A general guide to help you complete the game.
A guide to the basics
Introduction
Just thought I’d make a quick guide to help anyone having trouble getting through the game. I will share everything I learned and some good strategies I used in my play.
I’ll go over the entities, every hour, and some secrets.
Institutions
First, I’ll go over both entities, and how to properly deal with them. The game gives basic instructions on how to get rid of them, but there are things you should know before trying later.
Note: I honestly don’t know if the two entities have names, and if they have been confirmed I haven’t seen them.
Window entity
This entity will only try to enter your home using one of two doors or windows. If you hear the sound of light outside the house, you can tell when it is produced. I’m not entirely sure, but the direction of the lightning seems to indicate where it is. Keep in mind that this isn’t where you hear the sound, but I always seemed to find it near the sound of lightning. I know it sounds confusing but if you look it up you’ll know what I mean. There’s also a distinctive noise you can hear when you’re at the entrance, so listen closely. It will knock on the window if it reaches a certain point of opening it.
When the entity appears at your windows/doors it will try to open it (as entities do), and to get rid of it you can do one of two things:
- Press E (or M1) on the window or door and follow the key prompt to close the entry point. This will send the entity away for a while.
- Lock the entry point with a security lock. Keep in mind that the generator must be turned on before you can try it.
A good trick when you have time is to place the entity on the window or door and power the lock. I recommend doing this only if the window or door is more than halfway closed. I recommend taking the lock to 90% and then if you have a specific task you need to do (more on that later.).
In short: listen for lightning, and start looking around every window and door.
vent entity
- This entity will try to enter your home through a vent in the roof. It has a very specific mechanic, and it took me a while to figure it out. Basically it will spread over a vent in the house. You’ll hear a voice indicating this, so be ready to move. There are two sounds you need to listen for, so get tired.
- To deal with this entity, your goal is to find the right path and close it. Closing the vent will not remove it immediately. It will crawl all the way down until it comes into contact with the vent itself. When it does this, the entity will make the same sound as it leaves, so be sure to pay close attention.
- I used to believe that closing a vent would stop it from spreading there completely, but it doesn’t. I recommend not closing a vent at the beginning of the hour until you know which vent it is in.
in short: Listen for the initial spawning sound, and find the correct vent and close it. Listen to the same sound again (for clarity, that means it’s gone.) Then repeat.
Explanation of each hour
Here I will explain my general strategy and how I went through the game.
Hour 1
- Not much to say here, as it’s mostly self-explanatory. Look for breakers that pop up in random places in the house, and flip them. Remember the numbers and their corresponding colors (or write them down if you prefer) and place the code in the generator room. Remember to listen for lightning, as this will indicate when a window has been created.
Hour 2
- Basically the same as last hour, but a little faster. I highly recommend powering the door locks first, as they are out of the way of entry. After that I usually go for the kitchen window.
Hour 3
- At this hour, the window entity will make its appearance, so be sure to listen closely for the sound of the vent as it moves. Find the right path and close it immediately, and then go about your business while listening to the same sound. Note that it makes the same sound when it leaves as it does when it appears. Also keep an eye on windows and doors.
Hour 4
- Find breakers, enter codes, power up locks and listen to everyone. You know, the usual. I should also mention that this watch has a new mechanic: sleep.
- Just move your mouse and you will wake up.
- It happens every time, and there is no way to avoid it. Just be prepared for it to happen and you’ll be fine.
Hour 5
- This hour is similar to the last one, except the window entity will appear along with the start of the vent entity, so get tired. As you power up each lock, your screen will get darker, and harder to hear, so stay focused.
End + Secret
Do I really have to put a spoiler warning here?
Bad ending
You won’t need to do anything special to get this ending, as it’s just a 5 hour ending. Just answer the door.
The Good Ending
After returning to the menu, you should have received a message that something has been changed in Hour 4. Go to the Hours menu and select Hour 4.
Now… you may have noticed that one of the kitchen cupboards had a small lock on it. You just need to find the key. You’ll need to find it during the hour, but don’t worry, because I’m almost 100% sure that the key location only spawns in one place. It’s the bottom left drawer of the TV. I recommend capturing the generator before turning it on, but keep in mind that the window entity will still expand before you turn the generator on. Now go and open the cabinet in the kitchen, and complete the hour. Do not answer the phone when it rings. Instead, go into the kitchen and turn off the switch inside. The phone should stop ringing, and you can go and sit in the generator room. You should get a screen that says “Go to hour 6?”
This will also open Hour 6 in the menu.
Hour 6 is very similar to Hour 5, except you’ll need to retrieve three items: a lighter, gasoline, and a walkie-talkie. Listen very carefully to the person on the phone, and you’ll be fine.
Treat this hour like hour 5, but keep in mind the items you need to collect.
I recommend getting all powerlocks to green, or getting them to 99% and then closing one at a time after collecting an item. This will give you time to listen to the phone, and gather what you need. Keep in mind that when talking to a person on the phone, it seems to stop the diffusion of entities, but if the person has already spawned before you start talking, they will continue their attempt to enter. .
After collecting all three items, listen to the instructions, and head to the TV to see the map. In the same room, you have to cover yourself in gasoline, and use a lighter. After that you have to immediately run out to the lake. Finding the lake was surprisingly difficult, because you think you just need to run straight ahead, but you actually have to run a bit to the right to reach the river. Watch out for the entity and shout when it gets too close.
Then you’re done!