Desktop Explorer Walkthrough Part 3 – NextRooms Mall F1 Court

Welcome to part 3 of Into Indie Games’ walkthrough for Desktop Explorer.

After solving all the puzzles in Halibut’s user profile and a bit of keen detective work, we managed to gain access to m4x1mus’s user profile. We’ll learn more about Maxine’s story and also get to play around in a virtual space called NextRooms. But first we have to get Desktop Explorer up and running again.

This article is part of our Desktop Explorer Walkthrough Hub. Check it out for more content.

For more information about the game, check out their Steam page here.

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Reinstalling Desktop Explorer

After entering the m4x1mus user profile, the first thing you need to do is open the Journal Entry from the Desktop. This adds a new tab to the Chronolog called Max’s Journal.

Read through the entry, then switch over to Guppy’s Journal and click on Write Entry to add another entry to the Chronolog.

Open the Downloads folder on the Desktop afterward and open the three .skt files inside. Arrange the images so that you get a complete URL: “fridgemagnets.com/posts/m4x1mus/06-07-96.”

Open the WebSurfer2 app from your Desktop. Then write the URL in the address bar and click Go.

This takes you to a webpage where you can see five sketches of an Eye of one of the Greats. Note the text in bold above the sketches-

“their initials spell what I feel“

By taking the first letter of each name and arranging them, we get the word: Power.

Open the WasteBin app from the Desktop. You’ll find a folder inside called DO_NOT_OPEN. Double-click on it to restore the folder. Then open it from the Desktop.

Enter the password (Power) that you found on the website. Then keep opening the folders till you find DE_Installer.exe.

Wait for the app to finish installing and then run through Pizarro’s dialog.

Setting up NextRooms

After Pizarro is done talking, head into the Prologue folder in Desktop Explorer.

Check both the skyline.img and desperate_steps.stp files inside the folder. The image file shows a city skyline while the .stp file literally tells you to STAY STILL.

Do as the file says and don’t do anything. Don’t move your cursor and wait for the screensaver to kick in.

Navigating the Maze Screensaver

After a bit of waiting, the Maze Screensaver kicks in. But unlike your typical Screensaver, you can move around using WASD or the Directional Keys in this one.

Moving along, you’ll spot a Caterpillar image on the wall. Turn right and go past the image.

Follow the path, and you’ll spot a Locked Door on the left up ahead. There’s also a Golden Key on the right, but the yellow caution marker prevents you from reaching it.

There’s another caution marker on your right. You can spot a diamond on the other side of it.

Head into the room with the door and key and immediately turn right. You’ll see a Butterfly image on the wall. Take a sharp U-turn on the right as you reach the wall, as shown in the image above.

You’ll see the Diamond just up ahead.

Now, when you touch the Diamond, the world will flip upside down. Find your way back to the room with the Key and the Door by retracing your steps.

Go back to the Diamond once you have the Golden Key. Touching it once more will fix the orientation, but the maze will start getting hazy.

Return to the Door, and since you have the Key, head through it. There’s another door up ahead. Walk straight through the door to return to the Desktop.

You’ll unlock another entry in Max’s Journal. Read through the entry to find the User and Password for NextRooms.

Open the NextRooms app from the Desktop and enter the information:

• User: The_Max
• Password: sweaters123

NextRooms Floor 665

Once you’re in the NextRooms app, you can move around using WASD or Directional Keys, and press E to interact with objects. Inspect the Camera in the corner, and then check the Computer.

Interact with the Computer once more to get the computerFile.npg file added to your inventory.

Click on the Backpack icon in the NextRooms window to open the Inventory folder on the Desktop. Then open the computerFile.npg file inside it.

You’ll find two Roomie Codes to use in the app in a text file.

Head out through the main door to reach the Floor 665 – Hallway. Click on the emoji icon on the top-left and enter the first Roomie Code.

This will unlock the door next to yours in the Hallway, as the Chat Log from Hazel is restored.

Speak with Hazel after entering her room. She’ll tell you about the Kojami Code, which is: North-West-South-East-South-West. This is important.

Return to the Hallway and enter the next Roomie Code to restore Femur’s Chat Log. Head into his room next.

Run through his dialog. You don’t learn anything important from him.

As you return to the Hallway, the door next to Femur’s starts shaking and a new Room gets Restored. Head into the new room.

This brings you to a maze. There are four doors leading: North, West, South, and East. Before heading through any of the doors, inspect the hourglass drawing on the wall.

This will open the timeless_despair.stp file. Read the text. It says that you’re lacking a Compass.

Click the Clock app from your Desktop and note that the hour hand is pointing straight up while the minute hand is pointing down. You can use it as a Compass.

To get through the maze, you’ll have to follow the Kojami Code that you got from Hazel. As you enter through a door, the North and South positions of the Compass will shift.

Make sure you follow the Compass and choose the doors in the direction given in the Kojami Code:

North | West | South | East | South | West.

Following the directions, you’ll eventually make it to a door. Head through the door to reach NextRooms Mall F1.

Restoring the Power to Mall F1

Walk forward to reach the main lobby of the Mall’s first floor. There are a couple of things you’ll want to pick up from the lobby before moving on. The first is the Broken Down Camera on the floor. We’ve marked it in the image above.

This also opens the bloodyCamera.stp file, which tells you that you need to find the photographs taken by this camera to figure out what happened.

A folder called instantPhotos opens up where you can see the camera.img file. Inspect the image. Then close the window for now.

On a table directly opposite the Installation Wizard shop, you’ll find a Children’s Menu with a Game. Pick it up.

This adds the Rabbit.skt file to your Inventory, which you can access by clicking on the Backpack icon. You’ll need it later.

Loop around the center to find a Coin inside the pool. Pick it up as well.

This will add a looseChange folder in your Computer, inside which you’ll find the fountainCoin.img.

You’ll spot a door through a passage between the Bee Kind and Wilson’s Pet Store.

Walk toward the door. You’ll find a Page on the ground just before the door. Pick it up. Then click on the .res file in the Inventory folder to add another entry to Max’s Journal.

Head through the door when you’re ready to reach the Janitor’s Closet.

First, inspect the locker with COL written on it. It’s locked and requires a password to open.

Then interact with the Circuit Box 1, right beside the door.

This opens up the brokenCircuits_1.skt file. You have to connect the red, green, and blue wires to their respective terminals without the wires touching each other. Use the Draw tool and choose the color from the palette to draw the wires.

Follow the image above to solve the puzzle. This will restore the power in the Mall Court.

Try interacting with the Circuit Box 2. You can’t solve this puzzle right now as you don’t have the right colors.

Head out the door to return to the Mall Court. With the power restored, you can now head into the open Shops.

There are three Shops in the Court that you can access to solve different puzzles. It’s up to you in what order you want to tackle them.

Bee Kind Video Store Puzzle Walkthrough

With the power restored, the Bee Kind Video Store is back in order. You’ll see a bunch of flashing TV screens in a 3×3 grid outside the store. For now, head in through the door.

As soon as you head inside, you’ll find an item on the ground. Pick it up to get the Roomie Code for Kamarena.

Click on the emoji icon in the top-right corner of your NextRooms window and select Invite Roomie. Then enter the code (RC-CLR7V40) you just picked up to restore Kamarena’s Chat Logs.

Click on the emoji icon again and select K4M4R3N4 to head to her Chat Room.

She tells you of a movie quiz you should check out and gives you a URL. Click the link to open a page in your browser.

After the conversation, head back to the Mall F1 and go back inside the Bee Kind Video Store. To do so, click the stairs icon and choose Mall F1. Keep the fridgemagnets website with the Elite Movie Quiz window open.

Interact with the shelf on the right and inspect each of the movies mentioned in the questions. They will add an .img file to your Inventory that you must check out for the answer to the quizzes.

For the fourth question, inspect the Cardboard Standee sign on the left near the first shelf.

Inspect the Cardboard Standee when the camera changes to read the movieStand.stp file. Then check the posters on the wall to figure out the answer to the fourth question.

When you’re ready, interact with the photo booth inside the store and answer all the questions.

We’ve listed the answer to each question below:

• Elite Movie Question 1: Who made the soundtrack for Dream in Gouache?

The Sweaters

• Elite Movie Question 2: What type of monster is Slasher Fest’s villain?

Zombie

• Elite Movie Question 3: What color is the bait from Rod & Reel’s protagonist?

Red

• Elite Movie Question 4: What’s the name of the second movie in Linkearlier’s After trilogy?

Pineapple Summer

Once you answer all the questions correctly, you’ll get the video.img file added to your Inventory. We’re done with the Bee Kind Video Store for now. Return to the Mall F1 Court.

Installation Wizard Magic Shop Puzzle Walkthrough

Head left from the video store to find the Installation Wizard store. There’s a fortune teller machine outside the store. Interact with it to get the fortuneTicket.npg file.

Check the fortuneTicket.npg file. You’ll see a bunch of random numbers written in blue and red. The note tells you to follow the Paper Rabbit. Head into the store when you’re ready.

Inspect the display cabinet to your right. You need a password to unlock it.

Then head over to the cardboard cutout of the magician in the corner. Then press E to pick up the Magic Kit.

This will add the cardDeck folder to your Computer. Check the Name_your_card.img file.

Then open the cardTrickInstructions.npg file.

Go behind the counter in the Magic Store to find a Magic 8-Ball. But to unlock it, you need the MagicKey.

Now, open the Rabbit.skt and fortuneTicket.npg file from your Inventory. Note that there are three groups of red and blue numbers in the fortuneTicket.npg.

Use the Draw tool and trace the first set of blue and red numbers in the Rabbit.skt file. You’ll get 6D.

Go back to the cardDeck folder and rename the Name_your_card.img file to 6D.img and open it. You’ll see the first two letters of a Password.

Repeat the same steps for the other two number sets until you get the whole password: Cronos.

Interact with the display holding the magic hat and enter the password.

The display case opens and the magic.img file gets added to your instantPhotos folder. Return to the Mall F1 Court.

Wilson’s Pet Store Puzzle Walkthrough

With two image files recovered, we now must make our way to the last open shop in the Mall F1 Court: Wilson’s Pet Store. Head in through the main door.

Inspect the broken aquarium as soon as you enter. You can inspect it again to open the brokenAquariam.stp file.

Check the Source Code of the file to know that the fish in the aquarium had stripes.

Check the cash register on the counter next. It’s locked and requires a PIN to open. Your only clue is the Cute Fish drawn on the receipt.

Go around the back of the counter and pick up the Roomie Code to find the Code for CJ. Add the code to restore CJ’s Chat Logs. Then head over to CJ’s Chat Room.

Talk to CJ and run through his dialogues. CJ will tell you about the aquarium screensaver and also give you a tier list of his favorite reptiles:

Chameleons | Snakes | Bearded Dragons | Turtles

Return to Wilson’s Pet Store after the conversation. Check the terrariums along the side of the store. The two terrariums on the right are clean.

The left clean terrarium holds a Green Chameleon, while the one on the right holds a Yellow Bearded Dragon.

Check the dirty terrariums on the left.

You can inspect them to open the reptileTank.skt files. Then use the Eraser tool to clean the dirty glass so that you can see the reptile inside.

After cleaning both aquariums, you’ll find a Red Snake and a Blue Turtle.

With that done, click on your Start Menu and go to Settings. Set Aquarium as the Screensaver and reduce the Wait Time to 10 Sec.

Wait for the Screensaver to kick in. Then count the number of stripes shown on the fish, colored according to CJ’s tier list: Green (3), Red(1), Yellow(4), and Blue(2). This is your password.

Enter the password 3142 in the cash register to unlock it.

Pick up the item inside to add the aquarium.img file to your instantPhotos folder. Arrange the image files to get a new URL.

Unlocking The Paint Source Store

Open the WebSurfer2 app from your Desktop and enter the URL you just found (gamebagels.com/guides/hazel62). This will take you to a page where you can access two guides: Maze Secret Path and Point System Theory.

Open the Maze Secret Path first. You’ll find a new path similar to the Kojami Code you found earlier. Remember the directions:

East | South | East | North | East | South

With that done, return to the Hallway by clicking on the stairs icon and choose Floor 665 – Hallway. Enter the door that took you to the Lost Corridors.

Open the Clock and use it as a compass as you follow the new directions. This will take you to a new door. Head inside.

You’ve arrived at the Paint Shop in the Mall F1. Pick up the Magic Key from the counter. You’ll get the magicKey.img added to your Inventory.

Inspect all three paintings on the wall. You’ll need a password for each of them.

Pick up the note under the canvas to your right. This will add the painting_CodeA.img to your inventory.

Then inspect the canvas near you.

When you’re ready, interact with the shutter to open it and unlock the way to the Mall F1 Court.

The Paint Source Store Puzzle Walkthrough

With the Magic Key in hand, make your way back to the Installation Wizard Magic Shop. Interact with the Magic Ball box behind the counter to unlock it and pick up the Magic Ball.

This adds the magicBall.img file to your Inventory.

Shaking the ball by dragging the window around causes a color to appear inside the Magic Ball. Using the Colorlens Blue filter to look at the color on the Magic Ball gives you a number. Note down the number for each color:

• Red: +2
• Yellow: +1
• Purple: +0
• Green: -3
• Blue: -2

Head out of the shop and go to the stack of screens outside the Bee Kind Video Store. Interact with the screens. Note that they reference the website called Gamebagels. We’ve already accessed the website.

Check the Point System Theory guide on Gamebagels. Note the bolded text. So you have to count the corners of the shapes on the screen and add them with the multiplier from the color matching the Magic Ball.

Create a 3×3 grid based on the hints provided. Check the image above for reference.

Return to The Paint Source Store and check the canvas with the 3×3 grid.

Now you can associate a number with each of the symbols in the painting based on the numbers from the TV Screen.

Check the painting_codeA.img file that you found earlier. Note that it matches one of the password-locked paintings hung up inside the store.

The symbols in the painting_codeA.img file can be translated to 816. Use this as the password to unlock the painting.

You’ll find the painting_codeB.img file after submitting the password. Pick it up.

Match it with one of the other two paintings and enter the password (712) for it. Pick up the painting_codeC.img file afterward.

Do the same for the final painting and enter the password (354).

Pick up the Paint and Photo once the painting disappears.

When you pick up the Paint, the SketchyAddOn.exe file gets added to your inventory. Double-click on it to install the Add-On.

Doing so unlocks a bunch of new colors in the color palette in the Sketchy app.

Powering the Elevator

Now that you’re done with all the stores, go back out to Mall F1 Court and head into the Janitor’s Closet.

As you enter, a lifeless body falls out of the locker. Inspect it and read the text in crime_scene.stp file.

A new entry for Max’s Journal gets added to the Chronolog once you close the .stp file window.

Interact with the Circuit Box 2. This time you’ve got the colors needed to fix the wiring.

This one can be tricky. Check the image above to see how we complete the puzzle.

Return to Mall F1 Court once you’re done, and you’ll see a cutscene as the elevator gets powered. Use the elevator to go to Mall F2.

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This concludes part 3 of our walkthrough for Desktop Explorer. For more interesting articles related to indie games, check out the links below:

• Into Indie Games Homepage
• Dead Weight – Walkthrough And Guides Hub
• The Mound: Omen of Cthulu – Beginner Tips & Tricks
• Denshattack! – The Ultimate Guide For Everything
• Moss: The Forgotten Relic – Walkthrough Hub