I know there’s a walkthrough provided with this game but I thought I’d see if I can get a hint first to avoid spoiling too much too soon.
As far as I can tell I’ve essentially solved only one puzzle (finding the key for the sauna in the Mayor’s office) and I’m now stuck with lots of things to potentially interact with but no overarching goal. I assume that I’m supposed to get past the guards in the basement into the shelter, but I can’t find any way to interact with them or otherwise hint as to how I might accomplish that.
Inventory
You’re carrying a box of tea, a logbook, an oil canister (which is empty), a rusty key, a cup (which contains Earl Grey tea) and a City Hall.
(The City Hall in the first location is portable, although I assume it’s not supposed to be.)
Hm, okay, hinting for this game is harder because there’s no in-game signposting to point you to, but I’ll give it a try.
Here’s a specific “next step” hint: an interaction with something in the sauna will yield another piece of the overall puzzle.
Here’s an overall hint: making the right cup of tea is the key.
And here’s a warning, sort of: there is a late-game sequence of actions that you need to take in the Register Office; these actions are more or less random and have no clear effect or story purpose, but the order in which you do them determines whether you can progress, and there isn’t any confirmation of whether you’ve done it right or wrong. It involves the cup of tea (which must contain all required ingredients) and the computer & scanner. I don’t think this one is really solvable without the walkthrough or systemically attempting sequences of the 4 required actions.