Hi! I’m Ben Ward and this is my hint-through for Lair Of The Clockwork God. These are the things that, were I sitting right next to you as you played, I’d be gently whispering into your ear to get you thinking in the right direction. It's generally spoiler-free, but even so, make sure not to read too far ahead! I've also put this in the Guides section if you prefer that, or you could even ask some real live humans for hints at the Size Five Discord: https://discord.gg/sizefive

General Advice
- Whenever you’re stuck, ask yourself: what are my current goals; what are the obstacles to those goals; how can I overcome those obstacles; can Ben and Dan help each other out?
- Ben, being an adventurer, should examine everything and talk to everyone. This includes examining inventory items and talking to Dan. Keep an eye out for other interaction options too (perhaps you can high-five someone as well as talk to or examine them!). Remember you’ve got your FarLook to do a quick scan for interactive stuff, and make sure you’ve walked the full length of the area. Dan, as a platformer, should make sure he’s explored every nook and cranny that he can access.
- Don’t be afraid to try stuff out, as Ben or Dan! There aren’t any dead ends, so no need to worry that you’re doing something too soon or you forgot to pick something up two hours ago.
- Finally, if you’ve done all this stuff and you’re still stuck, take a quick break to ponder the current conundrum. Have a five minute walk or a quick shower - often the solution will suddenly come to you!

If you've definitely tried all that and you're still stuck, here are some hints!

Peru
You’re looking for a flower, and there’s not much back the way you came, so best to push on through the jungle until you find it, overcoming obstacles as you go.
The spike pit: Dan can’t jump far enough to cross this whole thing in one go. Is there any way Ben can help? Remember to look at all the interaction options Ben has with different things. Talking to Tarquin doesn’t help much, but can you do other stuff with him?
The forcefield: You need to get this turned off. If you’ve played Half Life 2, you’ll know to always follow the cables in this type of situation. If not, then use of Ben’s FarLook ability will highlight the way to depower the forcefield. Dan won’t interact with complicated stuff like this anymore, so you’ll need to get Ben over there. Have an explore with Dan to see if there’s anything he can use to help. Once you’ve got Ben within interaction range of the power source, he might not want to risk using his hands, but the stuff you’ve picked up on your way here should prove useful.
The vines: Ben can’t pull these apart. Have you got anything in your inventory that would help? If not, you’ve clearly not yet embraced the Adventurer way of picking up everything you can!
Too-high jump: Dan needs to upgrade from his measly single-jump to a powerful double-jump, so he can reach higher places. In the absence of magic potions, nanotechnology or any other nonsense like that, Ben is going to have to help Dan with his upgrades in this game. Have you seen anything around that might help Dan jump higher? Perhaps something that has displayed jumping abilities? If so, you might be able to grab them, combine them with something so Dan can wear them, and give your genius creation to Dan.
Poison gas: Even with his double-jump, Dan can’t get past this gas, so it looks like it’s down to Ben. If he had a gas-mask or a snorkel, he could wear it and walk through the gas safely, but he doesn’t. Perhaps an equivalent item, then? Once you’ve figured it out, remember to keep an eye out for points of interest on your way through!
Crash site: Ooh, a massive tree and a crashed plane! Classic jungle. But how to get past this area? Dan can’t push that crate because it’s hanging off the ground, but Ben can help with that. Then, this being a realistic jungle simulator, there are some more vines blocking the way forward. We know from experience that Ben *could* help with that too if he can get up there. Maybe Dan can help create some kind of slope for Ben to walk up. Put Dan’s new double-jumping skills to good use and have a look around for stuff he can interact with...
London
You need to make Ben light enough for Dan to give him a piggyback.
Full bladder: Ben will only wee in toilets and graves. Can you find either of those? Have an explore until the answer is “yes”. And remember, if Ben can’t reach something, Dan can often help!
Not enough? You’ll need to make Ben even less heavy. Is there anything around that could help make Ben feel lighter than air?

Shed/Office
First things first, find a way through this shed.
Door? That’ll probably be it. There’s a laser that comes out if you stand on that floor-pad, but it doesn’t hurt Dan or Ben if they jump through it, so it must serve some other purpose. Strangely complicated security measures for a door in an unassuming shed...
Lift password: you might be able to get access to this if you can find a computer somewhere…
Fire: Dan’s going to need a running upgrade to get past this. He hasn’t got time to build up his muscles so he’ll need a short-cut: something combined to give him faster legs and more energy to use them. Have Ben take a look around: he didn’t do too well in chemistry at school, so you probably don’t need to worry about scientific realism here...

Arrival at the Lair
What now? Remember my general advice? Have a good nose around! Ben will notice that there are two doors, one locked and one sealed. Dan will find something shiny and floaty to attract his magpie-like Platformer mind...

Joy
Alright, two levels for the price of one! This being a classic Sonic-y platforming level for Dan, you probably just need to get to the end. Ben’s more complex Adventuring set-up requires him to prove he died at the end of the level so he’ll be respawned there and skip all that stupid jumping. That Nomosaur lady says he needs to be blue, wet and covered in green seaweed.
Blue: Can you find anything that might turn Ben blue?
Wet: Can you find any liquid? If so, is there a way to get Ben covered in it?
Green seaweed: Can you find any seaweed or anything that looks like it?
Phylaxosaur: She won’t let you past without identification! Try to find that office she mentioned, maybe you can get some Platformer papers there...
Respawner: Alright, you’ve done the three things so now you’ll respawn at the end, but now it won’t let you through because it can see your seaweed! Ben, ever forward-thinking, doesn’t want to bin a perfectly useful mop-head, so you’ll have to hide it...

Lair post-Joy
Seems like a pattern is emerging - find some RAM, hop in the Transfer Vehicle, and do a Construct, repeat until planet saved!
Locked Door: the way to more RAM. Perhaps now you’ve brought items back from that Construct, you’ll have something long and thin enough to push the button with.
Dolly: Dan could push this out of the way if Ben had a replacement wheel, or wheel substitute. After that, a bit of platforming to get some more RAM and you’ll be on your way!
Tile puzzle: Look, I know it’s cheap padding, but we definitely expect you to spend hours and hours on this puzzle. Ben seems to think he’ll be able to find a way around it at some future point, but what does he know?

Fear
Rut-roh! Dan and Ben are separated! There’s no getting that door between them open, so they’ll have to find other paths round the ship to reach each other.
The dark: To help Dan feel a little safer going through the dark sections, perhaps Ben can make a light source and get it to him somehow.
Drone security code: All drones must provide the code to pass, which raises two questions: with the controls he has, how can Ben get this drone to communicate a code; can the code be seen anywhere?
Monsters: No points for being brave here, so try being sneaky and cowardly instead...
Starlight: Ben can’t get past this window while the burning got light is streaming through. The filters are broken, so perhaps there’s another way to block the sunlight. Take a careful peek through the window - can you see anything out there that might help?
Getting Dan into space: So you got Dan up to the top of the ship, but he’s not going to be able to jump out into space without that thruster moving down a bit. Maybe Ben can find something to help once he gets past that starlight. And maybe Dan can help him do that with all this cool stuff at his disposal: a drivable forklift tractor thing, a waste compactor, a giant mountain of ice, a giant pile of corpses, and a thruster that spews fuel and sparks.
Getting Dan past the ice: So now you got Dan through space *and* an alien nest, but there’s more ice in the way. Ben reckons he can use the sunlight to get rid of the ice, but even if he polishes up an inventory item all nice and shiny, he still doesn’t have a direct line from the sun to the ice - he’ll need a second reflective item that he can position in just the right spot, somehow…
Ghost circle: You need to get to that exit over on the right. The ghosts don’t seem to hurt you; maybe they could help instead? I mean, there’s no established logic to ghosts, so who knows what you need to do here, but that backpack Ben picked up started fizzing when it got in the same room as the ghosts - perhaps have a play around with that...

Lair post-Fear
Time to find more RAM, and with your wazzo new upgrade and pilfered items, you should be able to progress deeper underground.
Tile puzzle: Okay, now you’ve got teleportation skills and a big pile of explosive barrels at your disposal, perhaps it’s time to cut this Gordian knot...

Feeling Old
The aim here is to get into the club, and to do that you need all Yes votes in that social media poll. A long squint at it reveals that you’ll need Ben and Dan to each wear a bra and for Ben not to be carrying any knives or other stabby objects. There’s also one person with an actual avatar voting you down for a different reason.
Knife: Seems Ben has something stabby in his inventory. But how to get rid of it? Dan’s an expert in spikes, try asking him… (In fact, he’s an expert in lots of stuff, you should be talking to him about everything, really!)
Bras: a simple scavenger hunt - you should find these around the level by the time you’ve sorted everything else out.
Familiar voter: Once you meet the yoof with the avatar, and learn enough of their futuristic argot to converse with them, you’ll find out why they’re voting no. You should be able to pick up some slang from looking around the place, though some of it may initially be concealed or out of reach. Once you find out what you need to do to secure a yes vote, you’ll need to glean that from your surroundings too. Getting Dan to the upper reaches of the level might help with that.
Dan: Dan will need a wall-jump upgrade which, for any platforming noobs out there, essentially means he needs his hand to stick to walls. He’ll then need to find a way to jump across that large gap, because he can bounce off bubbles but not smoke. Is there some way Ben can help here? Finally, Dan will need a gun. To be honest, this is a really convoluted puzzle, so you’re best off just using the Size Five Games Store to purchase the gun item. We should have the store up and running in time for release!

Lair post-Feeling Old
Phew, Feeling Old, Disappointment and Anger all done! With wall-jumping abilities to hand, pun intended, Dan should be able to get into different parts of the temple. Once you’ve paid full attention to all exposition, you should be able to work out how to get past the altar, and soon you’ll have your hands on a new piece of RAM.

Grief
Dan can’t shoot Balloon-Head through her forcefield, but thankfully we know how to get past forcefields now - take out their power! This one is fuelled by massive cans of cola. Hopefully you’ve watched a video on the internet ever and you know how to make cola EXPLODE.
Cannons: as with actual cannons, these need ammunition and powder to fire. Knowing Balloon-Head, they’ll be sweety-based items. If there aren’t any immediately visible, perhaps Dan can find some. Is there anything hanging around that would typically contain sweets? Once you’ve sorted that, just aim and light the cannons. Easy!
Growth: The frivolity of Balloon-Head now just a distant memory, you find yourself up against a more serious foe. You’ll need courage, a weapon and the right words. Two of these you already have, and for the other hopefully you’ll find inspiration.
Rain: You’ve taken a close look at that shadowy figure and discovered their true nature, but before you can get started on opening that door at the end of the level, you’ll need to keep all this rain out of your eyes. You need something rain-proof to hold over your head and you need a hands-free way to do that.
Door: Only a Platformer’s body-weight on the pressure-pad can open this door, but the only one around is buried six feet under, orange jumpsuit, backpack and all. There’s a logical solution to this, but it’s a little tasteless...

Lair post-Grief
Back in the VR room, that door’s still locked, there are still three broken water-pipes and the VR helmet is still hanging there tantalisingly.
VR helmet: Dan could probably get into it if he jumped straight up from underneath, but he can’t reach it. Is Ben able to help him with that now?
RAM: Dan managed to open that door, *somehow*, so you’ve got a whole new space to play in! Once Dan has jumped his way past shelves upon shelves of boring old paper, you’ll find the next RAM! (Note: this RAM will sometimes be stuck in the floor. Sorry about that, it’s one of two glitches we just can’t seem to fix…)

Suffering
Uggggh, hungover Ben needs to get to that mug of coffee across the other side of his bedroom.
Music: It’s so loud and it doesn’t seem to be coming from anywhere in particular! How can you turn this music down?
Coffee: You need to grab that cup somehow. All you’ve got to work with is an electricity supply and whatever’s in your inventory. If you’re proper stuck on this, make sure you’ve examined every item that you have in your possession.

Lair post-Suffering
Even once you’ve woken him up and proved that you’re Maintenance, that brain still refuses to give you the code to the keypad. Typical evil brain. All those repressed thoughts and feelings have to come out somewhere though, and he hasn’t got a Mail Online comments section to splurge them into, so he may be giving more away than he intends to...

Lair post-Regret
Oh no! The Mechanic has gotten a little *too* human now, what with all the backstabbing and self-preservation at the cost of the planet and whatnot. But Ben’s stuck in the transfer vehicle - if only there were some way for him to get up to where Dan is. From there, he could initiate his plan to get through the sealed door into that green fizzy data zone bit...
With Dan out of action, Ben will need to do some more platformy stuff. Creating the requisite force to pull that sealed door open might take a physics-y solution, for example, and playing around with gravity rips might require Ben to upgrade himself in order to slow his fall speed. Some sort of parachute or *something*, probrolly.
After that, all the advice I can give you is: run! Run and shoot! Kill kill run kill jump shoot run!

Good luck!