Chapter 1: “Memento Mori” / “Friendship”

Platform: PS5 / PC
Playable Characters: Sam, Chris, Ashley, Matt, Jessica
Setting: Path to Cable Car Station, Lower & Upper Cable Car Stations, Mountain Path
In-Game Time: 10 Hours Until Dawn (21:00)
Collectibles Available: 1 Totem, 1 Clue

Overview

Chapter 1 takes place one year after the disappearance of Hannah and Beth Washington. Josh has invited the group of friends back to the Washington Lodge on Blackwood Mountain for a reunion getaway. The chapter serves as an extended introduction to the full cast, establishes several important relationship dynamics, and presents multiple Butterfly Effect choices that will ripple through the rest of the game. You will control five different characters in short segments: Sam, Chris, Ashley, Matt, and Jessica.

Despite the relatively calm tone of this chapter, several choices here have significant consequences later – most notably whether Chris shoots a squirrel (which affects Sam’s ability to escape the Psycho in Chapter 5 and access collectibles in Chapter 7) and whether Ashley lets Matt look through the telescope (which triggers a confrontation in Chapter 2).

Completion Checklist

Collectibles Summary

#	Type	Name	Found By	Location
1	Guidance Totem #1	—	Sam/Chris	In the parking lot across from the lower cable car station. It’s laying on the ground against the fence opposite the truck.
2	Mystery Man Clue #1	Wanted Poster	Sam/Chris	On the left wall of the cable car station building, visible while following Chris to the shooting range

Walkthrough

Sam – Path to the Cable Car Station

The chapter opens with a cutscene of Sam riding a bus up to Blackwood Mountain. When you gain control, move Sam forward along the snowy forest path. The path is linear, there is no reason to turn back as there is only an impassable wooden gate behind you.

Sam will reach a locked gate with a note attached. Examine the note. It’s from Chris, explaining the gate is broken and suggesting she climb over the wall. If you flip the note over, you will find an email exchange between Chris and Josh on the back.

The stone wall to the left of the gate will start to shimmer, indicating you can interact with it. Approach and choose to climb. You will be presented with a choice:

Choice	Result
Quick Path	Fewer button prompts, but the timing windows are smaller.
Safe Path	More button prompts, but with generous timing.

This is purely a climbing tutorial. Failure simply means Sam slips and has to try again. There is no penalty. A second climbing/jumping choice follows with the same low stakes.

The Squirrel – Don’t Move

After climbing the wall, Sam continues along the path and encounters a squirrel. The game introduces another Don’t Move prompt. Hold the controller still and the squirrel will approach Sam and she will feed it. If you move, the squirrel runs away.

Collectible #1 – Guidance Totem #1

Continue along the path. Sam will reach a cable car station. Turn left to the parking lot across the building, walk straight and you’ll notice glow next to the fence opposite the green truck. There, in the snow, you’ll find Guidance Totem #1 — a yellow totem. 

Pick it up and rotate it to trigger a vision. This totem shows a brief premonition of a bird landing on a picnic table and Mike revealing himself from behind a tree.

Chris’ Backpack – Butterfly Effect: “The Lone Wolf”

Continue up the stairs toward the cable car station. Approach the building and you’ll find you cannot enter through the locked door. Walk to the right of the door and you’ll discover a backpack on a bench. A phone inside it is buzzing.

This is your first Butterfly Effect choice that actually matters:

Choice	Result
Close the Bag	Sam’s Honesty increases. Sam and Chris’ relationship improves. Chris will not make a sarcastic comment later.
Snoop	Sam reads a text from Ashley to Chris. Sam’s Curiosity increases, Honesty decreases. Sam and Chris’ relationship decreases. Chris will later criticize Sam for being nosy when he snatches a letter from Jessica.

After your choice, Chris appears (with a jumpscare if you snooped). He takes his bag and asks Sam to follow him around the side of the cable car station to see something he found.

Collectible #2 – Mystery Man Clue #1: Wanted Poster

As Chris leads Sam around the side of the cable car station, look at the left wall of the building. There is a Wanted Poster for Victor Milgram tacked to the wall. Interact with it to collect Mystery Man Clue #1. This is easy to miss if you rush to follow Chris, so slow down and check the walls on your way to the shooting range.

Chris – Shooting Range Tutorial

Chris leads Sam to a shooting range behind the station. The game switches control to Chris for a shooting tutorial. You will learn to aim with the right stick and fire with . Shoot the targets as instructed. Bottles and sandbags. After some practice, a squirrel will appear in your sights.

Critical Choice – Butterfly Effect: “Rats with Bushy Tails”

Choice	Result
Shoot the Squirrel	Sam gets angry. A crow attacks Sam, scratching her face above her right eye. This wound later prevents Sam from fully hiding from the Psycho in Chapter 5, which means she cannot escape, which locks you out of Chapter 7 collectibles. Chris and Sam’s relationship decreases. Nature is disturbed.
Shoot the Sandbag / Do Nothing	No one is harmed. Sam is pleased. A crow flies away peacefully. Chris and Sam’s relationship stays neutral or improves.

Chris – Cable Car Station Interior

After the shooting range, follow Sam to the cable car station door. Chris will now enter the station. Inside, you can explore:

• Poster on the right wall advertising Blackwood Pines Hotel and Sanatorium.
• Security monitor on the desk. It initially shows a view of the lodge’s bathroom, then switches to a frontal view of the cable car cabin, hinting that someone is watching.

There are no collectibles inside the station. When ready, go back outside and choose to board the cable car. A cutscene plays as the cable car ascends the mountain.

Jessica – Upper Cable Car Station – Butterfly Effect Dialogue

The perspective briefly shifts to Jessica, who is waiting at the upper cable car station for Mike with a letter in hands. A cutscene plays as the cable car arrives carrying Sam and Chris. Jessica opens the door for them and Chris grabs the letter from her. You get a brief choice as Jessica: 

Choice	Result
Insist	Jessica insists Chris return the letter. Dialogue changes slightly.
Explain	Jessica mentions that she and Mike are together now. Dialogue changes.

The content of this interaction is also affected by whether Sam snooped on Chris’ phone earlier. If she did, Chris will make a snarky remark about learning nosiness from Sam. Neither option has significant story consequences.

Matt and Emily – Mountain Path

The perspective switches to Matt, who is carrying luggage while following Emily up the mountain toward the lodge. Mike will jump out and scare Matt along the way.

Choice	Result
Welcome	Matt takes it well. Matt and Mike’s relationship stays neutral.
Threaten	Matt is annoyed. Matt and Mike’s relationship decreases slightly.

Emily then tells Matt she needs to go talk to Sam and asks him to carry the bags.

Choice	Result
Agree	Matt and Emily’s relationship improves.
Persist	Matt and Emily’s relationship stays about the same.

Matt carries the bags toward the lodge while Emily turns back toward Mike.

Ashley – The Telescope – Butterfly Effect: “The Soul of Discretion”

Control switches to Ashley, who is already near the lodge looking through a mounted telescope/binoculars. Move the binoculars to the left and you will see Emily and Mike together. Ashley comments that they seem to be getting too friendly. Move the scope to the right to finish viewing.

Matt then arrives and asks if he can look through the telescope.

This is a significant Butterfly Effect choice:

Choice	Result
Encourage Matt (Let him look)	Matt sees Emily and Mike flirting. He becomes furious. In Episode 2, Matt will confront Mike at the lodge, leading to potential conflict. Butterfly Effect updates: “Matt saw Mike and Emily flirting.”
Mislead (Discourage him)	Ashley tries to steer Matt away. Matt may ask again — you get a second chance to discourage or let him look. If successfully discouraged both times, Matt remains calm and will not confront Mike later. Butterfly Effect updates: “Matt didn’t see Mike and Emily flirting.”

Jessica’s Letter – Snowball Fight with Mike

The perspective shifts to Jessica, who is waiting at the upper cable car station for Mike. While waiting, you are given a choice:

Choice	Result
Read the Book	Jessica reads a book on the bench. Minor flavor.
Check Her Phone	Jessica looks at her phone. Minor flavor.

Neither choice has any impact. Mike will appear and interrupt Jessica regardless. A snowball fight will start. This is a lighthearted tutorial for aim and QTEs.

• Aim at Mike and throw snowballs when prompted.
• Dodge his snowballs with the on-screen button prompts.
• A bird will land on a nearby table during the fight.

Choice	Result
Throw snowball at the bird	Jessica hits the bird. Mike and Jessica’s relationship decreases.
Let the timer expire / Throw at Mike	The bird is unharmed. Mike and Jessica’s relationship stays the same or increases.

After the snowball fight, Mike and Jessica head back toward the lodge. A cutscene plays.

Dr. Hill Session – Second Therapy Session

Dr. Hill returns for the second analyst session. His office is noticeably darker than the first visit, the sunlight has been replaced by dim, cool light.

Dr. Hill will reference whatever fear he deduced from the first session and state that he wants to go deeper. He presents you with a book of pictures and symbols and asks you to choose which image from each pair makes you more anxious. The choices are presented in a branching sequence. Your selections narrow down your fears, and the game will present your previously chosen fear alongside a new option to keep drilling deeper. The full sequence of image pairs is:

1. Men vs. Women
2. Planes vs. Crowds
3. Heights vs. Drowning
4. Snakes vs. Rats
5. Guns vs. Knives
6. Snakes/Rats (your prior pick) vs. Cockroaches
7. Clowns vs. Scarecrows
8. Gore vs. Crows
9. Gore/Crows (your prior pick) vs. Needles
10. Clowns/Scarecrows (your prior pick) vs. Zombies
11. Gore/Crows/Needles (your prior pick) vs. Dogs
12. Gore/Crows/Needles/Dogs (your prior pick) vs. Storms

Dr. Hill will slam his hand on the desk partway through to startle you. He then places a metronome on the desk and urges you to answer faster.

How your choices affect the game:

• Your top fears will appear in the game environment in later chapters (insects crawling out of objects, changed weapon types for the Psycho, environmental scares).
• Choosing Zombies causes Dr. Hill to gradually become zombie-like in later sessions (blood on face, sores, green skin).
• Choosing Clowns or Scarecrows determines which mannequin figure appears in Chapter 4 jumpscares and later.
• Choosing Needles changes the Psycho’s incapacitation tool in Chapter 5 from sleeping gas to a syringe.
• Choosing Crows causes a crow to appear on Dr. Hill’s windowsill in the next session.
• Choosing Gore or Needles places the corresponding object on Dr. Hill’s desk next session.

After completing all the image choices, Dr. Hill will state your three primary fears aloud. The chapter ends.

Butterfly Effect Choices in This Chapter

Choice	Characters	Chapter Impact
Close Bag / Snoop (Chris’ backpack)	Sam, Chris	Affects Sam-Chris relationship. Changes dialogue when Chris takes Jessica’s letter. Minor impact.
Shoot Squirrel / Shoot Sandbag	Chris, Sam	MAJOR. Shooting the squirrel injures Sam via crow attack, preventing her escape in Ch. 5 and blocking Ch. 7 collectibles. Also locks out “Blackwood Country” and “When a Psycho Calls” trophies.
Encourage / Warn Matt (telescope)	Ashley, Matt	If Matt sees Emily and Mike, he confronts Mike in Ch. 2. This leads to “Patient Sematary” trophy opportunity. If discouraged, no confrontation occurs.
Hit Bird / Don’t Hit Bird (snowball fight)	Jessica, Mike	Hitting the bird decreases Mike-Jessica relationship. Avoid it.

Relationship Tips for “We Need to Talk About Josh”

Chapter 1 is the first opportunity to start building positive relationships with Josh. While Josh does not appear as a playable character in this chapter, the foundation is being laid:

• Chris on the porch (start of Chapter 2): When Chris talks to Josh at the very beginning of the next chapter, choose “Worry” (or “You doin’ alright”) to increase Josh’s relationship with Chris. Then choose “Agree” for a further boost.
• Sam with Josh (Chapter 2 boiler room): Choose “We’re here for you” and succeed on the high-five QTE.

These early choices compound and are essential for unlocking the “I’m so sorry” option in the final Dr. Hill session. Keep these in mind as you transition into Chapter 2.

Tips and Notes

On the Security Monitor: When Chris enters the cable car station control room, check the security monitor. It briefly shows the lodge bathroom before switching to a view of the cable car cabin the characters are sitting in. This is a subtle early hint that someone is watching the group, foreshadowing the Psycho’s surveillance setup revealed later.

On the Chapter’s Pacing: Chapter 1 is dialogue-heavy and relatively low on action. Use this time to get comfortable with the controls, especially the flashlight aiming () and the Don’t Move mechanic. The stakes ramp up significantly from Chapter 2 onward.

On Relationship Meters: Pause the game at any time and check the character relationship meters. These track how much each character likes or trusts the others. For the “We Need to Talk About Josh” trophy, keep an eye on Josh’s relationship bars with Chris and Sam in particular. They should be trending upward after every interaction.