A little help
with your investigation.

Getting around Bellwether

Mouse and touch controls

On Windows: click clear ground to walk. Choose a verb such as Look at, Pick up or Talk to, then click the object or person. Click to advance spoken lines, and choose a conversation response explicitly. Use the mouse wheel in the inventory list. F11 or Alt+Enter switches fullscreen; closing the window exits. The standalone game needs no separately installed browser, Python or Node.js.

On iPhone and iPad: use the touch controls below.

Walk and explore

Tap clear ground to walk there. Tap a person or object to select it, then choose an action from the touch controls. If several things are close together, check the selected name before acting.

Talk and read

Tap to advance ordinary dialogue, then tap the response you want to say. Scroll a long list of responses with one finger.

Use items

Open the inventory and select an item, then select its destination in the scene. To try combining items, select the first item and then the second. Use the visible cancel control to put an item away.

Find your bearings

The notebook keeps your leads and collected evidence. The map lets you revisit places you have already reached. If you are stuck, an optional nudge can help you think about the current lead.

Make yourself comfortable

Language, text and sound

Open Settings on the title screen, or open the pause menu during play. You can choose the language, enlarge dialogue, show interactive objects, and turn sound effects on or off.

For more time to read story scenes, turn on Wait for input during cutscene dialogue. Each spoken line then waits for your input. This setting is off by default. Cutscenes also have visible pause and skip controls.

The game starts in a supported language from your device settings. You can change it at any time, or select Use device language. Supported languages are English, French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), and Simplified Chinese.

Dialogue is presented as text. The game includes sound effects and ambient sound; it does not have recorded dialogue or a music score.

Keep your place

Saving and continuing

Progress is saved automatically. Choose Continue on the title screen to return to the current investigation. The pause menu also contains three numbered save slots for keeping separate checkpoints.

Loading an earlier investigation replaces your current progress and autosave. Save the current investigation in a different numbered slot first if you want to keep it. The game asks before loading another investigation.

Saves are kept on this device. There is no in-game save import, export, or cross-device sync. Your own operating-system or backup settings may affect whether local game data is included in a backup or restored with one; the game does not manage those backups. Windows saves are separate from browser and iOS investigations, and are stored outside the installation folder.

Before reinstalling: deleting the app can remove your saved investigations. Please contact support first if you are trying to fix a problem. We cannot recover a save that has been deleted and is not available in your own device backup.

Something gone astray?

Reporting a problem

If a scene, button or item behaves unexpectedly, email krabople@gmail.com. Please include:

• Your device or PC model, operating-system version, and game version if known.
• The selected game language and the location where the problem occurred.
• What you clicked, tapped or used, what you expected, and what happened instead.
• A screenshot or short screen recording if it would help. Check it for private information before sending.

If the game stops responding, close and reopen it, then try continuing the investigation. Keep any existing numbered saves while troubleshooting. Do not delete the app as a first step.

You do not need to send passwords, payment details, store-account credentials, or a copy of your device backup.