white string that seems to be coming from the letter A. You’ll find the extra card from the grand A letter on the front panel of the stage in cell 12 of the Investigation Image. Take Evidence Card 12. Now you are ready to solve puzzle C which has some pretty cool elements in it.
What you may have noticed when you read the text on Evidence Card 6, is that Felix wonders about the seating choice made by Hans Bauer’s wife. She sits in the seat of the wife of the late concertmaster. He wonders how she can be sitting there. And that word “there” is written in a green font on the card. Also, the word “seat” in “your seat” is red. Why? Let’s see if we can get an explanation.
Card 12 also has a feature in green. The line and the question mark in the bottom right corner are also green. They tell us that the solution we are looking for consists of a letter (the line) and a number (the question mark). We may realize that every seat can be expressed with a letter and number combination, so we are probably looking for a seat. Most probably we’re looking for the seat Hans Bauer’s wife is sitting in since the green word “there” referred to that exact seat!
The way to find it is to first line up the two cards (Evidence Cards 12 and 24) next to each other, mimicking the shape we see in the seating chart in cell 24 of the Investigation image. That way we get two “wings” of seats with an aisle down the middle. We now need to realize that Felix’s seat is the red seat, B13. When we follow the trail of his gaze, using the description on the text card, across the hall we can find the seat Hans Bauer’s wife is sitting in. We start from the mayor’s seat in the “furthest spot on the back row beyond the center aisle”. That is seat N38. Next, we go “three seats in and four rows closer to the front”, which takes us first to seat N35, and then to seat J35. Next, we need the exact mirror seat of that one, on the other side of the aisle. That would be J2. And finally, we need to calculate which seat is exactly in the center between Felix’s own seat and J2. Let’s start with the row: Felix is in B and Schubert is in J. Row F is equally far from both. So, F it is. Then Felix is in seat number 13 (1st seat from the aisle) and Schubert is in 2 (17th seat from the aisle). Seat number 8 is the 9th seat from the aisle and is exactly in the middle between the two seats.
The solution is F8.
Follow the cipher to the storybook. Next, find a ‘hat’ on a chair in cell 13 of the Investigation Image, and take Evidence Card 13.
Puzzle D
You followed the cipher and found a ‘hat’ in cell 13 of the Investigation Image. Now take Evidence Card 13.
Evidence Card 13 guides you to search for ‘gloves’ in the Investigation Image. You’ll find them near the edge of the image in cell 25, so take Evidence Card 25 and start solving Puzzle D.
You’ll have to start with looking for an extra card that should come from some kind of snake. You’ll spot one on the mural in cell 9. So, reveal Evidence Card 9 and you are all set to start solving puzzle D.
This is very straight-forward. You need to find the one medicine symbol that exactly matches the one on the bottle. The hint card for puzzle D tells you which elements you need to compare, and finally you are left with the only one that matches on all points.
Solution: Symbol number 6.
Follow the cipher to the storybook. Next, find a ‘watch’ on another chair up on the balcony. It is in cell 29 of the Investigation Image, so take Evidence Card 29.
Puzzle E
You followed the cipher and found a ‘watch’ in cell 29 of the Investigation Image. Now take Evidence Card 29.
Evidence Card 29 prompts you to look for ‘death’, which may sound a little bewildering. What visual element could you actually be looking for? The skull is a symbol of death… Do you think a skull could be found somewhere in the Investigation Image? Yes! There’s a skull near the bottom right corner of the mural in cell 10. Take Evidence Card 10. Now you are ready to solve puzzle E.
You’ll have to start by looking for an extra card that probably could have something to do with a rose. You’ll find some roses right by the edge of the Investigation Image in cells 20 and 25. You may realize you have already found gloves in cell 25, so you’ll have to take Evidence Card 20 now. Now you are ready to solve Puzzle E.
Well, both cards seem to show the same image, but the extra card tells you two numbers added together are needed for the solution. Strange! What numbers could those be? Looking at the cards, you may realize that the light along the top of the card somehow looks a little different between the two cards. Why? Looking closer, you realize that the feathers decorating the hat don’t look exactly the same. How many feathers are there? The easiest way to find this out, is by focusing on the shafts, or calami, of the feathers: the stronger shafts from which the barbs protrude. On the original card, we can count 5 such calami, but on the extra card, one calamus seems to be missing. There are only 4 calami on that card. Those are the two numbers we need.
4 plus 5 equals 9, and that is our solution.
Follow the cipher to the storybook. Next, find a ‘ring’ on the balcony rail, just on the border of the next cell, in cell 27 of the Investigation Image. Take Evidence Card 27.
Puzzle F
You followed the cipher and found a ‘ring’ in cell 27 of the Investigation Image. Now take Evidence Card 27.
Evidence Card 27 prompts you to look for ‘money’. Some coins can be found under the chair in cell 30 of the Investigation Image. Yes, they are coins! Take Evidence Card 30 and start solving puzzle F.
Your first job is to find an extra card following the black-and-white string coming from the decorative heraldic sign in the corner of this map card. You’ll find the same symbol on the platform of the conductor in cell 18 of the Investigation Image. Take Evidence Card 18. Now you can solve puzzle F.
According to card 18, you are looking for two numbers together for the solution, so quite probably a single two-digit number. The two cards can be lined up together forming a map of the old Vienna with a wall going around it. You have recently read a description of how Felix walks from the theater to Julia’s apartment. Your task could be to find out the number of the block Julia lives in!
With the cards lined up, follow Felix’s steps as described on the text card: from the theater, he walks along Augustiner Gasse, so to the left. He then turns right onto Kohlmarkt just after having crossed over to the second card. Once he reaches Hohe Markt, he turns immediately to the left. He then walks between two darker blocks/buildings, passing two possible intersections leading to the right, and finally making a right between the blocks numbered 21 and 13. The text says that only after having turned to the right can Felix see Julia’s building. According to that description, the only possible solution is building number 16.
16 is the solution to this puzzle!
Follow the cipher to the storybook. Next, find a ‘wig’ on a chair on the stage in cell 19 of the Investigation Image, and take Evidence Card 19.
Puzzle G
You followed the cipher and found a ‘wig’ in cell 19 of the Investigation Image. Now take Evidence Card 19.
Evidence Card 19 tells you to look for a ‘lantern’, and you’ll find one standing on the floor in cell 11 of the Investigation Image. Take Evidence Card 11. Now you are ready to solve puzzle E.
The main feature of this single card puzzle is the collection of eight handkerchiefs that Felix dreams about. Each handkerchief is decorated with what we can assume are initials of a name. The only way to start solving this is to go back to the story and scan it for names you have seen in the text you have already read. You will notice there are not many full names mentioned, but there is one that also appears as a monogram on one of these handkerchiefs: that of Hans Bauer. The card tells you you need two letters for your solution, and that’s just what you’ve found.
Solution: HB.
Follow the cipher to the storybook. Next, find a ‘bundle’ of clothes on the stage by the curtain in cell 15 of the Investigation Image, and take Evidence Card 15.
Puzzle H
You followed the cipher and found a ‘bundle’ in cell 15 of the Investigation Image. Now take Evidence Card 15.
Evidence Card 15 guides you to search for a ‘playing card’ in the Investigation Image. Somebody’s left one on a chair in cell 21, so take Evidence Card 21 and start solving Puzzle H.
Evidence Card 21 has a black-and-white string with the number three on it, so you need to find three extra cards to solve Puzzle H.
The string comes from the heart symbol on the card. Can you spot three hearts in the Investigation Image? Try looking closely on the base of the column near the cherubs, on the front panel of the stage, and the bushes of the other mural. There, in cells 8, 17 and 4 you’ll find the hearts. Take Evidence Cards 4, 8 and 17, and you are ready to solve puzzle H.
Card 17 tells you you are looking for a single number, but none of the cards show any numbers at all. However, they are not perfectly normal and pristine 19th century playing cards. Someone has left a mark on them by placing a wet bottle on top of them. Let’s recreate the full mark and see what it says.
Start with the Queen of Hearts and place it on the table with the wine marks on the edge towards yourself. Next, take the King of Spades and slide one end of the card under the Queen of Hearts, allowing the circle of the wine mark to grow further on the left side. Third, you can use the Ace of Hearts and do the same on the right end of the mark on the Queen of Hearts, sliding the Ace underneath both previous cards. Finally, take the Queen of Clubs and, sliding it underneath all previous cards, use it to complete the last gap in the circle mark. You have now completed the circle, but you have also created the mark of a number in the middle of the circle.
The solution to the puzzle is 5.
Follow the cipher to the storybook. Next, find a ‘door’ on the far balcony in cell 1 of the Investigation Image. Take Evidence Card 1.
Puzzle I
You followed the cipher and found a ‘door’ in cell 1 of the Investigation Image. Now take Evidence Card 1.
Evidence Card 1 guides you to search for a ‘cat’ in the Investigation Image. Maybe not so hard to find, you spot the cat among the seats in cell 16. Well done! Take Evidence Card 16 and start solving Puzzle I.
Evidence Card 16 has a black-and-white string coming from what you may realize is a candle. You can spot another candle in cell 28 of the Investigation Image. Take Evidence Card 28 and you can solve Puzzle I.
The two cards (16 and 28) can be lined up side by side. Lined up like that they show twelve ceramic cats lined up on a long table. Card 28 tells us the solution consists of a single number. Since each cat has a number assigned to it, the card essentially asks us ‘which cat?’. Studying the cats closely, you may realize that there are only 3 different kinds of cats, and each appears four times. So, none of them stands out on their own. What about the order then? We have:
Yellow, Green, Red, Green, Yellow, Green, Red, Yellow, Red, Yellow, Green, Red.
You may realize that the sequence Yellow, Green, Red actually appears 3 times. Let’s write them out in bold font:
Yellow, Green, Red, Green, Yellow, Green, Red, Yellow, Red, Yellow, Green, Red.
Only a single cat needs to be moved to make that same sequence perfectly repeat four times. If we move the green cat number 4, and squeeze it in between cats number 8 and 9, this will be achieved. Cat number 4 seems to have been moved.
4 is the solution to this final puzzle!
Follow the cipher to the storybook. Next, look for the Roman numeral ‘two’ on the rail of the balcony in cell 26 of the Investigation Image, and reveal the last card, Evidence Card 26.
Endgame
You found the Roman numeral ‘two’ in cell 26 of the Investigation Image and took Evidence Card 26. The card instructs you to read Part 3 of the story. It’s time to make your final choice.
If you have all of your Reputation Cards, they spell out “SAVE YOUR CAREER.” The right course of action is to b) Arrest Ada. Take Evidence Card 23 and see how the story ends.