Throughout the game, your naughtiness will be recorded. There are some actions that add more naughtiness than others, making it hard to come back from.

Mostly, this works as another time constraint: if you take too long to do everything, Sable will kill more people and your naughtiness will inevitably increase.

If you are not nice enough at the end of the game, Ms Claus will show you no mercy.

Without being too specific, the survival (or not) of two key characters, Fiona and Sable, has the biggest impact on your naughtiness.

There is a discoverable telescope which, if picked up, offers clues and close-ups. Once you have the telescope, when you reach certain vantage points, it will reveal important locations to explore.

You do not need the telescope to progress, this is a bonus object that doesn’t affect the game; it only unlocks new images. Its main purpose is to give closer views of some of the action.

You must not visit the doll too soon: if you can’t answer her riddle, there’s no escape.

The solution to her riddle can be obtained in two ways: primarily, the answer can be found on a hidden note. It may also be revealed if you survive Sable’s first return, depending on where you hide.

If you answer Dustella correctly, she will reveal important story information that allows you to distract Sable and progress the game.

Answering the riddle is not enough to keep you safe, however: like Sable, the doll will use any excuse to either eat you or keep you for herself. Try to get away quickly and don’t risk returning!

There’s a puzzle box on the chest which can be beaten by trial and error, but each attempt costs you time. It’s better to get the solution. That said, it is not necessary to unlock this box to beat the game.

The box itself was locked by Robert, whose fate can be discovered under the bed. However, as his scroll notes, the code is not written down. In fact, you must learn it from Fiona. This can be done if you talk to her after finding Robert’s scroll.

Opening the box will reveal the jewel.

The jewel can be offered to various characters to gain credit. It can also cause Sable to grow.

Mostly, offering up the jewel will not help you and can cause angry reactions. It’s only really safe to offer it towards the end, to help win over Ms Claus or Sable.

To make Sable grow, you need to leave the jewel out in plain sight, on the bed. This must be done before you trigger the endgame, and its impact will vary if Sable spots it before or after you trigger the endgame.

The scroll is an important object if you want to learn about Sable’s backstory. It unlocks options for talking to her and Fiona. It is not entirely necessary to find it, but it can help with Ms Claus if your naughtiness is too high.

The scroll can be found on the desk, but only after you have discovered the pattern on Robert’s hat. The hat is under the bed.

To progress to the endgame, it is essential that you persuade Sable to invite Ms Claus to the room. There are two things necessary to make this happen: you need to learn more about Ms Claus from the doll, Dustella, and you need to use this information when speaking to Sable before she picks you up.

Also note that to survive the endgame, you must learn of Sable’s biggest fear before she picks you up.

When you have distracted Sable with talk of her mother, this will unlock an option to talk of her again when Sable does pick you up. This can trigger Ms Claus’s arrival, and the endgame.

You must get picked up eventually – if Sable runs out of other people to eat, she will find you. If you haven’t spoken to her about Ms Claus before she grabs you, things are not likely to go well.

The end game essentially requires you to keep your head down until the right opportunity to escape comes, and from there you need to negotiate your survival with Ms Claus. If you are deemed too naughty, this will be impossible.

Finding the scroll, insisting on Sable’s survival and offering the jewel to Ms Claus can all help you convince Ms Claus not to kill you, but none of these will guarantee it on their own.

It is very hard to convince Ms Claus if Fiona is killed.

To reach the end, you must wait until Sable and Ms Claus come to blows, and you must distract Sable in the fight. To survive the fight, you need to learn Sable’s fear of bats from the bed before you are picked up earlier.

As well as being captured/rescued by Ms Claus, it is also possible to be captured permanently by Sable or Dustella.

In order to convince Sable to keep you, you must (a) learn her backstory to win her over and (b) either help her face her mother or sacrifice Fiona.

To get caught by Dustella, you either have to fail to convince her to let you go or encounter her after answering her riddle correctly (but don’t upset her!).

• Better together… – Achievable by being torn apart either by Sable (make her angry by mentioning her mother) or Dustella (make her angry by offering her the jewel).
• Forevermore… – Be kept as a pet by Sable (see Other Ways to Survive).
• A doll’s doll… – Be kept as a pet by Dustella (see Other Ways to Survive).
• Seat warmer. – Get sat on on the stool; you must wait on the stool when Sable is due to enter.
• Never saw it coming… – Sable can step on you unseen or squish you accidentally by growing huge (only if the jewel is on the bed and you’re hiding on the workbench when Sable enters).
• Baby it’s cold outside… – Freeze to death after Sable grows huge; only achievable if you leave the jewel on the bed and are hiding by the box when Sable enters the room.
• Cheeky – Get sat on on the bed; you must be on the bed when Sable enters.
• Scoundrel – Sacrifice Fiona to save yourself.
• Golden Heart – Show Sable mercy.
• Xmas is Cancelled – Get Ms Claus killed.
• All Gone – Watch Sable run out of people to eat.
• No Hero – Survive inside the box for as long as possible.