“Dark Carnival”: How to complete the Mini-Games in the Event

As you progress through the first chapter of the “Dark Carnival,” you'll encounter two mini-games located in the first area, called “The Prison Car.” First, you'll have to play “Pick the Lock” and later you'll come across “Boot Breaker”.

Key features and tips for completing “Pick the Lock”:

In “Pick the Lock” you must click the left mouse button at the right time when the rotating lock pick passes through the bar highlighted in yellow or blue. To advance to the next level of the event, you must score 6,000 points. Upon reaching 12,000 and 18,000 points, the player will receive 3 and 5 random carnival tickets, respectively, and 24,000 points will earn you a unique Slark emoji.

• Hitting the yellow bar grants you 1,000 points.
• Hitting the blue bar extends the timer by 1.5 seconds.
• Initially, the lock pick moves clockwise. The direction will change after each hit on a bonus bar.
• You can speed up the lock pick by holding down the right mouse button.
• It’s important not to speed up the lock pick constantly and without reason, since a bonus bar might appear very close to it and you won’t have time to react.
• You should only use the speed boost if you can already see the bonus bar you’re heading toward.
• If you click the left mouse button at the wrong time and miss the bonus bar, the lock pick will slow down, and the ability to “pick” will be temporarily disabled.

Key Features and Tips for Beating “Boot Breaker”

The “Boot Breaker” mini-game is an Arkanoid-style game. The classic ball found in similar games — which you must bounce off a moving platform — has been replaced with a boot in this Dota-themed arcade variation. The goal of the game is to destroy obstacles and advance to the next level by knocking the boot out of the play area at the top of the screen. To advance to the next level of the event, you only need to score 1,000 points — a feat achievable as early as the first level. Upon scoring 10,000 and 20,000 points, the player will receive 3 and 5 random carnival tickets, respectively.

The mini-game features several types of obstacle blocks:

• Wooden blocks are destroyed with a single hit;
• Stone blocks must be hit twice to be destroyed;
• Metal blocks cannot be destroyed at all;
• Gold blocks are destroyed with a single hit and are worth 50 points;
• Green blocks are also destroyed with one hit and grant an extra life.

Destroying wooden and stone blocks awards 5 points, and completing a level awards 500 points.

• When moving to a new level, the platform will be in the same spot where it was at the end of the previous level.
• If you move the platform from one end of the play area to the other by holding down a control key, it will speed up significantly, which may distract you.
• Initially, the player has three boots, meaning three lives. You can replenish them by destroying green blocks, but they won’t appear in levels if you already have the maximum number of boots (3).
• The boot’s flight speed will increase if you stay on a level for a long time. The speed will reset if you drop the boot.
• The boot’s speed also depends on frames per second (FPS), which is likely a bug. At high FPS values, the boot will move extremely fast. You can limit the FPS in the game client using the console command "fps_max_ui 30" (you can find out how to enable the console in Dota 2 here).

There are no mini-games in the second location of Chapter 1, titled “The Smelting Car.” Additional rooms can be unlocked by purchasing the “Secret Rooms Pack” from the event shop.

In the second chapter, you’ll encounter the “Blimp Jump” mini-game in “The Blimp” location and “Automaton Assembly” in “The Storage Car”.

Key Features and Tips for Playing “Blimp Jump”

The “Blimp Jump” mini-game is modeled after the mobile game Doodle Jump. You need to climb higher by jumping on platforms and dodging enemies and dangerous areas (spikes on the platforms). Once you reach the blimp, Endless Mode unlocks, where you can exchange your earned points for carnival tickets (2 for 10,000 points and 3 for 20,000 points), as well as a unique emoji for 30,000 points.

• There are three types of platforms in the mini-game: static green ones (horizontal and vertical), moving blue ones, and small clouds that disappear when you push off them, as well as balloons that push you away no matter which side you touch them from.
• You can defeat enemies by jumping on top of them or using a weapon (by pressing the “up” arrow or the “W” key on your keyboard).
• If you land on a spike or touch an enemy from below or from the side, you lose.
• You’ll also encounter power-ups: springs, trampolines, and fireworks that will launch you to a considerable height (enemies pose no threat while you’re under the effect of fireworks).
• A unique feature of the game is the ability to cross the edge of the play area on the left or right. Doing so will transport you to the opposite side.
• You can make the mini-game easier by using the console command "host_timescale 0.5" (any value less than “1” will slow down the game — you can also use other values, such as 0.3 or 0.7). For this command to work, you must first enter the command "sv_cheats 1" in the console.

Key Features and Tips for Playing “Automaton Assembly”

“Automaton Assembly” is one of the simplest mini-games in the first two chapters of the event. The main objective is to help Tinker catch falling crates containing automaton parts, stack them into tall piles, and transport them to the assemblers. The challenge lies in switching between two tracks. Additionally, over time, you’ll encounter bombs that blow up the crates and barrels that slow down the platform. To advance to the next level of the event, you only need to score 1,500 points — a goal you can achieve as early as the first level. Upon reaching 8,000 and 25,000 points, the player will receive 2 and 3 random carnival tickets, respectively.

• Each crate caught and transported to the assemblers is worth 100, 150, or 200 points, depending on its shape;
• By submitting a tall stack of crates, you’ll multiply your score;
• The platform has a health bar, which is displayed at the bottom. Health is lost when you drop boxes — including from a bomb explosion — but bombs do not damage the platform itself;
• You can avoid bombs by catching a box with a defense matrix. You may also encounter boxes that grant additional health;
• Bombs, like crates, are colored to match the track they fall on;
• You can also make the mini-game easier using the host_timescale console command.

Earlier, CyberScore presented an overview of the “Dark Carnival” chapters, detailing what is known about the event as well as what players can expect in the future.