The Search

The Search

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Walkthrough and 100% achievements guide (text with screenshots or text only)
By kris.aalst
The first part of this guide lists every step to take in order to finish the game and get all the achievements in one run, with screenshots to illustrate. The notes and other documents you need to examine for the 'Well Read' achievement, as well as the names of the nine achievements are in bold text so as to stand out a bit.

Next you'll find a short section pertaining only to the achievement 'Ticket Machine', as it's the least obvious achievement to get during a 'normal' run through the game.

Third, I made a section listing only all of the notes and documents you need to examine to get the 'Well Read' achievement.

Last, I posted a text-only version of the walkthrough so without the screenshots, for faster scrolling and easier searching. I did keep the 9 small screenshots of the achievements in that section though, again to be able to find them quickly. I kept the bold print for the notes and other documents you need to examine for the 'Well Read' achievement.

Don't forget about the search function (Ctrl + F). It will help you look for any key word or key phrase e.g. the name of an achievement.
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Start Zone
- Immediately go to the yellow machine you see in the distance. Important: on your way there, do not interact with any items like the lighter or the camera. You'll get to do that in a minute.



Pick up the ticket that's on top of the machine.



Picking up the ticket unlocks the achievement Price of Admission.



- Open the inventory and select the ticket. Then click on the slot of the machine to insert the ticket.

Alley
- Go forward until you reach the end of the alley, then turn left.



- Examine the bird cage. There's a ticket inside. Take it.





- Go to the other side of the alley until you hit a padlocked gate.



- Face this gate and turn right to see a door with a symbol on it.



- Click on the door to find the secret ticket machine.



This unlocks the achievement Ticket Machine.



- Open the inventory, select the ticket you found in the cage and insert it into the secret ticket machine. You're returned to the start zone.
Start Zone revisited
- Examine the note on the blue pedestal right in front of you.



- Go forward and pick up the lighter and the camera from the second and third pedestal you encounter.





- Go to the yellow machine. Open your inventory and use the ticket labeled 'Listen' on the machine's slot.

Alley revisited
- From the starting point, immediately turn right to see a note titled 'The process'. Examine it.





- Turn left so you're back in the starting position and go forward until you're at the door at the end of the alley.



- Turn left to face the blue bird cage. Examine it.



- You'll see a symbol of a camera in it. So open the inventory and use the camera on the camera symbol to take a photograph of the cage.





- Turn around and examine the barrel at No. 34.



- Take the canvas from the barrel.



- Go back to where you started and turn right towards No. 35 (it's across from No. 38). Examine the note on the door.





- Turn left to face the the tree with the sign with an arrow on it. Click to examine the tree. Pick up the paint jar. Examine the note underneath.







- At No. 38: examine the table with a white-and-blue table cloth on it, examine the blue chair at that table and then take the paintbrush from the chair.







- In inventory: examine the photo of the bird cage.

- In inventory: use the lighter on the photo of bird cage to get blue ashes.

- In inventory: use blue ashes with paint jar to get blue paint.

- In inventory: use paintbrush with blue paint to get a paintbrush with blue paint.

- Go towards the other side of the alley, where a gate with a padlock is blocking the way.



- Open inventory, select the canvas and use it on the padlocked gate.



- Open inventory and use paintbrush on the canvas.



This unlocks the achievement Painter.



- Go through the canvas and turn right. Examine the table with a white-and-blue table cloth on it to find the second ticket 'Rebirth'. Also make sure to examine the note next to the ticket.







- Use the ticket labeled 'Rebirth' on the slot of the yellow machine labeled 'Rebirth'.




House
- Turn left to find instruction note on table. Examine it.





- Continue forward a bit and turn left to find a note on a chair next to the 'Listen' machine.



- Turn around and go towards the table in front of the open window (the table between the 'Listen' machine and the 'Under construction' machine). Take the canvas. Then examine the note underneath.





- Turn right. You see a machine labeled 'Under construction'. There's a red paintbrush to the right of that machine. Take it.





- Turn right and take two steps forward. Turn left towards the machine labeled 'Deliver' (it has an 'out of order' sign on it). There's a ticket labeled 'Empty' in a bird cage right next to the 'Deliver' machine. Take it.





- Turn around and use ticket 'Empty' on yellow machine 'Empty'.



Cliffside
- Immediately in front of you is another spot to place a canvas, but you haven't got the right one yet. Turn around to see an instruction note on the wall. Examine it.



- Turn right and go forward and down the stairs.



- Examine the coffee table. Examine the note on the coffee table and use the camera on the cup on the coffee table to get a photo of the cup.







- In inventory: examine photo of cup.

- Go a bit further, towards the door, and find a green paintbrush in a flower pot.







- Go back upstairs and continue all the way towards the door marked 'L 3'.



- Turn left. Take the paint jar from a niche next to the ladder.





- In inventory: use lighter on photo to get green ashes.

- In inventory: use green ashes with paint jar to get green paint.

- In inventory: use green paintbrush with green paint to get a paintbrush with green paint.

- Turn around and use the paintbrush with green paint on the painting of a crowbar on the wall.





- Take the crowbar. This unlocks the achievement Iron Crow.



- Go back downstairs and turn left. Use the crowbar on the barred door. Open the door and take the green canvas that's behind it.









- This is the canvas we need upstairs, so go back upstairs and put the green canvas on the passageway through which you see a fallen tree.



- Open the inventory and use the paintbrush with green paint on the canvas.



- Step through the canvas and turn right to find a paint jar.







- Turn around. You see an axe in a tree stump and a note besides it. Examine the note.





- Turn right and continue forward, towards the yellow machine. Turn left to see a camera symbol on the broken rope bridge. Take a photo. It turns out to be a photo of a broken floor.







- In inventory: examine the photo of the broken floor.

- In inventory: use the lighter to burn the photo and get red ashes.

- In inventory: use the ashes with the paint jar to get red paint.

- In inventory: use the red paintbrush with red paint to get a paintbrush with red paint.

- Turn left and find ticket 'Rebirth' taped to the broken rope bridge.



- Use ticket 'Rebirth' with yellow machine 'Rebirth'.

House revisited
- Go through the doorway you see in front of you (on the right-hand side of the screen).



- Turn right. You'll see another doorway to place a canvas on.



- Go there, open the inventory and use the red canvas on the doorway.

- Use the paintbrush with red paint on the canvas.



- Go through the canvas and take a few steps forward until you see a painting that has the symbol of a camera taped to it.



- Take a photo of the painting by using the camera on the camera symbol.



- In inventory: examine photo of the painting.

- Turn right and go forward through the doorway. Continue until you notice a frame to place a canvas in (it's on the wall across from the green curtains and it has a torn ticket in it).



- Go around the wall with the frame with the torn ticket to find an elevator with an 'out of order' sign on it. If you can't find it: starting from you facing the frame with the torn ticket in it, turn right, take one step forward, turn left, take two steps forward, turn left, take one step forward and turn left.



- Interact with the elevator to get red canvas.



- Turn around to see a note taped to an empty frame. Examine the note.



- Now go into the room with the grandfather clock and go towards the stairway. Detailed instructions starting from you facing the elevator: turn left, go one step forward, turn right, go one step forward, turn left, go one step forward and turn left to see the stairway across from the grandfather clock.



- Before climbing the stairs, to your right you'll see another painting with the camera symbol taped to it. Take a photo of this painting, too.







- In inventory: examine the photo of second painting.

- Go up the stairs.



- To your left, you'll see a chair with some stuff on it. Take the needle and thread from that chair, and examine the note on the chair.





- Turn around. You see a mirror with the camera symbol on it. So take a photo of the mirror.





- In inventory: examine the photo of the mirror.

- Go back down the stairs, to the empty frame with the ripped ticket in it. Use the canvas on that frame.



- Use the paintbrush with red paint on the canvas.



This unlocks the achievement Ticket Painter



- Take the ticket.



- Go back upstairs and use ticket on the slot of the yellow machine there.

White staircase
- Turn around and climb the stairs. While climbing the stairs, you'll see three pedestals on your left, each with a note on it. Examine all three.













- When you reach the top, you'll see a white pedestal with a key on it. Click on the key and another note appears. Examine it.







- You'll see a torn canvas in front of you, a pedestal with a paintbrush (white) to the right of that and a pedestal with a paint jar to the left of that. Take both items.





- Use the needle and thread on the torn canvas.



This unlocks the achievement Canvas Repair



- In inventory: use lighter with photo of the first painting to get red ashes.

- In inventory: use lighter on the photo of the second painting to get green ashes.

- In inventory: use the lighter on the photo of the mirror to get blue ashes.

- In inventory: use all three ashes (blue, green and red) with the paint jar to get white paint.

- In inventory: use paint brush (white) with the can of white paint to get a paintbrush with white paint.

- Use the paintbrush with white paint on the repaired canvas. Step through.

End zone
- There's a pedestal with a note right in front of you. Examine it.



- Go to the black machine and pick up the ticket on top of it. Put it in the slot.





- Turn around and go down the stairs into the TV room.







- Click on the chair to sit down.





- Now click on the TVs.



- A message appears on screen. Click on 'Yes'.



This unlocks the achievement The Wasteland.



- You're back at the fruit tree. Go towards the tree. Click when you see the hourglass to zoom in until the mouse pointer turns into a hand and pick one of the fruits from the tree.









- Click on the fruit in your inventory. Click 'Yes' to confirm. Click 'Listen' three times.



- When the controls change to looking around with the mouse and moving by means of the keyboard, go up the stairs and find the last note on a green stool.



Examining this note triggers the achievement Well Read
.



- Go up the ladder.





This unlocks the achievement New World.

Achievement 'Ticket Machine'
After starting a new game, immediately go to the yellow machine so don't interact with any other items like the lighter or the camera! Pick up the ticket that's on top of the machine and insert it into the slot.





When you find yourself in the alley, go forward until you hit the door.



Turn left to see the blue bird cage. There will be a ticket in the cage. Take it.





Go to the other side of the alley, where the gate with a padlock is. Face this gate and turn right to see a door with a symbol on it.





Click on the door to find the secret ticket machine.



This unlocks the achievement Ticket Machine.



If you insert the ticket into the secret ticket machine, you're returned to the start zone.

Achievement 'Well Read'
This section just points you to all the notes and documents you need to examine to get the achievement called 'Well Read'. It's always possible you missed a note, of course, but most people who didn't get the achievement on their first playthrough forgot to examine the photographs in their inventory before burning them. In other words, examining the photos is necessary to unlock all the journal entries, which is a requirement for the achievement.

START ZONE

- On the blue pedestal right in front of you at the very beginning.



ALLEY

- From the starting point, immediately turn right to see a note titled 'The process'.





- At No. 35 (across from No. 38): one note on the door and one to the left of the door, at the bottom of a tree that has a sign with an arrow on it.









- In inventory: examine photo of bird cage before burning it.



- After going through the canvas, turn right. Examine the table with a white-and-blue table cloth on it to find a note.







HOUSE

- Turn left to find instruction note on table.





- Continue forward a bit and turn left to find a note on a chair next to the 'Listen' machine.



- Find a note underneath the canvas on a table below the open window (it's between the 'Listen' machine and the 'Under construction' machine).



CLIFFSIDE

- When you arrive here (after using ticket 'Empty'), turn around to see an instruction note on the wall.



- Turn right and go down the stairs. Find a note on the coffee table.







- In inventory: examine photo of cup before burning it.



- After using the canvas to step outside beyond the fallen tree, take a few steps forward and turn left. You see an axe in a tree stump and a note besides it.





- In inventory: examine photo of broken floor (the one you took at the broken rope bridge) before burning it.



HOUSE

- After stepping through the red canvas, you'll take a photo of a painting. Examine the photo of the painting in your inventory before burning it.



- Before climbing the stairs across from the grandfather clock, go into the hallway to the left of the stairs (*). You'll see a note taped to an empty frame.

(*) In case you can't find it: face the grandfather clock, tap right once, tap forward once, tap right once, tap forward once and you'll see the note.



- In inventory: examine the photo of second painting before burning it.



- Go up the stairs. To your left, you'll see a chair with some stuff on it. There's a note on that chair, next to the needle and thread.





- In inventory: examine the photo of the mirror before burning it.



WHITE STAIRS

- While climbing the stairs, you'll see three pedestals on your left, each with a note on it.













- When you reach the top, you'll see a white pedestal with a key on it. Click on the key and another note appears.







END ZONE

- After using the white paint on the repaired canvas and stepping through it, there's a pedestal with a note right in front of you.



- When the controls change to looking around with the mouse and moving by means of the keyboard, go up the stairs and find the last note on a green stool.



Examining this note triggers the achievement Well Read.

Text only part 1
This section combines all of the above sections, providing a step-by-step walkthrough to get through the game and get ALL of the achievements in one run. I had to split this section into two parts because of character limits . If you're looking for the part where a certain achievement is triggered, just scroll through this section and look for the pictures of the achievements.

START ZONE

- Immediately go to the yellow machine you see in the distance and pick up the ticket that's on top of it. Do not interact with any other items like the lighter or the camera. You'll get to do that in a minute.

Picking up the ticket unlocks the achievement Price of Admission



- Open the inventory and select the ticket. Insert the ticket into the slot.

ALLEY

- Go forward until you reach the end of the alley, then turn left. Examine the bird cage. There's a ticket inside. Take it.

- Go to the other side of the alley until you hit a padlocked gate. Face this gate and turn right to see a door with a symbol on it. Click on the door to find the secret ticket machine. This unlocks the achievement Ticket Machine.



- Open the inventory, select the ticket you found in the bird cage and insert it into the secret ticket machine. You're returned to the start zone.

START ZONE revisited

- Examine the note on the blue pedestal right in front of you.

- Go forward and pick up the lighter and the camera from the second and third pedestal you encounter.

- Go to the yellow machine labeled 'Listen'. Open the inventory and use the ticket labeled 'Listen' on the machine's slot.

ALLEY revisited

- From the starting point, immediately turn right to see a note titled 'The process'. Examine it.

- Go forward until you're at the door at the end of the alley, then turn left to face the blue bird cage. Examine it. You'll see a symbol of a camera in it. So open the inventory and use the camera on the camera symbol to take a photograph of the cage.

- Turn around and examine the barrel at No. 34. Take the canvas from the barrel.

- Go back to where you started and turn right towards No. 35 (it's across from No. 38). Examine the note on the door.

- Turn left to face the the tree with the sign with an arrow on it. Click to examine the tree. Pick up the paint jar. Examine the note underneath.

- At No. 38: examine the table with a white-and-blue table cloth on it, examine the blue chair at that table and then take the paintbrush from the chair.

- In inventory: examine the photo of the bird cage.

- In inventory: use the lighter on the photo of bird cage to get blue ashes.

- In inventory: use blue ashes with paint jar to get blue paint.

- In inventory: use paintbrush with blue paint to get a paintbrush with blue paint.

- Go towards the other side of the alley, where a gate with a padlock is blocking the way.

- Open inventory, select the canvas and use it on the padlocked gate.

- Open inventory and use paintbrush on the canvas. This unlocks the achievement Painter.



- Go through the canvas and turn right. Examine the table with a white-and-blue table cloth on it to find the second ticket 'Rebirth'. Also make sure to examine the note next to the ticket.

- Use the ticket labeled 'Rebirth' on the slot of the yellow machine labeled 'Rebirth'.

HOUSE

- Turn left to find instruction note on table. Examine it.

- Continue forward a bit and turn left to find a note on a chair next to the 'Listen' machine.

- Turn around and go towards the table in front of the open window (the table between the 'Listen' machine and the 'Under construction' machine). Take the canvas. Then examine the note underneath.

- Turn right. You see a machine labeled 'Under construction'. There's a red paintbrush to the right of that machine. Take it.

- Turn right and take two steps forward. Turn left towards the machine labeled 'Deliver' (it has an 'out of order' sign on it). There's a ticket labeled 'Empty' in a bird cage right next to the 'Deliver' machine. Take it.

- Turn around and use ticket 'Empty' on yellow machine 'Empty'.

CLIFFSIDE

- Immediately in front of you is another spot to place a canvas, but you haven't got the right one yet. Turn around to see an instruction note on the wall. Examine it.

- Turn right and go forward and down the stairs. Examine the coffee table here. Examine the note on the coffee table and use the camera on the cup on the coffee table to get a photo of the cup.

- In inventory: examine photo of cup.

- Go a bit further, towards the door, and find a green paintbrush in a flower pot.

- Go back upstairs and continue all the way towards the door marked 'L 3'. Turn left. Take the paint jar from a niche next to the ladder.

- In inventory: use lighter on photo to get green ashes.

- In inventory: use green ashes with paint jar to get green paint.

- In inventory: use green paintbrush with green paint to get a paintbrush with green paint.

- Turn around and use the paintbrush with green paint on the painting of a crowbar on the wall.

- Take the crowbar. This unlocks the achievement Iron Crow.



- Go back downstairs and turn left. Use the crowbar on the barred door. Take the green canvas that's behind the door.

- This is the canvas we need upstairs, so go back upstairs and put the green canvas on the passageway through which you see a fallen tree.

- Open the inventory and use the paintbrush with green paint on the canvas.

- Step through the canvas and turn right to find a paint jar.

- Turn around. You see an axe in a tree stump and a note besides it. Examine the note.

- Turn right and continue forward, towards the yellow machine. Turn left to see a camera symbol on the broken rope bridge. Take a photo. It turns out to be a photo of a broken floor.

- In inventory: examine the photo of the broken floor.

- In inventory: use the lighter to burn the photo and get red ashes.

- In inventory: use the ashes with the paint jar to get red paint.

- In inventory: use the red paintbrush with red paint to get a paintbrush with red paint.

- Turn left and find ticket 'Rebirth' taped to the broken rope bridge.

- Use ticket 'Rebirth' with yellow machine 'Rebirth'.
Text only part 2
HOUSE revisited

- Go through the doorway you see in front of you (on the right-hand side of the screen).

- Turn right. You'll see another doorway to place a canvas on.

- Go there, open the inventory and use the red canvas on the doorway.

- Use the paintbrush with red paint on the canvas.

- Go through the canvas and take a few steps forward until you see a painting that has the symbol of a camera taped to it.

- Take a photo of the painting by using the camera on the camera symbol.

- In inventory: examine photo of the painting.

- Turn right and go forward through the doorway. Continue until you notice an empty frame to place a canvas in on your left (it's on the wall across from the green curtains and it has a torn ticket in it).

- Go around the wall with the empty frame to find the elevator with an 'out of order' sign on it. Starting from you facing the empty frame, turn right, take one step forward, turn left, take two steps forward, turn left, take one step forward and turn left.

- Interact with the elevator to get red canvas.

- Turn around to see a note taped to an empty frame. Examine the note.

- Now go into the room with the grandfather clock and go towards the stairway. Starting from you facing the elevator, that's: turn left, go one step forward, turn right, go one step forward, turn left, go one step forward and turn left to see the stairway across from the grandfather clock.

- Before climbing the stairs, to your right you'll see another painting with the camera symbol taped to it. Take a photo of this painting, too.

- In inventory: examine the photo of second painting.

- Go up the stairs.

- To your left, you'll see a chair with some stuff on it. Take the needle and thread from that chair, and examine the note on the chair.

- Turn around. You see a mirror with the camera symbol on it. So take a photo of the mirror.

- In inventory: examine the photo of the mirror.

- Go back down the stairs, to the empty frame with the ripped ticket in it. Use the canvas on that frame.

- Use the paintbrush with red paint on the canvas. This unlocks the achievement Ticket Painter



- Take the ticket.

- Go back upstairs and use ticket on the slot of the yellow machine there.

WHITE STAIRS

- Turn around and climb the stairs. While climbing the stairs, you'll see three pedestals on your left, each with a note on it. Examine all three.

- When you reach the top, you'll see a white pedestal with a key on it. Click on the key and another note appears. Examine it.

- You'll see a torn canvas in front of you, a pedestal with a paintbrush (white) to the right of that and a pedestal with a paint jar to the left of that. Take both items.

- Use the needle and thread on the torn canvas. This unlocks the achievement Canvas Repair



- In inventory: use lighter with photo of the first painting to get red ashes.

- In inventory: use lighter on the photo of the second painting to get green ashes.

- In inventory: use the lighter on the photo of the mirror to get blue ashes.

- In inventory: use all three ashes (blue, green and red) with the paint jar to get white paint.

- In inventory: use paint brush (white) with the can of white paint to get a paintbrush with white paint.

- Use the paintbrush with white paint on the repaired canvas. Step through.

END ZONE

- There's a pedestal with a note right in front of you. Examine it.

- Go to the black machine and pick up the ticket on top of it. Put it in the slot.

- Turn around and go down the stairs into the TV room. Click on the chair to sit down. Now click on the TVs. Click 'yes'. This unlocks the achievement The Wasteland.



- You're back at the fruit tree. Go towards the tree. Click when you see the hourglass to zoom in until the mouse pointer turns into a hand and pick one of the fruits from the tree.

- Click on the fruit in your inventory. Click 'yes'. Click 'listen' three times.

- When the controls change to looking around with the mouse and moving by means of the keyboard, go up the stairs and find the last note on a green stool. Examining this note triggers the achievement Well Read.



- Go up the ladder. This unlocks the achievement New World.

51 Comments
Hollow Kane 19 Jan @ 4:50am 
Amazing guide, thank you.
Pumori 2 Jul, 2024 @ 8:53pm 
nice!!!
Luko 21 Jul, 2023 @ 5:23pm 
Soooo many pictures. Great guide, really. Thank you for this work; appreciate it. :-)
He perdido mi mOjo! 2 May, 2023 @ 1:55pm 
Listen comments of Photos!!!!! to get "Well Read"
mchoufleur 27 Apr, 2023 @ 4:47am 
based
isakiih 4 Feb, 2022 @ 5:05pm 
Great guide! Thank you :luv:
joridiculous 4 Feb, 2022 @ 6:00am 
Thanks. I missed the first secret ticket on first playtrough :lunar2019piginablanket:
Klamos 7 Oct, 2021 @ 12:30pm 
Thank you
Khodyrov 4 Jun, 2021 @ 12:03pm 
thanks :steamthumbsup:
Penturexx 2 May, 2021 @ 1:04pm 
If you have trouble unlocking "Well Read" make sure to let the woman finish her reading before you close the notes since closing a note too fast may not make it count. Anyway, very helpful guide, thank you :BB_Cup: