Serena Mini Guide: A Frustrated Tale

This guide aims to be a relatively spoiler-free reference for players who get stuck when playing Serena. Because the game is very story driven, it's hard to tell that there are specific triggers needed to get through each section of the game - this guide will help you get to the end!

Introduction to Serena (and this guide)

Serena is a story-driven point-and-click adventure that opens up with you sitting at a table, staring at the photo of you and the forgotten blurry face of your partner, Serena. Through discovering items, your inner monologue and remembering snippets of dialogue, you slowly piece together the premise of the game...

What This Guide Is

This guide is designed to be a quick reference to be glanced at when you are stuck at certain sections of the game. There are areas of the game where it isn't obvious how to progress, and can lead to a small amount of frustration - it is here where my guide should come in handy.

What This Guide Is Not

This guide should not be used as a way to speed through the game (although it certainly could be), as it is highly recommended that you pay attention to the dialogue in the game and not click through the speeches mindlessly. Serena is a story-driven game, and immersing yourself in the game is important.

Spoilers?

This guide is only short, and I have made every effort to minimise the amounts of spoilers contained within it (including the lack of screenshots). Although what is considered a spoiler may vary greatly from one person to another, I have tried my hardest not to give away any minor plot points, and especially no major ones.

Controls

Although Serena exclusively uses the left mouse button in-game (duh, it's point-and-click...), there are still three useful key bindings to consider.


RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON - Change control scheme
This will lock the camera and prevent it from following the mouse. To look around, move the mouse towards the edges of the screen.

SPACEBAR - Toggle hotspots
Pressing spacebar will highlight all of the clickable spots with a blue dot.

ESCAPE - Escape
There are no settings in this game. Seriously, ESC will just boot you out...without saving your progress.

Runthrough

I have tried to minimise spoilers in this list, but some of the actions involved and/or the comments beside them may give some things away. In short, only read up until a point you know you have reached already.

• On the table, click on the photograph.
  
• Go to the dressing table in the bedroom and click on the comb - you should make a comment about her hair.
  
• Above the chest in the kitchen, click on the poem - you should make a comment about her eyes.
  
• Sit back on the chair and click on the photograph - the face should no longer be blurry.

• Go back to the dressing table and click on the top-left drawer (not the one on top of the dressing table).
  
• Open the drawer and click through the letter - the clock should chime.
  
• Go back to the photograph and click on it until you say "Am I going mad?"

The next step is a little more complicated, as it doesn't seem to have a set pattern. However, it seems that the bible and the bookcase are important to progress. So, having said that...

• Go to the bedside table on the right by the closet.
  
• Open the bedside table and click on the bible - you should make a comment about respecting beliefs.
  
• Click on the purple flower - you should make a comment about not paying attention.
  
• Go back into the kitchen and click on the bookcase - you should make a comment about your books playing a part in the relationship.
  
• Go back to the table and click the photograph a few times.

You should have heard the clock chime again during that sequence, but if not then you might need to initiate some further dialogue. You can do this by clicking on the rug, the armchair, the magazine in the other bedside table, the keys in the right-hand drawer on top of the dressing table, or the stove by the bookcase. Each of these should be clicked until Serena makes a comment.

As kindly pointed out by user "dp" in the comments below, some of the above objects will only initate dialogue and will not trigger any game events; to do that, you need to click any three of the following objects: the chair on the other side of the table, the bookcase, the lamp on the right bedside table, the bible, the dressing table, the photograph, the perfume on the top right of the dressing table, the frying pan, the blood pressure medication in the left-hand drawer on top of the dressing table, or the clock.

Once you have heard the clock chime, continue through this list.

• Leave the table and click on the chest - if the chest does not open, repeat the 5 steps above.
  
• Open the chest and click through the letter.
  
• Click on the jewellery box.
  
• Go back to the table and sit on the chair.
  
• To the right of the photograph, click on the empty table - you should place the jewellery box upon it.
  
• Open the jewellery box and click on the ring - you should make a comment of disbelief.
  
• Go to the bedroom and open the closet.
  
• In the left side of the closet, click on the coat.

After the last step, you should hear some muffled voices.

• Go into the kitchen.
  
• Click on the window to the left of the door.

[Imogen Pretty]

Nice ty

[SumYungGuy1975]

Fantastic! Thanks for the guide. For those stuck at the bookcase, go the game file on your device, find the lua file. Change "full screen = true" to "full screen = false". This fixed the "stuck at bookcase" issue for me.

[Inbadreams]

I've got it!
I couldn't resist trying once more with the guide in front of me and I understood: I clicked on the comb before clicking elsewhere (drawer, perfume...) and it worked. You have to click on the comb as soon as you get to the dressing table.
It doesn't take much.
Another purgatory story...

[Inbadreams]

I tried the game several times, clicking everywhere, but nothing happened and the photo remained blurred.

I tried this guide, nothing, the photo remains blurred.

If there's no way to save, it must be a question of chronology. The order in which the player visits the corners of the hut (and clicks on objects) must have an effect. That's all I can come up with. Unfortunately, I don't have the mental strength to go through it all again, until it works.

It seems obvious that the hut has burnt down (the look of the wood and the falling ashes) and the character's ghost must be trapped there (purgatory?). As for the rest, I'll never know :-)

[esotericgnosis]

There's a bug with the bookcase. If you click on a book you can't get back or turn around. Have to control alt del

[Lady Nyra]

I get stuck whenever I click on the bookcase - I can't click back from it and therefore can't progress :(

[MADBUZRD]

Wow.. was NOT expecting this.. I love it.. a bit frustrating but still worth the play.. thanks!

[akuma]

thx

[Logun]

thank you, this is good read!

[Jhon]

Thanks a lot