True Detective & The Bruse Family

A little help for those struggling to get some of the achievements. You can find information here for: True Detective, The Bruse Family, Intruder and Notes from the Past.

1. Introduction

Unforgiving - A Northern Hymn is a Horror Game centered around Swedish Mythology. Most of the achievements are more or less straight forward in their description and you can easily deduct what you have to do in order to get them. The greatest exception to this is probably the "True Detective" achievement which has a rather vague description to it. Additionally, I'll provide the locations for the "The Bruse Family" and "Notes from the Past" achievements.

I recommend playing through the game at least once without consulting any guides or walkthroughs. With a chapter select feature available, most achievements can be obtained easily after completing the game once, except for the "No Death" achievements. The majority of achievements are straightforward, and the entire game can be completed without needing a guide, as most content is fairly hidden. However, there may be two or three poems that are more challenging to locate.. By the nature of the guide it contains spoilers. So read at your own risk.

2. The Map / The Intruder

In this section, I'll display the village map to serve as a reference for locating specific buildings. I've marked each building on the map that can be entered during gameplay. So, it can also assist in obtaining the "Intruder" achievement as well. The ingame-map itself is designed quite well as you can easily spot most of the building although you can't tell which ones are inaccessible. Also, I'm unsure whether you need to enter every building or only those with closed doors. However, visiting each one should guarantee you obtain the achievement without any issues.


Marked in green are the buildings where nothing of importance is stored; you may find drawings, letters, or matches. The remaining buildings with differently colored rectangles are places of special interest for one reason or another. Note that you can only enter the last building in Chapter 5, which is also associated with the "True Detective" achievement. Since you are chased by the Skogsrå for half of Chapter 5, I recommend visiting most of the buildings during Chapter 4 when you are still safe despite the eerie sounds. Alternatively, you can explore them at the end of Chapter 5 when you should be safe again.

3. The Bruse Family

This achievement can easily be completed in Chapter 4, so it's best to attempt it there. To start, you'll need to locate the two houses of "Little ones of Freya" (marked with purple rectangles).


Start at the Bell Tower and search for the path leading to Freya's little ones. If you continue along this path, you will arrive at the location shown in the image on the right.


Start at the right house, the Mother House. Enter and immediately turn left. At the window, you'll find the first of the three goats. Pick it up briefly and examine it. After that, go to the second house.


Enter it and turn slightly to the right. On the table, you will find the second goat, which is very small (and cute, and adorable), so it's probably the easiest to miss. Pick it up and examine it. Then proceed to the back room.


You will most likely notice the large chest in the back of the room. Open it to find the last of the three goats. Pick it up and examine it. Congratulations, you've earned the "The Bruse Family" achievement. Well, that was easy.

4. Notes from the Past

This achievement can be gained right at the beginning of Chapter 5, shortly before obtaining the harp. For both the harp and the achievement, you need to reach the main building (marked by a golden rectangle) in the lower right corner of the map. To get there, you'll need two items to lower the bridge and cross the river: the key from the Guard House (blue rectangle) and the tension belt from the blacksmith's house (red rectangle). Once you've lowered the bridge, nothing stands in your way anymore. So, welcome to the main building


After entering the building, turn right and head towards the room that kinda looks like a small library. You will immediately notice the cabinet on the wall opposite the door.


Open the upper glass cupboard and pick up the small musical box. With this you have unlocked your next achievement "Notes from the Past". Up to the next one: True Detective.

5. True Detective

The goal here is to enter the building marked with the orange rectangle on the map. Since you need the harp, this achievement can only be obtained in Chapter 5. While it is possible to do this with the Skogsrå still around, it can be quite annoying. To the best of my knowledge, she stops appearing after she has bitten you at the pier. Therefore, you can complete the achievement after that scene and before using the raft to cross the lake.


Arriving from the west (near the guard house and the gate) and heading towards the Bell Tower, you will see the house on the left side. You'll recognize it by the tree-like sign to the right of the door, likely a depiction of Yggdrasil. To unlock the door, you need to play a specific melody on the harp. There is actually no need to see the notes in-game, so it would be enough to look up the sequence in this guide. Nontheless I will go the extra mile and explain how you could have solved this yourself.


Chances are you found the solution yourself, as the necessary information is located in the very first building you encounter in Chapter 4: the Guard House (blue rectangle). In case you missed it, there's even another hint on the east side of the map that directs you back there. In the second room of the Guard House, you can find a framed picture on the shelf. Observing it, you'll notice signs resembling the notes from the harp. If you turn the image around, you'll see the same tree-like sign as on the house. Using your superior brain power, you'll quickly deduce that they are connected. So, write down the notes and head back to the locked house.


Stand in front of the door and begin playing the notes. You'll notice the resonance indicating that you're playing it correctly. After playing the song, the door will unlock and you can enter. In the backroom, you'll find some face-like images and a piece of poetry. If you've visited all the other houses beforehand, you'll have now unlocked both the "True Detective" and "Intruder" achievements. Congratulations.

6. Final words

Well, this wasn’t too hard. Most people will likely solve this on their own. For those struggling, I hope this was helpful. If you have any further questions, feel free to post them in the comment section, and I will see if I can provide an answer. Other than that:

Thank you for reading and have fun playing the game

[MaddieStamper537]

Thank you this does help me

[alex_snake]

Thanks bro!

[Muckelchen]

Great guide, thanks!

[Nynrod]

nice guide!

[十六夜Shiny☆]

thank you!

[Seenu]

Thanks

[Harold Gillies]

Thx man, very nice😊👍