The ending of “The Schoolboy Killer”
You’re guaranteed to get this ending if you initially followed Alice’s route (choose her in the school hallway in the second episode ) and then switched to Polina’s route in the third episode (choose Polina’s portrait on the table during the phone call). In this scenario, Anton won’t have the special amulet from Polina that the girl gives him at school if he chooses her over Alice in the second episode. Since you’ve returned to Polina’s route, you’re guaranteed to visit her house and then encounter Romka. Without the amulet, it’s impossible to survive the encounter with Romka.
An alternative scenario is that you followed Polina’s route straight away, received the amulet from her, and didn’t take Romka’s route. In this case, Polina offered Anton the amulet. If you didn’t take it, everything will be exactly the same as in the previous paragraph. If you did take the amulet, Anton will survive his encounter with an angry Romka.
The Path of the Loner/Bunny
It’s also worth noting that following the Loner or Bunny paths, you’ll have significantly less freedom of choice. Anton’s fate is already predetermined, and you won’t be allowed to choose anything. This is especially evident at the end of the episode, when Anton and Olya find themselves in the lair of Santa Claus (the Master of the Forest), who offers them candy (the ground-up flesh of murdered children). Anton can’t refuse, so he and Olya try the “candy.” This earns the “Mr. Hyde” achievement, but you can get it any other way: simply save, take the candy, then reload and refuse it (required for the best endings).
Polina’s Path
Polina’s Room – True Detective 4
Assuming you’ve been following Polina’s path this entire time or took it at the end of the game’s third episode (by selecting Polina’s portrait during the phone conversation), you’re guaranteed to end up at her house after school. In this case, you’ll have to look for the interactive objects for the “True Detective 4” achievement at her house.
First, you need to examine the hallway, which contains several interesting and interactive objects:
- a dressing table mirror near the left wall (Anton will see a boar’s head, for which you will also receive the “Dementius!” achievement),
- wall phone on the right edge of the screen,
- the door to Polina’s grandfather’s room, located next to the phone on the right edge of the screen,
- skis located near the previous door, on the right side of the screen,
- a painting by Paganini, which is on the far wall, in the back of the hallway, to the right of the front door,
- deer antlers, which are located on the far wall, in the back of the hallway, to the left of the front door and to the right of the mirror.
Only after examining all the interactive objects, click the “Wait” command at the bottom of the screen for Polina’s grandfather to appear. Listen to him, and you’ll find yourself in the girl’s room, where you’ll need to examine the second set of interactive objects:
- a large piano from the Kuzbass company, located against the far wall, in the back of the room, between two windows,
- the Sailor Moon poster, which is attached to the wall in the far right corner of the room, above Polina’s desk ,
- gramophone records in an open box on a shelf in a cabinet on the left side of the room.
Once you continue the story by clicking the “Inspect” command in the center of the screen, Anton will look at a photo of Polina and her parents, after which Joanna the cat will appear and rip the Sailor Moon poster to shreds. A minigame will begin, requiring Anton to reassemble the poster piece by piece. It’s not difficult, and the answer is shown in the screenshot below:
The episode will continue and end with you being forced to kiss Polina without any choice. After doing so, Anton will notice a disapproving grandfather in the hallway and decide to leave Polina.
Meeting Romka – how to survive
This outcome will inevitably unlock if you initially followed Alice’s path—by choosing her in the school hallway in Episode 2—and then switched to Polina’s path in Episode 3, pointing to her portrait during a phone conversation. In this scenario, Anton will not have Polina’s special amulet, which she gives him at school if he initially chooses her over Alice in Episode 2.
But since you’re still returning to Polina’s route, a visit to her home becomes mandatory, followed by a confrontation with Romka. Without the protective amulet, surviving this encounter is impossible. There’s also another scenario. If you follow Polina’s route from the start, receive the amulet from her, and don’t deviate to Romka’s route, the situation changes. Polina will offer Anton the amulet: refusing will result in the same consequences as the first option. However, if you agree and accept it, Anton will survive the encounter with the enraged Romka.
As a result, you will also be given the achievement of the same name, “Schoolboy Killer.”
On the other hand, if you had the amulet, you automatically used it when you met Romka, and Anton ultimately escaped death. This earns you the “Survivor” achievement. However, in the forest, Romka will be killed by a wolf, one of the “masked children” Anton met. Furthermore, the knife Romka tried to use to kill Anton will be given to Anton himself.
Alice’s Path
The next morning at school, you learn that Katya has disappeared. Romka and Byasha, if you’re following Alisa and Romka’s path, decide to go looking for her, as Byasha heard Katya’s voice in the forest.
If you chose Romka in the third episode, based on the Voltron image, the characters will, as agreed, decide to stage a performance for Polina. In the backyard, Anton dons a rabbit mask and stages an attack, but everything goes awry—Romka gets confused, fails to pull off the role, and ruins the performance.
Polina is unimpressed by this ridiculous attempt to scare and pose as a hero, and, irritated by what’s happening, she leaves. Anton catches up with her and persuades her to give Romka another chance. After this, he agrees with Romka that they should go look for Katya, and at this point a fork in the road appears that will determine the further course of events.
Byasha – to call or not to call?
If you decide to take Byasha with you, the search will turn into a three-person expedition. In the forest, Byasha is the first to find Katya’s wallet, and a little further on, a garage immediately appears on the horizon. For this outcome, you’ll earn the “Three Musketeers” achievement. However, if you refuse Byasha’s help and go alone with Romka, the search will be fruitless. The boys will eventually be apprehended by the police officer who’s been lying in wait the entire time. He’ll take Anton and Romka to the police station, and you’ll earn the “Ted” achievement.
Go to the garage or the police?
This storyline unlocks the “True Detective 4” achievement. To do this, you need to carefully examine interactive objects either in the police station or in the garage. If Anton ends up at the police station—either voluntarily or after an unsuccessful search with Roma along Alice’s route (when you don’t call Byashu)—he’ll have two objects available for examination: a gas mask lying on a chair to the right, and the bars of a detention cell .
Here, police officer Tikhonov reveals the terrifying truth: the children disappeared thirty years ago, and he himself miraculously survived. Anton then heads home and fails to find Katya, thus depriving himself of a fourth crucial piece of evidence.
If you went searching with the three of you, the story will lead you to the garage, where you’ll have to make your first choice. Going to the police will be futile—they won’t believe you, Anton will be sent home, and you’ll earn the “Uncle Styopa” achievement. If you go into the garage itself, Anton will turn on the light and enter, earning the neutral “No Guaranteed Achievement” achievement. This is the best decision!
The garage is where you can complete the interactive object inspection for the “True Detective 4” achievement, as there are six more of these items in this location:
- the vice standing in the near right corner of the frame,
- a layer of dust and old junk on the top shelf in the far right corner,
- a metal instrument hanging along the far wall,
- a car covered with cloth, located in the very center of the room,
- strange icons and suspicious objects on the altar on the left,
- plastic containers placed on the floor on the left side.
Once everything has been explored, you need to select “Talk” with Romka to continue the episode. The boy will pull the cloth covering the object in the center of the room, revealing not a machine at all, but a huge meat grinder, to which Katya is tied. Romka will try to free her, but inadvertently trigger the mechanism.
Is it possible to save Katya and why do we need a Polaroid?
The game will then offer to try to rescue Katya, but neither option will actually lead to success—only the achievements differ. If you press “Save” no more than twice, you’ll earn the “Ground Meat” achievement. If you press as often as possible, the scene will continue, and although Katya still won’t be rescued, Anton will still have her braid, a crucial piece of evidence needed for another achievement. If he has a camera, Anton will automatically take out a Polaroid camera and take a photo of the braid. This will unlock the final piece of evidence and the “X-Files” achievement. After this, Romka will demand that he keep quiet about what happened, and Anton will return home.
The way home, treats from Santa Claus and the animals
At home, everything is still gloomy: her parents are arguing again, and Olya, in a panic, says she wants to escape to Neverland. Anton needs to open the window in his room—the animals will call him outside and lead him to Father Frost’s snowy castle . He will automatically answer three riddles, after which he will receive a bag of candy.
At the end of the episode, you must decide whether to accept the treat. The candies are actually the meat of murdered children, and the “jelly beans” offered later turn out to be maggots. If you refuse, the animals will drop their masks, and Santa Claus will transform into the goat-legged Master of the Forest with a flute. The fox will allow Anton to leave, but will demand that he feed the animals later. The castle will disappear, turning into a garage. During the escape, Olya will fall behind, and Anton will dig her out of the snow too late— the owl will have bitten off half of her body. His sister will die, and you will earn the “Dr. Jekyll” achievement.
If he accepts the treat, the world suddenly becomes bright and almost magical. Anton begins bringing other children to Father Frost, and then wakes up at home. Olya is happy, bringing her dog Zhulka, and his parents are no longer arguing. On the way to school, Anton meets Polina and learns that her grandfather is back on his feet. Romka and Byasha disappear from the classroom. Polina sits down next to him, and Anton begins to draw her portrait. But the illusion is shattered: the notice board displays dozens of missing people, and outside, animals in their true, terrifying form demand even more meat, threatening to destroy Anton’s entire family.
This path leads to the “Mr. Hyde” achievement. It’s technically how you “save” Olya in Episode 4, though in reality, she survives no matter what (seeing her half-dead body on the other path turns out to be a nightmare). To unlock the best endings and save most characters’ lives, you need to refuse treats twice.