Walkthrough

(This walkthrough applies to Plangman v2.6.3 and above.)

Level A (1/25)

Use the arrow keys or WASD to move. Jump using Up, W, or X. (If it’s difficult for you to move and jump using the same hand, try using WASD with your left hand and Up with your right, or the arrow keys with your right hand and X with your left. Native controller input is also supported.) Select letters using space, and attempt to guess the word represented by dashes at the top of the screen.

Select the key to get a visual clue for the word you’re guessing.

Level B (2/25)

Select the letter with the arrow pointing to it, which will cause it to drop. Push it to the right or left, and use it as a step to get up to the other letters.

Level C (3/25)

Select and drop the blank block and pillar, then push the blank block to the right. Use it as a step, then ride the elevator up to the next section. Jump left off the elevator and clear the gap over the starting area to reach the uppermost letters.

Tip: To avoid a double penalty when selecting an incorrect letter over empty space, run or jump to safety after selecting it so you don’t fall.

Tip: You might notice that the above tip is communicated within the game itself, via a message that pulses in the background after you select the object that looks like a compass. All the odd-numbered levels from one through nineteen contain such tips.

Level D (4/25)

Ride the elevator up, jump to the left, and drop both of the blank pillars. To reach a letter covered by a blank block, select the blank block and push it off the letter it’s covering.

Level E (5/25)

Collect the bomb, then press B to detonate the blank block beneath it and create a passageway. Run to the right and get the jetpack. Fly around and explore.

Tip: There are quite a few bombs hidden throughout the game, and you can carry them between levels.

Level F (6/25)

Drop wrong letters onto the enemies, or create gaps for them to fall through. To get the clue, activate the blank block at the entrance to the twisting upward passage and push it left. After winding your way to the top, jump over the enemies and drop through the chute onto the key.

Level G (7/25)

Select the vertical pillar to your left, then tip it over to form a bridge.

Tip: Unlike the square enemies, the round enemies avoid falling into gaps. But you can still get them to fall by dropping a block right as they step onto it.

Level H (8/25)

Watch out for those enemies! To access the righthand section, jump onto the horizontal pillar, wait for the elevator to come down, then drop the pillar, run to the right, and jump onto the elevator. Finally, drop the blank block into the gap to allow the enemy to move out of your way so you can reach the question block.

Level I (9/25)

If you can’t figure out how to access the lefthand tower section, select the letter that’s blocking your way and wait. What happens next is a hint. If that doesn’t help, here’s one solution: drop a wrong letter to the left of the second enemy, and let him push it for you.

Level J (10/25)

Stack up a couple layers of blocks (for example, two on the bottom and one on top), and push them to the right to form a staircase.

Level K (11/25)

Collect the bomb and press B to detonate the horizontal pillar. Wait for the enemies to get close before doing so, and the explosion will take them out as well.

Level L (12/25)

Bomb your way through one of the eye holes.

Level M (13/25)

Collect the bomb, drop the right blank block, then drop and detonate the left blank block. This will jettison the right blank block off the letter it’s covering. To the right there’s a bonus section. Drop the ball and roll it slowly to the right. Then ride it down the staircase as it takes out enemies.

Level N (14/25)

Collect the bomb and select the three blank blocks. Detonate the center blank block to knock the other two off the letters they’re covering.

Level O (15/25)

Select the two pillars, collect the bomb, and detonate the center blank block. Then select the horizontal pillar that was underneath, collect the jetpack, fly beneath the pillar, and lift the pillar from its place, superhero-style.

Level P (16/25)

De-activate letter gravity, push the rightmost letter, and ride it across the chasm.

Level Q (17/25)

De-activate letter gravity, push a block to the right, and ride it. Midway through you’ll come to a lone block. Before the block you’re riding hits it, jump onto the lone block and select it. When your previous ride collides with it, the impact will propel you across the gap.

Level R (18/25)

Drop the wrong letter to your left, de-activate letter gravity, then use the horizontal pillar to push the block to the left. Quickly hop on and ride across.

Level S (19/25)

De-activate letter gravity, pop the lone wrong letter block straight upward, and the inverted enemy should begin walking across it, allowing you to pass.

Level T (20/25)

De-activate letter gravity, push and ride the block to your right, then re-activate letter gravity when the enemy is under you. Push the block to the right, use it as a step, and take a flying leap. Drop the block that obstructs your way into the little tunnel (running to the right as it falls). Drop the last block at the end of the tunnel and, as it falls, jump off to get the jetpack.

Tip: The arrangement of the bonus stars in this level is not random, but matches that of a certain constellation.

Level U (21/25)

Push the ground-level wrong letter to the right through the small passageway, then back to the left, so you can use it as a step. Drop the obstructing horizontal pillars out of the way, then the vertical pillar.

Level V (22/25)

Stack two blocks and push them to the right to access the castle basement.

Level W (23/25)

Don’t collect those stars! (At least, not yet.) Select the wrong letter to your right, then detonate the pillar beneath it to launch it to the next pillar. You’ll then need to position the letter roughly where it was on the first pillar, and detonate the second pillar. Carefully jump onto the block as it teeters on the stars (or use your head to bop it to the right of the stars first) to access the remaining letters.

Level X (24/25)

Jump off the stars, then bop the inverted bad guy using de-activated letter gravity. To get past the final inverted enemy, let the nearby non-inverted enemy push a block onto the elevator. Push the block to the far right, then hold it against the wall as the elevator descends. This should allow you to get underneath it. Jump to send the block flying into the inverted enemy.

Tip: If you’re having trouble jumping off a star, try landing on top of it (rather than hitting it from the side) and pressing the jump button as soon as you land on it.

Tip: Some of the earlier levels contain shortcuts that involve jumping off stars/keys.

Level Y (25/26)

Did you figure out the secret number that allows you to reach Juliet? If not, here are some tips.

• Decode the secret message in the visual clue.
• Figure out the phrase being guessed.
• Look at the name and number of the current level. Consider how this might relate to the phrase and the secret message.
• Did you notice any recurring number in the visual clues earlier in the game?
• If you’re still stuck, try using the K and L keys to move back and forth through the prior levels, and take a closer look at the clues. (Solution: the number of letters in the English alphabet.)

Level Z (26)

Tip: You need 10 bombs to access the hourglass tower to the right of the starting area. If you get to Level 26 and don’t have enough bombs, but don’t want to replay from the start of the game, you can press K to move back one level at a time to a place where you can start to pick up some bombs (such as level 20), and play forward from there. Remember that bombs can sometimes be hidden inside of blank blocks.

Tip: The “move back one level” key (K) can also be handy if you’re trying to complete 100% of a level, or complete it in a certain amount of time.

Unlocking the Levels

Sometimes you might find yourself playing a copy of Plangman that doesn’t have any progress saved. If you’d like to skip ahead without replaying the entire game, navigate to the main menu and then press and hold the keys of the secret number from Level 25. (Be sure to press and hold the keys in order, since pressing them all down at the same time may result in keys being pressed out of order.) Now you can start a new game and use L/K to navigate through the levels without beating them first.

Extras

There are a number of extras included with the Deluxe Edition. These include a two-player “Challenge a Friend” mode, the Epilogue, the Lost Levels, and a text-based Level Editor.

Some of these extras will initially show as [LOCKED]. You can unlock them either by beating the main game, or by navigating to the Extras menu and then pressing and holding the keys of the secret number from Level 25. (Be sure to press and hold the keys in order, since pressing them all down at the same time may result in keys being pressed out of order.) After unlocking the extras, you can use L/K to navigate through all the levels of the main game without beating them first.

Additional Help and Support

If you have any questions or feedback about the game, please email me at ehren at vonlehecreative dot com.

A Video History of Plangman

In these videos, you can see how Plangman has developed and changed over time.