Peek-A-Boom

> "*Aaah, no tour through the factories of Death Trap Inc would be complete without a last stop at the gift shop! I doubt you'll have to deal with customers today, though - most didn't even make it past the lava pit department...*"
> ― The Announcer
>
>

**Peek-A-Boom** is the name of the 14th level of RoboTraps. It is set in a surveillance room at the gift shop of Death Trap Inc and features several screens the player has to switch on and off to keep track of the robots. Most of the area is filled with merchandise of Death Trap Incorporated.

## Level Design

Unlike most other levels, the player is not in the same rooms as the robots here. Instead they have to observe the robots over security cameras, getting the recordings fed to screens in the player's surveillance room. The screen positions in this room don't match the actual positions and directions of the camera however, requiring the player to get an idea of the actual room layout by visual hints and switching the cameras. The yellow lever, which switches the cameras on and off, also opens and closes some shutters that enable or disable the player to use the three other levers in the level. This means that, to actually solve the level, it is necessary to pull levers even while their outcome isn't on screen.

### Merchandise

As the observed area is the gift shop of Death Trap Inc, a lot of merchandise can be seen here.

* A fan T-shirt with the sentence "Cha-Chinga! I survived the Death Trap Inc tour and got this expensive shirt to prove it" and a picture of Skully the Skull on it. The expression "Cha-Chinga" is based on the sound a cash register makes, but also parodies The Big Bang Theory's "Bazinga" shirt.
* Several other shirts showing Skully.
* Figurines of 4 of the 5 main robots, called "Amigo" figures, which parody Nintendo's "Amiibo" line. Each robot has a unique pose, with Alice walking off to adventure, Clark giving a sceptical glance, Dennis turning his own clockwork key and Ernest drawing his hat. No "Amigo" of Bob is visible.
* Playing balls in several colors, sporting Skully.
* Toy models of the Brutality Building and Crash Complex.
* Plushies of both Bob and Skully the Skull.
* Plastic "nuclear waste" barrels with green plastic balls inside.
* A coloring book and crayons.
* The posters that can be seen everywhere in the factory are also sold.
* A board game. Its name "Monotony" and the printed remark "Takes at least 6 hours" poke fun at Monopoly and its often lengthy play sessions.
* Mugs with the Death Trap Incorporated brand or "I (heart) Death Trap Inc" on it.
* A cardboard cut-out of Skully the Skull, telling the customers "You die, you buy".
* Death Trap Inc's own brand of cereals, called "Skully's Raz-O-s". The cereals themselves appear to be little buzz saws. The phrase "New & tasty" references the same phrase from Oddworld's "Abe's Oddysee" and it's reboot, which also went by the name "New 'n' tasty".

## Solution

**Skully the Skull says: SPOILER WARNING!**
This section contains the solution to a level. Don't read it if you want to solve it by yourself!(Of course you can still claim that you did, which is what every self-respecting employee of Death Trap Incorporated would do...)

The trick here lies with first finding out how the different rooms visible on the screens are connected. All Ernest, Alice and Bob and Dennis have their own access to the exit, but Clark's path leads him to Ernest's, with it being impossible to save both at once due to the saws there. Also, Clark has to be saved in order to save Alice and Bob, whereas saving Dennis is impossible without destroying the other four. As a result, Ernest has to be saved first, then Clark, followed by Alice and Bob, and Dennis last.

To save Ernest, simply find the yellow lever and switch the screens so that the blue lever appears. Select it and use it three times in not-too-quick succession to save Ernest (watch the middle screen or use the yellow lever to see where he is). Change screens again using the yellow lever, then select the red one under Clark's screen. Use it to lead Clark savely to Ernest's area. Change the screens, select the blue lever, and like with Ernest, use it twice to save Clark.

As Clark walks over a green Switch, you can now release Alice and Bob. Make their screen visible and select the pink lever. Make sure to point your remote so you can't accidentally select the yellow lever, then carefully lead both past the saws.

Now that all others are save, Dennis is next. Make sure the green, blue and red arrows in his area all point right, then switch his screen off to make the yellow arrow point right, too. If you wait a while and switch it back on, you should notice that Dennis is now gone. Switch off this screen, though, as you need to select the red lever again. Check the screens in the middle, and you will find a small part of Dennis walking against the red saw you see. Check the screen to the very right with the papercut Skully saying "You buy, you die". Also check the other screen in the middle, a bit higher. These are the areas Dennis will pass by, and you'll have to toggle the red lever every time when he's save (obviously you can also guess the timing, but it's harder). Make sure you have an idea of where he will go, then use the red lever to release Dennis. Immediately switch the saw back on once he's past it. When he enters the screen with Skully, make sure to toggle the lever again as soon as he's save. Watch how he reaches the goal. Don't panic, and make sure not to randomly switch the yellow lever back, as there is a yellow saw that will pop out if you show the area that seemingly conveniently shows where Dennis is.

## Trivia

* The level's name references the expression "peek-a-boo" and the fact that the robots explode when hit due to not being seen by the player.
* The setting of the level in a dark surveillance office is a nod at the horror game series Five Nights at Freddy's.
* The lava pit department the announcer mentions on starting this level for the first time is never seen in-game.
* A similar mechanic where a lever enables or disables another lever appears in level 16, Kingdom Harms.