Chapter 1: The Burnt One

Source-based research, not a hands-on playtest. Route notes use the published chapter and collectible guides cited below; no personal completion is claimed.

What happens

1. Wake as the Burnt One without eyes or ears. Take the eyes, then the ears.
2. Follow the candle-door tutorial: light the marked candles to open the route. At eye barriers, close your eyes and focus on the eye rather than searching for a physical key.
3. Rekindle Potboy and follow him uphill to the coal. Use his flame and send him through pipes when the route asks for his help.
4. At the paired switches, put Potboy on one and stand on the other. At the Crawler section, use the candle as a distraction and the wardrobe as cover instead of trying to fight.
5. Listen to the Soothsayers. The chapter closes under the bridge after their prophecy.

Collectibles in this chapter

Checklist: 11 items — 4 clay figurines, 3 gramophone discs, 3 Shellphones and 1 Murkle story page/reel. The figurines are The Ragdoll, The Daughter, The Soothsayers and Body. The chapter-specific collection link below opens all 11 source-linked locations, not just the totals.

Collection route and exit check

Use F01–F04, D01–D03, S01–S03 and R01 in the collection route. Sweep the three-candle cave and both sides of the tree-area drop first; later check Potboy's coal hill, the paired switches and the wardrobe/Crawler rooms. These are editorial checklist IDs, not in-game numbering. Before continuing under the bridge toward Nobodyville, review the 11 locations. For the Crawler, use candle bait and wardrobe cover; the puzzle page explains eye focus and paired switches. The Tale Of The Burnt One is story progress, while Shadow Work counts cumulative eyes-closed time. Return to the chapter index for earlier tutorial context; chapter 2 is the next route.

Spoilers for the route above. Completing the chapter unlocks The Tale Of The Burnt One. Shadow Work tracks a total minute with eyes closed; it does not require one uninterrupted minute.