The Secrets of UBEK
- for those who don’t feel like solving puzzles on their own...The following text is a copy of my webpage about UBEK, created around the year 2000, so it refers to the only existing version at that time—the Amiga version. However, almost everything still works the same way, except that nobody plays on a keyboard without a mouse anymore :P
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UBEK is a rather easy game. Don’t protest—if you played and didn’t succeed, you probably didn’t approach it the right way.
● First - "savegame" - You can save the game at any moment (strangely enough, I haven't seen any other 3D game on Amiga that allows this). This makes gameplay more comfortable, and you can even cheat a bit—saving the game every moment and reloading in case of the slightest mistake. Besides, even if you haven’t saved, you can always restart from the beginning of the current level (if you die, you don’t start over from scratch).
● Second - crosshair - It’s easier to hit enemies using a mouse-controlled crosshair than aiming with the keyboard. Thanks to the crosshair, you can shoot in directions other than straight ahead. Of course, if you don’t like using the mouse, you can disable the crosshair.
● Third - think! - Some levels can be completed by brute force—just rushing forward without worrying about your health. Others can be done smartly, minimizing energy loss. It’s up to you which approach you take!
The entire game can be completed without cheating (if you know how, but that shouldn’t be a problem for hardcore players...).
And now, some tips:
Level 1 - Front Yard Garden
Our hero has been given a mission: sabotage an American power plant. He doesn’t yet know it’s a trap, so he eagerly sets off. This level is just training. A few guards wandering around aren’t much of a threat. Your goal is to enter the building, but you won’t get in through the door! Find the basement window—this will complete the first level. The easiest way to find it is by following the left wall all the way.Level 2 - Basement
The second level is only slightly harder. The action takes place in a basement, and your goal is to exit. Unfortunately, the exit is blocked by an electric barrier (a blue glowing thing). Exploring the basement, you’ll find a lever that disables the barrier for a few seconds. Since that’s not enough time to escape, you need to clear a shortcut by blowing up a pile of rocks with a mine (mines can be moved—don’t worry, they won’t explode!).Level 3 - Office Building
According to the scenario, there are doors that cannot be bypassed—you need to enter a code into the security system computer (what kind of computer? An Amiga, of course).Unfortunately, the code is different every time, so I can’t give it to you here. You’ll have to search every room thoroughly, but if you’re patient—you’ll find it!
(Of course, you can try guessing: 5 digits (1-9) means only 59,049 combinations).
The code is entered using the keyboard, which grants access to the computer, allowing you to control doors throughout the building, view the map, etc. Pressing H brings up the help screen (explaining which keys do what). But why am I even writing this—surely you know how to use a computer?
Level 4 - Factory Hall
On this level, you again need to open doors using a computer, but first, you must bring it a floppy disk (it’s an Amiga 500 512K without an HDD).Many people die on this level under the deadly gaze of snipers. To end this senseless slaughter, here are two tips:
● You can shoot a sniper with a rifle if you fire quickly when his gun flashes (for the fast players).
● You can brutally knock him down with a grenade (for the cautious ones who brought grenades).
This level loses all meaning if you use the immortality cheat—it just turns into a shooting spree.
Level 5 - Road to the Reactor
This level marks the end of the preliminary phase—our agent's journey to the reactor (the sabotage target). The area is covered in barbed wire, and guards and snipers on watchtowers shoot as if they’re getting paid for it… It seems like the end…But on this level, you can find a car, and life will get easier! The car is, of course, an off-road vehicle that allows you to drive over the barbed wire. Additionally, it increases your resistance to bullets, and enemies miss more often (if you drive fast).
But how do you find this technological marvel? It’s parked near your starting point, behind a false wall. For convenience, the wall occasionally opens and closes. Just listen carefully, and you’ll find it!
WARNING! You can brute-force through this level by injuring your legs on the barbed wire and ducking under sniper fire (I tested it!), but there’s no fun in that...
Level 6 - Nuclear Reactor
The finale? That’s what UBEK thought when he entered the reactor building...Unfortunately, things turned out to be more complicated (otherwise, there wouldn’t be levels 7-18).
It’s actually a simple level, but you need to notice a certain detail and use it to your advantage. So, what do we have here:
● An electric barrier - we know this trick, flip the switch, and go through.
● Locked doors - no problem, find the key and proceed.
● Another set of locked doors - the second key is in a package hanging on a hook.
● Now it gets tricky: a certain guy is patrolling back and forth, and you can’t approach him without taking damage. There’s also a control room with screens showing camera footage, and a lever that activates a crane...
The trick? One of the screens shows the patrolling guy walking past the crane. Now you know what to do—activate the crane at the right moment, and he’ll end up hanging on the hook—without even holding on!
The level ends when you walk under the hanging man and activate the self-destruct sequence. The power plant explodes, and you feel accomplished! But it turns out your mission had a second objective—to frame you in a spy scandal...
Level 7 - Castaway at Sea
The explosion throws you into the sea. And like in every movie and game, the ocean is full of bloodthirsty sharks. On top of that, you’ve lost all your weapons and only have a knife left. Our hero, weakened from recent events, might struggle. But surely, you’ll find a helping hand from the ship MS.FIDEL!Level 8 - Base in Cuba
Welcome to the island of the sun! Unfortunately, the locals think you’re a spy, and you’ve been arrested. The guard has a weapon, and you don’t. What can you do? It’s simple: push a rock toward the guard, and like an idiot, he’ll trip and hurt himself. Now take his gun and key! The rest of the level is straightforward—find the key to the secret gate (marked BHOD "entry").WARNING! You can find a FORK on this level—it will be very useful later. With it, you can eat the corpses of various animals, such as pigs.
Level 9 - Underground Base
After diving into the dark corridors, you realize this stage isn’t that difficult. But how do you open those THE OTHER doors? The secret is held by the CHIEF SCIENTIST (if you read the texts, you’ll find him easily). Unfortunately, the guy won’t betray the reds. You’ll have to deal with him with "Fire and Sword." First, kill him, and then... burn him! In the ashes, you’ll find a floppy disk that grants access to the computer (Soviet floppy disks—200% Error Free). How do you burn the body? If you haven’t figured it out yet, try moving the trash can there and shooting it.
Level 10 - UFO in Cuba
There’s only one small trick on this level—the electric barrier. Of course, as a seasoned agent, you’ll easily find the lever that turns off the power, but that doesn’t help—the barrier reactivates before you can get through! Well, if you can’t slow down the barrier, you can speed yourself up—drive the car (it’s behind a locked door). Already made it through? Now quickly head to the damaged spaceship, and you’ll be safe for a while.
Level 11 - In the Alien Ship
It’s nice to walk around a spaceship—all the aliens are dead, and the Cubans are stuck behind doors. However, whether out of boredom or hunger, Ubek decides to escape. It turned out to be surprisingly easy: he found the hyperspace teleportation coordinates in the galactic database for the planet the ship came from, and the teleporter safely sent him to the other side of the galaxy. How did he know which planet it was? Well, he immediately realized that the strange emblems on the walls were the symbol of the aliens’ homeland.
Level 12 - Alien Planet
First contact with an alien civilization, and it’s war right away! Well, it’s not our fault—self-defense means we have to shoot. While exploring the alien outpost, I recommend grabbing one of their weapons (a neat little laser gun). # Level 13 - Fire and Water
This is quite a fun level—you can do some shooting and stock up on energy. Remember to eat the green monsters after killing them. What? You forgot your fork? Your loss... Once everyone is either eaten or dead, you can focus on moving forward. It’s pretty simple. Using the switch in the rock, you can turn FIRE or WATER on and off. Here’s the plan:
- Turn on the water.
- Walk along the path next to the waterfalls and place mines along it.
- Turn on the fire—now instead of waterfalls, there are fireballs.
- Detonate the mines by shooting something at them (don’t stand too close!).
If you do it right, the flames will be blown away, and you can pass. The exit is where the waterfall used to be.
WARNING! There’s a known case where someone brute-forced their way through the fire. The guy was left with only 1% energy, but hey, he solved the problem!
Level 14 - Cave Labyrinth
There’s "a bit" of shooting here. However, by cleverly using your weapons (rockets, mines, and conventional firearms), you can beat this level. The only issue a less experienced player (certainly not you!) might face is the missing key. You can even see the key from a distance, but a barrier prevents you from reaching it. You need to use the teleporter (those green howling things). Of course, the teleporter is activated by a lever beforehand. Easy as pie!
Level 15 - Bridge over the Crater
This level is pretty linear, but that’s just the nature of bridges. Just keep moving forward and shooting! As usual, there’s one key missing at the end. This time, you have to kill an alien and take his vehicle. Now you can drive over the burning lava and reach the key.
Level 16 - Island in the Volcano
Here, phantoms play a key role, just like on previous levels. (As everyone knows, to kill a phantom, you must destroy its generator.) On this level, you’ll have the honor of generating phantoms yourself! But first, you need to find the device used for this.
Playing with phantoms will be necessary to trick the MISSILE LAUNCHER, which is otherwise indestructible. The launcher is dumb enough to fire at your illusion instead of you (unless you’re closer!). Using this trick, you can cleverly lure the missiles away from yourself.
Another way is to make the launcher destroy itself.
Level 17 - The Tower
Once again, there’s a missing key—this time for the elevator. And when you finally find it (remember, some corridors are longer than they seem), you realize you can’t get past the barrier because the switch is on the other side! But don’t worry—maybe someone else can do it for you (like your phantom).
Once you have the key, head straight to the elevator and up to the roof, where a vehicle is waiting to take you home—or into a crowd of soldiers.
Which option you choose is up to you...
Level 18 - Revenge
Well, you didn’t think I’d reveal everything, did you? Since this is the final level, here are just a few hints: - You need to unlock two doors with keys.
- Keys may be hidden in secret wall compartments.
- Remember safety protocols when using electrical tools.
- SUPERHOG is a truly bloodthirsty pig—be careful!
