Heartfall — A Tale in Three Lives Heartfall A Tale in

Heartfall — A Tale in Three Lives plunges you into a world where every choice shapes your fate, making the pursuit of all endings an intense journey. Unlocking these endings isn’t just about seeing alternate outcomes—it reveals layers of the story you’d miss otherwise, from heart-wrenching betrayal to bittersweet alliances.

Experiencing all 12 routes requires navigating specific dialogue options and story triggers, each tied closely to unique achievements. These variations demand replaying critical scenes, sometimes saving or sacrificing characters to uncover each conclusion.

Spoiler alert: Delving into these routes exposes major story developments, including graphic themes of death and horror. Prepare for a challenging narrative experience that’s as emotional as it is unpredictable.

Route 0: Have We Been Here Before?

Achievements: So That’s How It Went, That’s Not How It Went

This initial route closely follows Heartfall’s main storyline and is a great starting point to familiarize yourself with core mechanics and narrative momentum.

How to start Route 0

Begin by introspecting with choices like Who am I?, Where am I?, and What am I doing here?.

Select Let’s move on to progress the story.

Explore the sparkling objects nearby to acquire essential tools: Pickaxe, Iron Sword, and Wood Axe.

Further interactions let you Follow the trail after confirming with You bet?.

Continue examining sparkles to discover footsteps leading to the village. Choose to Follow it.

Inspect the house with paper pinned on the door to uncover more about the surroundings.

Opt for these responses:

• Take a look
• Time to find out if you are illiterate

Engage Scar with the following dialogue sequence:

• Nope
• Your secret is safe with me
• It’s Grian
• Why’d you think you can trust me?
• Waah! Who said anything about allying? Why even?
• I’m listening
• It’s a little hard to miss
• I like where your head is

Accept the quest Cause mischief with Scar? to continue.

Exit the village and take the Mountain Trail.

Inside the caves, interact with the trolley to discover useful items.

Heartfall game cave scene showing trolley interaction in Route 0 start

Encounter Bigb and Martyn. You can sneak up or greet them:

• Sneak up and get the jump on them
• HI DUDE!
• The name’s Grian
• Nope, you are out. Too much caving for one day.

Return to the village and hand over the flint and steel to Scar.

Distract Etho so Scar can burn the Mystic Tree, triggering pivotal story events.

Interact with Scar at the village entrance and choose Seek monopoly.

At night, lure a creeper toward Scar to advance the plot.

Heartfall game nighttime scene with player leading creeper toward Scar in Route 0

Once Scar dies, commit to staying alongside him until you lose your first life.

Follow Scar through the desert and survive the night with him. Remember to save your game here to revisit and unlock different achievements.

Replay sections carefully to obtain both achievements connected with this route.

After Scar dies, promise to stay with him until you lose your first life.

Follow Scar into the desert and stay with him through the night.

Save your game in a separate slot before continuing. You’ll need to replay parts of this route to obtain both achievements.

Achievement: So That’s How It Went

This achievement unlocks by closely following the main story without making choices that alter the original sequence.

For example, when invited by Jimmy and Scott on a cow heist, decline to keep events on track.

When meeting Martyn, avoid complaining about Scar and choose It’s enjoyable.

If Martyn offers to take you along, do not accept.

Decline Martyn’s request to commit a crime after the Mystic Tree incident.

During the Dogwarts fight, when Martyn attacks, choose not to take the blow.

Taking the blow disqualifies you from this achievement because it causes loss of your first life prematurely.

Proceed through the story’s battles and confrontations until the final desert showdown.

After defeating Scar, jump off the cliff when prompted—this triggers the achievement post-mortem.

The achievement unlocks upon your character’s death.

Achievement: That’s Not How It Went

Replay Route 0 or load a save prior to Dogwarts. Keep earlier choices unchanged, except during Martyn’s attack.

This time, take the blow to lose your first life earlier and shift the story’s outcome.

Scar survives and meets you after respawn. Later, both die in the altered Dogwarts battle.

This path unlocks the second achievement associated with this route.

Route 1: The Dark Forest

Route 1: The Dark Forest

Achievements: Alone, Beloved, Die, Together

Here you refuse Jimmy and Scott’s offer to move to Flower Valley, choosing instead to build your own base.

Visit the village and accept the quest Build a little base?

Make sure to decline Jimmy and Scott’s Flower Valley invitation.

Continue closely with Scar, insisting on living in your house as you pass it by together.

Choose Take a close look, one last time and Accept to keep your base.

These actions officially begin Route 1.

Route 1 details are still being developed.

Route 2: Dog-Eat-Dog World

W.I.P

Route 2: Dog-Eat-Dog World

Achievements: All For Naught, Almost Home, Back Where It Started, I’ll Be Waiting

Start on Route 0’s first day, visiting the village to find Martyn and express frustrations about Scar.

This leads into Route 2’s darker narrative path.

Further Route 2 details pending.

Route 3: Live, Laugh, Divorce

Achievements: Happily Egger After, Hate Loses, Hate Wins, Love Loses, Love Wins

Route 3 begins by accepting Jimmy and Scott’s invitation to move to Flower Valley.

Visit the village, build your house, and confirm Accept when invited to Flower Valley.

You are officially on Route 3 after this point.

Route 3 walkthrough is under construction.

Route 4: Ashes and Alliances

Achievements: A Lonely Death, A New Family, A Violent End

This route explores your bond with Joel and the group at the Crastle, ending in multiple possible outcomes.

How to start Route 4

1. After house exploration, find Joel in the forest west of Jimmy and the cows.
2. Assist in taming the wolves alongside him.
3. Talk to Joel again after taming and accept his cabin-building proposal.

This sequence officially triggers Route 4.

Achievement: A Lonely Death

Choose to leave the Crastle with Joel in Session 6 to unlock this ending.

Early events include Joel’s first life loss during Tango’s Dare to Flare and your death by a wolf, culminating in the cabin fire tragedy.

Joel sacrifices himself to save the wolves in the burning cabin, dying alongside them.

You later learn Cleo started the fire, driven by revenge for Joel hoarding Mystic Wood.

Despite the tragedy, Cleo offers refuge. Facing new threats, you and Joel become devoted allies, ultimately willing to sacrifice for each other’s survival.

Save before Session 6

Keep a save from Session 5’s night to explore alternate endings from the next morning’s choices.

1. On Session 6’s morning, talk to Joel near the Crastle.
2. Listen carefully to his fears about the upcoming battle.
3. Choose Run away with Joel.

This choice lowers your reputation with Cleo and BDubs, steering you to this particular ending.

You and Joel attempt shelter but find Jimmy dead and Scott unwilling to help before retreating to the beach.

Martyn locates you, fights you, and Joel dies while protecting you.

Unresisting Martyn’s attack after Joel’s death unlocks A Lonely Death.

Route 5: Should’ve Aimed for the Hand

Achievement: Can we go to the desert?

This path branches from Martyn’s offer to stir trouble with you, leading to a desert-focused outcome.