Follow the new task at every scene change
Episode 1 moves from a face-photo and carry objective into paper fragments, a quick-time escape, vehicle defense, shop recovery, supermarket directions, hallucinations and a final run. Read the instruction that appears after each transition. If you keep exploring during a timed defense, you can miss the input that moves the scene forward.
This THRESHOLD Episode 1 walkthrough includes story spoilers. It follows the beta’s playable sequence and uses the current on-screen objective for interactions and directions. Keep the controls guide open if a prompt itself is the part you cannot complete.
The route at a glance
| Stage | Your immediate job | Confirmation to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Blox Street 12 | Check supplies and approach the opening encounter | Face-photo objective |
| Mom rescue | Photograph the entity’s face, then carry Mom | Carry instruction and next scene |
| Paper search | Find fragments and assemble them | Collection or assembly prompt updates |
| Escape | Complete circle and slide actions | Arrival at Danny’s vehicle |
| Vehicle defense | Watch every window and respond to arrows | Scene ends rather than one successful swipe |
| Shop | Restore sanity and check batteries | Purchase/recovery interaction completes |
| Supermarket | Resolve competing directions while moving | Current objective and exit |
| Hallucinations | Respond to threatening approaches with the camera | Defense phase finishes |
| Dark finale | Follow the route and run when instructed | Escape and episode finish |
Use this table to locate your current section. The papers in this route are Story fragments, not Scrow password papers.
Photograph the face and carry Mom
At the opening location, look for a Spare battery before the first camera task. When the face-photo instruction appears, aim at the entity’s face and take the requested picture. Watch for the objective to change to carrying Mom rather than relying on the camera effect alone.
Use the carry interaction, then follow the destination displayed by the game. Do not stop to explore while carrying her. The encounter continues into another scene; completing this opening task is not a promise of a separate save-Mom ending.
If nothing progresses, check which instruction is still active. A face-photo objective means the photograph has not completed the handoff. A carry objective means the next step is the pickup or destination. The Mom rescue guide focuses on that distinction.
Search for the fragments and finish the assembly
After the opening disruption, search the house rooms for Fragment of paper items. Sweep one room at a time and check the pickup prompt before moving on. Keep track of the rooms you have already searched so that a missing piece does not send you repeatedly through the same space.
When the game lets you piece the fragments together, perform that interaction instead of continuing the room search. Then follow the next objective or waypoint. Let the prompts move you from collecting to assembly and then escape. A count from somebody else’s recording cannot replace your current objective.
Respond to the escape and vehicle prompts
The first escape uses circles that need clicking and a slide action. Keep your attention on the displayed input as movement and cinematic effects intensify. One prompt can be followed quickly by another, so return your focus to the center of the action after responding.
Danny’s vehicle introduces a separate task: watch every window and tell him where the entity is. Scan across the windows, identify the side of the current threat, then use the arrow’s displayed direction. On PC, the arrow is handled with a click-and-drag action. Do not reuse one direction for every appearance.
Locate the threat, complete the current arrow and resume scanning. Keep watching the other windows instead of waiting for the same one to be threatened again. Read car escape prompts and window defense separately; they solve different input problems.
Use the shop before trusting the next voice
The shop sequence tells you to restore sanity with an Energy drink. Complete the selection and checkout interaction, then check the meter. Collect available Spare batteries and inspect your camera’s resource state before advancing.
The next supermarket scene includes conflicting directions spoken as Danny. One voice explains that he is watching the CCTVs and warns against the other. Listen through the warning and compare it with the current objective before moving toward a section. Repeating a memorized drink-or-fruit choice is not a reliable route for every cue.
Move through the instructed section and continue toward the exit when the task changes. The supermarket route guide explains how to handle the competing directions without treating every familiar voice as safe.
Finish the hallucination defense and dark escape
Later, a low-sanity warning introduces hallucinations. Stay attentive to approaching threats and use the camera flash when the defense instruction calls for it. Scan both sides after an input rather than staring at the place you just flashed. Some figures are misleading, so learn the current approach and attack cues instead of flashing every distant shape.
After this defense, the Story continues into a darker section. Check the batteries you prepared earlier, follow the route into the finale, and respond to the run instruction when it appears. The warning about growth in darkness is part of the encounter; keep running toward the escape rather than stopping to test it on your first attempt.
Keep moving toward the escape and remain through the ending sequence. The official badge inventory includes Finished Episode 1 [DESPAIR]. Check your account’s actual award after finishing; the name does not document extra hidden conditions or an alternate ending route.
FAQ
Where does Episode 1 start?
The opening route is around Blox Street 12, followed by the face-photo and Mom carry objectives. Read the active instruction before interacting.
What should I do after collecting the papers?
Complete the assembly interaction when it becomes available, then follow the next objective. Story fragments do not supply Scrow’s keypad code.
Why does the car scene keep going after a correct arrow?
Window defense is a sequence of appearances. Complete the current response and return to watching all windows until the scene ends.
Should I always go to the same supermarket section?
Follow the current warning, CCTV guidance and objective. Competing directions are part of the scene; a copied one-word choice skips the information you need.
Does the final run prove another ending is available?
No. Finish the escape you are playing and check its result. The official inventory names an Episode 1 [DESPAIR] completion milestone, not a menu of alternate endings.