Demon Idol or Cane

[BoonMike]

What exactly dictates whether you get the Demon Idol route or the Cane route? I've played through from beginning to end four times now (and seen four different endings) and I'm yet to see the Demon Idol once. Is it legitimately just random?

[Lennyzin]

It's legitimately random, they don't influence the routes at all... Just the way you have to figure out how to open the passage in the ritual room and find them. That doesn't really matter in this game, it's just a gameplay element. But given the sequel, all you need to know is that the Demon Idol was the canonical form, because in the sequel, it's the main focus.

[Salty Juniper]

AFAIK if you can't push down the bookcase to look at the entire mural in the mural room, that means you're getting the demon idol. So basically RNG decides how destructive Jennifer is feeling.

[BoonMike]

Ah cool, good to know. I know it doesn't impact the endings but I was just curious.

[battlecruiser2004]

Easiest way to tell which one will be used in a playthrough is go to the piano room and wait a few seconds, if the ceiling tile falls off and Scissorman sticks his head out, then the vase behind the curtain will have the scepter. If nothing happens then it's the idol.

[Jay T Maximus]

It's random. It doesn't impact your ending, but it DOES make it harder to get the D-F endings: Because to get those endings you need (among other things) to NOT trigger a certain cutscene in the phone room. You can just avoid the phone room entirely if you end up with the Demon Statue, but if you get the cane, you need to examine the mural in the Religious Study, and you find the key to the Religious Study in the phone room. That said, if you were going for one of those endings, just use the "Rewind" feature if a cutscene starts in the phone room, until it doesn't happen. Or save right before going in the phone room.

I know that's not what you asked, but just figured I'd add it.

[WuffWabbit]

Originally posted by BoonMike:

What exactly dictates whether you get the Demon Idol route or the Cane route? I've played through from beginning to end four times now (and seen four different endings) and I'm yet to see the Demon Idol once. Is it legitimately just random?

It's completely random!

The Demon Idol is suggested to be more canon than the scepter since it appears in Clock Tower 2. Also, if you get the Demon Idol you get to find out what happened to Jennifer's father. Overall, the Demon Idol RNG gives you a more story-rich route.

Overall it doesn't affect endings ect either way.

[battlecruiser2004]

You can still see Walter even if you got the scepter, as long as you don't go into the phone room first and trigger Mary's scene.

There's no reason to go in the religious study right off the bat, that can wait till much later.