Where's The Cheat? (game)

From Homestar Runner Wiki

This article is about the game. For the toon, see Where's The Cheat?.

Where's The Cheat? (stylized as Where's The C.H.E.A.T. on the title screen) is a Videlectrix game designed for play with a DVD remote. Use the arrow buttons to journey through a 3-D maze on the inside of your TV! Guide Strong Bad as he searches for The Cheat, encountering other characters and even a monstrous enemy.

Cast: (in order of appearance) The Cheat, Strong Bad, Strong Mad, Homsar (Easter egg), Bubs, Atari Dragon

DVD Exclusive: Everything Else, Volume 3

Contents 1 Gameplay 1.1 Guide 1.1.1 Walkthrough 2 Fun Facts 2.1 Inside References 2.2 Real-World References

Gameplay

The player navigates Strong Bad through a series of rooms by pressing the directional buttons on the DVD remote. The game is a maze, as represented by the grid below; the colors of the map match the colors of the walls in each section. Upon entering a room, Strong Bad is always facing north, regardless of the direction he came from.

One point is awarded for finding the key and one point is awarded for finding the big knife, both of which are necessary in order to complete the game.

Guide

C1   C2   C3     B1   B2   B3   B4   A1   A2   A3

A1 — Strong Bad's starting point. There are no characters or items here.

A2 — There are no characters or items here.

A3 — A key is located here. The first time you go to this section, the game will display "YOU GOT: A KEY!"

B1 — Strong Mad is in this room.

• If you do not have the key, the game will display "STRONG MAD SAYS: GET A KEY!!"
• If you do have the key, the game will display "STRONG MAD SAYS: GET A... NEVERMIND!!"

B2 — A locked door blocks progress to the north.

• If you have the key, the door can be unlocked by moving up. The game will display "YOU UNLOCK: A DOOR!!" as Strong Bad moves into room C2. Once you have passed through the door, you cannot backtrack to A1-A3 or B1-B2; returning to these sections is not necessary to complete the game.

B3 — A big knife is located here. The first time you go to this section, the game will display "YOU GOT: A BIG KNIFE!"

B4 — This hidden room is reachable from section B3 by pressing right, even though there is no visible doorway leading that direction. When entering , the game will display a large question mark with the message "YOU FOUND: A SECRET STYLE!" before revealing Homsar. Once he appears, he declares "AAAH'M A LONG-STANDING MUnch date." in his normal voice. The game will then display "HOMSAR SAYS: MUNCH DATE?!"

C1 — An Atari Dragon lies in wait.

• If you do not have the big knife, the game will display "YOU GOT: EATEN BY A FREAKIN DUCK!" An animation will then appear showing Strong Bad being chased by an Atari Dragon, after which the game will display "GAME OVER" and you will be taken back to the Bonus menu of the DVD.
• If you do have the big knife, the game will display "YOU KILLED: A FREAKIN DUCK!" An animation will then appear showing Strong Bad with a big knife chasing an Atari Dragon, after which the game will show Strong Bad walking through a black-walled corridor that leads to The Cheat. Strong Bad will begin to repeatedly kick The Cheat while the game displays "YOU WIN!"

C2 — There are no characters or items here.

C3 — Bubs is in this room.

• If you do not have the big knife, the game will display "BUBS SAYS: ALWAYS BE PREPARED!"
• If you do have the big knife, the game will display "BUBS SAYS: NICE BLADE MAN!"

Walkthrough

The quickest way to complete the game is as follows: A1 → A2 → A3 ← A2 ↑ B2 ↑ C2 → C3 ↓ B3 ↑ C3 ← C2 ← C1

Fun Facts

Original "C.H.E.A.T." screen

DVD game title screen

Inside References

• Strong Bad can arm himself with a big knife.
• The oft-used term Style appears in the game narration.
• The Atari Dragon was previously described as a "freakin' duck" by Strong Bad in Main Page 13.
• Homsar says that he is a "munch date", which is probably a reference to Marshie thinking of "munch" as a meal, as seen in Meet Marshie.
• Strong Bad kicks The Cheat after finding him.

Real-World References

• The title screen parodies the Atari 2600 game E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which featured a memorably detailed title screen. The parody does not extend to the gameplay, which is completely different from E.T..
  • E.T.s title screen was previously parodied as C.H.E.A.T., shown in an Easter egg in trading cards; the illustration and acronym were repurposed for this game.
  • E.T. and both C.H.E.A.T. games are copyrighted 1982, a frequently-referenced year.
• The "freakin duck" is actually the yellow dragon Yorgle from the Atari game Adventure.
• Strong Mad's M resembles the McDonald's arch.

Videlectrix Games
Games Menu	50K Racewalker, Awexome Cross, Duck Guardian One, Hallrunner, Kid Speedy, Peasant's Quest, Pigs on Head, Population: Tire, RhinoFeeder, Secret Collect., Stinkoman 20X6, StrongBadZone, TROGDOR!, Thy Dungeonman, Thy Dungeonman 2, Thy Dungeonman 3, Where's an Egg?
SBCG4AP	Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Homestar Ruiner (Snake Boxer 5), Strong Badia the Free (Math Kickers), Baddest of the Bands (Limozeen's Hot Babelien Odyssey), Dangeresque 3: The Criminal Projective (Space Circus Catastrophe), 8-Bit is Enough (Gel-Arshie's Pro Fruitboarder)
itch.io	Dangeresque: The Roomisode Triungulate (Behind the Dangerdesque; The Intersection of Doom & Boom (Rig Rug); Keep My Enemies, Loser; Inspection Certificate on File in Building Office), Halloween Hide & Seek, Marzipan Beef Reverser, Trogday Micro Game (Burninate the Barnyard)
Other	Duck Pond, Where's The C.H.E.A.T.
Non-playable	Butcher Bros., C.H.E.A.T., Cheat Commandos Tactics, Duck Guardian 2, Fluffy Puff Mayonnaise Game, Halfathlon, King Dingo, Lewis Rudkin SX: england, Planet Alert!, QWERTY, Rabbit Algebra, Salad Daze, Shploitz!, Spaceshipper, Spirits of '76, Sundae Drivin', Trogdor: Let's Burninate Phonics
See Also	Videlectrix Guys, Videlectrix Mascot, videlectrix.itch.io, videlectrix.com, Viidelectrix