Chapter 1: Valadilène – The Funeral and the Automaton

Arrival at the Hotel and First Steps

The game opens with a poignant cinematic: a funeral procession under the perpetual rain of the Alps. It’s Anna Voralberg. Taking control of Kate, you notice the oppressive atmosphere.

The Hotel Lobby

After speaking with the receptionist and noticing his concern about the funeral, your first task is simple but instructive about the game mechanics.

• The Reception Automaton: It’s not enough to just look at it. Pick up the small key that’s almost invisible on the side of the counter. Insert it into the lock on the mannequin’s back. Press the red button. This is your first encounter with the genius of Voralberg: giving life to the inanimate.
• The Momo Child: You will see a child sitting on the ground. Try to talk to him. Momo is crucial later on, but for now he only babbles. Observe what he drops: they are gears, a harbinger of things to come.

Room No. 6 and the Fax

In your room, the call to your office in New York establishes the contrast: the cold efficiency of the US versus the slow, artisanal pace of Europe.

Key action: Read the fax carefully. It gives you your office phone number (although it’s saved on your phone). On your way out, don’t forget to pick up the gears Momo left on the lobby floor if you didn’t already, and talk thoroughly with the hotel owner to get the letter for the notary.

The Notary’s Office: Bureaucracy and Revelations

The walk to the notary’s office offers a chance to admire the architecture. Notice the baker who comes out onto the street (a charming sight).

In the notary’s waiting room, the light is flickering. If you touch the switch, you’ll see that the secretary doesn’t look up.

The Decree: On the waiting room table is a document about the «Inheritance Law.» Read it to understand the legal context.

Inside the office: The notary, Mr. Alfolter, is ill and elderly. The revelation drives the plot: Anna is dead, but Hans is alive. Kate must find him. Upon leaving, the telescopic key on the coat rack is vital. Without it, you won’t be able to enter the factory.

In-depth Exploration of the Church and Cemetery

This is the game’s first major puzzle «hub».

The Secret of the Sacristy

The side entrance to the church is open. Upon entering, the silence is absolute.

The Crucifix: Behind the altar, there is a crucifix that appears misaligned. Removing it reveals an ornate key.

The Dresser: Use the key on the dresser in the corner. Here you get the punch cards (Red, Blue, Green, Purple, etc.). Each one corresponds to a melody and a mechanism of the bell tower automaton.

The Bell Tower Elevator

On the side of the church there is a panel of gears.

Solution: Place the gears you found (either Momo’s or the ones in the nearby niche) on the panel. Pull the lever. The elevator takes you upstairs.

The Musical Automaton: You have several cards. The correct one is the purple card (or the one that says «Requiem» depending on the translation). When inserted, the automaton plays a sad melody that echoes throughout the valley.

The Voralberg Crypt

Thanks to the music, the hat of the automaton in the crypt has moved.

The Hat: Insert the key into the hidden slot under the hat. Enter the crypt.

Hans’s Diary: In Hans’s drawer, there is no body. Only a diary and a voice cylinder. Read the diary in its entirety. It recounts Hans’s childhood accident, his fall into the cave, and how his mental development was stunted, leading to his obsession with mammoths.

The Factory: Awakening the Industrial Beast

The factory is a silent metal labyrinth.

Oscar’s montage

In the workshop, Oscar hangs lifeless. He needs legs.

Step-by-step instructions for the legs:
1. Go up to the freight elevator control room.
2. Insert the blank punch card you found in Anna’s office.
3. Select the type of wood. Anna’s diary mentions that Hans preferred ebony (a dark reddish color). Select that color on the screen.
4. Watch the robotic arms carve the limbs.
5. Collect the legs and give them to Oscar.

The Cave of the Mammoths

To get Momo’s help, you must earn her trust. The mammoth drawing doesn’t have to be perfect; it should be «as Hans sees it.»

The Dam Puzzle: Momo is strong but easily distracted. When he breaks the dam’s lever, don’t get angry. Look for the oar floating near the bank. Giving it to him will cause Momo to open the sluice gate. The riverbed dries up, revealing the path to the sacred cave. Here you obtain the Mammoth Doll , Hans’s totem.

Chapter 2: Barrockstadt – The Cage University

This section is more open and requires a lot of back and forth. The university is beautiful, but it’s a prison of stagnant knowledge.

The Music Kiosk and the Eggs

The university administrators want the kiosk to work. The problem is balancing it.

The Book of Botany: In the library, read about the «Sauvignon of the Wood.» You’ll discover that the cuckoos of Amerzone are addicted to these grapes.

The Book Ladder: There’s an unreachable book on the top shelf. Climb the ladder, but it’s short. Go back down, take the book from the table below, and place it on the ladder to gain height. The book is about the Temple of the Mammoths.

The Secret Garden and the Station Master

The stationmaster is lying. He says he knows nothing about Sauvignon.

How to break his defense: You must first find the berries or pressure him using the knowledge gained from the book. Walk to the end of the left platform. The path is blocked. Go back and pressure the boss. He will eventually open the door to the garden.

The Mechanical Birds: Once you have the grapes, go to the kiosk staircase blocked by the cuckoo birds. Throw the grapes at them. They will come down to eat, clearing the way.

The Wall and Captain Malatesta

This is one of the most poetic moments. The captain has spent decades guarding a border that doesn’t exist.

The Telescope: When you look through it, you’ll see a figure on horseback (Cossacks). But look closely at the lens. There’s a crack or some dirt. Use the wine bottle and glasses (if you have them) or simply adjust the focus to its maximum. You’ll discover that the «rider» is just a withered tree with a whimsical shape. By telling Malatesta the truth, he’s released from his duty and gives you the visa.

The Lock Code (Detailed)

Many players get stuck here.
1. Go to the airlock control panel.
2. The sign says: «For assistance, call…»
3. Call the number on your mobile phone.
4. The automated system will ask for codes.
5. Barrockstadt code: 4.
6. Code to lower the level: 2.
7. Observe the lights on the panel. If the green light is flashing, press the manual button on the console to open the gates.

Chapter 3: Komkolzgrad – Metal and Rust

The atmosphere changes radically. The danger feels real.

The Puzzle of the Giant and the Worker Automaton

In the area of ​​the tracks, you will see a giant automaton leaning over the train.

How to move it: You need to climb into the giant’s cabin. You’ll find a shelf with a voice cylinder and a diagram of the mechanism.

Insert the crank (which you’ll find nearby) to move the giant forward and align his hands with the engine. This is necessary to wind the train later, but your priority now is to get Oscar’s hands back.

The Sanctuary of Sergei

Sergei has converted the old control room into a church dedicated to Helena Romanski. Explore the drawers. You’ll find a scrapbook. Read it to understand his unhealthy obsession. This will give you clues on how to manipulate him: he’ll do anything to see Helena.

The Cosmodrome: Waking Boris

Boris is a tragic figure. A fallen hero.

Vodka: You can find vodka in his toolbox. But Boris throws it away if you give it to him directly.

The Sober Cocktail: Go to the rocket’s control room. There’s a panel with tubes and a key. Pick up the key and use it to open the panel. Connect the tubes.

Turn the toxic gas valve (careful!) and the water valve. The goal is for the cold water to hit your face when you’re in the spin-out pit or near the rocket.

Rocket Launch

To get the airship key from Boris, you must help him reach the stars.
1. The Centrifuge: You must subject Boris to the G-test. Collect his blood sample from the ground.
2. Put the blood in the analyzer. The machine says it has too much alcohol.
3. The Trick: Touch the analyzer and add your own blood (Kate pricks her finger). Since your blood is clean, the machine authorizes the launch.
4. Boris boards the rocket. Before leaving, he throws the crank. Don’t lose sight of it in the snow!

Chapter 4: Aralbad – Winds of Change

The Kronsky Hotel

The entrance to the hotel is a puzzle of social logic. The manager, Felix, is immovable.

The Detergent: In the cleaning room (access from outside, side door), you will find a can of industrial detergent.

The Fountain: Pour the detergent into the decorative fountain in front of the entrance. Open the valve. The foam will flood the patio. Felix will rush out to clean up the mess. Use those few seconds to sneak behind the counter, check the logbook, and press the button that opens the gate to the spas.

The Cure of Helena Romanski

Helena won’t sing. She thinks she’s old.

The «Blue Helena» Cocktail: This is one of the most precise puzzles in the game.

At the bar, find the instruction sheet. Call the bar’s number (if you have it) or follow the recipe:

– 1 measure of Vodka.

– 1 measure of Blue Curaçao.

– 1 measure of acacia honey (you must heat the jar of solid honey in the bar’s water bath first).

– 1 splash of lemon.

– Ice.

Shake the cocktail shaker. If you do it wrong, Helena will say it tastes awful. If you do it right, she’ll drink it and regain her confidence.

The Crystal Glass: Place the glass on the bar. Helena will sing. If the glass doesn’t break, she hasn’t reached the note. Talk to her again until she feels confident.

Chapter 5: Escape from Komkolzgrad

Upon returning with Helena, the trap closes. Sergei blocks the elevator with grates.

Dynamite and the Elevator

While Helena and Sergei are distracted, use the elevator to go up to the mine. At the mine entrance, you’ll see a locked crate of explosives.

Solution: Take a close look at the screws on the case. Use the small screwdriver (or the knife if you have one). Grab the dynamite.

Return to the train area. The giant automaton blocks the way on Sergei’s orders.

Bomb Placement: You can’t kill Sergei; that’s not Kate’s style. Place the dynamite at the base of the giant statue or on the scaffolding supports. When it detonates, the structure collapses, trapping or blocking the villain without direct violence, allowing the train to narrowly escape.

Chapter 6: The Final Encounter

Back in Aralbad. The weather has changed; snow covers the sand. It’s a visual metaphor for Kate’s journey: from the gray of Valadilène to the pure white of Siberia.

Hans Voralberg

You’ll find him at the end of the pier, looking out at the ocean. He’s a small, frail man.

Dialogue is key here. Hans doesn’t ask about money or the factory. He only talks about dreams. When Kate gives him the papers to sign, he signs «Voralberg» in childlike handwriting, almost without looking.

Kate’s Decision:
On her way to the plane to return to New York, the phone rings. Dan complains, Marson demands results. Kate stops. The train whistles. Hans is waiting for her.

At this moment, the player does nothing, only observes. Kate Walker makes the decision that will change her life. She drops her phone. She runs toward the moving train. She grabs Oscar’s hand. The train pulls away north, toward Syberia, leaving behind reality, work, and obligations.