Heartfall – A Tale in Three Lives: All Endings & Achievements

Want to unlock all achievements and endings in Heartfall — A Tale in Three Lives? You’ll need to follow different story routes and make specific choices at key moments. Some endings trigger from your dialogue choices, while others require you to save a character, let someone die, or refuse to follow a plan.

This guide covers all 12 routes, the achievement associated with each route, and the steps to unlock all endings in Heartfall – A Tale in Three Lives. I’m still working on the remaining achievements and will share their exact unlock steps soon.

Spoiler warning: This guide reveals major story events and endings. Some routes also contain disturbing scenes involving death, blood, horror, and body horror.

Route 0: Have We Been Here Before?

Achievements: So That’s How It Went, That’s Not How It Went

This route reveals the main story very closely and you should play it first so you can get used to the game’s mechanics.

How to start Route 0

First know about yourself by choosing Who am I? Where am I? and What am I doing here?

Once done, select the Let’s move on to continue the story.

Go near the sparkling object to obtain x1 Pickaxe, x1 Iron Sword, x1 Wood Axe.

Inspect all the nearby sparklings, and one will let you Follow the trail – select You bet?

Inspect some more sparklings on the right side, and you will see footsteps leading to the village. Go to the village – select Follow it.

Inspect this house, which has paper pinned on the door.

Select these chocies:

• Take a look
• Time to find out if you are illiterate

Interact with Scar and select these choices:

• Nope
• Your secret is safe with me
• It’s Grian
• Why’d you think you can trust me?
• Waah! Who said anything about allying? Why even?
• I’m listening
• It’s a little hard to miss
• I like where your head is

Accept the quest – Cause mischief with Scar?

Exit from the village and Follow the Mountain Trail.

Go into the caves to get the flint and steel. Interact with the Trolley

There you’ll see Bigb and Martyn.

• Sneak up and get the jump on them
• HI DUDE!
• The name’s Grian
• Nope, you are out. Too much caving for one day.

You’ll get Flint and Steel.

Go to the Village and give the flint and steel to Scar.

Distract Etho and Scar will burn the Mystic Tree.

Go to the entrance of the village and interact with Scar

• Seek monopoly

During the night, lead the creeper toward Scar.

After Scar dies, promise to stay with him until you lose your first life.

Follow Scar into the desert and stay with him through the night.

Save your game in a separate slot before continuing. You’ll need to replay parts of this route to obtain both achievements.

Achievement: So That’s How It Went

Follow the main story and don’t make those choices that would change the original sequence of events.

When Jimmy and Scott offer to take you on a cow heist while you’re gathering base materials, decline.

When you meet Martyn in the village, don’t complain too much about Scar. Select – It’s enjoyable.

If Martyn offers to take you with him, don’t accept.

After the tree magic trick, Martyn may ask you to commit a crime with him. Decline his request.

During the Dogwarts fight, Martyn will attack you and Scar with his axe. When you get the option, do not take the blow.

If you take the blow, then you’ll lose your first life and won’t get this achievement on the current playthrough.

Continue following the story. After the battle, Scar and the remaining characters will go through the events involving BDubs, BigB, Impulse, and the No Kill Pass.

Eventually, Scar will leave you on red. Follow the story until you reach the final confrontation in the desert. Win the fight against Scar and jump off the cliff when prompted.

The achievement will unlock after your death.

Achievement: That’s Not How It Went

Start Route 0 again or load a save from before the Dogwarts fight. Keep the earlier choices the same as in the previous ending.

When Martyn attacks you during the fight, choose to take the blow.

This time, you’ll lose your first life earlier, putting you on red before the original story’s events can play out normally.

Scar survives the fight and meets you again after you respawn. Later, during the altered Dogwarts battle, both you and Scar will die.

The achievement will unlock after this ending.

Route 1: The Dark Forest

Achievements: Alone, Beloved, Die, Together

In this route, you have to build your own base instead of moving to Flower Valley with Jimmy and Scott.

Visit the village for the first time and accept the Build a little base? quest.

Decline Jimmy and Scott’s invitation to move to Flower Valley.

Follow the main story route and continue with Scar.

When you pass your house with Scar, insist that you live there.

Choose Take a close look, one last time.

When asked whether to keep your base, select Accept.

These choices will start Route 1.

W.I.P

Route 2: Dog-Eat-Dog World

Achievements: All For Naught, Almost Home, Back Where It Started, I’ll Be Waiting

Follow Route 0 through the first day. When you visit the village, find Martyn and talk to him.

When he asks how you’re doing, choose all the dialogue that complains about your situation with Scar. This will lead toward Route 2.

W.I.P

Route 3: Live, Laugh, Divorce

Achievements: Happily Egger After, Hate Loses, Hate Wins, Love Loses, Love Wins

This route starts when you agree to move to Flower Valley with Jimmy and Scott.

1. Visit the village for the first time.
2. Build your house.
3. When Jimmy and Scott invite you to move to Flower Valley, select Accept.

You are now on Route 3.

W.I.P

Route 4: Ashes and Alliances

Achievements: A Lonely Death, A New Family, A Violent End

This route follows your relationship with Joel and the group at the Crastle.

How to start Route 4

1. After exploring the house, find Joel in the forest, west of Jimmy and the cows.
2. Help him tame the wolves.
3. Talk to him again after completing the wolf-taming sequence.
4. Accept his offer to build a cabin together.

This will start Route 4.

Achievement: A Lonely Death

This ending requires you to leave the Crastle with Joel during Session 6.

The route’s early events include Joel losing his first life during Tango’s Dare to Flare, followed by your own first-life loss after a wolf kills you. Later, the cabin catches fire while you and Joel are sleeping.

Joel goes back inside the burning cabin to rescue the wolves. One wolf escapes, but Joel and the remaining wolves die in the fire.

Afterward, you discover that Cleo started the fire as revenge for Joel hoarding Mystic Wood. Cleo feels guilty about what happened and offers to let you and Joel stay at the Crastle with Cleo and BDubs.

As the threat from Dogwarts grows, you and Joel become allies with the group. You eventually sacrifice yourself for Joel during a fight, and the two of you talk about being willing to die for each other.

Save before Session 6

If you want to unlock the other endings on this route, keep a separate save from the night of Session 5. Both endings branch from the choice you make the following morning.

1. On the morning of Session 6, go outside and talk to Joel near the Crastle.
2. Listen to him talk about his concerns over the coming battle.
3. Select this choice when you see it – Run away with Joel.

You will lose reputation with Cleo and BDubs, putting you into this ending.

You and Joel first try to seek shelter with Jimmy and Scott, but Jimmy is dead, and Scott refuses to help. You then go to the beach.

Martyn eventually finds you and explains that the battle has gone badly for your allies. He fights you, and Joel takes the blow meant for you, dying in the process.

With Joel gone, you don’t fight back when Martyn attacks you. This unlocks A Lonely Death.

Route 5: Should’ve Aimed for the Hand

Achievement: Can we go to the desert?

This route begins with Martyn’s offer to cause trouble with you.

1. Follow Route 0 through the first day.
2. Find Martyn in the village.
3. When he asks how you’re doing, choose Do you mean working under Scar?
4. Select I’m joking mostly!
5. Then choose No, I’m fine, dude.
6. After the travelling magic act, accept Martyn’s request to commit a crime with him.

You have now started Route 5.

W.I.P

Route 6: The Cow Heist

Achievements: Perennial Garden, Scorched Earth

This route branches off when Jimmy and Scott offer to take you on a cow heist.

1. Follow the main story.
2. Before collecting the materials needed to build your base, find Jimmy and Scott.
3. When they discuss stealing a cow, choose Okay.
4. Accept the Cow Heist quest.

This will start Route 6.

W.I.P

Route 7: Welcome Home, Ally

Achievements: It’s Us Until The End, To Have Your Alliances, and Keep Them Too, Together in the Desert, What Else Did You Expect

Start this route by accepting Jimmy’s offer to catch a cow and become allies.

1. Leave the village for the first time.
2. Find Jimmy and accept Do you want to catch a cow and be my ally?
3. Continue following the main story route.
4. When you go to sleep and see the prompt For some reason, it feels like you are forgetting something, select Remember.

This will start Route 7.

W.I.P

Route 8: Music is Magic

Achievements: Dal Segno al Coda, Dal Segno al Fin, Fallen Companions, Self-Inflicted Solitude, Solitude

This route revolves around Impulse’s music box. You can unlock several different endings depending on how you treat Pearl and what you do with the music box.

How to start Route 8

After leaving the library, find Impulse and agree to help him gather materials.

1. Chop down a tree in the forest to collect wood.
2. Find the diamonds in a crate on the beach.
3. Give both materials to Impulse.
4. When he asks about what you found inside the house you visited earlier, agree to show him the secret room.
5. Continue helping him as he investigates the island and works on the music box.

At the end of the first day, Pearl will reveal herself. If she asks you for food, agree to help her. This keeps her friendly toward you and is important for the endings where she survives.

Achievement: Dal Segno al Coda

For this ending, you need to keep Pearl alive throughout the route and use the music box at the end.

1. Continue helping Impulse and collecting books as the story progresses.
2. When the group becomes involved in the conflict with Dogwarts, make sure to tell Pearl to run when Martyn attacks you during the desert fight.
3. Keep the music box after Impulse turns red and gives it to you.
4. Escape with Pearl and reunite with Impulse.
5. After the final Dogwarts battle, follow the story until you and Pearl find Martyn at the village.
6. Kill Martyn with Pearl.
7. Return to the Crastle and discover that Scar is dead.
8. When BDubs kills Impulse, retaliate by killing BDubs.
9. After mourning Impulse with Pearl, agree to her plan to rewind the island.
10. Choose to use the music box.

The story ends immediately after you rewind the island, unlocking Dal Segno al Coda.

Important: Pearl doesn’t have three lives. If she dies at any point, you can’t get this ending on the current playthrough.

Achievement: Fallen Companions

You can unlock this achievement by getting Pearl killed.

Method 1: During the desert fight

1. Follow the route until Martyn attacks you during the fight against Dogwarts.
2. Instead of telling Pearl to run, tell her to kill Martyn.
3. When Pearl starts struggling, stay silent.

Martyn will kill Pearl, and the achievement will unlock after the following sequence.

Method 2: During the final events

1. Continue the story until BDubs kills Impulse.
2. Instead of killing BDubs, try to talk to him.
3. When Pearl tries to kill BDubs, attempt to stop her.

Pearl will become distracted, giving BDubs the chance to kill her. The achievement will unlock after the scene.

Achievement: Self-Inflicted Solitude

Follow the same story path as Dal Segno al Coda until you and Pearl return to the Crastle after killing Martyn.

1. Find that Scar is dead and BDubs blames Impulse.
2. Let the events play out until BDubs kills Impulse.
3. Kill BDubs in retaliation.
4. After you and Pearl mourn Impulse, she will suggest using the music box to rewind the island.
5. Voice your concerns about the plan.
6. Whenever the game asks you to use the music box, choose not to play it.
7. Continue refusing until the game stops showing the option.

Pearl will eventually become frustrated and argue with you. You then break the music box so she can’t use it herself.

She leaves after telling you that she never wants to see you again. This leaves you alone and unlocks Self-Inflicted Solitude.

Achievement: Solitude

This ending depends on how you respond to Pearl when she asks for food.

1. Start Route 8 and continue until Pearl reveals herself at the end of the first day.
2. Talk to Pearl again when she asks you to get her food.
3. Repeatedly refuse to help her.

Pearl will become angry and leave. When you return to the village, Impulse will reveal that he already knows Pearl and tell you that he doesn’t think you’re a good fit.

He will turn you away, unlocking Solitude.

Route 9: The Court of Last Chances

Achievements: A Home Where You Are, Dusk Till Dawn, Minutes Past Midnight

You can start this route on Day 3.

1. Follow Route 0 until Day 3.
2. Leave the desert and find the cow.
3. Go to Flower Valley.
4. Look for a goose in the bottom-left area.
5. Approach the goose and follow it when it runs away.
6. Accept the Sabotage the Mystic Tree grove quest.

This starts Route 9.

W.I.P

Route 10: Any-fin is Possible!

Achievements: Bass Friends Forever: True Pacifish, Fish or Be Fished: Fishmaster, Goodbye Krill World: Fishing Anonymous

How to start Route 10

1. On Day 1, find the sign beside the dock.
2. Interact with it and start fishing.
3. Keep fishing until you receive a catalogue book.
4. Read the book and accept the Gone Fishing quest.

Achievement: Bass Friends Forever: True Pacifish

Spend your days fishing and delivering the treasures you catch to the characters they belong to.

1. Fish until you find an item that belongs to one of the other characters.
2. Talk to the characters and show them your catch if you aren’t sure who owns it. Scar can also offer clues.
3. Deliver the item to the correct character before going to sleep.
4. Repeat this process for the remaining gifts.

Successfully giving a gift will cause the recipient to join you for fishing the following day. Many characters also tell you a story when they receive their items.

Some gifts trigger special scenes. BigB quizzes you about the history of cookies, while Scott and Jimmy have a wedding officiated by Scar.

During the route, a Watcher disguised as a slug will appear and try to stop you from fishing. The game will have you throw it back into the water.

Dogwarts, consisting of Ren and Martyn, will also be hostile toward you. Keep delivering gifts to the other characters until they join you at the dock.

Eventually, Martyn will confront you about the island being a death game. Fish until you obtain a manga book and give it to him. He will forget about his plan to kill people and ask you to help Ren.

Continue fishing until you catch a guitar. Give it to Ren, who will join the others at the dock and announce that the Red Winter is coming. In this route, the announcement leads to a guitar performance rather than a battle.

Get Scar to join the group as well. When the Watcher returns in a more intimidating form, place the flowers you received from Scar on its head and hand over your fishing rod.

The Watcher will ask you to teach it how to fish. This completes the sequence and unlocks Bass Friends Forever: True Pacifish.

W.I.P

Route 11: Wolf in Sheep’s Wool

Achievements: A Promise Fulfilled, Never Alone Again

This route starts with a hidden statue and an altar quest. Both achievements share the same opening, but the final choice determines which ending you receive.

Content warnings: Horror, body horror, starvation, depersonalization, derealization, scopophobia, and trypophobia.

How to start Route 11

1. At the beginning of the game, find the statue near the pool where Grian wakes up.
2. Interact with the statue several times until you can start a staring contest.
3. Choose Stare back and continue staring even when the game tries to discourage you.
4. Keep going until the statue blinks.
5. Leave the starting area and find the altar on the beach, west of where you woke up.
6. Interact with the altar and accept the Something about it feels… familiar quest.

Find the missing orb pieces

You need to collect the missing pieces from three locations.

• The forest: Search the forest for one of the pieces.
• The house with the Who’s Who board: Enter the house and look for the missing piece.
• The mountain cave: Explore the cave for the remaining piece.

Return the pieces to the statue once you have collected them all.

After completing the altar quest, continue the story. You’ll gradually regain your Watcher powers and begin to understand what is happening on the island. The former Evolutionists, including Jimmy, Martyn, and BigB, can also sense that something is wrong.

Eventually, you’ll remember the Watchers and try to help your friends escape. The story leads to a confrontation at the volcano, where you must decide whether to stay with your friends or take a drastic action.

Achievement: A Promise Fulfilled

Follow the route until the group reaches the volcano and the Watchers try to stop you from escaping.

When you get the final choice between staying with your friends and doing something drastic, select Do something drastic.

You’ll open the portal beneath your friends without escaping yourself. They will protest, but they can’t stop you. You remain behind with the Watchers, who kill you.

Your sacrifice allows your friends to escape, and the achievement unlocks afterward.

Achievement: Never Alone Again

Follow the same story until the group reaches the volcano and you face the final decision.

This time, choose Stay with your friends instead of taking the drastic action.

The resulting scene takes a very different turn: you choose to remain with your friends, and the game reveals the disturbing outcome of that decision.

The achievement will unlock shortly afterward.

Heartfall: Achievements and Endings I’m Still Working On

Some Heartfall achievements and endings don’t have confirmed unlock steps yet. I’m still working through these routes to find the exact choices and requirements. I’ll update this guide as soon as I verify the steps for each one.

The following achievements still need further testing:

• Route 1 – The Dark Forest: Alone, Beloved; Die, Together
• Route 2 – Dog-Eat-Dog World: All For Naught; Almost Home; Back Where It Started; I’ll Be Waiting
• Route 3 – Live, Laugh, Divorce: Happily Egger After; Hate Loses; Hate Wins; Love Loses; Love Wins
• Route 4 – Ashes and Alliances: A New Family; A Violent End
• Route 5 – Should’ve Aimed for the Hand: Can we go to the desert? (the exact steps still need verification)
• Route 6 – The Cow Heist: Perennial Garden; Scorched Earth
• Route 7 – Welcome Home, Ally: It’s Us Until The End; To Have Your Alliances, and Keep Them Too; Together in the Desert; What Else Did You Expect
• Route 8 – Music is Magic: Dal Segno al Fin
• Route 9 – The Court of Last Chances: A Home Where You Are; Dusk Til Dawn; Minutes Past Midnight
• Route 10 – Any-fin is Possible!: Fish or Be Fished: Fishmaster; Goodbye Krill World: Fishing Anonymous

I’m actively working on these achievements and endings to find reliable, step-by-step instructions. I’ll update this article as soon as I confirm how to unlock them, so check back for the latest information.