The Freak Circus

Day 1 walkthrough

Day 1 introduces Pierrot and Harlequin and hands you the only branch in the game that currently leads somewhere final. One street scene decides whether you continue the story or walk into the bad ending. Everything after that point is a tour: which tents you visit, in which order, and how much of Harlequin's account of the circus's past you sit through.

Official sources last checked

Day 1
Status
Released and complete
Approx. length
Roughly 40–60 minutes

Step by step

  1. 1

    The café shift

    In game

    You work a normal shift. Two things matter here and both are set-up: the Boss complains about circus flyers being stuck to his window, and he mentions that Carol did not come home last night and has probably run away. Neither is a choice. Both come back.

  2. 2

    The unknown man and the pink ticket

    In game

    An unknown man gives you a pink ticket. There is no option to decline it. That man is the Ticket Taker, and the pink ticket is the item that decides the ending — hold onto that thought for the next step.

  3. 3

    The street scene — the only real branch

    In gameSave here

    A man ridicules Pierrot in the street while a crowd watches. This is the decision the whole current build hangs on. Save here.

    Pierrot is being ridiculed. What do you do?

    Step in and help him

    The story continues. Pierrot takes the pink ticket off you as fast as he can, which is what keeps you out of the pink tent. This is the only path that reaches Day 2.

    Do nothing

    You keep the pink ticket and the Missing bad ending begins. It is short, it is worth seeing once, and it is a dead end — reload your save afterwards.

  4. 4

    The circus entrance

    In game

    The Ticket Taker punches your ticket and lets you pick a tent. What you are allowed into depends on what you are holding: the pink tent is refused, and if you choose the purple tent the game tells you the show is already over and sends you to Harlequin's green tent instead.

  5. 5

    Harlequin's story

    In game

    Harlequin introduces himself, needles Pierrot about having no voice, and tells you how Columbina died. Pay attention to who is standing where in his version: Pierrot is watching from a distance, not taking part. That detail is confirmed again on Day 2 from a completely different angle.

  6. 6

    The red tent

    In game

    Pierrot performs — dance and knife throwing. Day 1 closes out from here.

Did you see all of it?

Day 1 — scene checklist

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In gameCreator confirmedPlannedCommunity theoryUnconfirmed

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