I feel like I'm playing the game wrong

[blue]

I know it's a slow game, but I just don't get how it works. Whenever I encounter Scissor-man it feels like a death sentence and I'm barely able to make progress. I desperately want to enjoy this game, but it feels so alien. It's not even necessarily that the controls don't make sense, it's that I don't know what to do/when to use certain aspects.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Salty Juniper]

Defending yourself basically falls into 3 categories:

1. Hiding
   
2. Attacking
   
3. Using a stage hazard

Some items can't be interacted with until you're getting chased. For attacking and hiding, I think you always have to enter the room and select the item before he follows you into the room.

When you're exploring the mansion, try to look around and see if there's anything useful for defending yourself. Like "maybe I can make him fall here" or "this looks like a good hiding spot." Then try to run to the closest room where you think you can defend yourself. If you're getting chased and you can't interact with any items, I'd suggest leaving the room quickly and trying another place.

I'm trying to be vague so you can find these yourself, but let me know if you want any specifics.

[blue]

Thanks for such a detailed reply!

Originally posted by Salty Juniper:

select the item before he follows you into the room.

Is there any way to tell which items can and cannot be used as weaponry? For example, I'm sure the perfume is meant for a puzzle later in the game but part of my brain is also like "spray it in his eyes". I know the game probably doesn't have that much freedom in regard to puzzles, but most of my SNES experience comes from old school RPGs and not early horror

[Jerry QQ]

Taking the XBox controller as an example, when Scissorman approaches you, you can see your avatar flash, and you can press the "A" button to temporarily push him down (Press the "B" button for Switch and SNES versions). Please note that Rewind version, if your avatar is red, your avatar may not flash, then you will definitely be killed by him. Normally, you can press the "Y" button to stop, and press the "Y" button again to rest until you until the avatar turns blue.

***********************************
In order not to ruin your fun, you can go here to read the guide

https://steamcommunity.com/app/2794770/guides/

Then you can read this article
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3358698516

The room in the map has a heart-shaped symbol in the upper left corner. It is a place where you can hide, but sometimes you may still be attacked by Scissor Man.
If you still can't find a place to hide, you can first hide in the car in the garage (only available in the Rewind version). Bobby Scissorman will 100% not pierce the car and then leave.

[Mr. Miazma]

blue = fine
yellow = ok
orange = caution
red = danger (can no longer survive panic events)
flashing = panic event

You can sit on the floor and gain your energy back fairly quickly. Its pretty easy to keep energy up, even if being chased as long as you got distance. Just mash the panic button fast whenever it flashes. Every time I see my portrait in yellow or orange, i sit down and recover. You cant win any panic events in the red, thats a game over

If you break a hole through the wall to the courtyard, simply walking through the hole will instantly lose Scissorman in a chase. The first bedrooms bed is always safe too, just deal with the parrot first (or parrot will snitch on your hiding spot)

Bathrooms are a death trap in this game, don't rely on them

[Mr. Miazma]

Originally posted by blue:

Thanks for such a detailed reply!

Originally posted by Salty Juniper:

select the item before he follows you into the room.

Is there any way to tell which items can and cannot be used as weaponry? For example, I'm sure the perfume is meant for a puzzle later in the game but part of my brain is also like "spray it in his eyes". I know the game probably doesn't have that much freedom in regard to puzzles, but most of my SNES experience comes from old school RPGs and not early horror

Nothing from your inventory can be used as self defense against Scissorman himself

But there is a puzzle in the game, where that idea does come into play

[blue]

Thank you!

[battlecruiser2004]

There are several guaranteed ways to lose scissorman. In the east wing there's the hole in the collapsed corridor that leads to the courtyard and the bed in the master bedroom. You can also hide in the back of the storage room (if you haven't pushed the nearby box to use as a step yet then it requires a panic sequence to climb over) There's also the spare can of insecticide you can throw (in Rewind it appears scissorman can also trip over it), but the fumes will rapidly drain your stamina, so be sure not to come in here at orange level.

In the west wing, if you had already bridged the gap on the 2nd floor with the wooden plank, then you can remove it and cause scissorman to fall through the floor, this can be done as many times as needed. Alternatively, if you look out the scream corridor and see Anne die, you can go to the study and jump out the window into the courtyard pool (also works every time, but is a bit of a detour)

If you're being chased, don't run through the 2nd floor scream corridor, the floor will collapse and if you're not quick with the panic sequence it's a cheap death, and even if you survive that corridor will be permanently unusable, forcing you to use the 1st floor corridor instead.

[MekaDovah]

Originally posted by battlecruiser2004:

If you're being chased, don't run through the 2nd floor scream corridor, the floor will collapse and if you're not quick with the panic sequence it's a cheap death, and even if you survive that corridor will be permanently unusable, forcing you to use the 1st floor corridor instead.

Running through there and succeeding at the panic event is a guaranteed way to lose Scissorman. The end result is the same either way: you can't use that corridor when being chased, so I feel it can sometimes be worth it to use it to escape at least once.