With the internet and modern game design, few games would ever consider having a hint line these days. There's just no need to have a dedicated line for players to get help with a game when, within seconds, they can look up countless FAQs, YouTube videos, and get help from in-game systems designed to guide and help them along the way.

So, why did Paul Franzen, developer of The Beard in the Mirror, choose to run a hint hotline for his game"

"It's a callback to the old 900-numbers you used to be able to call if you were stuck in a Sierra or LucasArts game." says Franzen.

As a nod to classic gaming, and the roots of it that run deep through the game he spent years working on, a hint line was perfect for the game. It was also something that put a smile on its developer's face, completing the retro point & click package he wished to make.
"The trappings of old adventure games make me so happy. The big boxes they used to come in; the code wheels. The fake newspaper clippings and notebooks you'd have to reference if you wanted to actually understand the story. I wasn't able to release the game on 16 floppy disks like I'd wanted, or include a free beard comb with every copy, but this" This was easy."

Counselor's Corner

The Beard in the Mirror is a retro-inspired point & click game about a young man who's trapped in a mundane job and a mundane life until a mysterious woman takes him to a magical world of item combinations and cryptic...