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A few people have asked me for hints / a walkthrough for Bob of Thunder. Rather than just produce a video that you have to skip through, I've decided to give this hint guide to give a little nudge and let people solve things the rest of the way by themselves!

General Hints

Ljessnir, Bob's hammer, can hit switches at a distance, and will try to return to him even across the room. Try to experiment with different ways you can hit switches and different orders - all switches don't do the same things!

No matter what order you do things, there's always a way to progress, but it may be something you forgot about in a previous area. If you get stuck, try wandering back through the places you've been.

Hearts and coins respawn when you leave a room, so if you're low on health or money, you can return to any rooms that contain those items again.

The NPCs want Bob to succeed, so if you see any of them, make sure to talk to them right away!

Entrance Area

Q: How do I go further north?

Hint:

Do you see anything else you can interact with?

Hint:

Try throwing your hammer around the room to see what happens.

Solution:

Flip the switch by hitting it with your hammer.

Q: I can't figure out how to get the key so I can open the lock.

Hint:

Does it look like there are other ways to get inside that fence?

Hint:

Try other routes to see if any of them access that key area.

Solution:

You'll need to solve the east and west routes to get all the keys in this area.

Q: How do I go further west?

Hint:

Your hammer can damage the red enemies, but you need to use the environment to avoid getting zapped by the skulls.

Hint:

Did you brush up against that gray block when you grabbed the heart in the room earlier?

Hint:

Try pushing the gray block around.

Solution:

Push the gray block so that it's below the skull, then walk underneath it to shield you from the skull.

Q: I got further west, but now I can't figure out what to do!

Hint:

There's probably some way to open the door near the Bowyer's workshop.

Hint:

Have you explored the rest of the areas that are accessible to you?

Solution:

The Bowyer can open the door for you if you rescue him from the area east of where you came in.

Q: I saw something in the west area that I can't figure out how to get to.

Hint:

You don't have to get that item to progress, but there is a way to get there from a different room.

Hint:

The entrance is in the room with all the red patrolling enemies

Hint:

There are enough blocks that you can avoid getting zapped and make your way north from there.

Hint:

While I won't give you the solution for this one, you have everything you need to get there - be patient and try doing it a few different ways and you'll figure it out!

Q: How do I come back from the area to the west?

Hint:

There are other blocks you can use in the room with the skulls.

Solution:

You can push the block in the lower left corner upward to shield you from the skull at the top of the screen, then progress east.

Q: How do I go through the door to the east?

Hint:

This puzzle is designed to be solvable almost as soon as you start the game.

Hint:

If you walk up to the switch, you get stuck as soon as you flip it. Have you tried any other ways to flip the switches?

Hint:

Try using your hammer and staying outside the puzzle.

Hint:

The switches do different things, and you can flip all of them by leaving your hammer inside the puzzle.

Hint:

The bomb looks important, too!

Solution:

Flip the right switch with your hammer while standing outside the puzzle, then walk around so that your hammer flips the left switch. Walk clockwise so that the skull tries to zap you and shoots the bomb, and it will blow the door open.

Q: I'm stuck on what to do once I get through the door!

Hint:

That guy looks really uncomfortable hiding from all the monsters, doesn't he?

Hint:

You can't hit the switch, but he's standing right next to it.

Solution:

Kill all the monsters in the room, and the guy in the corner will flip the switch for you. Make sure to talk to him before you leave.

Q: I've completed the area to the east, and I've gotten the key I need to open the lock, but I feel like I'm leaving something unfinished by going further north. What do I do?

Hint:

You can get two keys in this area, and you need both of them to complete the game.

Hint:

The NPC you rescued was the Bowyer whose workshop you probably saw in the area to the west.

Hint:

What did the Bowyer say to you after you rescued him?

Solution:

You can find the Bowyer outside the workshop area to the west, and he'll let you obtain the second key.

Beyond the First Lock

Q: Which way do I go now?

Hint:

If you don't have a key to use, that means you need to go back for it.

Hint:

If you have a key, you can go east or west, and either way will allow you to make progress.

Solution:

Unlock one of the two locks and complete the area beyond it to get another key. It's easier to solve the area to the east first.

Q: How do I go further north?

Hint:

How do you plan to deal with the gray block at the top of the screen?

Hint:

If you know how you're going to deal with the gray block, you can flip the switch in the room to toggle the pegs and fight your way to it.

Solution:

Complete both the east and west areas before you progress north, then use the items you obtain to pass beyond where the block is.

Q: How do I go further west?

Hint:

The round gray stones can also be pushed.

Hint:

Try experimenting with interacting with things in the first room in a different order.

Hint:

Why are there pegs/switches in the first room?

Solution:

Raise the pegs and push the stones so that you can use one for each of the two skulls. Walk clockwise around the room, then use the stones in the upper corner to pass by the uppermost skull again, and exit through the north.

Q: I made it past the first puzzle to the west, but I'm stuck on the room with
three skulls and three stones.

Hint:

There aren't enough stones to block each skull individually. How can you block more than one skull with a single stone?

Hint:

These stones move on their own once you nudge them. Can you use that to help you?

Solution:

Push the stone toward the left of the the screen, then walk behind it as it's rolling so that it blocks the skulls as it's moving. Do the same thing along the left edge of the screen to walk down to the bottom corner and progress west.

Q: I made it past two puzzles to the west, but I'm stuck on the room with
two skulls and pegs that move on their own.

Hint:

Can you get to a position where you can observe how the room works if you don't interact with anything?

Hint:

The pegs are timed and cycle around the skulls every couple of seconds.

Solution:

Wait until the pegs are raised to avoid getting zapped, then make your way around the room and grab the key. It's easiest to go clockwise around the room and make your escape.

Q: I see some blocks that I don't know how to move. What do I do?

Hint:

You may get some ideas as to what to do after you complete the east area.

Solution:

Once you have the item from the east area, you can use it to progress beyond the blocks.

Q: I'm past the blocks, but there's still
skulls keeping me from reaching the NPC at the north end of a room.

Hint:

You can solve this puzzle with your hammer.

Solution:

Throw the hammer north, and let it hit the switch on the return flight, then walk north through the pegs. Talk to the NPC before you leave the room.

Q: How do I go further east?

Hint:

The gray blocks to the top must have some meaning, but you can't do anything with them yet.

Hint:

The switches do not do the same thing, and you can hit both with your hammer.

Hint:

If you only flip one switch, you can get to the right side of the screen, but the skull and snakes will be released.

Solution:

Open the right side of the screen, kill snakes as necessary, and flip the second switch to block the skull and open the route forward.

Q: I can't figure out how to get the key that's further east!

Hint:

You can't avoid blocking the key off with the rolling stone and gray block, no matter what order you do this room in.

Hint:

Have you explored the rest of this area?

Solution:

Retrieve the item from the next room to the east, then use it to get the key.

Q: I can't figure out what to do east of the key!

Hint:

There are two switches to experiment with, and your hammer will always return to you when you throw it.

Hint:

Try flipping the switches near the goblin to see what they do.

Solution:

Flip the left switch to open the area at the top of the room. If you leave your hammer in the central area, you can also drag it across the right switch to close off the yellow crabbers so that you can access the item along the right edge of the screen.

Q: How do I get back from the area to the east?

Hint:

Once you have everything there is to pick up in the east area, you can use what you get to return.

Hint:

You should have both a key and an electric drill.

Solution:

Use the drill to break blocks and stones. Pick up the key on your way back, and use the coins near the puzzle to keep your meter full.

Q: How do I make sure I got everything in this area?

Hint:

You can't leave the area without a new item.

Solution:

You need to rescue the Tailor, retrieve the electric drill, and retrieve a key from both the east and west areas to be able to progress.

Outside the Utility Shed

Q: How do I get to the utility shed?

Hint:

If there's a wall in the way that you can't open with the drill, there must be another way.

Hint:

Have you fully explored the previous area?

Hint:

An NPC can help you get past the wall.

Solution:

Rescue the Tailor and get all the keys from the previous area, and talk to him again next to the wall. Use the skulls to trigger the solution he produces.

Q: What does the picnic area do?

Solution:

If you've completed all the areas so far, you can find the Bowyer here, who will wish you well and refill your meters.

The Utility Shed

Q: How do I go further north?

Hint:

The closed door you see is not the way forward.

Hint:

There are two locks that you need keys for.

Solution:

Solve the west and east areas and retrieve two keys to enter the final area of the game.

Q: How do I go further west?

Hint:

Can you observe what happens in the first room if you don't do anything?

Hint:

You can make it through the first room with good timing and exit through the top of the screen.

Hint:

The three pegs don't have a switch connected to them. What else can you do in this room?

Hint:

There are three pegs and three robots.

Hint:

Try smashing a robot with your hammer or drill.

Solution:

Each robot you destroy opens a peg. Clearing the room opens the way to the key.

Q: How do I go further east?

Hint:

The key you need is in the bottom corner of the room, and the skulls can't set the bombs off.

Hint:

If the bombs keep going off, try to deal with the thing that's setting them off first, and then go for the key.

Solution:

Keep to the left of the room and destroy the robots so that their flames don't trigger the bombs, then go grab the key.

The Endgame

Q: How do I
go back to the previous areas once I encounter Hrungnir?

Solution:

In a body bag.

Q: How do I
damage Hrungnir?

Hint:

When you first try to hit him with your hammer or drill, he brags about being invulnerable to direct attacks. What does that leave?

Hint:

When he flashes blue, that means he didn't take damage.

Hint:

He can only be damaged by attacks he doesn't expect. Are there any ways you can conceal your attacks from him?

Solution:

You need to destroy the gray blocks and throw the hammer through the top of the apparatus behind Hrungnir. Lure him to the bottom and let your hammer return out the bottom so that it hits him on the return. You'll know it damages him if he retreats to the next room.

Q: How do I
damage Hrungnir the second time?

Hint:

The switch toggles all pegs in the room, and you can use it to slide the hammer through the apparatus.

Solution:

Destroy all enemies, clear some of the blocks, then slide the hammer through the apparatus on the left of the screen, flipping the switch. Repeat the process from the previous room to hit him from behind and progress. Don't forget to switch the pegs to the up position that block the skull at the top of the screen.

Q: You, the game designer, are a jerk.

Solution:

Your tears provide the nourishment that keep my skin soft and my hair shiny.

Q: How do I
damage Hrungnir the third time?

Hint:

What's the relationship between robots and pegs?

Solution:

Destroy the robots to lower the pegs, then hammer Hrungnir one last time from behind the apparatus.

Q: What do I do once
Hrungnir is defeated?

Hint:

You still have a job to do, don't you?

Solution:

Progress to the west, and flip the switch. Enjoy the ending!




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