Heartfall – A Tale in Three Lives features a rich tapestry of story routes where every choice you make influences your journey. Players often find themselves entangled in the web of decision-making; one wrong dialogue or missed quest can lead to an entirely different narrative path. It’s crucial to recognize which choices trigger specific routes, as many share overlapping story arcs until key decisions are made.
During my time playing, I was surprised by how easy it was to overlook certain dialogue options. Sometimes, you might rush through a conversation and miss a crucial choice that could start a route, leading to confusion later on. Keeping track of each route’s requirements is important, so have a notebook or notes app handy!
Before diving into the routes, make sure you’re familiar with the game mechanics and have completed the basic introduction. Knowing how to navigate the village and interact with objects will save you time later.
Follow the steps below to start and unlock all 12 routes in Heartfall — A Tale in Three Lives. I’ve covered the required choices, quests, and locations for each route.
Spoiler warning: These steps reveal some events from the beginning of each route. Check the content warnings before starting a route, especially those involving horror, body horror, extreme blood, or other disturbing themes.
Route 0: Have We Been Here Before?
Content warnings: None
Route 0 follows the main story. Choose the following options to start it.
Go to the village and interact with the house with the green sign.
Accept Scar’s quest to cause mischief with him.
Accept Scar’s quest to cause mischief with him.
Enter the caves to collect the flint and steel. You will also meet BigB and Martyn there.
Give the flint and steel to Scar.
Choose to seek monopoly with Scar.
Lead the creeper toward the group. Both choices lead to the same outcome, but repeatedly choosing the second option gives you more dialogue.
When Martyn asks, “How is it working with Scar?”, select It’s enjoyable.
You have now started Route 0: Have We Been Here Before?
Continue playing the story.
Route 1: The Dark Forest
Content warnings: Immolation, horror, body horror.
This route requires you to keep your own base instead of moving to Flower Valley with Jimmy and Scott.
This route requires you to keep your own base instead of moving to Flower Valley with Jimmy and Scott.
Visit the village for the first time.
Interact with the i sign on the land and accept to Build a little base?
When Jimmy and Scott invite you to move to Flower Valley, choose Decline.
Continue following the main story route.
When you and Scar pass your house, insist that you live there.
When prompted, select Take a close look, one last time.
Route 1: The Dark Forest
When the game asks about keeping your base, select Accept.
Content warnings : Immolation, horror, body horror.
You have now started Route 1: The Dark Forest.
- Follow the main story until Martyn asks about your experience working with Scar.
- When Martyn asks how Scar is treating you, select Do you mean working under Scar?
- For the next dialogue choice, select It’s not how I thought things would be.
Route 2: Dog-Eat-Dog World
Route 3: Live, Laugh, Divorce
Content warnings: Extreme blood.
This route depends on whether you accept Jimmy and Scott’s invitation to move to Flower Valley.
Follow the main story until Martyn asks about your experience working with Scar.
Accepting their invitation starts Route 3: Live, Laugh, Divorce.
Route 4: Ashes and Alliances
When Martyn asks how Scar is treating you, select Do you mean working under Scar?
For this route, you need to help Joel with his wolves and agree to ally with him.
- Visit the village for the first time.
- Find Joel and help him tame the wolves.
- When Joel asks about the wolves, choose Maybe they just don’t trust you.
- When he offers to ally, select Sure would! I also need somewhere to stay.
You have now started Route 2: Dog-Eat-Dog World.
Route 5: Should’ve Aimed for the Hand
Route 3: Live, Laugh, Divorce
You need to follow the main story, make specific dialogue choices with Martyn, and accept his request to cause chaos.
Content warnings: None
When Martyn asks how Scar is treating you, select Do you mean working under Scar?
This route depends on whether you accept Jimmy and Scott’s invitation to move to Flower Valley.
Then select No, I’m fine, dude.
- Visit the village for the first time.
- Build your base.
- When Jimmy and Scott invite you to move to Flower Valley, select Accept.
Accepting their invitation starts Route 3: Live, Laugh, Divorce.
After the act, accept Martyn’s request to commit a crime and cause chaos with him.
Route 4: Ashes and Alliances
Route 6: The Cow Heist
Content warnings: Extreme blood.
For this route, you need to help Joel with his wolves and agree to ally with him.
- Visit the village for the first time.
- Find Joel and help him tame the wolves.
- When Joel asks about the wolves, choose Maybe they just don’t trust you.
- When he offers to ally, select Sure would! I also need somewhere to stay.
This starts Route 4: Ashes and Alliances.
Route 5: Should’ve Aimed for the Hand
Content warnings: Grief, drowning.
This starts Route 7: Welcome Home, Ally.
You need to follow the main story, make specific dialogue choices with Martyn, and accept his request to cause chaos.
Content warnings: Body horror.
Follow the main story route.
Visit the village.
When Martyn asks how Scar is treating you, select Do you mean working under Scar?
This starts Route 7: Welcome Home, Ally.
Agree to show him the room.
Then select No, I’m fine, dude.
Route 8: Music is Magic
When you collect driftwood for your base, talk to Ren and BigB on the beach.
Content warnings: Body horror.
Continue until the travelling magic act.
For this route, you must accept Impulse’s request and take him to the village’s secret room.
After the act, accept Martyn’s request to commit a crime and cause chaos with him.
Visit the village.
Now you have started Route 5: Should’ve Aimed for the Hand.
Find Impulse and accept his quest, What Can I Do for You?
Accept the request until Impulse asks you to show him the secret room in the village.
Content warnings: Starvation.
Agree to show him the room.
- Follow the main story route.
- Continue until Scott and Jimmy start planning a cow heist.
- When they discuss the plan, select Okay.
- Accept the Cow Heist quest.
During the conversation, choose the following responses in order:
You have now started Route 6: The Cow Heist.
- How did you know about that?
- Hmm, I don’t know
- All right, all right. You win. I’ll take you there
Route 7: Welcome Home, Ally
Congratulations!! Now you have started Route 8: Music is Magic.
Route 9: The Court of Last Chances
Content warnings: None
Follow the main story route until Day 3.
Accept the Gone Fishing quest.
Travel to Flower Valley.
Route 11: Wolf in Sheep’s Wool
Look in the bottom-left area of Flower Valley for a goose.
Step 1: Interact with the statue
Approach the goose. It will start running away.
Follow it.
When the staring contest begins, select Stare back.
Step 2: Find the first altar
Go to the beach.
Find and interact with the altar.
Accept the Something about it feels… familiar quest.
Step 3: Collect the remaining orb pieces
Continue exploring and interact with the other altars to collect the remaining pieces of the orb. Here are the locations of the orbs:
Middle of the map
Inside the cave:
Secret room in the village: Find the hidden room in the village and interact with its altar.
Once you have followed the altar quest and collected the orb pieces, you will have started Route 11: Wolf in Sheep’s Wool.
