Pools: Welcome to your LSAT (Liminal Space Achievement Tutorial)

“POOLS” is a 1985 action-roguelike/dating sim by Peter Molyneux. In this game, you traverse through six stages with the goal of, uh… erm… traversing through six stages.

With the game being as cryptic and uncanny as it is, there are naturally plenty of secrets to be found, and players have naturally struggled to uncover those secrets. After playing through the levels multiple times, prowling the discussion boards, and testing a few ideas myself, I’m confident I can provide advice for… most of the achievements in this game. So, that’s what I’m going to do.

Before we start, lemme say a few things to avoid ruining the intrigue of this game for people. All jokes aside, this guide is overflowing with spoilers. If you’re interested in the achievements but would rather receive subtle hints than outright solutions, this isn’t the place for you. Instead, I recommend peeking at a few of the discussion posts for this game, especially this one. The first few messages in this thread contain chapter locations and clues from several players, including one of the devs.

Also, please give this game a blind playthrough before using any guides or resources. It’s worth it. I’m going to structure my advice around the assumption that you kind of know where you’re going, so there won’t be any detailed maps or step-by-step instructions on where to go (not that I’m talented enough to provide those).

The achievements in this game are chapter-specific, so of course, let’s start with Chapter 1.

#1
Chapter #1 Completed

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Every chapter has an achievement like this. I’ll be posting them here for the sake of leaving no stone unturned.

Not Afraid of the Dark
Heard the ominous bellowing

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This one’s fun if you are, in fact, afraid of the dark. The quickest way to get here is to take the alternate path at the start of the level and then take a left in the room with a large round pillar (the illuminated archway). If you get lost, don’t sweat it. Keep exploring until you reach a rectangular room with multiple ways to go. Take the path closest to the white archways to make it back to this room:

You see the hole that looks like death? Yeah, that hole. Walk in there. All the way to the back. Stand still until your vision shakes and a howling noise plays. After that awful experience, you should get the achievement.

#2
Chapter #2 Completed

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Alright, there’s a lot to unpack here. This chapter contains the most achievements in the game, split across multiple branching paths. Thankfully, navigation here is made easier in the form of markers shaped like triangles and circles. After working through the start of the level, you’ll find yourself in this round chamber, which you should treat as your central hub.

Both paths end in a drop into a room with a large spiral staircase. Do not drop down until I tell you, since you can’t go back. For now, head down the circle path (the one on the right), since we’ll find two achievements there.

Whisper In The Dark
Did you hear that?

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If you have a better memory than a goldfish, you’ll remember doing something similar to this in the previous chapter. You’ll find this wide staircase into nothingness on the circle path. It connects to two areas, one containing a twisting set of ramps and the other containing a hallway filled with water and two chairs. If you find either of those areas, you’re on the right track.

Once you find the staircase, march fearlessly into the void and you should hear a whispering sound right away. You’ll get the achievement soon after. You can continue walking down the stairs if you wish to meet an untimely fate, but it’s not necessary.

Anatidaephobia
Made close contact with the residents of a dark place

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Anatidaephobia is the fear that a duck could be watching you at any time or place. The hint here is pretty obvious, but this achievement is surprisingly annoying since there are several areas with rubber ducks in this chapter. Even more annoyingly, the correct place has a chance not to spawn the ducks at all.

If you’ve just done “Whisper In The Dark,” you can get here quite easily. Head down the path that leads to the water-filled hallway with chairs. Continue down the hall and you’ll find yourself in a dark area with round pillars. I adjusted the gamma in the image to make it clearer; it’s much darker in the game.

Now, if you’re lucky, you’ll find a few large rubber ducks in the area. Give one of them your best football tackle for the achievement. If the ducks didn’t spawn, you’ll have to restart the level and come back here. From my testing, the ducks will not spawn if you exit the level and resume where you left off. You need to start the level from the beginning and make your way here without quitting to the menu. I’ve never had to reset more than once to make the ducks spawn, but there’s a chance you might have to.

Art Appreciator
Restored a layer of the scattered art piece

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Art Connoisseur
Restored all layers of the scattered art piece and greeted a newborn being

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Alright, here’s where things get doubly cryptic. Throughout all of Chapter 2, there are five rings hidden on various surfaces. Focusing your view on a ring causes it to shake and fade away, adding it to the “scattered art piece.” The scattered art piece is past the spiral staircase, but all of the rings are found before it. Don’t drop down until you have all of them.

Like any good achievement, your ring progress doesn’t save if you exit the level. Do not restart or quit to the menu until you collect all of the rings AND view the art piece at the end.

You’ll find two rings on the circle path and three on the triangle path. Since we’re already on the circle path, let’s start with those rings.

If you’re still in the area for “Anatidaephobia,” then navigate through there to the statue of a person holding a box. Continue down the path through a locker room until you’re in a large area with an orange slide in the middle. You’ll find Ring #1 on the side of an alcove in this area, the one leading to a slit in the wall.

Turn back and make your way to the twisting ramp I mentioned near the “Whisper In The Dark” area. Walk partway up and look down at the ramp leading into the water. Ring #2 is hidden between the beam above the ramp and the water.

Now, return to the central hub with the circular pool in the middle. Remember, you have to walk back here from where you are. Don’t reload the level. Head down the triangle path and take the first right. Turn around; Ring #3 is on the opposite side of the archway you just walked through.

Ring #4 is a pain in the ass. Continue through the triangle path to the room with a huge red slide around a spiral staircase (not the drop-off staircase). Both archways on the right will lead you to a water-filled area with a grid of large round tunnels. Make your way to the middle of the grid; the ring will be beneath the water in a square alcove. This ring is very easy to miss or look at by accident. Try staring up while you approach it and then look down so you can confirm you collected it. Otherwise, if it’s not there, you should assume you collected it, unless you think you’re in the wrong alcove.

Finally, for Ring #5, go through the triangle path until you make it to a striking room with a swing suspended above the water. The ring is on the ceiling, tucked behind a round pillar on the left.

Now that you’ve collected all five rings, you have my permission to drop into the room with the spiral staircase. Go down to the water and you’ll (hopefully) find the finished art piece on the wall near two large rubber ducks. Look right at the Looney Tunes circle and claim your prize, and your achievement.

#3
Chapter #3 Completed

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Thankfully, there’s nothing else in the game as complex as “Art Connoisseur,” so we can take it easy from here on out. The next three chapters have one miscellaneous achievement apiece, and the achievement for Chapter 3 occurs close to the end.

On Your Own Lane
You don’t follow the most obvious path

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The area for this achievement is impossible to miss. It’s on a linear path, just after the hallway filled with mannequins (I hate that I had to walk through here twice for this guide). The hall leads to a large bright room with three pathways that curve up the wall. To get the achievement, simply walk down the left or right path, not the middle one.

#4
Chapter #4 Completed

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This stage is quite easy to get lost in, but the extra achievement here happens to be one of the quickest. And, in case you miss it, I have a surefire way to make it occur for you.

I Said, Look Behind You
Caught a glimpse of a timid being

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This freaky fella appears in the dark areas of Chapter 4 if you flick your camera behind you. He only appears for a second before sinking into the floor, but that’s all the time you need for the achievement to pop. There’s a fair chance you might get this achievement randomly while playing the level; I got it when I was barging into the washroom stalls.

Now, I had a Bigfoot moment when I tried to get a picture of this dude. He appeared once when I wasn’t prepared, and then I spent 20 minutes trying to get him to spawn again. However, in my efforts, I found a way to guarantee the achievement.

Here’s the method: restart the level and get through the sauna, just past the steaming doorway. Quit out of the level, and then close the game. Now, reload the game and reenter Chapter 4. Walk to the end of the hallway, shortly after entering the water, and then turn around. If you don’t see him, walk a little further and try again.

This method worked five times in a row for me, returning to the steaming doorway each time, so it’s foolproof as far as I’m aware. If this doesn’t work for you, please let me know and I’ll update this guide to reflect that.

#5
Chapter #5 Completed

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There’s a high chance you won’t have to come back to this chapter, but in case you’re one of the unlucky ones, I’ve got your back.

Døds Diver
Performed a dive worthy of an award

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You can grab this achievement pretty close to the start of the level, past the left-most exit of the room with three slides. You’ll find a room with two pools and a brick staircase ascending through the middle. There are two diving boards at the top; take a running fall off the end of either one for your achievement.

I’m aware that there are a few other diving boards in the game, but these are the ones I used, and I can’t exactly test others since I already have the achievement. If you got the achievement with any other diving boards, please let me know.

#6
Chapter #6 Completed

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It’s been a hell of a ride! Unfortunately, as good as this final level is, the two extra achievements here might trap you here for longer than you were expecting.

Dripping With Style
Witnessed unfathomable elegance

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I’m sorry to say that this is the one achievement in the game I have no clue about. The goal is to find a rubber duck in a top hat and bow tie, and the location is already known. Just past the giant sauna, you’ll find yourself at a square staircase leading down. The duck has a chance to spawn in the second window you can look inside — the one below the window with the slide.

The problem, of course, is that no one knows how to make this idiot spawn. A lot of it is hindered by the fact that you can’t quit and resume Chapter 6 like any of the others; you will always start at the beginning of the stage when you load in.

After testing a handful of approaches, I’ve been led to believe that the duck’s chance of appearing is completely random, and the quickest way to make it spawn is to reload the stage over and over, making a beeline to the window and reloading again if it isn’t there. I would love to be proven wrong here; if anyone finds out more about this achievement, please let me know.

Error In Production
May contain small amounts of swimming toys

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This achievement wasn’t attainable until a recent update, but now it’s pretty straightforward as long as you know what to expect. The goal is to enter the factory room, where you’ll find a line of mannequins on moving hooks, and wait until one of the hooks contains a flamingo-shaped swimming tube.

Getting to the factory seems to be the hardest part for some people, which I can help with. Partway into Chapter 6, you’ll make it to a water-filled maze with pipes along the ceiling. This area leads to a giant chessboard, which is the way through the level, but it also leads to the factory. Keep exploring the maze until you find a path with an antique chair in the water. You’ll know you’re on the right track when you find a sheep lying on a couch (it’s not a joke this time, I swear).

When you make it to the factory, simply stand by the railing and wait. I saw three flamingos within a couple of minutes, so they’re not too uncommon. Once you spot one, follow it with your camera until the achievement pops!

Return to the sheep. Never leave its side.