Welcome to part 6 of Into Indie Games’ walkthrough for Desktop Explorer.
We’ve made our way through the Admin User Profile and somehow are back at Maxine’s profile. It seems the walls between the profiles are disappearing as Guppy rushes to the end, figuring out a way to get rid of Desktop Explorer once and for all.
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.
Table of contents
Maxine’s Profile First Look
You find yourself back at Maxine’s Profile with the Desktop Explorer folder open on your screen. Before you do anything else, you need to add a Chronolog entry to Guppy’s Journal.
Close the Chronolog window and then take a look at the maelstrom.stp file. It will show you the password: Theseus, needed to unlock the DiveIn folder. Enter the password and head inside.
This will open the NextRooms software. You’re on board a ship called Theseus. Currently, you’re standing at the Ship’s Helm. There’s a Helm straight ahead and a Model Ship and Fishing Line in the corner. You don’t have to do anything with them at the moment.
Note the Halibut and Admin icons on the left, on your desktop. These icons allow you to access the other profiles quickly without having to log out and log back in. Just double-click on them when you want to switch.
Go out the door behind you to reach the Lower Deck. There’s an empty Trash Can here and a Mural on the wall. Interact with the Mural.
Inspect the Mural to open the mural.stp file. Note the text “burn it all” written in colorful ink.
Inspecting the source code of the Mural shows you that “burn it all” is a magic word. This means you can replace the text with another magic word that you know: Inanna. This will come in handy later.
Back away from the Mural and check the blue section of the area. It’s a Sapphire Blue Mirror with Mysterious Properties. But you can’t do anything here at the moment.
With that done, you can now head into Halibut’s Profile by clicking on the icon on your Desktop.
Halibut’s Profile Puzzle Solutions
The Desktop Explorer folder in Halibut’s Profile has three files: underwaterRuins.stp, faded_instructions.npg, interestingStory.img.
Check all three files. The faded_instructions.npg is the most interesting one cause it’s a straight line. You can use Word Warp, but it still looks like a jumbled mess.
Check the Documents to find the Memory Lane folder. Inside the Memory Lane, there’s a sunkenMemories.stp file, a lookBehindYou.img file and three folders: Go left, Go below, and Go right.
Check both files. Now you have to find the Sunken Treasure by choosing the correct folder.
The solution is in the faded_instrument.npg file. Activate Word Warp and then drag and resize the window to find arrows telling you which direction to go.
Alternatively, you can brute force your way through to see which folder comes after which. Choose folders in the order below to get to the end:
Go left | Go right | Go left | Go below | Go left | Go right | Go below
Enter the folder titled What Is Left.
Click the notebook.npg file inside. This will open a bunch of photos on the screen. Click Ok on the error box.
Double-click the password-locked Is Slowly folder. The password is the filename of the image. For the first one, it’s bigcatch.
The password for the second folder, Fading, is dontforget.
For the final folder, Away, use anglertrio as the password.
You’ll find the WasteBin inside the folder. Double-click on it and recover the app.
Check the WasteBin app. It holds the three image files from earlier. But you can’t restore them as they are in Maxine’s world.
We’ll head to Maxine’s Profile, but first, let’s take a quick peek at Admin.
Admin’s Profile First Look
As you enter Admin User Profile, you’ll see a table with a bunch of objects on it. Inspect all the objects.
Inspecting the Book with the Colorlens Red filter shows a rope around the king’s neck.
Note the Chess Piece in the Sapphire Blue Mirror. We’ve seen a similar mirror in Maxine’s realm.
Inspect the Chessboard. There are three Black Pieces on the board and three White Pieces on the side.
Type Exit to back away from the Chessboard. At that moment, a file will get added to your Inventory in Maxine’s User Profile.
We’re done with this zone for now, so let’s head back to Maxine’s Realm.
Return to Maxine’s Profile
After returning to Maxine’s Realm, check your Inventory folder to find the blackpawn.img file. You need the piece to be White.
Head to the Lower Deck. Note that the Trash Can is no longer empty.
Interact with the Mural and put Inanna as the Magic Word in the Source Code. The trash goes up in flames as fire erupts from the can.
Interact with the Sapphire Blue Mirror. Then press E to open your inventory.
Open the blackPawn.img file and then drag it over the mirror to reverse the color. This replaces the Black Pawn with whitePawn.img file to your Inventory.
Solving the Chess Puzzle
Now that you’ve got a White Pawn, return to the Admin’s User Profile and interact with the Chessboard. You have four pieces in your Inventory. You can place them on the board by renaming them.
You can also duplicate your pieces in your inventory to get multiple Rooks or Knights.
Duplicate your Rook and Knight so that you have two of them in your inventory, then follow the steps below to Checkmate the Black King:
- Pawn A2
- Rook C1
- Rook A3
- Knight B2
- Knight C2
- King B1
The Magic Circle on the table starts glowing. Use Interact with it to collect the chessFigurehead.img file for Maxine’s Realm. We’re all done with Admin’s User Profile.
Before heading back to Maxine’s User Profile, quickly hop into Halibut’s User Profile and check the WasteBin. You’ll find the fishingLure.img file inside. Restore it to send it to Maxine’s Realm.
Maxine’s Profile Final Part
Back at Maxine’s User Profile, you have two image files in your Inventory. Interact with the Model Ship at the corner of the Ship’s Helm.
Attach both the Fishing Lure and the Chess Piece to the Model Ship by pressing E.
Pick up the Ship Wheel from the treasure chest after inserting both images into the Model Ship.
Inspect the Helm next. Attach the Ship’s Wheel to the Helm. At this point, your Computer crashes.
The Ending
As you reboot your Computer, it boots back into Safe Mode. Open the Desktop Explorer folder.
Go into the Archived Files folder and then into USR:ADmin to find a Chronolog entry. Double-click to open it.
Close the Chronolog once you’re done. You’ll find the DE-module-mgr.nsh file inside the folder. Run the shell script file.
You’ll see a list of available options. Repair and Update won’t work. So type Uninstall and press Enter.
The screen will glitch as Pizarro asks to know what you’re trying to do.
Once the uninstallation is complete, open the USR:M4X1mus folder.
Pizarro will try to distract you. Press OK and keep trying to enter the folder.
When you finally manage to get in, open the NR-CONV-031497 file inside. This will trigger a cutscene.
When the cutscene ends, head toward the door and enter.
Open the README_DAD.npg file. This will add the DE-module-mgr.nsh file to the folder along with a DeletedCopies subfolder.
Run the shell-script program again and Uninstall the application. The screen will glitch again as Pizarro tries to reason with you.
Enter the USR:HALibut folder next.
Move Pizarro out of the way and open the Chronolog file to add an entry to Halibut’s Journal.
Check all the parts of the Stingray file one after the next until DE-module-mgr.err is unlocked.
Run the shell script program again, and type Uninstall one last time.
The Computer reboots. Enter Guppy’s User Profile when it boots up.
Open the Chronolog and write an entry to Guppy’s Journal. Click the link on the last page of the entry.
Send a final text to Maxine Sounder and watch the credits roll. Congratulations on finishing Desktop Explorer!
This concludes part 6 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
Muhit Rahman lives off two things: gaming marathons and endless cups of tea. He writes guides, reviews, and occasionally forgets that real life doesn’t come with checkpoints. His favorite genres are Soulslike and Metroidvania, with Dark Souls III, Hollow Knight, and Dota 2 forever holding top spots on his all-time list.
