Knife

**Knives** are a recurring item in the Rusty Lake series that appear in many of the games. Several different styles of knife appear, though all are simple, wooden handled blades, mostly used to cut or stab.

## Cube Escape: The Lake

In the Cabin there is a table with a cutting board, and a knife in the drawer. The player can use the knife to cut the shrimp in half to get the key inside, and then use the Shrimp head as bait. This catches a Corrupted Soul, and with the knife, an apple is cut out of its back. As well, after catching a fish and attempting to cut it with the knife, a tree sprouts out of it.

## Cube Escape: Seasons

During the Summer, the player uses a telescope to look at the Moon. When they focus in closer, they see a window with Laura inside, staring back. A Corrupted Soul comes in from behind and slits her throat with a knife, coating the window with blood. In the Fall, there is a blood-covered knife in one of the dresser drawers. The player must use the knife to kill Harvey the parrot in order to retrieve the photo piece hidden inside of him. Also, if the curtains are drawn back, a Corrupted Soul holding a knife appears in the window whenever the player turns to the window from another part of the Room.

## Cube Escape: Arles

The knife is locked in the cabinet, requiring a key to unlock. After retrieving it, the player can look into the nearby mirror, and use the knife on their reflection to sever their ear, to be placed in a bowl of water. When the surrounding bottles are filled with the correct liquids, the water in the bowl will begin to glow and the player can travel into the ear.

This use of the knife is based on a real-life event involving the real Van Gogh, in which he famously cut his own ear. In the real version of events, Van Gogh did not cut off his entire ear, though the exact amount of mutilated ear varies in different accounts.

## Cube Escape: Harvey's Box

Using a silver key to unlock the cigar box, the player can retrieve the knife, which appears to have faded blood-stains. The knife is used to pry open a jar of flies in order to get three fireflies. Once the box arrives at Rusty Lake, the knife is used to cut a hole through the box to allow a pigeon to peek through.

## Rusty Lake Hotel

In Mr. Deer's room, the knife is locked in a small safe and needs a combination code to be acquired. The player has to cut part of Mr. Deer's antler off and collect his blood in a canteen, since it is one of the ingredients needed to make him his Bloody Mary.

In Mr. Boar's room, when he is given his opium pipe, he will proceed to smoke. Soon, the room fills with the dense smoke, and the player is transported to a foggy forest. Eventually Mr. Crow will come into view, and hand over a knife, telling the player "*you know what to do*". Now, after feeding Mr. Boar a sandwich he will leave his sofa to go to the bathroom. The player takes down a large axe mounted on the wall, and ties it to a rope pulley above his sofa. When Mr. Boar returns to his seat the rope is cut, sending the axe down and severing his head.

In Mr. Rabbit's room, there is a knife in his one of his dresser drawers. On the other side of the room, there is a box on the side table. When the box's switch is flipped, the box's compartment will begin to open, but a Hand comes out of the compartment to flip the switch back. The player must stab the Hand with the knife, and take the ring off its finger.

## Cube Escape: Birthday

The knife is located in one of the dresser drawers, and is needed when Mr. Vandermeer asks the player to cut him some cake. After the cake is sliced, one of the pieces spurts a red liquid before it is taken. Mr. Vandermeer eats the cake, but stops as blood drips from his mouth. He spits out a needle, which is then used as the stylus to play a record on the phonograph.

## Rusty Lake: Roots

In 1870, James dies and his body is kept in a coffin in the house for the ceremonial wake. After fixing a statue bust, two eyes can be placed into the empty sockets. This opens a secret compartment on the statue with a Knife inside. The player must cut his tongue out with a knife and place it in a jar, becoming the second sacrifice. In 1885, Albert is holding a knife in his hands. After the player unlocks a small box and retrieves a butterfly for him, he stabs it with the knife and it dies in a pool of blood.

Then, in 1891, Albert has a knife hidden in his coat pocket. It is used to carve a pumpkin into a mask, which can be given back to Albert. In return, he produces a key which opens a locked cabinet. During the Winter of 1926, Albert reunites with his nephew Frank and the two sit down to a game of chess. There is a knife on the top of a photo frame, that the player needs to carve Frank's potato into a King chess piece. After Frank's Knight checkmates Albert's King, he goes up behind his uncle and strangles him to death. Albert's head is cut open with the knife and his brain is placed in a jar, becoming the eighth sacrifice.

## Cube Escape: The Cave

The knife can be found in the middle drawer of the dresser inside the Cave. When given to the arm that emerges from a crack in the cave wall, it will be used for the arm to attack itself, allowing the player to collect the severed limb. The knife later appears in a memory. In it, Laura is holding the knife, and when the background is properly aligned she puts it to her throat and kills herself.

## Rusty Lake Paradise

During the Fifth Plague, the knife is found stuck in a small table next to a recipe for the Rusty Lake Burger. As goat bacon and a beef patty are required in the burger, the Goat and Cow must be cured of their boils before harvesting their meat with the knife. When the burger is complete, it is fed to Gerard who rushes to the outhouse after eating it. He needs toilet paper, so the player removes Nicholas' face wrapping with the knife to give to Gerard.

During the Sixth Plague, Gerard has fallen ill and needs aid. The player pops his boils, and using the knife cuts open his chest to remove his heart. He is revived when he is given medicine and his heart is replaced with a piece of clockwork.

## Cube Escape: Paradox

The knife is found in the cabinet in the Paradox Room. The Hand appears from the covered cage, and gives the player a heart when it is handed the knife. The player also uses the knife to cut open Dale's head to remove his brain, and to cut open a fish to get the triangle key inside. When Mr. Owl makes his appearance, he complains that he cannot think. Using the knife to cut open his head, the past, present and future minds can be placed inside and he gives the player three cubes. The cubes unlock the cabinet to the blue vial, and corrupts Dale when he drinks it. The player leaves the room and walks through the Forest until they come across Laura. Sneaking behind her, the player uses the knife to slit her throat.

## Samsara Room

In the Normal Room, the knife is found in the dresser and is used to rip the wallpaper on the window, peeling it off and revealing the portal underneath. Then in the Fish Room, the player pulls out nails and pieces of wood from the side of the clock causing a hand to pop out. Giving it the knife, the hand disappears and remerges with a heart. In the Worm Room, the knife is found again inside the clock body among pieces of wood. The knife is then used to unscrew the telephone's handset to fix the circuit. Finally in the Bird Room, a hot air balloon appears. After lighting the balloon, the player uses the knife to cut the sack off allowing the balloon to fly away. Cutting the sack open, the player picks up sand, scales, and finds a small locked box. The combination to the box is found by using the knife to cut open the moon, revealing an eye inside. The eye's positions reveal four constellations, corresponding to the locked box's code.

## Trivia

* In Cube Escape: Case 23, there is a set of Russian Nesting dolls. The doll of Laura features her slitting her throat with a knife.
* In Cube Escape: The Mill, the Knife appears in the negative memories of Laura.
* In Rusty Lake: Roots, the Knife can also be created in the alchemy lab by mixing together wood and a blade.